talk ddppl.com TravTalkIndiatravtalkindia.com/pdf/2016/03-mar-2016-2.pdfMar 03, 2016 · Vol. XXVIII Issue 6; March 2 nd night t r i ssue f 2016 A DDP PUBLICATION Pages : 48 + 24

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` 50/-Vol. XXVIII Issue 6; March 2nd fortnight i ssue 2016 A DDP PUBLICATION Pages : 48 + 24 pages supplement-Exhibition Talk

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FINAL_March-2nd 2016:TT Layout 3/17/2016 2:38 PM Page 1

Rationalise taxesExperts from the tourism and hospitality industry came under one roof at the HRANI Conclave to discuss the issuesand aspirations of the two industries.

There was no hike forover 10 years in entryfee to monuments. This

hike is being implemented asper the decision of the govern-ment, ASI is only an executivebody. We have requested thegovernment to consider ourproposal to have the increasein staggering manner in the

course of 2-3 years and not a300 per cent fee hike at onego," says Subhash Goyal,

President, Indian Associationof Tour Operators (IATO).

According to ASI, in com-parison to countries abroad,the entry fee at monuments is very less. R.S. Fonia, Joint Director General,Archaeological Survey of India(ASI), says, "The money will becollected by the government toprovide better public services

and improved infrastructure atthe monuments." Fonia pointsout that there is a need to pro-vide Wi-Fi, handicapped

friendly pavements and wash-rooms, eateries at monumentsand more resting places. Thereis also a need to have moretrained audio and video guidesat the monuments to facilitatea better experience.

Discussing the repercus-sions of the fee hike on foreigntourist arrivals in India, Goyalsays, "The tour operators oftensign contracts six months toone year in advance and thefee hike was not updated then.The travel agents do not havethe resources to meet the dif-ference as it becomes quite

high when many monumentsare included in the itineraryand since the amount cannotbe claimed from the clients,this may lead to cancellations."

Sarab Jit Singh, ViceChairman, Federation ofAssociations in Indian Tourismand Hospitality (FAITH), adds,"The cost of Indian packageswill further increase which will be reflected in the total num-ber of arrivals because Indiantourism products are alreadymore expensive by more than20 per cent, when comparedwith competing destinations."

Jyoti Kapur, President,Association of Domestic TourOperators of India (ADTOI),points out the impact ondomestic tourism and says,"The domestic tour operatorswill not face a big challengewith the entry fee hike as thepackages offered by themexclude such expenditures.However, in case of families,the increase will be an extraburden and to avoid that, theymight skip visiting monumentsor evaluate the affordability ofthe increased fees."

Singh adds that thoughthe increase for domestictourists is also similar in per-centage sense, it will notaffect them so much, becausethe base prices were very low.In case of foreign tourists, theincrease is substantial whichwill definitely have its impactin foreign tourist arrivals.

Fonia shares the senti-ment of the travel industry andpoints out that there is a needfor a PPP model to implementSwachh Smarak, Swachh

Bharat scheme. He says,"There is a need for joint collaboration between the Ministry of UrbanDevelopment, the Ministry ofCulture and the Ministry ofTourism to enable better land-scaping at the monuments,introduction of light and soundshows, cultural events to facil-itate better experience and inturn boost tourism. It is aninterlinked process and anexecutive body like ASI haslimited means to implementthe same."

The hike in fee at Grade-I monuments listed under ASI is going to be implemented from April 1. The travel industryvoices concerns over the sudden fee hike and gives suggestions to minimise damage to tourist numbers.

Hike monument entry fee in phases

AN K I TA SAX E N A

Industry suggests:Generate revenue fromnon-ticket options likekiosks on books, handi-crafts; restaurants; specialevents; group tickets withconcessions; e-ticketing forall monuments; sound andlight shows

The fees can be increasedby not more than 50%every year and with this in 5year's time, the targetswould be achieved

Sarab Jit SinghVice ChairmanFAITH

Jyoti KapurPresidentADTOI

Subhash GoyalPresidentIATO

R.S. FoniaJoint Director GeneralASI

The HRANI Conclave,held on February 27,saw over 150 delegates

in attendance and was alsograced by Kapil Mishra, Delhi Tourism Minister. LuvMalhotra, President, HRANI,said, “There are three primary

issues which we are address-ing with the Tourism Minister atan open forum. These are theLuxury Tax, the exorbitantcharges on environment tax,and ease of doing business,

where I give due credit to theDelhi Government, which hastaken a proactive approach."He also stressed on the impor-tance of a Single WindowClearance (SWC) and simplic-ity in process. He stated thatat present the industry requires40 odd licences, certificationsand clearances to function,

whereas only five licences arerequired in countries like Chinaand Malaysia.

In response to thesame, Mishra said, “We are

working on rationalising thetaxes and this budget willbring good news for theindustry.” Mishra furtheradded, “We are working on amajor Delhi Festival — a 15day long cultural event inDelhi to be held in the monthof November. We have com-

pletely changed our eventorganising policy and are alsoplanning 10 smart streets,which will be made into touristhubs in the city. We arerevamping all monuments.This year a massive andaggressive Delhi branding willbe launched.”

K.B. Kachru, Chairman,South Asia, Carlson & RezidorHotel Group, gave the keynotespeech, where he highlightedthe issues and aspirations of tourism and hospitality sectorin Delhi. He also said that thegovernment must carve out poli-cies to make the capital of Indiaa safe, secure, hygienic and pol-lution free destination.

Another major issue dis-cussed at the conference washow Delhi, despite being thecapital, was losing out to theNCR regions like Gurgaon,Noida, Greater Noida,Faridabad, Ghaziabad and

neighbouring states. Malhotrasaid, “Approximately 24 mil-lion tourists come to Delhi, therest are going to neighbouringstates of Haryana and UttarPradesh. Punjab has pickedup as well. Delhi is becomingvery expensive and a transitstate with overnight stays ofonly 1-2 days.”

S.M. Shervani, Hony.Secretary FAITH, FormerPresident, HRANI & FHRAI,said, "Delhi has seen an influxof hotel rooms and guest hous-es and because of it today thehotels are struggling with theirARR and occupancy.”

While Delhi is facing irreg-ularity of taxes, UP has come upwith a progressive tourism pol-icy, claimed Surendra KumarJaiswal, President, UttarPradesh Hotel & RestaurantAssociation (UPHRA) andManaging Committee Memberof HRANI. “There are high incentives offered to those who wish to build newhotels in Uttar Pradesh.”

TT BU R E AU

Kapil MishraTourism MinisterDelhi

Luv MalhotraPresidentHRANI

K. B. KachruChairman, South Asia, Carlson & Rezidor Hotel Group

S. M. ShervaniHony. Secretary FAITH, FormerPresident, HRANI & FHRAI

Surendra Kumar JaiswalPresident, Uttar Pradesh Hotel &Restaurant Association

We are working on rationalising thetaxes and this budget will bringgood news for the industry

Kapil MishraTourism Minister, Delhi


MOT backs Budget Addressing the concerns of the disheartened tourism industry, Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, Tourism, Governmentof India, puts the record straight on the Budget, saying that it is only a financial document. He also said that the industry’srequirements will be addressed by the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) in the upcoming National Tourism Policy.

While the entire indus-try is seeminglyunhappy with the

recent budget, Billa clarifies,“People don’t understand therole of the budget. The budgetis a financial document of theGovernment of India. It is nota document where one canexpect details of electronicvisa or adding or subtractingairports.” Sharing his viewson the budget, he says, “It isnot about how many men-tions of tourism there are, it isabout how much the outlay has been. And the out-lay has been untouched.We’ve got marginally morethan what we got last year.

In terms of monetary alloca-tion, there has been no discrimination.”

Unlike the current budgetwith not a specific mention oftourism, in last year’s budget itwas announced that e-visa willbe extended to 150 countries.Explaining further, Billa says,“Last time when they’d men-tioned about e-visa for 150countries, it was a deviationand it’s not a norm. It wasbecause the government tooka serious view of doing thatand bind down a timeline to e-visa. Every announcement inthe budget goes through mul-tiple reviews to see whether ithas been done or not, and it ensures a time-bound

implementation. We were toldthat tourism specific thingswere not taken up this timebecause the structure of thebudget has fundamentallychanged. It was centred on thenine pillars of economic growthincluding agriculture andfarmer’s welfare; rural sector;social sector; educationalskills; etc. However, as long asthe money is not cut from theallocation, there is nothing thatcan stop us from achievingthings like making the e-visatriple/multiple entry, openingup of conference visas or med-ical visas, etc.”

While Billa did not givea definite date of releasingthe tourism policy, he didreveal that it is awaiting cabi-net approval at the moment.When asked if these meas-ures can be expected fromthe tourism policy, he said,“We are hoping, but e-visa isnot just the mandate of theMOT, it is dependent on theMinistry of Home as well. Wehave taken up this topic andhad a meeting with the cabi-net secretary there. In fact, ameeting was held betweenthe Ministry of ExternalAffairs as well as other

ministries, and the outcomewas that it will have a verypositive impact.”

Talking further of theupcoming investment summit,he said, “We are still trying tostructure it. If we have to keepwith our promise of growth, weare looking at almost additional200,000 hotel rooms in thecountry. And there are hugeopportunities for investmentslike amusement parks, rope-ways, as well as the BuddhistCircuit. There are multipleopportunities, which we canshowcase and get investors.

Our job is to get the globalinvestors at one platform andwe’d want the states to comeand make a pitch becausemost of the investment willhappen at the state level. We will try and hand-hold the states to develop a package that will be attractiveto investors.”

Looking forward to theBuddhist Conclave, which isplanned around September-October in Bodh Gaya, hesaid, “It is a global event,essentially to establish India’sclaim as the originating coun-try for Buddhism. It is not onlyabout tourism promotion butalso about projecting India tothe outside world.”

NI S H A VE R M A It is not about how many mentions oftourism there are, it is about how much theoutlay has been. And the outlay has beenuntouched. We’ve got marginally morethan what we got last year.

Suman BillaJoint Secretary

Ministry of TourismGovernment of India

What Tourism got?The Budget 2016-17, pre-sented by Finance MinisterArun Jaitley in Parliament,earmarked ̀ 1,590 crorefor the Tourism Ministry, out of which ̀ 1,500 croreunder plan and ̀ 90 croreunder non-plan heads

Dispelling doubts on safety

67%Yes

27%No

Maybe18%

In the wake of rising coverage in media oncrime against women, asked industryplayers if they would consider India safe forinternational tourists, specially women. What wereceived was a resounding yes as 67 per cent gave a thumbs up to the security situation in India. However, 27 per cent voted no to ourquestion casting some doubts on the safety of foreign travellers in thecountry. Five per cent were unsure. The poll is a reflection on how tradestands tall despite an impression of the country in general and Delhi in particular of being unsafe.

As long as the money is notcut from the allocation, there is nothing that can

stop us from achieving things likemaking the e-visa triple/multipleentry, introducing conference visas or medical visas, etc



BULLETIN

Billed as the largest gatheringof tourism stakeholders in

partnership with Department ofTourism, the biennial KeralaTravel Mart (KTM) will be held atSamudrika and SagaraConvention Centre, WillingdonIsland, from September 28 to30, 2016. Around 1,500 buyersfrom across the country andabroad are expected to attendthe latest edition, with its focuson ‘Responsible Tourism’ and‘Muziris and Spice Route’.

“KTM 2016, which willcoincide with ‘World TourismDay’, will reach out to buyers from new internationalmarkets, emphasising on the new arenas of tourism,including responsible tourism,and popularise the conceptamong the common man," said AbrahamGeorge, President, KeralaTravel Mart Society.

As many as 265 stalls ofdifferent sizes for the exhibitorswithin Kerala will be featured atthe venue as part of the event.

“To facilitate better inter-action between buyers andsellers, we have initiated theprocess for sellers’ registrationmuch in advance,” Georgepointed out. The buyers’ registration is open till July 29.The mart will be a platform forB2B networking.

KTM promises to bringtogether business entrepre-neurs from Kerala offering var-ious tourism products andservices, including tour opera-tors, hotels, resorts, homestays, houseboats, Ayurvedaresorts and cultural art centres,on to a single platform andfacilitates their meetings andinteractions with buyers fromaround the world.

The mart will also projectKerala as an ideal breakawaydestination for weddings andhoneymoons along with itsAyurveda and leisure products,all of which are emerging seg-ments for tourism destinations,with the aim of increasing thestate's tourism market share byan additional ` 5,000 crore.

“Our aim is to substantiallyincrease the number of touristsfrom the new market world overin the next two years. However,we have received a great and

prompt response from thedomestic and international touroperators in yesteryears," Mr. George said.

During KTM 2014, theUK, Germany, France,Malaysia, and the US toppedthe countries with the maxi-mum participants, new mar-kets like Singapore, Poland,Romania, the Czech Republicand Brazil had their buyers toofor the meet.

With focus on Responsible Tourism, Muziris and Spice Route themes, theninth Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) is set to take place from September 28-30.

Responsible Tourism@KTM 2016

TT BU R E AU

The Year That Was!KTM 2014 witnessed a participation of 1,100 buyers

854 domestic buyers and 234 international buyers from 45 countriesattended the KTM 2014

40,000 buyer- sellerappointments took placeduring the 3-day event

Abraham GeorgePresidentKerala Travel Mart Society


VIEWPOINT

EDITORIAL

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

advice before acting on information contained in this publicationwhich is provided for general use, and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances. Contents of this publication are copyright. No part of TRAVTALK or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in retrieval systemor transmitted in any form without the permission of the pub-lication in writing. The same rule applies when there is a copy-right or the article is taken from another publication. An exemp-tion is hereby granted for the extracts used for the purpose offair review, provided two copies of the same publication are sentto us for our records. Publications reproducing material eitherin part or in whole, without permission could face legal action.

The publisher assumes no responsibility for returning any material solicited or unsolicited nor is he responsible for material lost or damaged.

This publication is not meant to be an endorsement of any specific product or services offered. The publisher reserves the right to refuse, withdraw, amend or otherwise deal with all advertisements without explanation.

All advertisements must comply with the Indian andInternational Advertisements Code. The publisher will not beliable for any damage or loss caused by delayed publication, erroror failure of an advertisement to appear.

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CIN: U22210DL2012PTC230432

Modest rise in hotel inventoryWith 7,853 new rooms, 2015 saw minimal addition to chain-affiliated hotelinventory in the last seven years. Occupancy rose by 3.3 points to 62%, RevPARincreased by 5% (only `168), because room rates were down by a half-point.

Average Daily RateADR% Change-2015 vs 2014RevPar

RevPAR % Change-2015 vs 2014

OccupancyOcc change-basis profits - 2015 vs 2014

What if all the small-sized travel agencies inIndia joined hands and formed a network?

They would no longer remain diminutive but findstrength in numbers.

A lot of agencies in cities like Mumbai,Bengaluru and Pune have already done this.They have created groups – whether on mobileapplications or on social media platforms –inviting similar-sized agents to be part of it. Theycontribute to the conversation, share contacts,information and even experiences, and learnfrom each other’s triumphs and errors.

By using simple technology that is availablefor free, more and more holiday planners areusing their adversary to their advantage. Thiscould be a smart move at a time when the onlinewave is slowly and gradually taking over themarket, taking the consumers with it. The powerof one, with agents working as a single unit,cannot be undermined; surely it has more valueand negotiation power than a standalone small-sized agency.

The power of one

Hopes to boost inbound numbers are at an alltime high, especially with the e-visa now

being extended to 150 countries. Everyone,including the travel trade and the MOT, is takingit as a way forward to boost foreign tourist arrivalsand in turn increase foreign exchange earningsinto India. However, it is important to understandthat inbound numbers can only increase if thedomestic tourism in the country is flourishing.The MOT has revealed that domestic tourist visitswithin the country have been recorded at 1.45billion in 2015, as against 747.7 billion in 2010,which means that we are going the right wayforward. While figures speak volumes, domestictour operators as well as inbound agents claimthat with cheaper flights to outbound destinationsbeing offered by both international and Indiancarriers, they do lose substantial business topopular Southeast Asian destinations. However,with the PRASAD and Swadesh Darshanschemes in place, we hope that moredestinations are developed.

Domestic tourism paves way for inbound

Occupancy improvement is the highlight of 2015, with all buttwo of the key markets having positive results. -0.9 ptsdecline for Goa once again puts the focus on demandsource concentration on a single market, in this case, theRussian market. Whereas in Kolkata, Occupancy has beenin steady decline since it peaked at 70.6% in 2011. 2015didn't see any new supply. The Average Daily Rate are athird lower in number than for 2014 and with a smaller scaleof decline than recent years.

25 years agobrings to you the events that made headlines 25 years ago and are

relevant to the travel & tourism industry even now.

The hotel industry recognises Sikkim as the destination of future.Sharp focus on Sikkim and Darjeeling after the tragic happening in Kashmir Valley.Hope for getting the ancient shortest trade route between Sikkim and Lhasa.

CMD, Air India

Now

From the archives

Then

Yogesh C. Deveshwar was appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director of Air India in 1991 and is heading ITC Ltd today.

Chairman, ITC Ltd.


M A R C H 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6 TRAVTALK 7

News from the island nationSri Lanka Tourism’s new MDSri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) appointed Ruvini DiasBandaranayake as the New Managing Director on Feb 15, 2016. Shewill be expected to lead the team at SLTPB to strengthen the country’stourism industry and further develop Sri Lanka’s position in the worldtourism ranks via various promotional and marketing activities.

Sri Lanka Tourism launches 50th Anniversary logoSri Lanka Tourism will be celebrating its 50 years on May 2, 2016 and to commemorate the same,Minister for Tourism Development & Christian Affairs Hon. John Amarathunga, on February 12in Colombo, launched a new logo for its Golden Jubilee Celebrations. The national celebrationsof the 50th Anniversary of Sri Lanka Tourism will be held on May 27, 2016 at the main hall ofBandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH).

SriLankan Airlines’ thrice-weekly Guangzhou-Colombo flights SriLankan Airlines has launched thrice weekly non-stop flights from Guangzhou to Colombo,becoming the first airline operating direct flights between Guangzhou and Colombo in the South China market.

Taj Hotels has quite a bigportfolio in Sri Lanka with

three properties catering to alltypes of travellers coming intothe country. Parag Kathuria,Director of Sales & Marketing,Taj Samudra, Colombo,explains, “Taj Samudra inColombo is a luxury propertyand gets a mix of corporate,leisure and even MICE busi-ness. On the other hand, Vivantaby Taj - Bentota is a leisure prop-erty, while the Gateway HotelAirport Garden Colombo is nearthe airport and caters to crewand transient clients.

Talking of Taj Samudraspecifically, he revealed thatmost of the business comingto them is not domestic. “90per cent of our businesscomes from other countriesand 10 percent from Sri Lankain terms of nationality. Thebiggest source market for TajSamudra is India, followed bythe UK, the US, Australia andGermany,” says Kathuria.However, to boost the numbersfurther, they are targeting busi-ness from China and Europeapart from India. “We alreadyhave very good footmark inIndia. China is the largest seg-ment at this point for Sri Lankaand we are tapping the marketby doing roadshows, trade fairsand building relationships withDMCs both in Sri Lanka andChina,” he adds.

According to Kathuria,they are well prepared to caterto big numbers. “All the Tajproperties in Sri Lanka haveinvested in renovation in thelast couple of years to upgradeour product. Taj Samudra hasinvested $20 million in therecent past and is now readyto offer international luxuryexperience. Also, we haveopened Golden Dragon

Restaurant last year to tap theChinese segment,” he says.

“In order to bring in betternumbers we engage with thetravel agents on a day to daybasis and participate in tradefairs in association with SriLanka Tourism, where both trav-el agents and hotels comeunder one roof to promote SriLanka as a brand,” he adds.

Taj Samudra, Colombo, the flagship brand of the Taj Group inSri Lanka, gets maximum business from India and is nowlooking to tap into China as well as the European markets.

Looking beyond India

NI S H A VE R M A

We alreadyhave very good footmarkin India. Chinais the largestsegment at this point for Sri Lankaand we aretapping them throughroadshows,etc

Parag KathuriaDirector of Sales & MarketingTaj Samudra, Colombo

Ruvini Dias BandaranayakeManaging Director, SLTPB


AGENTS

Countries under SouthAsian Association for

Regional Cooperation(SAARC) offer the best oppor-tunity for short-haul travel andthere is a possibility of devel-oping these circuits to improveintra-regional tourism.Especially when PrimeMinister Narendra Modi hasclaimed that these countries

can actually aim at a commongoal for growth, it certainlyneeds to be assessed if devel-oping these circuits is a viableoption. Amit Malhotra,Director, Bestway Tours &Safaris, says, “The SouthAsian continent has potentialto attract tourism from otherparts of the world. It is highlyimportant to develop tourismroutes/circuits for India with itsneighbouring countries. Thereare several reasons to movetowards such regionalisationin tourism sector as it can bringwealth maximisation for allcountries of this part of thecontinent and improve the trav-el and tourism industry’s con-tribution to GDP. The WorldTravel and Tourism Councildata suggests that the totalcontribution of travel andtourism in the year 2015 forSouth Asia was 2.15 per centof the world and India con-

tributed about 46 per cent ofthis percentage. Promotingtogether can bring momentumto growth in travel and tourismindustry and create harmonyamong these nations. We havealready seen the benefitsASEAN countries are enjoyingfrom regionalisation.”

Adds Jyoti Kapur,President, Association ofDomestic Tour Operators of

India (ADTOI), “In order to visitmost of these countries,Indians do not need a visa aswell as foreign exchange. Andhence we should promote sub-continent tourism as an exten-sion to domestic tourism.”

The industry agrees thatas the first step they shouldonly include immediate neigh-bours in these circuits. Cyrus David, Manager-Tours,Parveen Holidays, says,“Some of the neighbouringcountries which could beclubbed with the trans-circuitdestinations would be SriLanka, Nepal and Bhutan,which could increase the flowof tourists.”

While this could work forIndian travellers, it can get a lit-tle tricky when it comes to international tourists.Subhash Goyal, President,

IATO, says, “When long-haultravellers from the US,Australia, and the UK visitIndia, they want to combine itwith a visit to our neighbouringcountries. If they’ve come on ane-Tourist Visa, which is onlysingle entry, and go to Nepal,it’s difficult for them to furthertravel to Sri Lanka, since thereare no direct flights from Nepal,and they cannot enter Indiaagain. So, at least a triple entry

e-Tourist Visa is a must. Onlybusiness travellers get a 10year multiple-entry visa toIndia, and it is imperative for thegovernment to make the e-visamore flexible.”

With opening up of theseboundaries and visa norms,inbound numbers into theregion would only go up.Malhotra sums up, “These cir-cuits will certainly be beneficialfor us in creating travel plansfor our clients without impedingtheir cross country visits. Travelindustry brings about theemployment and incomeopportunities for South Asiancountries. With political stabilitythat comes about withstrengthened regional cooper-ation, the clamour of insecurityand safety issues for tourists in South Asia will cripple,entailing boost in foreign tourist visits.”

Along with focus on tourism circuits within India, it isimperative for the government to look beyond bordersand initiate cooperation between neighbouring countriesto boost inbound numbers not only to India but to theSAARC region.

SAARC focus need of hour

Amit MalhotraDirectorBestway Tours & Safaris

Jyoti KapurPresident, Association of DomesticTour Operators of India (ADTOI)

Cyrus DavidManager-ToursParveen Holidays

NI S H A VE R M A

TAAI: NDC workshop with a GDSThe Travel Agents Association

of India (TAAI) Western Regionwill partner with a GDS companyto conduct workshops on NewDistribution Capability (NDC) andIATA’s NewGen ISS for its mem-bers. Revealing this, Jay Bhatia,National Treasurer and Chairman(Tourism Council), TAAI, said,“We are looking to associate with GDS companies who can share their perspective onNDC. This will bring more clarityto our members.”

TAAI had invited YossiFatael, Vice President, United

Federation of Travel AgentsAssociations (UFTAA), andChairman, Air Matters, to con-duct an in-depth presentation onNDC and NewGen ISS inMumbai and New Delhi thisJanuary. The presentation titled‘Changing Trends in the TravelIndustry and its Impact’ highlight-ed the travel agents’ perspectiveon these two important subjects.

Bhatia, who is also part ofUFTAA’s Global TourismCommittee, added, “We are alsotrying to get in touch with moreand more tourism boards

whether national or internationalto conduct workshops and train-ing programs for our members.Other than that, we will do vari-ous tie-ups in terms of hotel col-laborations for our memberswhere we will offer hotel deals at attractive rates exclusive-ly for our members.”

Rwanda and TAAI recentlysigned an MoU in Mumbai topromote bilateral tourism, bothinbound and outbound, througheducation by organising workshops, roadshow and Fam trips.



BUDGET1 0 TRAVTALK M A R C H 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6

There was no direct mention of tourism in the Union Budget 2016-17. Industry experts say the government has not heeded to thetheir demands such as infrastructure status, GST, or tax exemption. However, the aviation industry is hopeful with the governmentpromising improvement of 160 airports, boosting regional connectivity, which would indirectly benefit the tourism industry.

Budget ’16: Mixed bag for the trade

TT BU R E AU

Contd. on page 14

India: an expensive destinationThe budget did not offer any significantprovisions for tourism. The increase inexcise duty on Air Turbine Fuel (ATF) willincrease the air fare resulting in touristspaying a higher amount to travel. On aglobal scenario India will become a more

expensive destination and may affect the numbers into India.However, the development of 160 airports is relatively goodnews. Any kind of development in infrastructure and trans-portation enables movement and indirectly facilitates tourism.

Ankush NijhawanManaging Director, Nijhawan Group

Adverse impact The development of non-functional air-ports will improve connectivity within thecountry especially in Tier-II cities. Themove of increasing excise duty on ATFwill have some adverse impact on thedemand side for the industry.

Rajesh MagowCo-Founder and India CEO, MakeMyTrip.com

Service tax hazardThe budget did not offer anythingsignificant to the travel and tourismindustry. In fact the increase in exciseduty will only increase the prices ofATF resulting in higher air fare fortourists. The increased service tax

will add to hotel and transport cost, making India a moreexpensive destination. However development of new air-ports and infrastructure and the mission to allot morefunds for cleanliness in the country, if implemented effi-ciently will improve India’s brand image.

H.S. DuggalManaging Director, Minar Travels (India)

Ray of hope for aviationWe welcome the decision of reviv-ing underserved airports, develop-ing 10 out of 25 non-functionalairstrips in partnerships with stategovernments, which I believe willdefinitely accelerate the develop-

ment of regional aviation sector and will also give a welldeserving boost to the overall aviation sector. Althoughlevying of additional cess in hospitality, could have beenavoided as the industry is already burdened with taxes.

Ankur BhatiaExecutive Director, Bird Group and

Member, CII National Committee on Civil Aviation

Emphasis on developmentThe budget has provided a sharpfocus on building a stronger eco-sys-tem for the travel and tourism indus-try. Last mile connectivity is a keyhurdle for tourism and travel in India,and we believe this measure will aidin overcoming this challenge. The

Government’s focus on development and empowermentof emerging India- Tier II and III cities - is a positive sign.

J.B. SinghPresident and CEO, InterGlobe Hotels

A social budgetUnion Budget 2016 is a welcomemove and a very mature one by theFinance Minister. I welcome thefocus on aviation industry and devel-opment of airports, which has beenmentioned in the budget. The budget

focused on social, agriculture, education, infrastructureand railway, and it scores seven out of ten for me.

E. M. NajeebChairman and MD, Air Travel Enterprise Group




M A R C H 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6 TRAVTALK 1 3AGENTS

In the city of the Taj, Hotel ClarksShiraz, Agra, offers services

that can cater to every type oftraveller. “The property attractsleisure travellers, cultural tourists,special interest groups, confer-ences, weddings and also visi-tors for F&B outlets,” claimsRupak Gupta, Joint ManagingDirector, U.P. Hotels, the parentcompany of the hotel. Accordingto him, the location of the hotel

makes it a viable option forguests looking for the perfectstay. “The hotel offers a perfectsetting due to being located inthe prestigious and clean AgraCantonement area. The propertyis adjoining the Agra Golf courseand has views of Agra Fort aswell as the Taj Mahal,” he says.

In order to promote theproperty further, they are takingmany initiatives, says Gupta.“We have started advertising,

holding industry meets like theUPTM 2016, Taj LiteratureFestival 2016 and other high-profile events and destinationweddings,” he adds. However,the property is committed to thebest value package. “In everycategory we offer the lowestcost/delight ratio. We offer a lux-ury upgrade to the lower cate-gory and economy categoryrooms, as well as better spaceoption to the upper category,” hesays. He further adds, “We

have long-term rate contracts with travel agents and keepupdating best rates for the day online.”

With an ideal location and service for all kinds of travellers,Hotel Clarks Shiraz, Agra, is a perfect getaway in the city.

Luxury upgrade for low categories

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Rupak GuptaJoint Managing DirectorU.P. Hotels

The Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) is getting ready forits annual convention that will be held in August or September

of this year. As part of the pro-tocol, it is in talks with a coupleof destinations for this and oneof them is Rwanda, hints ZakkirAhmed, President, TAFI. “Wewill be able to announce thedestination only by March endor early April. Our MoU withRwanda includes not just out-bound but inbound as well. It isnot very well-known to touristsin India. So we will help them dosome promotions through ourmembers and Fam tours. If pos-sible, we will also do our con-vention there,” he says.

Ahmed adds that TAFI islooking to forge similar tie-upswith more countries. “This year’sfocus will be on training pro-grams as the industry is chang-ing constantly. TAFI is alsoworking on an online platformfor our members which we willannounce in the next two tothree months,” he adds.

Enroll in JBG schemeTAFI will be rolling out the

Joint Bank Guarantee schemefor its members from July 1,2016. “This was an importantissue because agents onlyhave two kinds of guarantee,bank and insurance guarantee.A lot of our members were ask-ing for this scheme and fortu-nately we got its approval,”Ahmed adds.

TAFI is also working onGoods & Services Tax (GST)on the side and will be makinga presentation to the financeministry and the Central Boardof Direct Taxes (CBDT) abouthow GST should be there forthe Indian travel industry as awhole. “We have appointed a company that will make apresentation for us on this,”Ahmed reveals.

After signing an MoU with Rwandarecently to promote bilateral tourismfrom and into India, TAFI might also belooking at it as the venue for itsupcoming convention.

Rwanda TAFI’s nextconvention venue?

HA Z E L JA I N

Zakkir AhmedPresidentTAFI


BUDGET1 4 TRAVTALK M A R C H 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6

ATF: Two-pronged concernThe excise duty on air turbine fuelhas been hiked and this is a twopronged concern – for the aviationindustry – in removing the upsidedue to the steep fall in crude oil price,and for the consumer – due cascad-

ing price escalation as fuel forms almost 50-60 per centof airline costs. We appreciate the far reaching initiativesand look forward to the government’s effective and sustained delivery on ground.

Rajeev KalePresident & Chief Operating Officer-MICE, Domestic &

Sports Tourism, Thomas Cook India

Increased level of prudenceThe budget affirms the government’scommitment to continued reformswhile maintaining an increased levelof prudence, given the current globalenvironment of economic volatility.While there are no direct provisions

for hospitality sector, we are enthused by the government'ssubstantial focus on infrastructure and plans to revive 160non-functional airports. Increased connectivity and acces-sibility will also give a fillip to outbound domestic travel fromTier-II and III cities, thus offering greater growth avenues.

Jean Michel CasseSenior Vice President, Operations – AccorHotels, India

Regional connectivity to give fillip to tourismThis budget has specifically focused on infrastructure across the country with ahuge outlay for roads & highways, railways and reviving the unserved and under-served airports and airstrips in the country. The government realises that as theglobal economy wavers, domestic demand will be the key to tourism growth,especially to untapped regions like the North-east. We see a specific focus onenhancing regional and last mile connectivity with sops for starts-ups and inno-

vation in the passenger transport segment. In fact, increased regional connectivity will also give a fillipto outbound tourism from Tier II and III cities due to higher accessibility. The government is adoptingmeasures from some of the thriving global tourist destinations, where-in public transport is critical notonly for daily commuters but also the backbone for tourist traffic. Strengthening the infrastructure acrosslevels will definitely strengthen India as an attractive tourist destination in the global ranks.

Manmeet AhluwaliaMarketing Head, Expedia India

Indirect benefits for tourismThere was no direct mention of tourismor hospitality industry in the budget.However, stress on infrastructure devel-opment, improvement of 160 airports,boosting regional connectivity andSwachch Bharat program will indirectly

benefit the tourism industry. The outlay for infrastructure devel-opment, investment in road sector and intent to upgrade thehighways is a measure that will provide strong ecosystem fortravel and tourism industry.

Manoj NairDirector, Meandering Vacations

Infrastructure focus: indirect benefits Contd. from page 10

Swachh Bharat outlay a welcome moveThe proposal to levy Infrastructure and Agriculture cess is ret-rograde as it adds another slice to a high tax burden. We wel-come the proposal of a 3-5 year tax holiday for start-ups. Wehope this applies to new hotel projects. This will add vigour tothe business climate. Amendments to boost ARCs are a goodfiscal step. Mention of revival of 160 airports/airstrips is excel-

lent. We hope this translates to reality in FY17. The Proposed outlays in infrastruc-ture, highways, roads and rails are all excellent. Once again, we hope to see realprogress on the ground. An outlay of 9000 crores on Swachh Bharat Abhiyan iswelcome. India needs to solve the issue of final garbage disposal against thelargely prevalent system of sweeping dirt away from one place only to another.

Ajay K. BakayaExecutive Director, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts



ASSOCIATIONS1 6 TRAVTALK M A R C H 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6

Summary of revised rate of Service Tax proposed effective from 1st June, 2016Rate of Service TaxPossible Scope of Service

Description of Service [email protected]% (Incl.

of SBC)

Proposed@15% (Incl. ofSBC) & KKC

of 0.50%

(1) (2) (3) (4)

a. Air ticket bookings

b. Service charges towards cancella-tion and modification of bookings.

c. Upload incentives.

Air Travel Agent ServicesOn Commission

On Basic FareDomesticInternational

14.50%

0.725%1.45%

15%

0.75%1.50%

a. Cruise bookings on mark- up basis

b. Charges to sell excursions while thecruise takes intermediate stops during the itinerary.

c. Services charges to clients for trainand bus boookings, if the same isdone as a part of the tour.

d. Services charges to clients for bookings of hotel accommodations.

e. Service charges to clients on inboundand outbound package tours.

f. Service charges to clients for sightseeing, transfer, etc.

g. Consultancy fees for working out theitinerary for the clients.

Car hire/ rental charges to clients.

Tour Operator Services

Accommodation Only 1.45% 1.50%

Other Services by Tour Operator 4.35% 1.50%

Consultancy Services 14.50% 15.0%

Rent-a-cab Scheme Operator Services

Abatement

No Abatement

5.80% 6%

14.50% 15%

Rate of Service TaxPossible Scope of Services

Description of Service [email protected]% (Incl.

of SBC)

Proposed@15% (Incl. ofSBC) & KKC

of 0.50%

(1) (2) (3) (4)

a. Any amount, by whatever name calledbe it, consultancy charges, profession-al fees, etc. received by the unregis-tered travel agents towards mediclaimpolicies and travel insurance.

b. Agency charges charged to clients forselling of SIM cards or rechargecoupon vouchers.

c. Cruise bookings on commission basis.d. Commission from agent/transporter for

booking/bus.e. Commission from car hire/Rental

Company.f. Commission from hotels for booking

accommodations.g. Commission towards inbound and

outbound package tours.h. Commission from other tour operators

or service providers towardsSightseeing, Transfer, etc.

Business Auxiliary Service 14.50% 15%

Note: The possible scope of services (above) may fall under any of the description of services depending uponthe case to case as to how the customers wants the services from the Tour Operator.

Service charges on train/rail tickets bookings, if the same is done as a stand-alone bookings. Rail Travel Agents Service 14.50% 15%

Services Charges on bus tickets bookings, ifthe same is done as a stand-alone booking

Travel Agents for bookings of passage(other than air/rail travel agents

14.50% 15%

Planning or Organising an event Event Management 14.50% 15%

a. Segment Payout received fromGRS/GDS

b. Visa and Passport assistance onstand-alone basis, irrespective ofwhether the same is done directlythrough embassy or through VFCs.

c. Professional consultancy Visa andPassport assistance.

d. Professional Fees for assisting students in their admission process.

Other Taxable Services 14.50% 15%

Budget: TAAI circular on Service Tax

Courtesy: TAAI and GMJ & Co.


A DDP PUBLICATION MARCH 2 N D FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2016 TRAVTALK 1 7dd

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1 8 TRAVTALK M A R C H 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6

Starting April 1, 2016, ThaiAirways will operate an additional

flight on Delhi-Bangkok route, which,according to Sunil Kumar, Head ofSales – North India, Thai Airways,would only offer more options and

onwards connections toIndian travellers. “Thaiwill operate additionaldaylight flight TG324-TG323, increasing fre-quency to 19 flights aweek. It will operate with777-200 aircraft, offering

capacity of 30 seats in business and279 seats in Economy. Total capacityper week will be 5941 seats per weekfrom Delhi,” he says.

Thai Airways already operatesat two time slots from Delhi, and “theadditional daylight flight will offergreater options to passengers trav-elling to Australia and Auckland.Flying at three different time slots,Thai offers convenience and flexibilityto passengers,” says Kumar.

While flying on new routes is apriority for Thai, the airline is currentlyfocusing on increasing the capacity.Kumar says, “We are conducting fea-sibility study on Ahmedabad route, anddecision to operate to this destinationwill be taken soon. Further, we are alsoworking on consolidating the existingroutes by augmenting capacity. Apartfrom Delhi, we are also consideringincreasing flights to Mumbai during thesummer season. Thai is currently oper-ating from six cities in India i.e. Delhi,Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennaiand Bengaluru, offering 52 flights aweek. We also operate seasonal flightsfrom Gaya and Varanasi betweenOctober-March.”

The airline has further offeredspecial fares for the daylight flight. “Wehave also introduced special fares toThailand on our daylight flights(TG324/TG323) which are valid fortravel till September 30, 2016. Throughthese fares, we will be targeting leisuretravellers during the forthcoming holi-day season,” he says. However, theserates will not include outbound travelfrom May 16-June 15, which will beobserved as the blackout period.

Thai Airways is undertaking a feasibility study on the Ahmedabad route and looking at augmenting capacities on its existing routes.

TT BU R E AU

Apart fromDelhi, we arealso consideringincreasingflights toMumbai duringthe summer

Sunil KumarHead of Sales – North IndiaThai Airways

19th flight on Delhi-Bangkok route



Slotting India as one of itstop five source markets

worldwide, Novotel PhuketVintage Park considers it astop three in Asia, representingalmost six per cent of theirtotal business in 2015.Revealing this is SopaSornin, Director of Sales &Marketing, Novotel PhuketVintage Park. She says, “Ourfocus is more on leisure, par-ticularly FITs, families andhoneymooners as well asMICE groups. We are expect-ing to take this growth up to 10per cent of our business thisyear. We can already see thegrowth in FIT and the familymarkets from India.”

The resort is alwayspresent at major trade showsin India like SATTE in Delhiand OTM in Mumbai as wellas attend Tourism Authority ofThailand roadshows in metros

like Chennai, Bengaluru andKolkata. “We also host Famtrips from India. In December

2015, we had hosted a galadinner for buyers from Indiafor the Andaman travel trade.We have our internationalsales office located in NewDelhi and Mumbai to assist toany requirement,” she says.

The resort has an Indianchef who can tailor-make thefood as per the guest’s dietaryrequirements. An Indian menuis also available. “Moreover,the location of our resort alsoencourages Indians to bookus; it is walking distance fromthe beach, the shopping cen-ter and Patong’s livelynightlife. Our resort has thelargest pool in Patong Beachat 2,000 sq m with a bar, greatlocation with walking distanceto attractions nearby, impres-sive lobby with South EastAsia architecture and design,free Wi-Fi throughout theresort. We also won nationalawards for our spa recently,”Sornin adds.

Once a haven for couples, Phuket is now diversifying itsofferings to attract MICE and even families from Indiaand riding this wave is Novotel Phuket Vintage Park.

Attracting FITs and families

TT BU R E AU

Our focus ismore on leisure,particularly FITs,families andhoneymoonersas well as MICE

Sopa SorninDirector of Sales & MarketingNovotel Phuket Vintage Park


"An easy visa regime,excellent tourist infra-

structure at economical rates,white-sand beaches andamazing night life makeThailand a year-round destina-tion," says Pankaj Nagpal,Managing Director, TravstarzGlobal Group.

Nagpal identifies thatChina has been the largestsource market with nearly 3.5million tourists followed byMalaysia but India is catchingup fast and is expected tobecome the second largestsource market in 2016.

He says that they haveseen a huge rise in the qualityof Indian travellers and the des-tination has been a favouriteamongst the MICE, FIT andgroup travellers. “The self-driveoption in Koh Samui andRayong is a must do for fami-

lies. The length of stays hasalso increased from an aver-age of 3-4 nights to 6-7 nightsnow," says Nagpal. Thailand isalso becoming a favourite forIndian destination weddings."Our partner hotel, the Mariott Rayong, has hosted 26Indian marriages in 2015 andexpects to host many more in2016," he adds.

With their own office inThailand, the company is con-

tracting with multiple hotelchains in Thailand. Nagpalsays, "We also launched ourSeries Departures for Thailandand are working with our hotelpartners to design specialpackages for the honeymoonsegment including uniqueexperiences for couples inhotels. In Bangkok too, wehave created five-star luxurypackages and plan to workclosely with TAT. We also have exclusive deals with someof our hotel partners for the travel trade."

Nagpal expresses thatthe marketing of extremely low-cost packages is harming thebrand positioning of Thailandand it must be checked by thetourism authorities and pointsout that it is imperative for thetourism board to select part-ners to position Thailand as anup market and luxury destina-tion and a good destination forIndian weddings.

Travstarz Global Group expects a healthy growth of numbers to Thailand which has already crossed the one million mark in 2015.

Self-drive itineraries

TT BU R E AU

Pankaj NagpalManaging DirectorTravstarz Global Group




With Thailand's popularityincreasing year after

year, numerous travel opera-tors have strengthened tieswith the Thai tourism industry.Meandering Vacations'Bangkok outlet has negotiat-ed deals with local vendorscatering to the B2B segmentin India. "So far, we havereceived an encouragingresponse from the Indian mar-ket. Our focus is also on the B2C sector in Middle Eastand European market,"shares Wagle.

He further explains thatThailand's popularity cutsacross the age group."Thailand has all those thingsto offer that can excite vaca-tioner. Young Indian touristsprefer the most popular cir-cuit of Bangkok and Pattayafor their leisure holidayswhich is also popular

amongst corporate travellers.Families seek vacations in

sunny Phuket, Krabi, KohSamui and Phi Phi. Whiletourists are also exploringChiang Mai and Chiang Raiin the north for the tranquillityit offers," he informs. Wagleadds that Northern Thailand'smountainous landscapemakes for the perfect bikingterrain with stunning views,ancient temples and the cul-ture of hill tribes.

Additionally, he saysthat Indian leisure travellersgenerally go shopping andsightseeing in Bangkok andPattaya with an increasingnumber also heading to theless explored places likeChiang Mai, Samui, ChiangRai, Krabi, Ayutthaya and Koh Chang. He elabo-rates, "Recent years havealso shown a marked rise inthe number of Indian film-makers, MICE delegates,wedding parties and honeymooners."

Shivadatta Wagle, Director, Meandering Vacations,informs that their Bangkok office has tied up with localvendors to offer the best deals to the Indian B2B sector.

Film, MICE on an uphill drive

TT BU R E AU

Thailand ushers in the tra-ditional New Year or

Songkran on April 13 forwhich the celebrations com-mence a day ahead and con-tinue for almost a week.Songkran is one of thebiggest festivals in the king-dom and is all about freshstarts and cleansing. For thesame reason, the kingdomrejoices during this auspi-cious period with friendlywater fights that take place everywhere and addi-tionally gives respite from the scorching summer

heat. The fun-filled Water Festival takesplace from April 13-15.

To add to the festiv-ities, Songkran celebra-tions will also take placein Sangkhlaburi fromApril 12-17 at Wat WangWiwekaram. Witness Mon’straditional ceremony from Apr13-15 where rituals like bring-ing sand into temples to buildMon’s sand pagoda will takeplace. On April 16 at 3 pm,watch the sacred ceremonyof purifying the reveredBuddha's statues throughbamboo pipes that can be

kilometres in length.As part of the ritu-als, the men ofSangkhlaburi willvoluntarily lie downon the street tomake a humanbridge for monks towalk upon to thepurifying area and

after the ceremony, monkswill be carried to their huts. Aspectacular parade offeringoff-season Buddhist robes tomonks and pouring ceremo-nial water in memory of thedeceased will be held onApril 17 from 9 am onwards.

Travellers making a trip to Thailand in April can lookforward to the exciting Songkran Festival, one of thebiggest and most celebrated in the kingdom.

New Year with a splash

TT BU R E AU

There has beena marked rise infilmmakers,MICE, weddinggroups &honeymoonersin Thailand

Shivadatta WagleDirectorMeandering Vacations

Healing celebrationsSpa Cenvaree offers anexclusive Songkran pack-age to help you start theNew Year feeling calm. Thejourney begins with a footritual, followed by a bodytreatment and ends with aherbal Muscle MelterMassage


MARCH 2 N D FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2016 TRAVTALK 2 3

Harrop says that Thailand had a very suc-cessful year in 2015 with unofficial figures

indicating arrivals of almost 30 million passen-gers corresponding to growth ofnearly 20 per cent over 2014.

"2015 saw 1 million visitorsarriving from India into Thailand.These arrivals were broadly spreadacross all segments from groupsand MICE through to FITs. FromTravelBullz's perspective we stillsee a large demand for good quality 4-star product but the luxurysegment is definitely on theincrease as FIT becomes morepopular," he adds.

TravelBullz has had a greatstart to 2016 and is going to focus onThailand as a destination, building astrong competitive product and providing the best customer service. "We continue to invest intechnology and 2016 will see more features being released that will bring greater visibility to the prod-ucts on offer and increasing therange of attractions that we sell,"says Harrop.

TravelBullz is continuouslyupdating its packages. Harrop says,"It is advised to regularly check ouronline availability to see the latest deals. We send email flyers frequently, showcasing the lat-est packages and deals and I highlyrecommend to our clients to benefitfrom these deals when their cus-tomers are enquiring about the destination. Thailand is a great value for money destination and with our support our travel trade part-ners can provide the best experi-ences that Thailand has to offer tothe Indian traveller."

The variety of tourism productsin Thailand is reinforced by the number of repeat travellers says Harrop. "The Safari World on the outskirts of Bangkok or theFantaSea Cultural Theme Park inPhuket are very popular among the Indian travellers. Thailand is a family friendly destination andattractions for kids include theMadame Tussauds Museum," says Harrop.

Talking about the importantsource markets for Thailand, Harropsays, "A huge demand is seen fromChina which is growing exponentiallyyear on year. Aside from the region,Russia although seeing a decline in

recent times is still a large source market as isthe United Kingdom. However with the contin-uing growth being seen from India, it is antici-pated they will feature in the top five sourcemarkets in the next few years."

Thailand is seeing a steady increase in demand forluxury products. Steve Harrop, CEO, TravelBullz Group,gives an insight into the tourism products in Thailandand the company’s promotional plans for 2016.

TT BU R E AU

Luxury on the rise with FITs2015 saw 1 million visitors arriving from India into

Thailand. These arrivals were broadly spread acrossall segments from groups and MICE through toFITs. We still see a large demand for goodquality 4-star product but the luxury segment is definitely on the increase.

Steve HarropChief Executive Officer, TravelBullz Group



M A R C H 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6 TRAVTALK 2 5EDUCATION

QDo you see a hugedemand for skilled

manpower in India? As an emerging market,

India is seeing a sizeable growthin inbound tourism and busi-ness exports which will lead toa high demand for skilled travelprofessionals in the sector.

Eduglobe is playing a vital rolein bridging the gap betweeneducation and employmentwhich will contribute to creatinga ready pool of skilled manpow-er for the travel sector.

QHow does Eduglobestand out from the

other institutes in India?Our curriculum focuses on

quality learning with industrymapped certifications andplacements majorly for traveland tourism sector with interna-tional partnerships such asIATA, City & Guilds UK, Abacusand Manipal Prolearn.Eduglobe stands out from theother educational trainingorganisation as the comprehen-sive learning model focusesmore on practical curriculumand live project work model and assessments.

QWhat are its objec-tives?The primary objective is to

focus on job creation in tourismsector across India through var-

ious high-end internationallymapped travel certification pro-grams and curriculum which isconcurrent and globallyendorsed by the tourism sectorand service industry.

QWhat do you proposeto achieve this year?

Our aim is to create jobs for thousands of new job seekers in the sector.Going forward, the companyalso intends to move in for online global certificationwith strong international training and placement partnerships.

While the emerging economy plays its part in creating jobsin the market, the onus rests on educational institutes toprovide skilled manpower. Rahul B Sharma, Head ofAcademy, Eduglobe School of Learning, highlights theimmediate need for quality human resource in the industry.

Skilled tourism manpower

TT BU R E AU

Korean Air code-shares with Jet In an effort to expand its presence in India, Korean

Air has recently signed a code-share agreement andfrequent flyer program with Jet Airways.

The code-share agreement will offer morechoice to passengers travelling from India toIncheon, Seoul, through gateway airports in Asiandestinations such as Singapore and Bangkok.Passengers will also benefit from the connectionsonto Jet Airways’ daily service to Delhi.

As part of the code-share agreement betweenthe two airlines, Korean Air will place its ‘KE’ code onJet Airways’ seven to 14 weekly flights from Mumbaiand Delhi, to Bangkok and Mumbai-Singapore, and

the code-share routes areexpected to be expanded even

more by the end of this year.Passengers will

benefit from theincreased connectivity and fre-

quency between Incheon,Seoul and cities in India.

Along with the code-share agreement, a new fre-quent flyer partnership programwill also take effect. This recip-rocal partnership will enablemembers of both airlines’ frequent flyer program,SKYPASS and JetPrivilege, to earn and burnmileage on the entire network of the two airlines.

Korean Air currently operates an A330 aircraftfrom Incheon to Mumbai three times a week. Theflight departs every Monday, Wednesday and Fridayfrom Incheon and every Tuesday, Thursday andSaturday from Mumbai. Jet Airways operates over20 international routes from the cities of India witha fleet of more than 116 aircraft. Korean Air currentlyhas code-share partnerships with 34 airlines on 397 routes worldwide.

Our objective is to focus on jobcreation in tourism across India throughinternationallymapped travelcertificationprograms

Rahul B SharmaHead of AcademyEduglobe School of Learning


FAMILY ALBUM2 6 TRAVTALK M A R C H 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6

The first edition of Bengal Travel Mart (BTM was held from February 26-28, in Siliguri and saw participation from 93 buyers, of which 15were international, and 86 exhibitors from Bengal, Telangana, Assam, Nepal and Bhutan. Jointly organised by Eastern Himalaya Traveland Tour Operators Association (EHTTOA), West Bengal Tourism and North Bengal Development Department (NBDD), 2,760 meetingstook place over a span of three days at the mart which welcomed around 300 visitors each day.

2,700+ meetings at 1st BTM



2 8 TRAVTALK M A R C H 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6 SPECIAL FEATURE

Universal Studios Singapore: Experience cutting-edge rides, shows and attractions based on block-buster Hollywood films, including Transformers TheRide: The Ultimate 3D Battle, Sesame StreetSpaghetti Space Chase, Shrek 4-D Adventure,Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure, and more!

Forest Adventure: From awesome bridges, scarytrapezes to wobbly logs and a fantastic bigtarzan swing, there are 34 different challengesand obstacles in four different sites for you totackle. Overcome these obstacles as a groupand emerge stronger as a team!

Adventure Cove Waterpark: The waterparkboasts of seven thrilling water rides, including Riptide Rocket which is Southeast Asia’s first hydro-magnetic coaster. If highspeed water slides are notyour thing, laze the day away drifting on a lazy river

or go snorkelling with 20,000 tropical fish over acolourful reef.

Champagne/whisky flight on Singapore Flyer:Take in the spectacular view of the Singapore

skyline while enjoying a delightful selection of local favourites and international cuisine in your

private capsule on board the 165-metre-tallSingapore Flyer.

Gala Dinner with marine animals at S.E.A. Aquarium: Corporate groups canalso dine in the exclusive company of marine animals at the Ocean Gallery at the S.E.A. Aquarium.

New York Street-themed gala dinner at UniversalStudios Singapore: Enjoy a gala spread in thebackground of America's biggest and grandest cityas you stroll along the sidewalks.

More to

Here’s a list of 15 experiences in Singapore that will entice, excite andengage corporate travellers of various mindsets.

Cosmopolitan and multifaceted, Singapore’s fascinating diversity makes it a unique and dynamicMICE destination. As a thriving Asian economic hub with a rich multi-cultural heritage, Singaporeeasily combines business, leisure and lifestyle. It offers a vibrant mix of world-leading businessactivities, traditional and modern arts, culture and festivals, authentic global cuisines, iconic entertainment, shopping and nightlife.

Having received numerous global accolades - such as ‘Asia’s Top Convention City’ for the 12th consecutive year from the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) and‘Top International Meeting City’ for the 7th consecutive year from the Union of InternationalAssociations (UIA) - Singapore has earned its place as Asia’s premier destination for Meetings,Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE).

As a MICE destination, Singapore offers many unparalleled advantages. Excellent air travel connectivity that links some 300 cities across the globe and the support of more than 150 hotelswith 50,000 hotel rooms, help draw a diverse base of international visitors. An unrivalled array ofSingapore services and attractions enable international event planners to develop remarkable itineraries for discerning groups of travellers. From the heart-stopping equestrian action or a glittering street party to an indulgent afternoon tea with the stars of the world’s best rainforestzoo, Singapore has options galore.

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M A R C H 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6 TRAVTALK 2 9SPECIAL FEATURE

Dinner in a Cooled Conservatory at Gardens by the Bay: For an out-of-the-box experience, dine at two of the largest climate-controlledconservatories in Singapore’s awe-inspiring Gardens by the Bay.

Jungle breakfast with orangutans at Singapore Zoo: Singapore Zoois the only place in the world where you can have breakfast with orangutans. After taking photographs with them, watch them swing and climb in their adjacent habitat.

Dinner aboard tram at Night Safari: Experience fine-dining amongstthe creatures of the night, all on board a moving safari tram.

Cocktails at world’s tallest rooftop bar at 1-Altitude: Party the nightaway atop the tallest building in Singapore. At 282 metres above sealevel —1-Altitude is the world's highest al fresco bar and viewing gallery.

MegaZip Adventure Park: From walking across rope bridges whilebeing high in the air, to testing your balancing skills, MegaZip AdventurePark is the place for that adrenaline rush.

Dragon boat race down Marina Bay: Dragon boat racing is a sportthat requires true team co-ordination and grit. This unique and versatileplatform is great for creative training and getting a team to experiencesuccess that is driven by unity.

Discover local cuisine in a cooking class: Enrol at any of the reputedcooking classes and learn how to prepare Singapore’s signature disheslike chilli crab and chicken rice, among others.

Singapore Sling cocktail mixology class: Learn from bartendingexperts how to create the original and legendary Singapore Sling cocktail.

Tipi tent dinner in the wild at Night Safari: Nestle in the comfort of anair-conditioned tipi tent for a memorable evening of drinks and delectablesin an exotic safari setting.

Rope walkingRope walking Gourmet dinner aboard a tram at Night Safari Skyline Sentosa LugeSkyline Sentosa Luge

Breakfast with orangutans at Singapore ZooBreakfast with orangutans at Singapore Zoo

Shipwreck Tunnel at S.E.A. AquariumShipwreck Tunnel at S.E.A. Aquarium Photo Courtesy: Resorts World SentosaPhoto Courtesy: Resorts World Sentosa

New York-themed street at Universal Studios Singapore

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3 0 TRAVTALK M A R C H 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6 SPECIAL FEATURE

The Singapore Tourism Board and its partners have curated a collection of unique,diverse experiences – In Singapore Incentivesand Rewards (INSPIRE) programme – with thediscerning business traveller in mind. STB isextending its run for INSPIRE India, in responseto strong market demand. To qualify, send in yourapplications by June 30, 2016. Group travel tobe completed by September 30, 2016. To enjoyINSPIRE experiences, incentive groups mustmeet the following qualifying criteria:

Each group must spend a minimum of1,000 visitor nightsGroup must stay at a premium hotelaccommodation in Singapore

From a selection of unconventional itineraries, personalised programmes and exclusive dining offerings to Singapore’srich multi-cultural heritage, world-classofferings and round-the-clock excitement,the traveller will be spoiled for choices. Toreward the corporate traveller, STB haspartnered with the most-sought aftertourist sites in the country and has curatedpackages to suit various needs. Value(1000-1499 VN) & Premium (1500 VN and above) tiers are available to supportdifferent group sizes.

Changi AirportEvery Singapore incentive trip

begins at the world-renowned Changi

Airport which houses five thematicgardens and a rooftop bar. For theINSPIRE scheme, Changi Airportoffers Changi Dollar Vouchers worthS$20-S$30 per pax.

Gardens by the BayAn integral part of Singapore’s

“City in a Garden” vision, Gardens by the Bay spans a total of 101hectares at the heart of Singapore’snew downtown – Marina Bay. Under the scheme, Gardens by the Bay offers Lunch and breakfast buffet at Flower Field Hallwith complimentary access to theCooled Conservatories; Gardens souvenir bags are also up for grabs.

SentosaLocated just 15 minutes from

Singapore’s city centre is Sentosa, an idyllicresort island with pristine beaches, excitingattractions, sea sports, golf and retreats.Thrill seekers can take a ride on SkylineLuge Sentosa, nature lovers can explore thewalking trails and wonders of Butterfly Park& Insect Kingdom.

As part of INSPIRE, Sentosa offersIndian dinner at Emerald Pavilion or cocktailat Madame Tussauds with a complimentarywelcome banner at Wings of Time.

Resorts World SentosaResorts World Sentosa is Asia’s

ultimate leisure and MICE destination. Underthe INSPIRE scheme, groups can relish dinner in New York Street at Universal StudiosSingapore, or have breakfast at AdventureCove Waterpark.

Singapore Turf ClubSeating 30,000 racegoers and

equipped with world-class race-tracks and viewing facilities,

Singapore Turf Club alsoplays host to prestigiousraces such as theSingapore Airlines

International Cup, EmiratesSingapore Derby and the LonginesSingapore Gold Cup all year round. Under

INSPIRE offerings, your client can enjoy liveaction at Singapore Racecourse, including buf-fet dinner, guided tour to Parade Ring.

Wildlife Reserves Singapore Wildlife Reserves Singapore operates

for award-winning wildlife attractions: Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, River Safari andSingapore Zoo. Each year, Jurong Bird Park welcomes approximately 800,000 visitors, NightSafari 1.1 million, River Safari 900,000, andSingapore Zoo 1.7 million. Qualifying groups canenjoy perks such as exclusive breakfast or dinnermeals within the Jurong Bird Park, Night Safariand Singapore Zoo.

� Tell us how you plan to add some excitement and fun toyour next business trip to Singapore! Will you try out agourmet restaurant with your colleagues, bring yourfamily to visit our kid-friendly attractions or shop until you drop?

� The most creative submissions will be rewarded with theSingapore 241 Passport, worth up to ̀ 50,000 of exclusivedining, lifestyle and leisure experiences in Singapore!

� Log on to tinyurl.com/IndiaBTSurvey and participate now!

Take survey, win rewards

Contact the Singapore Tourism Board for more information at [email protected], +91 22 66083200; or [email protected], +91 11 45810088.For additional resources to help you plan your next business event in Singapore, please visit: yoursingapore.com/mice

Sentosa Merlion

Public cantilever at Marina Bay Sands Skypark

Gardens by the BayGardens by the Bay

STB Incentive ProgrammeUniversal Studios Singapore Photo Courtesy: Resorts World Sentosa

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The Department of Tourism (DOT), Philippines, conducted its ‘Visit the Philippines Year (VPA) 2016’ roadshow in Pune for its travel tradepartners in the city. A 25-member delegation, comprising hoteliers, resorts, spas, and representatives of tour attractions, interacted withkey travel and tour operators, MICE providers, up-market leisure operators and media personnel.

Philippines roadshow dazzles Pune



3 4 TRAVTALK M A R C H 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6 FAMILY ALBUM

In its fourth year now, ‘Creating Synergy Among the Travel Fraternity,’ fondly called CSTF, has been growing in strength and thiswas evident at its recent networking party in Mumbai where attendees from the travel trade partied till infinity at Café Infinito dressedin red and black.

Creating Synergy amongst Travel


FAMILY ALBUM M A R C H 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6 TRAVTALK 3 5

Fraternity network going strong



SKÅL International held a grand Presidential Dinner in Mumbai to honour SKÅL World President, Nigel Pilkingtonand International Council President, Bernard Whewell who were in India recently.

Presidential dinner in Mumbai




Emirates encourages sportsmanshipContinuing with its agenda to inspire the spirit of sportsmanship among travel trade, Emirates will organise the second edition of its ‘EmiratesCricket Trade Tournament 2016’ from March 12 at Mumbai’s Islam Gymkhana. The format has been made more competitive with 416 playersin 32 teams playing 45 games over four days. Former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes made a special appearance at the pre-event networking party, enthralling everyone.




M A R C H 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6 TRAVTALK 4 1FAMILY ALBUM

VisitScotland recently held events in Mumbai and New Delhi to launch its campaign ‘The spirit of Scotland #Scotspirit’ which is tobe shared by everyone across the social media platform. The events also marked Scotland’s relationship with the Indian travelagents and tour operators so that the latter are aware of the destination and can sell it easily.

Celebrating the #ScotspiritM

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AGENTS M A R C H 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6 TRAVTALK 4 3

Europamundo has introducedEnglish guided tours with a

particular focus on India. Talkingabout their venture in Indian trav-el market, Christian says, “Itwould have been relatively easyto put the same tour with a Hindispeaking guide on the bus forthe Indian traveller. But our oneand a half year research on themarket devised new routes inthe itinerary, adapting to differentfood requirements in India, tiedup with good quality Indianrestaurants, instead of includingdinner in tour packages, we

have introduced evening trans-fers to the city centre, in-cityhotels with easy access to publictransportation, a detour to thecultural city side, river cruisesand more. The tour leaders havebeen acquainted with Indian cul-ture and trained for the Indiancustomer. The tour content issurely going to satisfy the Indian customer.”

Europamundo is repre-sented by four tour operatorsin India — DPauls, GuidelineTravels, Travel Tours, andAkbar Holidays. “There's ahuge potential in India market.We have about 84 tours out ofwhich 78 are for Europe start-ing from April to March and forthe coming season we havemore than 3000 guaranteeddepartures. We bring in1,25,000 travellers from LatinAmerica to Europe but in adecade we hope to have thesame number of Indians com-ing to Europe. We are offeringsightseeing bus not for city butfor all over Europe, open to allage groups," says Christian.

Discussing about thedecision to enter the

Indian market, he says that no other market is growing ata healthy rate and the middle income group has adesire to see Europe. “Theidea is to spend every day likea journey. If you have busi-ness or family along the route,you can make a break andjoin the following departure,”he adds.

Berend Lund Christian, DirectorCorporate Planning, EuropamundoVacations, explains how Indians canavail its hop-on, hop-off coaches.

Europe on a bus

TT BU R E AU

The tour leadershave beenacquainted withIndian culture andtrained for theIndian customer

Berend Lund ChristianDirector Corporate PlanningEuropamundo Vacations

Bringing the total number ofglobal clients to seven,

Outbound Konnections hasbeen appointed as the preferredsales partner for SriLankanHoliday for North and East India.Moreover, their contract for westand south India has also beenextended. They will provide complete management, sales,marketing and operational

functionalities for SriLankanHoliday Offer (SLHO).

OK will also provide com-prehensive sales, PR, directmarketing and product position-ing services for Mauritius-basedCasela World of Adventures inIndia. Commenting on thesepartnerships, Komal Seth,Director for PR & Marketing,Outbound Konnections, said,“We are very happy to sign the

two partnerships with SriLankanHoliday and Casela. We at OKbelieve that the process of plan-ning a holiday or a business tripbegins by educating the sellerand the buyer about the marketand the particular destination.This is why OK focuses in thefield of dynamic sales and mar-keting for travel and hospitalityclients with respect to their fieldof interest. We analyse andstrongly feel that hotels and

resort chains, tourism boards,special attractions, tour operators and DMCs based allover the world should look atIndia as an important source market.”

Outbound Konnections (OK) has been regularly addingclients to its kitty, the latest ones being SriLankanHoliday and Casela World of Adventures.

2 additions to Outbound Konnections

TT BU R E AU

Komal SethDirector for PR & MarketingOutbound Konnections


EXHIBITIONS

6. Name and address of individuals who own the newspaper and partners or shareholders holding more than one percent of the total capital : DDP Publications Pvt. Ltd. Shareholders: 1.SanJeet, 72,Todarmal Road, New Delhi-1. 2.Sumati Jeet, 72, Todarmal Road, ND-1. 3.Devika Jeet, 72, Todarmal Road, ND-1.

I, SanJeet, hereby declare that the particulars given above aretrue to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Date : 01/03/2016 Sd/-SanJeet

Signature of the Publisher

Form - IV

Statement about ownership and other particulars about newspaper TravTalk to be published in the first issue everyyear after the last day of February

1. Place of publication : 72 Todarmal Road, New Delhi - 110001

2. Periodicity of its publication : Fortnightly

3. Printer's Name : SanJeet Nationality : Indian Address : 72, Todarmal Road,

New Delhi - 110001

4. Publisher's Name : SanJeet Nationality : Indian Address : 72, Todarmal Road,

New Delhi - 110001

5. Editor's Name : SanJeet Nationality : Indian Address : 72, Todarmal Road,

New Delhi - 110001

For more information and free listing, contact us at: [email protected]

MARCH 2016Ace of MICE Exhibition Istanbul Mar 16-18

OTOAI Convention Bali Mar 17-21

ICPB roadshow Kolkata Mar 18

FICCI Travel & Hospitality Delhi Mar 18-19Tech Conclave

ITM Ahmedabad Mar 18-20

MITT Moscow Mar 23

Best of Australia roadshow Bengaluru Mar 29

WTM Latin America Sao Paulo Mar 29-31

UITT Kiev Mar 30-Apr 1

Best of Australia roadshow Hyderabad Mar 31

MAY 2016INDABA Durban May 7-9

World Travel Fair Shanghai May 13-15

Peru Travel Mart Lima May 13-16

WTM Connect Asia Penang Mat 18-20

PATA Annual Summit Guam May 18-21

Bangladesh International Dhaka May 19-21Tourism Fair

WTM Connect China Hainan Island May 23-25

PATA & MOT roadshow San Francisco May 24

PATA & MOT roadshow Los Angeles May 25

PATA & MOT roadshow Seattle May 26

ILTM Asia Shanghai May 30-2

PATA & MOT roadshow Vancouver May 31

APRIL 2016Connections Luxury Italy Apr 3-6

Africa International Cape Town Apr 4-6Luxury Travel Mart

PATA Seminar: Global Delhi Apr 5Opportunities and Challenges

Best of Australia roadshow Kochi Apr 6

WTTC Summit 2016 Dallas Apr 6-7

IT & CM China Shanghai Apr 6-8

WTM Africa Cape Town Apr 6-8

AITF Azerbaijan Apr 7-9

Dhaka Travel Mart Dhaka Apr 7-9

Best of Australia roadshow Coimbatore Apr 8

ADTOI Convention Kolkata Apr 8-11

CNS Partnership Conference Nashville Apr 10-12

South India Travel Awards Hyderabad Apr 12

Digital Travel APAC Singapore Apr 12-14

China Outbound Travel Beijing Apr 12-14& Tourism Mart

SITT Russia Novosibirsk Apr 14-16

Great Indian Travel Bazaar Jaipur Apr 17-19

KITF Kazakhstan Almaty Apr 20-22

Visit Scotland Expo Edinburgh Apr 20-21

PATA Asia Pacific Delhi Apr 21-22Travel Technology Conference

Routes Europe Krakow Apr 24-26

Arabian Travel Mart Dubai Apr 25-28

Ecotourism & Sustainable Botswana Apr 25-28Tourism Conference

Arabian Hotel Investment Dubai Apr 26-28Conference

ICPB roadshow Bengaluru Apr 29

New LATAM brand wins IF Design Awardn Interbrand, the agency which developedthe new brand LATAM, to be adoptedgradually by LAN, TAM and their affiliates,has won the IF Design Award 2016 in the"New Brand Identity" category. The IFDesign Award is one of the most presti-gious international design awards. Eachyear, it recognises companies from all over the world in various categories, suchas interior and service design, communication, products, architecture, etc.

"We’re very pleased to have won the IF Design Award for our new brandidentity, which reaffirms our commitment and joint efforts with Interbrand togive life to LATAM.This is a long process that is not over yet.We’re building theidentity of a company that was born and raised throughout various LatinAmerican countries and aims to offer not only the best network of destinations,but also the best travel experience for our passengers," commented JeromeCadier, LATAM Marketing VP.

The LATAM logo’s main colors are indigo and coral, which were inspiredby the blue and red of LAN and TAM.

Nalin Kapadia, ViceChairman, Sans

Incredible Vacations, says,"We provide product and des-tination knowledge to our travelpartners to enable them tosuggest tours to their clients inorder to have a more holisticand experiential travel."Destination Canada was alsoinvited to present the variousproducts on offer to the touristsand facilitate the agents withproduct knowledge.

According to Kapadia,the number of Indians travel-

ling to the US and Canada hasincreased manifold. He says, "We see tourists from allsegments from leisure, educa-tional tours, to FITs and MICE.

Out of the total number ofIndians, nearly 35-40 per centis comprised of FITs and group travellers."

Talking about the sup-port being offered to the traveltrade, Kapadia says, "Wehave created some specialpackages keeping in mind theIndian perspective which theagents can sell easily. Weoffer these packages at netcost and the agents can earnout of selling activity to the clients."

Kapadia identifies NewYork, Orlando, Niagara Falls,

Las Vegas, Los Angeles,Miami, Washington and SanFrancisco as popular destina-tions in the US for Indian trav-ellers. In Canada, the populardestinations are Ontario,Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta.

Elaborating on the plansfor 2016, Kapadia says, "Ourstrategy for 2016 is to intro-duce more newer products asadd-on to the existing itiner-aries and suggest tours to theagents that may have been missed out based on our product and destinationknowledge."

Sans Incredible Vacations, a destination management company (DMC),conducted a workshop in Delhi inviting its partner sub agencies to showcasethe products on offer for the US and Canada.

Packages at net cost

TT BUREAU

Nalin KapadiaVice ChairmanSans Incredible Vacations

According to statistics fromthe Ministry of Tourism,

Kolkata Airport alone regis-tered a 3.91 per cent share outof a total of 71.03 lakh FTAsand ranked sixth among thetop 15 ports in India duringJanuary and November, 2015.

This year, the state'stourism department has comeup with a slew of initiatives ina bid to boost tourism in thestate. Apart from focusing onimproving tourism infrastruc-ture and changing their marketing campaign from‘Beautiful Bengal’ to‘Experience Bengal - theSweetest Part of India,’ SanjayAgarwal, Joint Director, WestBengal Tourism, expressed thestate's potential and increasinginterest to tap the niche market

and said, "Tea tourism plays apivotal role for West Bengal,with the world famousDarjeeling tea estates situatedin the northern region. Toencourage more players, welaunched a tea tourism policyaround a year and a half ago

with a single window clearancesystem. The managementfrom any tea garden interestedin contributing to tea tourismhas to send an applicationwhich will be sent for approvaland sanctioning. A few projectsare already in the pipeline -

one project under this schemewas recently sanctioned andhope to we approve eight toten projects by the end of thisyear. Moreover, we have alsoincluded tea tourism in ourpackages," he explains.

West Bengal's TourismIncentive scheme offers sev-eral incentives for tour opera-tors to encourage tourismbusiness in the state. Apartfrom a state capital invest-ment subsidy on megatourism projects, WB Tourismalso offers an additionalincentive on generation onemployment to adventure touroperators, a cent per centexemption from Luxury Tax for three years (also applica-ble for homestays) and atourism promotion assistancefor five years in lieu of interest subsidy.

West Bengal's Tourism Incentive Scheme and Tea Tourism Policy gives industryprofessionals in the state a necessary backing to further tourism.

Single window clearance

AHANA GURUNG

To encourage more players, we launched atea tourism policyaround a year and a half ago with a single window clearance

system.

Sanjay AgarwalJoint DirectorWest Bengal

Tourism


M A R C H 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6 TRAVTALK 4 5CLIPBOARD/OPPORTUNITY


4 6 TRAVTALK M A R C H 2 N D F O R T N I G H T I S S U E 2 0 1 6 MOVEMENTS

Park Plaza FaridabadDelhi-NCR Sarovar Hotels & Resorts has announced the appointment ofSabyasachi Chatterjee as General Manager of Park Plaza,Faridabad, Delhi-NCR. A highly motivated indi-vidual and a passionate hotelier, Chatterjeebrings with him over 18 years of opera-tional excellence and key deliverablesacross cross cultural teams. Prior to this,he was the General Manager at OptusHometel, Bhiwadi. Prior to joiningSarovar Hotels & Resorts, Chatterjee hadworked with The Pride Hotels, UP HotelsLtd. and Clark Hotels. He belongs toKolkata and is a CalcuttaUniversity Science graduate.

Hyatt Regency Chandigarh Puneet Baijal, a dedicated Hyatt professional, has been appointedgeneral manager at the new Hyatt Regency Chandigarh. With ahospitality career spanning more than 17years, Baijal is respected for his expan-sive knowledge of the hotel industry,and brings with him to Chandigarh abroad experience of working with anumber of Hyatt brands. Before join-ing Hyatt, he worked in India withboth Taj & Leela, two of the coun-try’s most prestigious hotel chains.Born and raised in Gwalior, Baijalgraduated in hotel manage-ment at IHMHyderabad.

VistaraGurgaonSanjiv Kapoor joins as Vistara’s Chief Strategy & Commercial

Officer. He will be responsible for managing a wideportfolio of Vistara’s commercial and planning

functions. Kapoor will also be responsiblefor in-flight services and ground operations.He succeeds Giam Ming Toh who is return-ing to Singapore Airlines on completion ofhis deputation with Vistara. Kapoor joinsVistara with over 19 years of experience inthe airline industry, in various leadership

and consulting roles. Kapoor,a native of Kolkata,received his MBA fromthe Wharton School ofthe University ofPennsylvania.

Optus Hometel BhiwadiBhiwadiNitin Kapoor has recently joined Optus Hometel Bhiwadi as theGeneral Manager. Kapoor has more than 15 years of experience inthe hospitality sector. Prior to this, he workedwith Optus Sarovar Premiere Gurgaon asExecutive Assistant Manager. Some ofhis previous assignments include stintswith Crowne Plaza Today Gurgaon, TheImperial Hotel New Delhi and with theTaj Land’s End in Mumbai. Kapoor’sareas of expertise include food & beverage service and sales, banquetoperations and sales and customerservice among others.

Meena Rewari has been appointed as Director of Sales &Marketing by Hyatt Regency Chandigarh. Rewari, a Post Graduatein English literature, hails from Panipat. Hercareer in Hospitality Sales spansalmost two decades across associ-ation with brands like The ParkHotels, The Oberoi Group and HyattHotel Corporation. Her knowledge,experience, knack for customerengagement and determination toachieve growth make her the bestsuited choice for this position.

Europamundo Vacations KolkataAparna Basumallik is now Business Head India, EuropamundoVacations. Prior to this she was the CEO of Club7 holidays for 28

years. Europamundo Vacations, owned byJTB (Japan Travel Bureau), one of the

largest travel and tourism companyin the world, has introduced Englishguided tours to focus on Indian trav-ellers and their requirements. Theirfirst tour starts in April and India rep-resentation will be by 4 distributorGuideline, Travel Tours, AkbarHolidays and DPauls.

MarriottPuneIndraneel Benadikar has been appointed as the Market Directorof Sales and Marketing for the Marriott properties in Pune. He joinedMarriott as a part of the opening team at theJW Marriott Juhu in 2001 and since thenhas held several positions in sales, mar-keting and revenue management disci-plines; both in India and across SouthEast Asia. His most recent assignmentwas in Bangkok where he was a part ofthe opening team at the Bangkok MarriottHotel Sukhumvit and the Marriott ExecutiveApartments, Thonglor.

Le Meridien GurgaonGurgaonLe Meridien Gurgaon has appointed Bhupinder Rawat as the newDirector of Rooms for its 285-room property at MG Road, Delhi-Gurgaon border. Rawat’s career spans over16 years and he has worked with brandssuch as Nikko, Claridges, Shangri-La andPullman. For the past two years Rawathas been the Executive Housekeeper ofLe Meridien Gurgaon. In his new role asthe Director of Rooms, Rawat continuesto head the housekeeping function of thehotel. Before joining Le Meridien Gurgaon,Rawat was the Executive Housekeeper atShangri-La Hotel, New Delhi.

Piyusha Dudeja, Area Manager - Northern & EasternIndia, Switzerland Tourism, is a huge fan of yoga andindulges in a lot of sports and fitness activities. Her favoritedestination in India is Goa. However, her favourite holiday

memory is her recent trip toMontreaux in Lake Geneva region

of Switzerland with her son. "Ithas spectacular chocolateand cheese experiences thatyou can make memorieswith," she says. Dudejatakes inspiration from anyand all women who step outof their comfort zone. "I am

in awe ofwomen whogo the extramile,” sheconcludes.

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: Ankita Saxena & Hazel Jain

Kunal Kothari, Executive Director, Rail Europe India, is a bigmovie buff. He is a Raj Kapoor and Guru Dutt fan and enjoysto watch Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan's movieswhen he is free. "I love Gujarati food but in terms of international

cuisine, Italian is my favourite," hesays. A phone charger,

Microsoft Surface, his walletand shaving kit fall into hisessentials when travelling.Apart from Switzerland, heloves to spend time inCairns and Melbourne inAustralia.

Jogging helps Teh Yik Chuan, Director of Sales & Marketing,Tigerair, clear his mind. Reading a good book also helps himde-stress. “But I love travelling. Sampling local cuisines,interacting with people and learning about the history and

culture of a place is something that I amextremely passionate about. My most

memorable holiday moment wasenjoying a hot spring at BlueLagoon in Iceland while it wassnowing outside. What’s more,the unique landscape in Icelandmakes for a perfect backdrop for

a relaxing holiday and otherworldlyfeel to it,” he says. His favourite holiday

destination in India is Varanasi. “Theboat ride on the Ganges is

most memorable,” Chuanadds. Outside India, heprefers the UnitedKingdom.

Grand Hyatt GoaGoaGrand Hyatt Goa has taken aboard Alejandro J Leo Cupul as theDirector of Spa and Recreation to spearhead the Shamana Spa atthe resort. Alejandro comes to Grand Hyatt Goawith over 16 years of diverse experience in thespa industry. After starting his career in 2000,Alejandro has worked with leading interna-tional brands like Le Meridien, Rosewood andOrient Express Hotels. Prior to joining GrandHyatt Goa, Alejandro held the responsibilityas Corporate Spa Director at Hard Rock Hotelsand Casinos in Mexico and DominicanRepublic. He has also been an expert coun-cil for various spa conventions andtrade shows in Morocco, theUS, Spain and Mexico.



Postal Reg. No.: DL(ND)-11/6044/2015-16-17; WPP No.: U(C)-178/2015-17 for posting on 1st-2nd and 16th-17th

of the same month at New Delhi PSO, New Delhi - 110001, RNI No.: 53492/1991Date of Publication:15-03-2016

QTell us about the newly formedTourism Cabinet in MP.

In all the states there are cabinet of ministers, but in MP, ChiefMinister Shivraj Singh Chouhan hascreated a group of members who willsolve, resolve and promote tourism infra-structure facilities in the state. OnFebruary 2, 2016, the Chief Minister andhis cabinet visited Hanumantiya wherewe are celebrating the Jal Mahotsav.They had a two hour meeting on thescope, possibilities, problems, and thefuturistic plans for promoting the desti-nation. It was announced there that acore committee of the cabinet will beformed, which will be dedicated totourism. It was decided that in order toresolve issues, instead of the whole cab-inet, the core committee of four or fiveministers including the finance minister,forest minister and irrigation minister will take care of the tourism issues in the state.

QDespite having an investmentfriendly tourism policy, why

hasn’t MP attracted many privateinvestment projects?

MP Tourism acts as a catalyst inorder to attract investments, and we cele-brated the Jal Mahotsav in Hanumantiyasince the destination has a lot of land andislands that can be developed by privateentrepreneurs. I believe that the privateinvestors don’t put money in the tourism

or the hotel industrybecause theyare operatingon a differentpattern. There

are three parties involved in a project —builder, promoter and the management.There is a bit of shift of the system andaffirmations of all are required, whichmakes it difficult.

QThe ADTOI convention will be the3rd tourism related convention

within a year in MP. What is your planbehind hosting such events in thestate?

Our main agenda is to promote thedestination and we are using these eventsas platforms to endorse tourism in MP,which is an effective tool to create jobopportunities in the state.

Madhya Pradesh has created a Tourism Cabinet to speed up the decision-makingprocess with regards to tourism projects in the state. catches up with Om Vijay Choudhary, Executive Director, Madhya Pradesh Tourism.

A ‘Tourism Cabinet’

It was decided that in order to resolve issues, instead of the whole

cabinet, the core committee of four or five ministers including the

finance minister, forest ministerand irrigation minister will take care of the tourism issues in the state.

Om Vijay ChoudharyExecutive Director, Madhya Pradesh Tourism

NI S H A VE R M A

QWhat are the new tourism prod-ucts introduced by MP Tourism?MP Tourism, in its stride to make

travelling experience of tourists betterevery time they visit Madhya Pradesh,has introduced an innovative feature ofCaravans- ‘Holiday on Wheels’. It is a lux-ury experience. Caravans with carryingcapacity of 8 adults, can be hired bytourists to travel anywhere. The Caravansare fully equipped with Wi-Fi, studio-styleA/C bedroom with eight convertible sofacum beds, a spacious wash room, twoLCD TVs, home theater, microwave,fridge and locker facility. Details of a num-ber of adventurous packages are avail-able at www.mptourism.com. We alsointroduced water tourism at Tawa-Madhai,Bargi-Mandla, Hanumantiya, with cruisesbeing the star attraction. Orchha scenic

float takes touristson a rafting

safari throughthe Betwariver. IndiraSagar willbecome amini-aquatourismarenaincorpo-

rating most modern water sports andthereby giving a meaningful feeling totourism. Light and sound shows are beingorganised at Gwalior, Orchha, Khajurahoand Indore. The state government isaggressively focusing on development ofinfrastructure.

QWhat are the marketing and promotional activities of the

state in 2016?We believe in promotional activities

through all channels. The user friendlywebsite provides in-depth informationabout the tourist destinations of the stateand an online booking facility. MP Tourismis also present on Facebook, a platformfor direct interaction. We also participatein most of the major roadshows and tradeevents which take place across India andabroad. We also regularly take part inWTM and ITB to promote the state in theinternational market

QHow is the government workingwith the private sector to boost

tourism?The state cabinet has decided to hand

over forts, heritage buildings and palacesto private stakeholders for their develop-ment. Tourism Policy 2010, as amended in2014, provides ample scope for the devel-opment of tourism infrastructure throughprivate investment. The Land Bank policywill also be strengthened further.

Forts & palaces seek private players

Hari Ranjan RaoCommissioner Tourism and Managing Director

Madhya Pradesh Tourism


March 2ND Fortnight Issue 2016 travtalk 1talk

S o u t h A s i a ’ s f i r s t a n d o n l y E v e n t M a g a z i n etalk

exhibition etiquette

IndIa’s latent potentIal

Itb chIna 2017 debut

talk


News

Itb chIna to debut In shanghaI In 2017ITB China will take place from May 10-12, 2017, as a new offshoot of the international exhibition in Shanghai. The world’s leading travel trade show will provide China’s fast-growing travel market with its own platform, which is the combined product of strong partners. The corresponding agreements were signed on March 9, day one of ITB Berlin. The show will reportedly be organised by a new subsidiary of Messe Berlin, MB Exhibitions (Shanghai), and will focus exclusively on Chinese buyers meeting global destinations and service providers.

Registration for KtM 2016 open till July 29The ninth edition of Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) will be held at Samudrika and Sagara Convention Centre, Willingdon Island from September 28-30, 2016 and will focus on themes ‘Responsible tourism’ and ‘Muziris and Spice Route’. It is expected to attract around 1,500 buyers from around the country and abroad. Around 265 stalls of different sizes for the exhibitors within Kerala will be featured at the venue as part of the event. Abraham George, President, Kerala Travel Mart Society, says, “KTM 2016, which will coincide with ‘World Tourism Day’, will facilitate better interaction between buyers and sellers as we have initiated the process for sellers’ registration much in advance. The buyers’ registration is open till July 29.”

News in brief

ATF 2017 to focus on collaborative efforts among AseANASeAn Tourism forum (ATf) 2017 will

be held in Singapore from January 16-20.

“Singapore is honoured to host the next

the theme - Shaping our Tourism Journey

Together,” says Lionel Yeo, CeO, Singapore

Tourism board. To commemorate its 50th

anniversary, ASeAn will also launch a year-

long travel campaign to promote the region’s

diverse offerings.

satte 2017 slated for Feb 15-17South Asian Travel and Tourism Exhibition (SATTE) 2017 will be held from February 15-17. The dates for the next year’s event were announced at SATTE this year, held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, from January 29-31. The event is one of the biggest travel and tourism platforms showcasing India’s tourism potential to the world by bringing the global tourism market to India.


talk4 travtalk March 2ND Fortnight Issue 2016

News

bIt Milan hosts 84 Indian buyers International travel fair BIT (Borsa Internazionale del Turismo) brought together trade operators from all over the world to do business with Italy. Sponsored by Fiera Milano, BIT took place in Milan and attracted a large Indian contingent. With more than 1,500 hosted buyers, 2,000+ participating companies, BIT has been an international meeting point for decision makers, professionals and buyers in the luxury, MICE and leisure tourism arena.

Celebrating 50 years of ITB Berlin

Itb beRlIn 1966

Itb beRlIn 1969

Itb beRlIn 2016

Itb beRlIn then & now

The 36th edition of FITUR held from January 20-24, 2016, received 231,872 professional and general public visitors over its five-day staging. The mega event saw the participation of 9,605 businesses, registering an increase of 3.4 per cent over the previous year. While international business participation grew by 4 per cent, national participation recorded a 3.1 per cent growth. This edition saw the presence of 711 main stand holders representing a 3 per cent growth, with 178 new businesses out of which more than half were international. Additionally, 165 countries were present at the trade show with 16 reinstatements of official participation.

OTM innovates itself OTM 2016 opened in Mumbai this year with high attendance

over three days from february 18 to 20, 2016. This edition of the

three-day b2b trade show saw more than 1000 sellers from 50

participating destinations meet more than 6,000 buyers on the

exhibition floor. On the sidelines of the trade exhibition were a

host of innovative events to discuss emerging trends in the trav-

el business, such as Techforum, StartupKnockDown and ‘Shoot

at Site’. Major indian destinations perfectly complemented their

international counterparts with Uttarakhand, Maharashtra,

Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, West bengal, Himachal Pradesh,

Odisha and many other states present with large number of

sellers from each state.

FItuR 2016 records over 200,000 visitors

6 travtalk March 2ND Fortnight Issue 2016 talk

spotlight

As the global business travel sector witnesses exponential growth, the Government of India continues to extend support and assistance to the travel trade fraternity to further the MICE segment to greater heights.

ahana gurung

backinga FIRM

The ITB Berlin World Travel Trends Report 2014-2015 prepared by IPK International suggests that the MICE (Meetings, Incentives,

Conferences & Exhibitions) segment occupies a 54 per cent market share among global travel and has overtaken the leisure segment. Similarly, through 2007-2014, the MICE segment grew by 37 per cent while traditional business trips have declined by 14 per cent.

Currently boasting a fast growing economy even in the midst of economic slowdown across the world, India’s GDP grew to 7.2 per cent and is predicted to grow by 7.6 per cent during 2015-2016, according to the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

“We are a growing market and the economy’s growth rate has already garnered a great deal of interest from around the world,” says Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism. “Along with India being a well-known leisure destination with numerous tourism products to offer, it also makes for a favoured destination for MICE. What’s great about India is that when exhibitions are held here, you are catering to a large market that is readily accessible. If we can pitch exhibitions during the summer season, we can flatten seasonality and maintain a balance between high and low season” he explains.

According to International Congress and Convention Association’s (ICCA) annual report

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spotlight

2014 on the number of rotating international association meetings hosted by countries and cities, India ranked among the top 10 countries in the Asia-Pacific region with 116 global business events during the same year.

Working towards developing the business travel segment in India, Billa states that a significant amount of work has been done in this sector but there’s always room for improvement. “The Ministry is well aware of the potential and the chunk of development in tourism that can be expected. As of now, we provide marketing development assistance for promotion of this segment and an aggressive publicity campaign is also in the pipeline to endorse MICE destinations in India. We are also looking at setting up some convention and exhibition promotion bureaus in different states; Hyderabad already has one at present. ICPB will be the mother-body of these regional units. We are also planning on setting up a

small corpus for bidding costs,” he says.

While he agrees that India’s potential in the MICE segment is large, Billa believes that marketing and promotion of current exhibition facilities is crucial. He says, “India does have world-class convention centres, but pure-play exhibition centres are few. Plans to add more exhibition centres are on the anvil but before we focus on the new ones, we must make good use of the existing ones and

sell them well.”

The Department of Industry Policy and Promotion has also been working on a new convention and exhibition centre near the Indira Gandhi Airport (IGI) in Dwarka. The ongoing project will also have 3,500 hotel rooms and an entertainment arena that can host

a large music concert. A part of the construction IS funded by the

Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation, while the rest is on PPP basis.

Under the patronage of the Ministry of Tourism, the travel industry set up the India Convention Promo-tion Bureau (ICPB) to effectively promote India as a convention destination. ICPB takes the initiative to diffuse knowledge to confer-ence industry personnel through educational programmes, seminars, etc. with Indian associations and relevant world organisations. Active members of ICPB are extended benefits under the Market Develop-ment Assistance (MDA) scheme towards bidding for international conferences/ conventions.

Driving business travel

Indoor exhibition hall 3 (3500 sq mtrs)

Outdoor display area 5

Open grounds 2 (Fair Park spans 30000 sq mtrs)

Total area 123 acres

Exhibition space 65,000 sq mtrs

Outdoor display area 25,000 sq mtrs

Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

HITEX Exhibition Center, Hyderabad

WOrlD Class COnventiOn FaCilities

SumAn BillA

talk

exhibitions?

associatioNs

Exhibitions have been one of the oldest modes of reaching out to prospective customers since time immemorial. The only thing that has changed throughout

these years is probably the exhibition space which has transformed from make-shift tents to state-of-the-art exhibition centers with the latest amenities. The difference in the environment however, has not defeated the event’s true purpose - marketing and networking with potential clients.

OpEnIng nEw avEnuEsExhibitions not only bring together existing customers, new prospects, suppliers, advisors and investors under one roof, but are a good way to keep an eye on the competition, Seth shares. “SMEs can use this platform to find out more about their customers and gauge the feedback about their product and services,” he says. “It can give them valuable inputs for understanding the demand and thus exhibitions can act as a market research platform too. It also provides a snapshot of what’s new and you may get access to the movers and shakers. Participation for these companies can be a considerable cost in absolute term but not in relative terms. The combined cost of acquiring clients and inputs is much less than doing so individually.”

BEsT Of BOTh wOrldsMany forms of marketing, including telesales, adverts and direct mail, involve some intrusion for customers which can be resented. Not with exhibitions. Seth explains, “Customers go to events prepared to give their time and attention and are often ready to buy. Trade shows attract qualified visitors and the majority often has buying responsibility and attracts those people who can be elusive at other times. Many arrive armed with credit cards and will have done their homework beforehand. Likewise,

whyahana gurung

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March 2ND Fortnight Issue 2016 travtalk 9

associatioNs

Of course exhibitions are an excellent platform to showcase products and meet with potential clients. But there’s more than what meets the eye. nAveen Seth, Director - Exhibitions, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, gives an insight into the additional benefits of participating in such trade events.

consumer shows can be a great launch pad for a new business or product and also offers the chance to do live demonstrations in front of a large audience.” Moreover, Seth feels that with press attention and the power of word-of-mouth, one can create a real buzz about one’s product or service.

grOwIng BusInEss, grOwIng EcOnOmyCountries like Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom, to name a few, are well-known for being home to some of the biggest exhibitions in the travel trade fraternity. The entire city’s active participation in the planning of the exhibition acts as a support function to make the event success and has certainly added to its growth and experience. “These cities otherwise would not have gained as much prominence as they do now,” says Seth. “But today, the long list of hosting events has attracted global visitors to these countries and gives a big boost to tourism and the economy. The infrastructure is being developed to suit the stakeholders from across the world and connects the local economy with the country and further with the world.”

Exhibitions can largely be looked at as a big investment, particularly for small businesses, but through short-term investments, the benefits can be reaped in the long term, turning the leads collected at an exhibition into loyal customers.

• Generate sales

• Create/strengthen brand image

• Networking and building contacts

• Explore new trends

• Increase visibility through media

• Contribute to growth of economy

Perks galOre


etiquette

D sD n’ts

&Attending an exhibition for the first time? Or perhaps you are a regular visitor but rarely get much out of attending one? Here are a few dos and don’ts that will help you make the most of the opportunity.


etiquette

4

Look around and network with other exhibitors who may be your prospects, says Agarwal. Networking is an essential part of exhibitions where the presence of top honchos from numerous organisations is welcomed. Take the golden opportunity and make connections!

When you exchange cards, make it a habit to jot down notes about the conversation behind the card. You will end up meeting hundreds of people and remembering each one of them will be a tedious job.

take notes

be a social butterfly

2Sanjiv Agarwal, Chairman & CEO, Farifest Media, says that defining a set of objectives will speed up the rate of success even further. “Have a clear idea of what should be done, targeting a certain number of meetings etc., act on that and measure the achievement after the show. It helps you to realise where you could have done better and leaves room for improvement.”

Including activities like a short quiz can make the experience memorable for anyone. Have a photo booth or distribute giveaways when you have a visitor. The whole point is to make sure potential clients enjoy learning about what you have to offer.

set a clear objective

Make it interactive

pre-show promotion

1As technology has made everything so much more accessible, one way to make sure important clients visit your booth is to send reminders (like emails) inviting your targets and make RSVP calls to schedule appointments. Potential customers will remember you when they attend the show and chances are they might be your next major client.

3

5

the Dos

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4

With hordes of people, exhibitions are anyway a noisy affair, says Agarwal. Don’t play loud music; it will disturb business discussions among your neighbours including in your own booth. If music is absolutely necessary, opt for soft, calm, ambient music instead.

play loud audio

He also shares that pitching from the aisle can be bothersome. Stay in your booth when you are making pitches so that people associate you with your brand. Additionally, if you are missing from your stall, you might just lose out on the opportunity of booking clients.

pitch from aisles

Make a messAgarwal opines that distributing messy food like popcorn can often put off a lot of people. It also litters the place and attracts the wrong kind of people. If you do give out small food items, make sure you arrange for a dustbin.

the Don’ts

1

2

3Giving away pages of brochures is not only inconvenient, there’s a bigger possibility that visitors will just throw them away. Instead, distribute a concise pamphlet with the most important information that will be most useful for them.

too many brochures

There can be nothing more exasperating than waiting to get information out of someone who is constantly on the phone. You are there to promote your business and most people will expect you to be readily available. Avoid accepting frequent calls - try and prioritise them.

stay on the phone

5

etiquette


sNapshots

The third edition of India International Travel & Tourism (IITT) fair, held in Mumbai from January 15-17, 2016, saw the presence of 500 buyers and almost 1500 brands at the trade event. The response grew by 50 per cent while growth in terms of revenue was accounted at 30-35 per cent. As new initiatives like ‘IITT Connect’ were introduced at the exhibition, the huge participation clearly made IITT’s evolution evident.

glIMpses oF


What’’’’’’’’s New

The Indian tourism industry’s steady growth has opened up avenues manifold for travel professionals from the world over. With numerous

players in the sector, bringing them together under one roof becomes imperative to further the growth of the industry. Recognising this necessity, the Pacific Leisure Group (PLG) has introduced Travel Show, a bouquet of carefully planned travel exhibitions with the aim of showcasing a wide variety of products and services to the biggest tourism product providers and consumers.

Alwin Zecha, Executive Chairman & Founder, PLG, and a connoisseur in the tourism industry with over 40 years of experience, says that the mushrooming of shows has confused several clients. “With too many shows, clients find it difficult to decide which one to attend,” he shares. “For this reason, Travel Show has dedicated different editions that focus on the newest and most sought-after tourism genres in India.

“We have Travel Experiential Show, Travel Technology Show, Travel Wedding Show and Travel Business Show taking place this year. Travellers have become more intelligent and know what they want - the experiential edition attempts to fill this gap by offering bespoke products catered directly to their interests. It is also quite obvious that travel technology has become a huge component of the industry with its ever-increasing expansion, while India will continue to be a forerunner in the subject of weddings. Likewise, as long as the travel industry

exists, trade will continue and with India’s potential, exponential growth in tourism is evident,” he shares.

Zecha opines that technology’s prominent presence in today’s world has deprived individuals of face-to-face interaction and expresses his desire to bring that back. “We want to highlight the importance of one-on-one meetings and contribute to the industry’s growth through personal interactions. The travel industry is a service industry and therefore, good service is crucial which can only be rendered when you have a good understanding of your clients’ needs. Travel Show aims to accomplish exactly that,” he signs off.

F2The

Jul 9-10 India

Aug 20-21 India

Oct 15-16 India

December 16-17 India

blOCk yOur

Dates

FfACTOr

Travel Show brings forth four specialised tourism exhibitions addressing the need for personalised face-to-face meetings in India.


What’’’’’’’’s New

We want to highlight the importance of one-on-one meetings and contribute to the industry’s growth through personal interactions

Alwin ZechA

This year's edition of SATTE witnessed 750 participants from over 35 countries and 28 Indian states. The mega-event saw an unprecedented visitor growth of 28 per cent as compared to its previous editions. The three-day affair from January 29-31, 2016 welcomed travel trade and hospitality professionals from all over the world and included participation from 28 Indian states and over 35 countries saw participants deliberating industry potential, existing concerns and the future by exploring new frontiers amongst various industry stakeholders.

sNapshots

all about



Dialogue

AnA lArrAñAGA


suppOrT and knOwlEdgE gO hand-In-handFirstly, I consider that the industry’s support is needed, both public and private. Good knowhow of trade fair management is a crucial requirement. It is also necessary to be a benchmark for the source and incoming tourism market. And last but no less important, a trade show of international relevance in this field has to provide a highly representative offer of the sector, concentrating on the same stage both supply and demand, the best professionals, as well as content of interest through workshops and activities that reflect the current state of the industry, providing professionals with a valuable tool for analysis.

EyEs On ThE prIzEIt is crucial to define a set of objectives beforehand and to establish appropriate strategies to achieve them. This task should be followed by subsequent development and follow-up to consolidate the achievement of these objectives. A strategic plan should be created and stringently followed to maximise productivity and convenience.

EffEcTIvE lIsTEnIngThe absence of prior planning is, in my opinion, the principal error that is often made, together with not listening and a lack of empathy with the sector. We have to listen to its agents, discover their concerns and needs, since a trade show that seeks to represent a segment of the economy cannot allow itself the luxury of moving away from its interests. We owe ourselves to this industry and have to offer it answers and solutions.

EncOuragIng parTIcIpaTIOnTrade shows play an important role in the expansion of the industry and participation in such events is highly recommended. They provide crucial platforms for encounters and business, and are highly beneficial for companies and professionals. Moreover, trade exhibitions like FITUR which are spread over several days focus on a great deal of activity and those who participate in the event undertake numerous actions that later bear fruit.

taking a leaf out of

Dialogue

FITUR

• Maintaining good relations can go a long way

• Sending reminders to clients ensures their participation

• Follow-up mails post-event are necessary to be remembered

• Offering pre-scheduled meetings are a bonus

• Do not move away from the interests of the agents in the sector

tiPs & triCks

They provide crucial platforms for

businesses which are highly beneficial

A strategic plan should be created and stringently followed to maximise productivity and convenience

Based on her ongoing experience in the industry, AnA lArrAñAGA, Director, FITUR, shares her thoughts on planning a successful exhibition.

talk

Participating in exhibitions is a tool to showcase your brand - it could be products, services and/or strengths. Potential clients swarm in from

different parts of the world and with several other competitors vying for attention, the most effective way to stand out in a crowd is to ensure the stall is a showstopper.

Soni addresses the importance of decor and says it is the most essential part of selling products. “As we dress ourselves to present to the world, we need to dress up our brand and our products as well. Decor at an exhibition is the same as packaging a product or a service for the market and careful planning needs to be implemented to achieve the goal,” he shares.

But what does the ideal decor achieve? “The perfect decor accomplishes a translation of the client’s ethos into the architecture which is impactful, aesthetic, true to its requirement and occupies a vital role in determining the overall success of an exhibition,” he says. Soni explains that understanding some crucial points will go a long way in effective decoration.

“The first and foremost step is to thoroughly understand the client’s brief. If you are able to really grasp the essence of what he wants to be portrayed, more than half your work is already done. Don’t think twice about asking too many questions – getting this right will be worth all the trouble,” he elaborates.

Imbibing the company’s USP is another critical aspect of decorating. “What good is the decor if it cannot instantly tell the audience what it is about?” he states. “In a crowded exhibition hall, you must be able to rely on the decorations to stand out and visitors should immediately be able to tell what you deal in. It makes it convenient for both the exhibitor and buyer and if the customer is happy, then so are you.”

Hands-on communication with the client is also crucial to determining success. Soni says, “Be open and listen to their needs. Likewise, if you think their suggestions won’t work, explain it to them why it won’t. Avoid aggressively supporting your own ideas and keep an open mind and ear. You are partnering with the client to achieve the same objectives so stay in frequent touch and communicate progress and new suggestions.” Changing times and advancing technology have also had an impact on the design elements, he informs. “The brief of the client hasn’t changed much over the years though now his vocabulary is different. The vocabulary is now graphics, new materials, new technologies and new modes of exhibiting. The language of display has changed due to introduction of these new elements, thus what we see now has changed in terms of the designs,” he remarks.

Additionally, owing to the fact that most clients are well-seasoned travellers, clients are better aware of design element due to exposure. Soni adds, “The market has also become fiercely competitive thus he is more demanding and asks for newer solutions.”

Ar. SAnjAy Soni, Chief Knowledge Director of Incredible Design, decodes the essentials of effective decor and talks about its importance at exhibitions.

iNterior

The perfect decor accomplishes a translation of the client’s ethos into the architecture which is impactful, aesthetic, true to its requirement and occupies a vital role in determining the overall success of an exhibition

eyemeets theWhat



iNterior

caleNDar

29

9

19

27

30

16

24

23

18APRIL 2016

Connections LuxuryItaly

WTM AfricaCape Town

Africa International Luxury Travel MartCape Town

3

6

AITFAzerbaijan7

Digital Travel APACSingapore12

Great Indian Travel BazaarJaipur17

SITT RussiaNovosibirsk14

4

China Outbound Travel & Tourism MartBeijing

12

KITF KazakhstanAlmaty 20

Arabian Travel Market Dubai 25

Routes EuropeKrakow, Poland24

mAy 2016

World Travel FairShanghai13

INDABADurban7

Peru Travel MartLima 13

Connections Meetings Spain Malaga

KOFTASeoul

Connections LuxuryThailand

CMT ChinaNanjing

ILTM AsiaShanghai

BITE ChinaBeijing

WTM Connect ChinaHainan Island

ITE & MICEHong Kong

WTM Connect Asia Penang

june 2016



talk

Documents

talk ddppl.com TravTalkIndiatravtalkindia.com/pdf/2016/03-mar-2016-2.pdfMar 03, 2016 · Vol. XXVIII Issue 6; March 2 nd night t r i ssue f 2016 A DDP PUBLICATION Pages : 48 + 24