1

Volume 1 Issue II December 2010 Pages 44 Rs 60

A hospitality round up on Kochi v Sarovar’s expansion story v VisitScotland’s new initiative v Know what the industry stalwarts feel about the trade exhibitions today in our “Big Fight”

v Close and personal with Kapil Kaul v Witness Tamil Nadu’s enchanting glory

Picture by Tamil Nadu Tourism

EDITOR’S note

Bye bye 2010

Just a month old, we couldn’t pos-sibly have asked for a better re-sponse that TTJ got both at the

WTM and at the launch party in New Delhi. Thank you friends, associates, for making us feel so welcome and loved. We promise not to disappoint you and keep up the task that we have set out for.

As we sit on the last month of the year, one cannot help but ponder over the events that rocked and docked the tourism industry. After a grave 2008 and a “not so good” 2009, the year that was – 2010, was a comfort-ing one for the travel trade as many things went from being better to good. The CWG saw the capital dress up, infrastructure upgraded and many ad-ditional rooms added, which actually made the “supply” quotient exceed the demand element and made us all think – how proportionate is the devel-opment that is taking place in the tour-ism business?

As per the latest industry stats, the outbound from India did fairly well this year, and why wouldn’t it? Flying to Bangkok is now cheaper than flying to Bengaluru. Thus it was interesting to see DGCA catching the collars of many an airlines, rebuking them for the abnormal price rise that the domes-tic aviation market was experiencing for last few months. A Delhi-Mumbai ticket on the supposedly “low cost” carrier was priced nowhere less than Rs.15,000 in the first 15 days of No-vember, but not anymore. While prices are back to normal in the aviation cir-cuit, legendary hoteliers think that the times ahead in the hospitality industry will see supply overshooting demand.

Well, we all have right to our own opinion, thus, it was quite amusing to see many exhibitors “grumbling” about the tardiness of trade exhibitions and how they cease to serve any purpose now. If you want to know what they had to say, in favour or against such shows, read our new column “The Big Fight’.

Happy Reading!Priyanka Saxena

priyanka@sampan.in

Editorial and Marketing OfficeSampan Media Pvt. Ltd., 124, 3rd floor, Shahpur Jat, Opp. Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi – 110049, Ph: 9560264443, ravi.sharma@sampan.in

All information in Travel Trade Journal (TTJ) is derived from sources we consider reliable. It is passed on to our readers without any responsibility on our part. Opinions / views expressed by third parties in abstract or in interviews are not necessarily shared by us. Material appearing in the magazine cannot be repro-duced in whole or in part(s) without prior permission. The publisher assumes no responsibility for material lost or damaged in transit. The publisher reserves the right to refuse, withdraw or otherwise deal with all advertisements without explanation. All advertisements must comply with the Indian Advertisements Code. The publisher will not be liable for any loss caused by any delay in publication, error or failure of advertisement to appear.

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If you thought AirAsia was done with its ex-pansion announcements for the year, here’s a piece of news for you. The airline will now fly to the romantic capital Paris and to Christchurch in New Zealand, next year. .................... Pg 9

Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, is a fascinating amalgam of scenic beauty, old historic city and modern urban planning. In our special focus, we highlight some of the delights the city has to offer. .............................. Pg 12

Dr. A C Mohandoss, Tamil Nadu Tourism De-velopment Corporation, outlines his marketing initiatives to retain the top position in wellness tourism and climb up the levels in other sectors as well. . ............................................... Pg 15

The Sarovar Group of Hotels has broken all re-cords in hospitality by opening as many seven properties in 2010 and plans to open another seven in the near future.. ..................... Pg 22

Year after year, the travel fraternity has been the loyal attendants of the travel trade events and exhibitions. But many have now started feeling that the purpose behind these shows is fast getting lost. Bringing both opinions on the fore is TTJ’s ‘Big Fight’....... ................. Pg 24

If royal cuisine has always fascinated you and savouring what the Raja’s and Maharaja’s used to in the ancient times is a fantasy you secretly harbour, head to ITC Parel, Mumbai and enjoy mouth-watering Hyderabadi flavours by Kulsum Begum... .............................................. Pg 28

To know the latest with the Leela Group, join us with a cup of coffee on our chat with Vivek Nair... .................................................. Pg 46

Travel Trade Journal (TTJ) Volume 1 Issue II

Editor & Publisher: Ravi SharmaManaging Editor: Priyanka Saxena

Team SampanSenior Correspondent : Kartar Hemrajani

Associate Director : Pranav Khullar (Mob: 09560264442)Manager PR : Ankit Dixit (Mob: 09560264447)

Marketing Head : Praveen Mishra (Mob: 09811559203)Regional Manager (South) : Karthik K V (Mob: 09880209405)

Assistant Manager (Sales) : Kshitij Ahlawat (Mob: 09560264449)Manager Administration : Babita Sharma (Mob: 09560264441)

Branch Manager (Chandigarh) : Ashutosh Sharma (Mob: 09815842872)Representative (Jaipur) : Kapil Gupta (Mob: 09672148787)Manager Subscription : Yatin Gupta (Mob: 09911442932)

Assistant Manager Circulation : Sumit Gaur (Mob: 09873999141) Design : Jitendra Rawat

Email: priyankattj@gmail.com, ravi.sharma@sampan.in

contents

December 2010 4 LIGHTER SIDE

6wonderfulthingsabout Malaysia

Convention centre, heliport & amusement park to deck up

ChhATTiSgArhIf you visit the Ministry of

Tourism Office in Mumbai, you will be pleasantly sur-

prised to see various artefacts from the state of Chhattisgarh on display. This promotion is on for the entire month of De-cember and is being done with the aim of attracting tourists to the region.

Considering the recession-ary phase is now over, many states are gearing up to once again plunge into the market-ing pool and showcase the at-tractive delights their state has to offer. Joining the bandwag-on is Chhattisgarh Tourism, which has recently announced its new campaign ‘Wow Chhat-tisgarh’ at a press event in Mumbai. The state is all set to welcome an increased in-flux of tourists in the coming years, targeting a figure of 10 lakh tourists in next three to four years. The new campaign aims to eliminate the myths popularly held about the state and highlight its tourism offer-ings.

With an aim to enhance the

tourism potential of Chhattis-garh in the domestic and the international market, Chhattis-garh Tourism Board (CTB) has recently launched tourism in-frastructure development proj-ects in the state and initiated new marketing activities. As per the media reports, Subrat Sahoo, Secretary Tourism, Cul-ture, Sports and Youth Affairs, Government of is planning to open a convention centre in Raipur, to boost MICE tour-ism to the region in the coming years. Also, the state tourism ministry is in talks with several organisations to start helicop-ter services for touring dense forest areas. Additionally, talks regarding granting the state a “heritage site” status are also on.

With an aim to attract tour-ists from domestic market, Chhattisgarh Tourism will be promoting its various attrac-tive facets in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and other neighbouring states. Be-sides this, it also plans to host roadshows in Delhi, Kolkata,

Hyderabad and Vishakhapat-nam.

As per the recent media reports, the Government of Chhattisgarh has invested Rs 200 crore for building up 45 properties that includes hotels and motels, of which herein 33 properties are in ready posses-sion while the rest will be ready over a period of two years. The state government has also in-curred an investment of Rs 100 crore to develop an adventure park in the state.

Ashutosh Sharma, Market-ing Consultant, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board said, “CTB has ambitious roadmap for promo-tion of the state in domestic and international markets and many more such events will follow soon. We have rolled out an online contest wherein applicants can submit picto-rial descriptions or films made on Chhattisgarh, wherein best entries can win two night and three-day stay in Chhattisgarh. This will also help to increase awareness about the state’s tourist attractions.”

New

s of t

he m

onth Playing

‘lukka-chuppi’ with the customs!

Stop PRESS

Stories of people trying to sneak in stuff that is

“not allowed” by cus-toms have been done to death, but we re-cently stumbled across two usually hilarious incidents of people carrying banned stuff aboard on a list put up by fly.co.uk and thought to share the same with you.

In the first incident, at Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood Interna-tional Airport, a woman attempted to board the plane with a python hiding in her bra. She tried to convince the officers that she had a sock in her top but the search revealed the truth, a live snake!

At another instance in Melbourne, Aus-tralia, custom officers heard some weird nois-es emitting from under-neath a woman’s skirt. A thorough inspection exposed that she was hiding 51 tropical fish in a specially designed apron!

December 2010 5LIGHTER SIDE

Shop till you dropKuala Lumpur, a haven for the self confessed shopaholic, is one of the topmost reasons to visit Malaysia. Get surprised by a plethora of shopping complexes that offer a range of traditional handi-crafts, funky clothes and branded products. More-over, the Malaysia Mega Sales Carnival at the end of the year is another ex-cellent reason to visit the capital city.

Lip-smacking cuisineIndian, Continental, Chinese, Mexican... name it and you’ll find it in almost every Malay-sian restaurant. Don’t forget to taste the hot and spicy Malay-sian cuisine. Try Lemang – glu-tinous rice and coconut milk roasted in hollowed bamboo that’s a delicious accompani-ment with Rendang or Chick-en Curry. Rendang – usually served to honoured guests – is a rich, flavourful stewed meat or vegetable stew, cooked in coconut milk, spices and toasted coconut paste.

Heavenly sightsRevel in the beauty of Malaysia, especially at its exotic beaches and islands. Discover the hidden treasures of Langkawi, Cherating, Port Dickson, Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, Sipadan Island, Tioman Island, Pangkor Island and Redang Island. Also, do not miss the fa-mous Rainforest World Music Festival at Sara-wak Cultural Village that takes place during the monsoons.

Rich heritageExplore the rich and glo-rious past with heritage sites like the Churches in Malacca, the Malacca Museum, the Mahamariam-man Temple in Kuala Lum-pur and the Snake Temple in Penang.

Outdoor activitiesThere’s a lot for those who love the great out-doors. Engage in some serious trekking or ad-venture activities at Cameron High-lands, Frasers Hill, Taman Neg-ara, Danum Val-ley and Genting Highlands.

Amazing wildlifeFor wildlife lov-ers, a trip to the Kinabatangan River in Sabah is an unforgettable experience. Also, a must-see is the Tabin Wildlife Re-sort, Danum Valley in Sabah, Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary in Pa-hang and Royal Belum State Park in Perak.

india’s had 70 near-miss incidents in last 3 yrs

As per a recent piece of news given by the government to the Lok Sabha, there have been as many as 70 near-miss aviation inci-dents reported in last three years, i.e. 2007, 2008 and 2009.

The recent near-miss incident was the one that was avoided on Octo-ber 23 at the Mumbai airport involving Jet Airways Boeing 737-800 aircraft VT-JBR and Kingfisher Aircraft A321 VT-KFU. The King-fisher aircraft suffered damage to its left horizontal stabiliser, while the left winglet of the Jet Airways aircraft was also damaged during the incident. Well, the cat has nine lives, wonder how many does the Indian aviation has!

According to sources, both the AAI board and the joint venture floated to oversee

the construction of Chandigarh International Airport project have recently cleared the designs and maps and approved the architect. Detailed estimates are now being prepared for the first phase of the airport, which will be submitted to AAI in March. The Airport Author-ity of India (AAI) has, meanwhile,

sanctioned around Rs 500 crore for the first phase of the project. Of this amount, Rs 250 crore is for construction of the terminal build-ing spread over 3,14,500 square metres, Rs 50 crore is for external development (road and parking within airport) and Rs 90 crore for apron construction, Rs 35 crore for hangar construction, while Rs 40 crore will be for the cargo area.

Chandigarh international Airport gets AAi nod

With effect from December 1, 2010, the US embassy has increased the visa fee for Tour-ist Visa /Business Visa/L1 Blanket Petition.

The tourist and business visa fee has been revised from Rs 6,480 to Rs 6,580 (VFS charge additional)

Increase in the US visa fee

Now visa on arrival for 4 ASEAN countries

Indians get VOA to…

In an initiative to boost tourist traffic from Associa-tion of Southeast Asian (ASEAN) Nations, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently announced

Visa on Arrival (VOA) facility for nationals of Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines. The facil-ity can be availed starting January 1, 2011.

Though many of us are into the travelling busi-ness, we do not have complete knowledge on all the countries to which Indian passport hold-

ers get visa on arrival. So just for your information, if you are an Indian passport holder, you get Visa On Arrival (VOA) to the following countries—Honk Kong/Thailand / Mauritius / Srilanka / Bhutan /Maldives / Laos / Jordan / Nepal / Cambodia / Seychelles / Tan-zania / Indonesia / Turkey (Only If you have valid US/SCH Visa).

Visa Update

DID YOU KNOW?

Quickie• The in-flight catering is an $18 billion worldwide

industry employing up to 200,000 people.

• Virgin Atlantic says catering is its third biggest cost af-ter fuel and engineering-maintenance.

• Apparently Delta Air Lines spends $8 million a year on

wine alone.

• A Business Class meal with wine costs an airline about $50 in raw materials.

• American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminat-ing one olive from each salad served in First Class.

• British Airways’ passengers, in one year consume,

40.5 tonnes of chicken, 6 tonnes of Caviar, 22 tonnes of

Smoked Salmon and 90 thousand cases (9 litre cases)

of Champagne

December 2010 CLOSE UP

We have often seen him chair many aviation talks, summits, debates and his organisation CAPA (Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation) has always been at the forefront of regular research and analysis on the aviation industry. You can call him a young tycoon, but in reality, he is a complete family man who dotes on his daughter and firmly believes that a strong value system is a must for one’s overall development. In his first ever “personal” encounter with a publication, Kapil Kaul, CEO South Asia, CAPA, bares his soft side to TTJ.

How do you view life?Life is all about value systems. It is about ensur-ing that you make a contribution not only to your immediate near ones but also to the larger soci-ety. Life should be about the need to create a so-ciety that is less selfish and more inclusive. I also think that we take life too seriously at times and in doing so, often miss out on simple pleasures. It is very important to spend time with your family, your loved ones. In the end, in life, that’s all that matters.

What drives you?I don’t think it’s money. I think it’s the passion to do something in your chosen profession that gets you recognition from your peer group. The passion to have a leadership role, to achieve success and to leave something behind in your field of work that is appreciated and acknowledged even after you are not a part of it is a major driving force.

What, according to you, in the biggest chal-lenge facing the aviation industry today?The growth potential in India is immeasurable. As far as the aviation growth is concerned, we have just begun. We are a 50 million domestic market right now and have the potential to turn into a billion in next few years. But to handle this kind of growth, it is important to have a fundamental framework, an economic framework and a strong regulatory policy framework plan for long term growth. This is the need of the hour.

Where do you see CAPA 10 years down the lane?CAPA is currently South Asia’s largest research and knowledge centre. We are also looking at venturing into other areas of knowledge process outsourcing and coming out with CAPA KPO, CAPA fund and many similar such initiatives.

CAPA’s US$ 125 project – an Aeropark is being built in Bengaluru, which will be an all inclusive aviation training and education centre addressing the global shortage of skilled human resources in the aviation industry. From where I see, CAPA, in future, will be a multi-disciplined aviation man-agement firm.

When not working, you are?Mostly working (smiles). Been born and brought up in a joint family in Kashmir, I have been a fam-ily man from the start. My parents, brothers and sisters live in close proximity to my place and so whatever free time I get from work, I spend it with my family. My daughter is my pet subject and it fascinates me to see her grow. I have a great girl and I want to be an integral part of her growth, make sure she gets the best education and also inculcate the correct value system in her. I think family is a very important element of one’s growth process. You are never insecure if you have a strong family back up.

What’s your favourite travel holiday destina-tion?I am fascinated by Europe. I think the place has a very strong sense of character. Many places in Europe remind me of Kashmir and I thus have a natural affinity to them. However, I would love to see some parts of Asia like the Vietnam and Cam-bodia as they are great cultural centres. Though I have been to the place for business, I would like to take my family to Canada for a holiday.

Your proud moment in life – professionally and personally?Every moment in my professional life has been a moment I have celebrated. At various stages in my life, I had different expectations, different outlook, different approach, but no regrets. I have

celebrated every aspect of my professional ca-reer. Joining CAPA was a huge landmark deci-sion. The initial years ruthlessly exposed my in-adequacies, but I am proud to say that today, I have learned a lot. I think I have gained more from CAPA than the organisation has gained from me. Personally, my marriage and the day my daughter was born have been the unforgettable moments in my life.

Any funny anecdote, from your personal and professional life, that still tickles you?

My days as a bachelor, in my early 20’s, was a time when money was not in abundance but the desire to roam around was huge. There were many an instances when my friends and I would set out on trips and so many incidents during those trips still bring a smile to my face, but wouldn’t be ap-propriate to put in print!

What’s your fitness mantra?I make a conscious effort to do a bit of walking every day. I am prone to putting on weight and so am very conscious of what I eat. It’s in my mind all the time and I thus try to restrain myself as much as possible. On the agenda next year is to join a gym!

Your message to the younger generation?The opportunities today are huge. India today is a young country with a great demographic division. Education today is being given a lot of importance and parents are ready to spend whatever it takes to make sure their ward is qualified well. Now it is up to the youth to channelise the positives in the best way possible. It is important to have a good value system in place and make a conscious ef-fort to give back to the society whatever little you can. We must preserve our sense of culture and diversity and not be lost in modernity.

6

Up and personal with

vPriyANKA SAxeNAKapil Kaul

fLYInG HIGH8 December 2010

Kingfisher and American Airlines enter code-share

indigo gears up for foggy season

With 80 per cent of its cockpit crew well equipped to land all 6E flights down to 125

metres visibility instead of 150 metres in the year 2009, IndiGo is the only domestic low-cost carrier whose entire fleet is authorised for CAT III B operations. Along with CAT II/III landings, IndiGo has also s e c u r e d

permission for Low Visibility Take Off (LVTO). Low visibility operations require special crew and aircraft certification and authorisation.

Aditya Ghosh, President, IndiGo, said, “Having recorded less than a fraction of a percentage of flight cancellation in the last two winters, this year too we are committed to take our customers’ expectations to new heights. The entire team at IndiGo has spent a considerable

amount of time, effort and money to enhance schedule integrity and to deliver the best hassle free travel experience on all 6E flights.”

Keeping passengers’ convenience in mind, a brand new Airbus A-320 will be kept on ground as a spare aircraft to handle disruption/delays caused by fog. This aircraft will be inducted on December 24, and will be utilised as per requirement till January 20, 2010.

Additionally, IndiGo, like last year, will collaborate with the Indian Metrological Department (IMD), to receive fog forecasts upto 48 hours in advance. The airline also has a team of professional meteorologists to provide fog forecasts round-the-clock that will help in re-scheduling flights and updating operations on a real time basis.

As a part of its winter schedule strategy, the airline has outlined multiple measures to minimise flight disruptions and cancellations arising from bad weather conditions.vTTJ DeSK

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American Airlines and Kingfisher Airlines have recently announced that they will enter into a comprehensive code-share and frequent flyer relationship starting 2011, subject to receipt of regulatory approvals.

The initial phase of the code-share relationship announced today will allow American to

place its AA* code on Kingfisher Airlines’ extensive domestic network beyond New Delhi. American will also code-share on Kingfisher Airlines’ flights from London Heathrow to both New Delhi and Mumbai. American operates a daily non-stop service between New Delhi and Chicago O’Hare and Kingfisher Airlines will place its IT* code on these flights as well as on selected American flights between the United States and Lon-don Heathrow.

Members of American’s AAdvan-tage and Kingfisher Airlines’ King Club frequent flyer programs will be able to earn miles on the codeshare flights. The two airlines are exploring a more comprehensive frequent flyer agreement that will include the abil-ity to earn and redeem miles across each carrier’s network.

“We are very pleased to announce our codeshare partnership with King-fisher, an airline that offers our cus-tomers the choice of flying to more cities throughout India and a more convenient travel experience,” said Virasb Vahidi, Chief Commercial Of-ficer, American Airlines, adding, “We look forward to further strengthening our partnership as Kingfisher com-pletes the process of joining the one-world alliance.”

“I am delighted with this new de-velopment. The code share on Ameri-can’s flight to Chicago will mark the first time ever that Kingfisher Airlines will place its code on any flight operating into the United States. This coupled with the frequent flyer relationship will mean that Kingfisher Airlines’ guests will be able to benefit from seamless travel on the routes covered by the code share,” said Manoj Chacko, Ex-ecutive Vice President-Commercial, Kingfisher Airlines Limited.

Jet is the ‘best long haul ex BrusselsJet Airways recently became the proud recipient of the “Best Long Haul Airline ex Brussels, TM Travel Awards 2010” award for the third consecutive year, at a prestigious ceremony held in Belgium.Betty Van de Nobele, Brussels Airport, gave away the award in the presence of the Minister of Tourism, Malaysia, several Ambassadors, and over 650 guests, at the Gala event. Bernard Guisset, External Communication manager, Continental Europe, Sanna Naqvi, leisure Sales manager Belgium and Luxembourg, and David Bastin, Corporate Sales Manager, Belgium and Luxembourg accepted the award on behalf of Jet Airways.

According to Sudheer Raghavan, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways, “With Jet Airways operating daily flights to New York (Newark, JFK) and Toronto, as also seamless onward services to several European destinations from India, over Brussels, the airline’s European hub in the Belgian capital is a very important part of its international operations. We are delighted to receive this prestigious award, which further adds to our resolve to offer guests the very best travel experience in the global skies today.”For the “Best Long Haul Airline ex Brussels, TM Travel Awards 2010”, Jet Airways was selected based upon a vote of over 850 travel agents in Belgium and Luxembourg.

(L to R): Kenji Hashimoto, Vice President – Strategic Alliances, American Airlines and Manoj Chacko, Executive Vice President-Commercial, Kingfisher Airlines exchanging the signed code-share agreement.

December 2010 9fLYInG HIGH

Kingfisher and American Airlines enter code-share vTTJ DeSK

vTTJ DeSK

Fly AirAsia X, from KL to Paris

AirAsia X recently celebrated the announcement of

the new Kuala Lumpur – Paris route at the Palais De Chaillot, Paris in the presence of prominent figures from France; Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Zainal, the Malaysian Ambassador in France; Monsieur Frank Goldnadel, Director of Paris Orly Airport; the ambassadors from Brunei, Laos, Philippines and Cambodia in France; Dr. Kiran Rao; Airbus Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing; Bernard Rey, Chairman of Renault Sport and Renault F1 Team; Dr. Tony Fernandes; Group CEO, AirAsia and Founder of AirAsia X, Azran Osman-Rani; CEO, AirAsia X and over 150 invitees from the French trade, media, and hoteliers.

On the occasion, Fernandes said, “AirAsia X’s Paris-Kuala Lumpur route is the realisation of one of its long-held ambition to open

up yet another affordable access between Malaysia and Europe for both ASEAN and European communities. Being a truly ASEAN airline, we are committed to promoting tourism and travel throughout and beyond that region. This new route will benefit everyone, enabling magnificent holidays in beautiful locations, encouraging economic and tourism activity, bringing in revenue and creating job opportunities.”

The new route will be serviced by the Airbus A340 aircraft with 327 passenger capacity including 18 Premium seats. Guests flying on this new route will have the chance to experience the new comfortable ‘Premium FlatBed seats’ which are standard Business Class specifications of 20” width, 61” pitch and stretches out to 77” in full recline position. The seats feature universal power sockets, adjustable headrests and built-in

personal utilities such as tray table, drink holder, reading light and privacy screen. This new improvement offers unmatched comfort to the guests and positions AirAsia as the market leader, further

bolstering the brand as the epitome of innovation and excellence.

AirAsia X covers destinations which are more than four hours in flight duration from Kuala Lumpur, complementing the existing AirAsia network of over 76 destinations throughout ASEAN, China and India.

Osman-Rani said, “The Paris route is a significant achievement for us, allowing those who have always wanted to travel between Europe and ASEAN to achieve their dream, at an affordable price. The

commencement of the inaugural flight from Kuala Lumpur to Paris on February 14, 2011 is our Valentines gift for loved ones, and families from the Asian region who wants to celebrate the occasion in the romantic city of Paris. Likewise, Parisians may now look into Asia as their dream travel getaway. Some of the world’s most famous attractions awaits guests from South East Asia region namely the iconic Eiffel Tower, Moulin Rouge, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre and many more.”

The national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman is all set to make it big in the

aviation industry. Despite extremely challenging economic conditions, over the last year, Oman Air has continued to increase the number of passengers carried, including a rise of over 200 per cent on its daily direct Muscat-London route. The rise in passengers number follows the launch

in November 2009 of Oman Air’s new A330 fleet, which features sumptuous new First, Business and Economy Class cabins, the unveiling of 13 new routes, the introduction of the world’s first in-flight mobile phone and wi-fi connectivity package and a range of remarkable special deals to destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Commenting on the success of the first six months of its

pioneering in-flight mobile phone and wi-fi connectivity package, Peter Hill, CEO, Oman Air, said, “The use of mobile phones, smartphones, laptops and a range of other handheld devices is, of course, common on the ground but introducing full connectivity in flight means that business and leisure customers need no longer suspend their normal lives while they are travelling. We pioneered connectivity

because we wanted to offer our customers innovatory inflight services that would increase convenience and complement the benchmark-setting comfort, space and luxury we offer onboard our aircraft. Usage has continued to increase and customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.”Hill concluded, “Our in flight entertainment and connectivity are important elements of a wholesale

transformation that has taken place at Oman Air over the last year. By focusing on quality, service, comfort, choice and innovation, we have created our own space within the market, as well as given other carriers a very serious run for their money. The last 12 months have been breathtaking and we are looking forward to the next 12 with a sense of genuine anticipation and excitement.”

What can you say about an airline that within the last year has acquired six new Airbus A330, with one more scheduled for delivery in 2011; added three new B737s to its existing fleet, and around six B787 are expected to join the fleet from 2011? Thy name is Oman Air.

Offering, yet again, an affordable access from Malaysia, AirAsia X, the long-haul low fare affiliate of AirAsia, will be now connecting KL to Paris, effective February 14, 2011. At a star-studded launch in Paris, the executives from both parties seemed buoyant about the new route.

fLIGHT SCHEDULE fOR KUALA LUMPUR - PARISWinter Schedule (14 February to 26 March 2011) flights from Departure/ Arrival flight no. frequency

Kuala Lumpur – Paris 09:00 / 15:40 D7 2014 Monday, Thursday 01:05 / 07:45 D7 2012 Wednesday, SundayParis – Kuala Lumpur 17:10 / 12:50 D7 2015 Monday, Thursday 10:00 / 05:40 D7 2013 Wednesday, Sunday

Oman Air sets new benchmarks in inflight connectivity

(L-R): Frank Goldnadel; Director of Paris Orly Airport, Dato’ Sri Dr. Tony Fernandes; Founder of AirAsia X, Azran Osman-Rani; CEO, AirAsia X, and Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Zainal; Malaysian Ambassador of Malaysia in Paris unveiling the Euro99 (RM499) fare for the new route which will commence February 14, 2010.

December 2010 10 GROWInG OUTBOUnD

Showcasing destination Scotland to the indian trade community

Sultanate of Oman enthrals the indian travel trade

This Christmas, head to hong Kong!

Singapore gets ‘Brand Leadership Award’

First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, joined Scotland’s tourism and trade mission to India, providing a perfect opportunity for the Scottish Government along with Scottish Development International (SDI), Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI), VisitScotland and Scottish tourism partners to showcase the very best that Scotland has to offer.

Bahwan Tours, Oman conducted a two city (Delhi and Mumbai) roadshow to promote Oman tourism for the Indian market. Highlighting the various facets of the destination, the purpose was to spread information about the various programmes and events in Oman next year.

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The mission was aimed at showcasing Scotland’s profile in India in terms of business, golf, whisky, culture, tourism and education.

The main idea behind the visit was to showcase Scotland to key influencers and decision-makers within India’s travel trade and business community. The VisitScotland delegation visited New Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai and offered a combined programme of trade workshops, sales calls and media meetings.

Salmond said “This trade mission provides an excellent opportunity to strengthen Indo-Scottish links across a range of sectors where Scotland has real strengths and expertise. The Scottish Government is committed to advancing Scotland’s relationship with India both culturally

and economically. The presence of three high-level trade missions reinforces our ambition to work more closely with India, capitalise on opportunities within its growing economy and to promote Scotland’s role as host of the next Commonwealth Games. Scotland had a significant presence in India this week and the trade delegation worked hard to secure jobs and investment to Scotland and promote our country as a great place to live, to work, to study and to visit.”

VisitScotland also now boasts 1000 SCOTS agents in India, selling Scotland as a visitor destination. As an emerging global economic power and an essential partner for Scotland, India can contribute to the key purpose of the Scottish Government, which is to increase sustainable

economic growth. India is one of Scotland’s most important

emerging markets, with approximately 16,000 visits a year to Scotland, worth an average of £10 million to the Scottish economy each year.

A two city roadshow was hosted by Bahwan Tours, Oman,

one of the major inbound tour operators and DMC (Destination Management Company) and Island Holidays, Representative of Bahwan Tours, Oman in India. The roadshow was in association with the Ministry of Tourism-Sultanate of Oman and Oman Air. It was aimed at promoting the natural beauty and uniqueness of Oman through its easy accessibility, state-of-art infrastructure and friendly visa facilities for leisure and corporate travel blended with legendary Omani hospitality. The travel agents and tour operators present at both the cities interacted to understand the potential offerings Indian holidaymakers could benefit from while travelling to Oman.

The Sultanate of Oman’s Ministry of Tourism will have a strong

promotional programme in place throughout 2011, highlighting the various facets of the destination. The Ministry is placing significant emphasis on strengthening their relationship with the trade while positioning the country as a leisure and MICE destination among Indian travellers.

The Ministry of Tourism launched its first global tourism destination campaign using Oman’s new brand mark and the strap line - “Beauty has an address” on November 9 , 2010 at the World Travel Market (WTM), London. The campaign’s overriding message is to demonstrate how the Sultanate sees its unique hallmark programmes of arts, sports and cultural events as a reflection of Oman’s heritage, cultural and natural attributes.

The campaign will highlight an international events calendar that was developed as part of

Oman’s 40th anniversary celebrations. The campaign was designed to celebrate the natural beauty of Oman. The idea is to demonstrate how each of these events are part of a rich cultural heritage that goes back thousands of years.

The events that will be promoted, along with several others, include the Muscat Asian Beach Games that would be held from December 8 to 12, 2010 and would attract athletes from 45 nations across Asia. Oman’s first Food Festival would take place from February 3 to17, 2011 and the Fashion Week would commence from February 22 to 25, 2011. Tour of Oman cycle race will begin from February 15 - 20, 2011 and will feature over 120 of the best names from the Tour de France. The Extreme Sailing World Championships would take place from February 20 to 24, 2011.

Hong Kong celebrates the holiday season in grand style with

its WinterFest celebration. Christmas time is a magical time to be in Hong Kong, as a warm and happy spirit embraces the city. The Swarovski Crystal Christmas Tree, one of the highlights of this year’s WinterFest shine in sparkling splendour in central enhancing the city’s festive ambience.

The malls and shops, all decked out in their fantastic Christmas finery, offer a holiday greeting and beckon one and all with wonderful seasonal promotions which makes it a perfect time to visit Hong Kong and ‘shop till you drop’. The city’s popular food districts, nightspots and hotels serves up a sumptuous array of wintertime dishes which tempt the palates of discerning food lovers. The New Year Countdown Celebrations will provide a stunning welcome to 2011.

At the World Brand Congress, the “Brand Leadership Award”

acknowledges an individual’s professional contributions in guiding a brand’s success story. Aw Kah Peng, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board was honoured the prestigious Brand Leadership Award in recognition of Brand Leadership Excellence demonstrated in orchestrating Singapore Tourism Board’s marketing success around the world.

Randall Tan, Regional Director - South Asia, Middle East & Africa, Singapore Tourism Board accepted the esteemed award on behalf of Aw Kah Peng at the 19th edition of the World Brand Congress in an event held in Mumbai.

December 2010 12 InDIA CALLInG

The true colours of Central india Bhopal today presents

a multi-faceted pro-file; the old city with

its teeming market places and fine old mosques and palaces still bear the aris-tocratic imprint of its former rulers; among them the suc-cession of powerful Begums who ruled Bhopal from 1819 to 1926. Equally impres-sive is the new city with its verdant, exquisitely laid out parks and gardens, broad avenues and streamlined modern edifices.

The two lakes of Bhopal

still dominate the city, and are indeed its nucleus. Bor-dered along their shores

stand silent sentinels that testify the growth of the city. The old city with its market-

places and fine old mosques and palaces still bears the aristocratic imprint of its for-mer rulers. Equally impres-sive is the new city which is greener and cleaner than most cities in the country.

The city is beautifully clothed in soft carpet of lights at the ‘Birla Mandir’ along with a medieval sky-line reflected in the lake when viewed from the Id-gah Hills. Bhopal is a neat, well spaced out city, inter-spersed with gardens. While driving through the broad streets of New Bhopal, or walking through the crowd-ed winding alleys of the ‘Chowk’, one is compelled to acknowledge that this town has all the flavours of an old Indian bazaar. What remains consistent and unchanged, in all parts of the city, is the charm of its people--gentle, unhurried and innately civi-lised, a soothing contrast to those used to to the rough lingo in the metropolitan cit-ies.

Adding to what nature

has endowed Bhopal with, the city also boasts of a rich history, dating back to over a thousand years, if we link it with the 11th century city built by the legendary Raja Bhoj. The modern city how-ever, was developed by the Afghan soldier of fortune, Dost Mohammad (1708-40). Straying from the imperial Mughal armies, using mili-tary strategy and treach-ery with equal skill, always backed by enormous cour-age, he exploited internal dissensions to find a king-dom.

The old city with its crowded market places, fine old mosques and palaces intermingles with the new city with the broad avenues, high rise offices and ex-quisitely laid out parks and gardens. The city is famous for silver jewellery, exqui-sitely fashioned beadwork, embroidered and sequined velvet fashioned purses and cushions.

New Bhopal was cre-ated in the mid fifties, as the

Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, is a fascinating amalgam of scenic beauty, old historic city and modern urban planning. The 11th century city Bhojpal was founded by Raja Bhoj, but the present city was established by an Afghan soldier, Dost Mohammed (1707-1740). His descendants built Bhopal into a beautiful city.

MUST SEE In BHOPAL• BharatBhavan–Meccafortheartlovers.• Upper and Lower Lakes – that have rightfully

given Bhopal its epithet ‘the City of Lakes’.• ThetoweringedificeofTaj-ul-Masjid.• Mahavirgiri–thehighestpointinBhopal.• Chowk Bazaar to take souvenirs back home.

Here one can shop for itra or traditional Indian perfume, exquisite silver jewellery, beautifully-fashioned beadwork, sequined and embroi-dered velvet purses and cushions.

The tongas add to the old world charm of Bhopal

The true colours of Central india

capital of the newly formed state of Madhya Pradesh. It therefore had a semblance of town planning with geo-metrically laid out wide roads, government offices and residences, but was in danger of having a profile of excessive functionalism, had it not been for the efforts of some imaginative officers who worked hard to prevent this. Stark structures of brick and mortar were mellowed by gardens and flowers, and open spaces created into parks, planned with great care, using contours for beds and streams, and rocks as contrasts to the pastel shades of plants and flowers. Bhopal became a city of gardens where its

citizens—of all ages—flock pleasantly.

When in Bhopal, an eve-ning drive on the lakeside road is recommended. It commences with ‘Bharat Bhavan’, a unique complex designed by Charles Cor-rea, housing an art gallery with fine exhibits of contem-porary, folk and tribal paint-ings, a workshop for the fine arts, a repertory theatre, in-door and outdoor auditoria,

libraries of Indian poetry, classical and folk music and the largest collection of trib-al artefacts in the world. This unique institution highlights love of all art forms by the people of Bhopal, and the creative efforts of the Gov-ernment of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal. Such rich is its cre-

ative and cultural aspect that it even led Prime Minis-ter Indira Gandhi to describe Bhopal as the ‘Cultural Capi-tal of India’, a city to which many eminent painters, po-ets and playwrights came to settle, including J Swamina-than, Habib Tanvir and B V Karanth.

Next, bordering the lake, spread over 200 acres, is the National Museum of Man, which has replicas of dwell-ing units of tribal, coastal, and mountain people from all over the country, with an informative closed door gal-lery.

Finally, there is ‘Van Vi-har’, the finest open air zoo in India, where a large vari-ety of animals live in luxuri-ant natural surroundings. It is spread over 445 hectares. Bhopalis love to flock to this lakeside drive early morn-ings and evenings in either two wheelers, open First World War refurbished jeeps or cars. The boating, restau-rants, young couples, bright costumes and children cre-ate an air of mini carnival that makes the entire city come alive.

History and beauty apart, what adds greatly to the ap-peal of Bhopal are the places surrounding it. Sanchi and Pachmarhi are great destina-tions, but what are less than an hour’s drive from Bhopal are Bhojpur and Bhimbetka, both of which are unique in their own ways.

All these—the lakes, the hills, the warm and gentle people and the extraordi-nary sites surrounding it--- make Bhopal a sanctuary which beckons most to re-turn to it, again and again, and it is not surprising, that some do so forever.

December 2010 13InDIA CALLInG

A white tiger at the open zoo in Bhopal

The majestic Taj-ul-Masjid is the second largest mosque in Asia

December 2010 14 InDIA CALLInG

The way forward is the PPP model of developmentStill a few months shy from completing a year, the dynamic and futuristic Hari Ranjan Rao, Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh Tourism, is handling the reins of functioning well and is adding a plethora of new initiatives and policies in his constant endeavour to bolster the tourism figures. Running in-between meetings, we managed to catch a few minutes with him at the WTM London, and here is what he shared with TTJ.

“The way forward is the PPP model of development,”

said Rao, who affirms that the depression in tourism in now over and things are only going to get better from here on. “My tenure with MPTDC has been an exciting one till date and now that the new tourism policy is on, which is concentrated on promot-ing private investments, and is extremely investor friendly, tourism projects in our state will grow manifold. We have already given 10 lands un-der our land bank policy. Of them, the Sayaji Group is opening a five-star hotel in Bhopal while talks are on with Taj, Mahindra Hotels and Oberoi,” he said. Ac-cording to the new tourism policy, there will be no luxury tax on a room rent of Rs 2000 per day and no tax at all dur-ing the off season.

Madhya Pradesh’s beauti-ful and vast water bodies are soon going to be developed for tourism purposes. Under the provision of the state government’s ‘Water Tour-ism Policy’, the tourism de-partment will act as a nodal agency for all tourism related activities at sites such as Gandhi Sagar, Indira Sagar,

Bargi, Ban Sagar, Madhikhe-da and other dams. “We have many dams which are not exposed and that have good tourism potential. Now, we are going to open them up and are keen on promot-ing water activities, set up resorts, and promote water tourism,” elaborated Rao.

This year, considering the peak season (October – De-cember) is yet to conclude, tourism in Madhya Pradesh has already witnessed a 20 per cent growth, primarily on the front of domestic travel-lers. The MD hopes that the year will end up many notch-es higher than the previous years and already seems excited for the next year.

Sharing his views on the growing tourism and the ini-tiatives of the MP tourism, Dhruv Narayan Singh, Chair-man, MPTDC, said, “We want more private participation and are looking forward to more private players coming forward and taking the lead. We are looking forward to a 15 per cent growth in tourist arrivals next year as com-pared to 2010.”

Talking about the new initiatives that MP Tourism is taking, Rao said, “We are now promoting Caravan

Tourism, which makes us the first tourism board to take up such an initiative. In the first phase, parking bays are

coming up at Bhopal, Tawa and Panchmarhi. Other des-tinations like Shivpuri, Gwal-ior, Orchha, Indore, Mahesh-war and Mandu will follow. MP Tourism has already pur-chased three Caravan bays. MP is huge and roads are a prominent mode of transport. It will surely be an experience of a lifetime.”

In addition to this, MP Tourism is developing the Mandsaur-Ratlam Circuit. This new circuit has beautiful heritage sites; rock cut tem-ples, huge water bodies and more world-class wonders.

MP Tourism is also setting up a hotel in this region. At present, there are 52 hotels run by the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Cor-poration (MPTDC) and every year some new additions or renovations to the existing ones are made in order to match the standards of many privately-run hotels. “We have doubled the capacity at the Palash Residency in Bhopal and added swimming pool and conference facilities at many of our hotels in various locations like Jabalpur, Gwa-lior and more,” he said.

vPriyANKA SAxeNA

Dhruv Narayan Singh Hari Ranjan Rao

MP Tourism is the first tourism board to promote a unique initia-tive called ‘Cara-van Tourism’ and has already purchased three caravan bays.

December 2010 15InDIA CALLInG

Wellness, adventure, golden temple, and more @ Tamil NaduIt is “enchanting” to say the least and ranked number one in India in terms of wellness tourism. Dr. A C Mohandoss, Director of Tourism and Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, outlines his marketing initiatives to retain the top position and climb up the levels in other sectors as well.

2008 – A year that makes most shudder in the tourism industry

had many people grappling to hold on to their reins. State tourism boards too were no different as they suffered the brunt of an almost “no vacation” scenario. But the worst, they say, is over, and like many others, Tamil Nadu tourism too is happy to be back in the number one slot again. “We have had a good 2010 and are hoping that the year will close on a high note. In 2009, Tamil Nadu received 11.57 crore tourists, some 23.27 lakh foreign tourists and around 5.81 lakh people visited the state for medical help. All these figures placed

us at the number one posi-tion in India in the field of wellness tourism. In terms of domestic traffic, we are ranked third. Previously, we were more focussed on do-mestic arrivals, but we now plan to spread the charm of Tamil Nadu across the bor-ders. We will now take part in all international marts,” he said. As for the present year, in the month of October alone, the state was visited by around 24 lakh foreign tourists, giving a clear indi-cation that this year is all set to break the records.

There is no doubt that Tamil Nadu has some world class wellness centres. From the CMC Vellore to special-

ist others that have separate wings for foreign nationals, the state is a hub for medi-cal tourism. According to Mohandoss, there are five reasons why medical tourism is flourishing in Tamil Nadu – no waiting time, very good infrastructure, professional and extremely well-trained surgeons, world’s best para medical staff and affordable costs.

Additionally, the state tourism had also opened its ‘eco tourism’ wing some nine months back that has been performing extremely well. “Tamil Nadu Tourism has 54 hotels that enjoy an average occupancy of 67 per cent, which is pretty good. Our

government is offer-ing subsidy to ho-tels that are opening in the lesser known region. Tamil Nadu Tourism has identi-fied 42 lesser known places where tour-ism facilities need to be developed,” he said, adding, “Our state has some beautiful beaches and we are in the process of develop-ing adventure sports and wind surfing activities along the shore.”

Well connected to all major cities through a wide network of air links, the state is no less than any of its

counterparts. A new added attraction to the region is the Golden Temple at Vel-lore. Made with more than 5 tonnes of gold, the temple is a masterpiece and has to be seen to believe its grandeur.

vPriyANKA SAxeNA

Dr. A C Mohandoss

December 2010 16 HOTEL COnnECT

hotel industry in Kochi to grow with right parametersKerala has to its golden

credit been named as one of the ten para-

dises of the world. Kochi, the Queen of the Arabian Sea in Central Kerala is the com-mercial and industrial capi-tal of the state and attracts both leisure and business travellers alike. A perfect mixture of cultures includ-ing the Portuguese, Jewish, English, French, Dutch and Chinese, have left a long im-print in the city of Kochi and around, that continues to be the major tourist attraction apart from the Arabian Sea, backwaters and the beach-es. With many commercial and industrial projects in-cluding Infopark, Vallarpa-dam International Container Terminal, CNG plant taking place in Kochi, the city has witnessed an increase in the number of business travel-lers too. Well-connected by air, rail, road and sea, Kochi is easily accessible for the leisure tourists. When Kochi is growing as a tourism des-tination and commercial as well as industrial city, what could we expect in terms of the hotel industry in Kochi? Let us explore the tourism pattern to delve into the ongoing hotel industry in Kochi.

CHAnGE In TOURISM PATTERn Leisure travellers to Kochi

prefer to reside in a place of historic importance or from where they could see the sea. “They prefer to live in the middle of history and sea, which means Fort Kochi,” says George Domi-nic, Executive Director, CGH Earth. Traditionally, Kerala focuses on foreign tourists. But, the recent times have seen a change taking place. Domestic travellers are also now attracted to Kochi. In the winter period (October-March), the tourists are more inbound. In summer (April-Sept), the tourist crowd is domestic. Together, the ho-tel industry finds customers in domestic or international tourists and business travel-lers.

“During 2008-2009, the hotel industry went through a bit of turmoil because of economic crisis. A large number of corporate hous-es had restricted business travel for their executives. The second half of 2010 has seen the hotel industry and Kochi gaining. Between October and March, the oc-cupancy was 90 per cent and between April and Sep-tember, 45 per cent,” says Dominic.

According to Riaz Ahmed, Managing Direc-tor, Abad Hotels & Resorts, “Inbound international traf-fic had dwindled for the past two years and it is the

surge in domestic market that has come to the rescue of the hotels here.” He fur-ther says, “2010 has shown better occupancies than the previous two years. April to September 2010 showed an average occupancy of 60 per cent.”

Vijay Cherian, Managing Director, Marg Hospitality Pvt. Ltd says, “The move-ment of foreign visitors has decreased dramatically due

to the economic changes in Europe and UK. According to the travel agents, it will take another two years to return to normal growth pat-terns.”

There is a cause for every change that occurs, to which Cherian has an answer, “We are also facing a decrease in the number of domes-tic tourists due to the high cost especially of the airline fares. People prefer to fly to Sri Lanka and other Asian destinations as they offer more pocket-friendly rates. The rates offered by the air-line and the hotel industry should be more competitive to attract tourists and travel-lers within India.”

PRICE WAR AnD UnHEALTHY COMPETITIOn Several large hotels are coming up in the city, in-cluding Holiday Inn, Crowne

Plaza, Marriott and Ramada. However, these hotels are primarily for business travel-lers. “In the months ahead, there will be around 1000 new 5-star rooms in the city. This will cause over capacity as far as Kochi is concerned and hence, there might be a price war,” opines George Dominic.

Rajesh, General Manag-er, Eastend Hospitality says, “The industry has already grown, though last year it was down, while it is picking up again. Almost all the ho-tels in Kochi are having 50 per cent or more occupancy with an average rate of Rs 2000 per day. Unhealthy competition between hotels exists and when one hotel offers room at Rs 2000 per day, the other with similar facilities and status provides the rooms at Rs 1500 per day.”

vreSMi JAiMON

Riaz Ahmed Vijay Cherian

Traditionally, Kerala focuses on foreign tourists. But, the recent times have seen a change taking place. Domestic travellers are also now attract-ed to Kochi.

George Dominic

Brunton Boat Yard

December 2010 17HOTEL COnnECT

EnCOURAGE nEW BUSInESS InVEST-MEnTS With several business hotels on the rise, the industry ex-perts feel there is need for new business ventures too, for the hotel industry to exist, grow and witness a steady growth of clients. Several international and national chains are investing in Kochi. However, Soju M Thomas, Vice President, Deshadan Resorts & Hotels feels, “If Kochi’s development and progress goes at this pace it would be a matter of con-cern in the coming future. The business class hotels depend a lot on corporate market and if new projects and developments do not happen then the demand for this class of travellers will come down and many hotels will not be able to do well.” So, where lies the solution for the hotels to exist and grow?

“The Kerala government should be more open to new ideas and new investments. Anybody who would like to do or make some invest-

ments in Kerala are given a hard time at each and every level of progress. The smart city is a good example. Other cities like Chennai, Hydera-bad, Bengaluru are much more friendly and easy for investment and many inves-tors prefer these cities and as a result these cities have developed and progressed in leaps and bounces. Kochi in this regard is way back,” says Thomas.

TROUBLESOME In-fRASTRUCTURE AnD MAnPOWERThe hotel industry experts, joins hands when it comes to voicing the major chal-lenges they face – poor infrastructure and lack of

manpower. The roads haven’t been developed enough to attract tourists and a good transportation system doesn’t exist. The poor maintenance of roads is a major issue, as it makes commuting in the city a cumbersome process.

“The industry is not at-tracting fresh talent to meet the demand. Proper train-ing combined with good working environment and attractive remuneration would draw more people to this field,” says Ahmed.

According to Dominic, “The students are attracted to the Middle East and head to the Gulf regions straight from their college. This has led to shortage of locally trained manpower. Nowa-days, hotels are looking towards the North-East re-gion for semi and unskilled labour. For hiring skilled hands, the industry is mak-ing good offers to students from hospitality institutes all over the country. Delhi and Mumbai offers high salary and thus, attracts students to move to metros for work. The hotel industry here too has started offering pack-ages that are equal to those in metros for hiring the best talent.” However, he feels there is a silver lining to the economic crisis, as many experienced hands are re-

turning from Middle East to Kerala. With trained people coming back from overseas, there is scope for the hotel in-dustry to hire qualified talent.

Although Kochi is well-connected with several oth-er cities and countries, some experts feels there hasn’t been sufficient growth in terms of connectivity. They believe with more connectiv-ity options, Kochi has great potential to grow in the com-ing years. “Kochi Airport has the capacity to increase flights in both domestic and international sector. There is no direct flight connec-tion from Europe. We need to have more flights and the frequency also should be in-creased,” believes Dominic.

Kochi is the gateway not only to the city but also for several tourist locations in-cluding hills, beaches and backwaters. As the hotel industry largely depends on leisure tourists than busi-ness travellers, it is also es-sential to come up with tour-ist packages or schemes that would encourage them to stay in Kochi rather than heading straight to far off lo-cations for holidays.

With overall positive surge for the demand for rooms, Kochi is likely to wit-ness growth in the coming years while setting the pa-rameters right.

Poor infrastruc-ture, bad road transportation system and shortage of local-ly trained man-power are major concerns today.

Abad Atrium

Plaza exterior

December 2010 InDIA CALLInG18

A plethora of varied hues, profusion of design, superfluity of culture, cornucopia of music and dance, all together in the arid lands of Kutch creates a mosaic of exquisiteness, which reflects the identity and spirit of the region at the Rann Utsav, which is an annual event. The festival, this year, is taking place from December 19 to January 18, 2011

gujarat decks up for the vibrant rann Utsav

Kutch, one of the most ecologically and eth-nically diverse district

of the state is a celebratory land of art, crafts, music, dance, people and nature.

During the full moon night of the winters amid the awe-inspiring and contrasting landscape each year a three day festive extravaganza brimming with hospitality,

vigour and traditional flavour of the area is hosted and is known as the Kutch or Rann Mahotsav. Kutch is a unique manifestation of varied cul-tural ethos of the region is known for the ethnic flavour and celebrative zest. This festival provides an exclu-sive opportunity to witness the creative ingenuity of the artisans and craftspeople, assorted array of folk music and performances, mixed representation of culture and communities, along with a vast diversity in ecology. All this and much more describe and define Kutch and the people.

The Rann Utsav organised at the various locales within

Kutch takes one around the natural grandiose while in-troducing the visitor to the indigenous cultural and eth-nical flavour of the people. The tourism authorities of Gujarat organise events in Kutch to showcase the rich

culture of this district, one of the largest in India. This Ma-hotsava under the tutelage of Vibrant Gujarat has been a unique opportunity for peo-ple around the world to visit Kutch and experience the true flavour of the region.

vTTJ DeSK

Tented accomodation at the Rann Utsav

Culture galore at Rann Utsav

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December 2010 HOTEL COnnECT

Running away from the cacophony called life, Zuri offers a perfect “Retreat” at the Baiguny, Sikkim. With a plethora of adventure sports activities and loads of additional fun all under one roof, the resort is the latest offering by the Zuri group that will surely find many takers and thus, for reasons not tough to fathom, “The Retreat by Zuri, Baiguney, Sikkim” is our hotel of the month!

A “retreat” in Sikkim, by Zuri, offers a perfect holiday option

Known as “The Retreat by Zuri, Baiguney, Sikkim”, the property

is Zuri’s first adventure sports destination resort to offer op-tions like paragliding, river

rafting, river camping, moun-tain camping, jungle hiking, village trekking, etc all under one roof and under expert supervision.

Sharing why the resort is

special for Zuri, Priti Chand, AVP – Communications, Zuri Global Group, said, “This resort is very special to us as this is our first managed property with unique features like picturesque setting. Be-sides several fine dining op-tions, the resort hosts Zuri’s signature brand of spas. The resort holds 21 rooms in the range of single, double oc-cupancies and suites. The set up of the rooms is very contemporary.”

Architecturally designed to blend into the natural sur-roundings and terrain across multiple levels, the 12-acre destination property is a ha-ven of scenic beauty and

bio-diversity.The experience extends

to unwinding in style with the Lil Green Bar, a splendid bar with a grand view, where the ambience itself is reason enough for a heavenly high! Or if one wants a multi-cuisine outlet and lounge, there is Papillon, offering both indoor and outdoor seating with a choice of sumptuous cuisine and beverages. The Jalapa - Pool Cafe with a serene ambience offers a choice of exotic, healthy food and bev-erages as one lazes by the pool. Guests can opt for the resort’s banquet hall Zen for weddings and other social and business gatherings.

Been operational for not very long, the occupancy figures at the Retreat already look promising. “The prop-erty has been operational since the last 2 months only and we have had some large bookings already. The initial response looks encouraging and we are hoping for the best,” said Chand.

vPriyANKA SAxeNA

20

Hotelof the month

Priti Chand

Air Astana is proud to be the Official Carrier for the VII Asian Winter Games 2011 in Kazakhstan.

AIR ASTANA – OFFICIAL CARRIER FOR THE ASIAN WINTER GAMES 2011

To book your flight go to www.airastana.com or contact to +91 11 4152 1425; +91 11 2371 1225.

This prestigious event will see winter sports stars from 32 countries vigorously compete for medals in Almaty and Astana between 31st January and 6th February.

Catch all the sporting action at ultra modern venues across the country and let the warm welcome of the Kazakh people beat the winter chill.

Fly to the games in style with Air Astana and enjoy award winning standards of in-flight service and hospitality all the way, 3 times a week from Delhi to Almaty.

official carrier

Air Astana is proud to be the Official Carrier for the VII Asian Winter Games 2011 in Kazakhstan.

AIR ASTANA – OFFICIAL CARRIER FOR THE ASIAN WINTER GAMES 2011

To book your flight go to www.airastana.com or contact to +91 11 4152 1425; +91 11 2371 1225.

This prestigious event will see winter sports stars from 32 countries vigorously compete for medals in Almaty and Astana between 31st January and 6th February.

Catch all the sporting action at ultra modern venues across the country and let the warm welcome of the Kazakh people beat the winter chill.

Fly to the games in style with Air Astana and enjoy award winning standards of in-flight service and hospitality all the way, 3 times a week from Delhi to Almaty.

official carrier

December 2010 22 HOTEL COnnECT

When we talk of the hospitality scenario in India, woes pertaining to the sky-high room rates being charged by the top of the line hotels in the metro cities often come to fore. In such a scenario, Sarovar Hotels, which offers wonderful facilities at a highly affordable rate and has a flourishing chain of mid-market and 3-star properties, is a sight for sore eyes. By end-2010, Sarovar aims to be a 60-hotel chain and by 2020 targets to achieve the 100-hotel portfolio. Anil Madhok, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts, shares his future plans with TTJ.

The flourishing hospitality of Sarovar to soon touch 60-hotel mark

Sarovar Hotels has a diverse portfolio en-compassing hotels,

resorts, restaurants and cor-porate hospitality services. The properties may vary in type, size and the market niche they serve, but they all provide a consummate and unmatched internation-al hospitality experience at competitive price offerings. Apart from the operational 47 hotels, an additional 30

Sarovar hotels are at various stages of development.

This year alone, till Oc-tober 2010, the chain had opened as many as 7 prop-erties ranging from upscale to mid-market strata. These included, Optus Sarovar Premiere (Gurgaon), Lily Sa-rovar Portico (Nashik), Leg-end Sarovar Portico (Baddi), Hometel (Chandigarh), Ambrosia Sarovar Portico (Haridwar), Express Sarovar

Portico Surajkund (Farida-bad) and Iris Hometel (Hari nagar, New Delhi).

“After a sombre 2009, in-dustry is now again picking strength and showing posi-tive signs. The mid-market segment continues to grow in India with maximum growth in the budget and no-frill segment across metros, non-metros and smaller cit-ies,” says Madhok. In fact, many of its Delhi properties were opened keeping the CWG in mind. “Yes, some of our Delhi properties were opened keeping the CWG in mind. Unfortunately the busi-ness from CWG was minis-cule,” he adds.

Talking about the oc-cupancy figures and ARRs across the Sarovar proper-ties, the MD is looking for-ward to a 10 – 12 per cent increase over last year. “ARRs have stabilised and we expect the ARR’s to grow gradually over the next year or two. They are at very healthy levels and as long as fresh supply keeps com-ing we may see them stable for some time, said Madhok. Elaborating on the brand that is leading the Sarovar race, he said, “Hometel brand is the most profitable. These hotels are economical to build – at approximately Rs 23 lakh per room, for a 100-room hotel model. And typi-

cally produce EBITDA mar-gins of around 50 per cent.”

Outlining the future proj-ects that are in the pipeline at Sarovar, Madhok said, “Sarovar Hotels and re-sorts with a vast portfolio is strongly rooted in the Indian hospitality scenario today. Apart from the existing 47 hotels, the company plans to achieve the target of 75 hotels by 2012 and aspires to be a 100-hotel chain by 2020. The company plans to open 13 hotels in 2011 at places like Rajkot, Ahmeda-bad, Bengaluru, Chandi-garh, Jaipur, Pune, Kakinada to name a few. By 2012 out of a 75 hotel portfolio, three ho-tels would be Sarovar owned

and the rest would be under a management contract,” add-ing, “Profession-ally, five years down the lane, we foresee Sa-rovar as a global organisation with strong manage-ment system in place.”

The trends in the hospitality industry are fast

changing, so is the prefer-ence and deciding criteria of people. With a wave of green initiatives and aware-ness with regards to global warming, many hospitality chains today are making a conscious effort in contrib-uting to the “green” culture, and Sarovar, just like in all the other fields, is not far be-hind. “Sarovar Hotels’ Park Plaza in Jodhpur and Radha Regent in Chennai, use solar and wind energy for basic tasks in the hotel,” says the MD. At Radha Regent, Chen-nai, the Sarovar Hotels and Resorts has been following an eco-friendly practice in the quest to do its bit to con-tribute positively to the envi-ronment. The hotel utilizes electrical energy generated through windmills, in addition to the regular supply from State Electricity Board.

According to Madhok, the biggest challenge facing the hospitality industry today is the availability of quality man-power and their training and development to our rigorous standards. “The other major challenge is the ever-chang-ing technology, particularly in the area of marketing dis-tribution,” he concludes.

vPriyANKA SAxeNA

In THE PIPELInE

S. no name of the Hotel City Brand no of rooms

1 Sarovar Portico Jaipur Mid Market 3 star 82

2 Sarovar Portico Jaisalmer Mid Market 3 star 61

3 Sarovar Portico Soalpur (Maharashtra) Mid Market 3 star 140

4 Sarovar Portico Raniganj (West Bengal) Mid Market 3 star 60

5 Sarovar Portico Kakinada (A.P) Mid Market 3 star 58

6 Sarovar Portico Navi Mumbai Mid Market 3 star 60

7 Hometel Roorkee Economy 100

The Grand Hometel

Anil Madhok

December 2010 24 THE BIG fIGHT

When the budgets of big companies and state tourism boards are chalked, a portion of them are reserved for taking part at the WTM, ITB and ATM. For the smaller companies, attending events like SATTE, ITM, GITB and KTM is a must. But the big question here is, in this era where everything is available at the click of a button, how important is it to put up a booth in the hope to attract more clients? Are trade shows today serving the purpose they were set for? TTJ explores both sides of the coin and brings forth an interesting mix of opinions for you.

how relevant are the trade exhibitions today?

They are the perfect venues to meet, dis-cuss, ponder, analyse,

strike new deals, renew old contacts and give your busi-ness the much-needed ex-posure. Really? Are they? If an interested client wants to know about you, will he wait for the next big trade event to take place or will simply click on your website and get the required contact de-tails to do the needful?

Well, actually, it can be either. A customer may not realise the need for some-thing till he comes across it at a trade event. Similarly, a customer who perhaps has been dealing with you for many years may use such events to get another ser-vice provider who is ready to offer him a better rate. So, come to think of it, the discussion of whether the trade events / exhibitions taking place today are at all relevant or not is a highly debatable one, and that is exactly what we are doing here – a debate on the im-portance and potential, if any, of many national and in-ternational trade exhibitions taking place today.

“Well, no show guaran-tees any business. Most people come, open shop and expect people to come. That’s not how you do work. It’s all about building rela-tionships and branding. It is not necessary that each time you participate you get some deals signed. Shows today have become a common hub where you get to meet a lot of people. We spend money to maintain the brand develop-ment and visibility,” said Ro-hit Kohli, Jt. Managing Direc-tor, Creative Travels, who, we could see, had spent quite a heavy amount on putting up an eye catching and highly “creative” stand at the WTM 2010. “As far as international shows go, both ITB and WTM are important and we make it a point to not to miss either of them.”

But one would normally ask, is it really worthwhile to spend so much money on

travelling, accommodation and putting up a stall just to maintain “visibility and

branding”? Shouldn’t the fact that the company has been in business for long be sufficient a reason to attract people?

“Shows today are busi-ness for organisers. There is absolutely no business gen-eration. Gone are the days when such shows used to re-sult in new contacts. It’s the age of Internet where all kinds of dealings are done using the latest means of technol-ogy. Such shows were made to put a face to a name in an era where there was no web. We hardly get any new buy-ers at these shows. Today, shows are only 10 per cent of what it used to be. Initially, ITB used to be our forum for

winter contracting and WTM was ideal for striking summer deals. But today, everything

is on the net. A buyer has over 500 agents available at a mere click of a button. Why will he waste money and time in coming to an event and meeting with just a few big ones?” says Rajesh Mudgill, hony. Secre-tary, IATO.

So if tech-nology has truly taken over, why has the popularity of such shows not

boiled down?“Who says these shows

are not relevant? I wouldn’t

have been here if that was the case. Such shows pro-vide an opportunity to meet

vPriyANKA SAxeNA

“No show guarantees any business. Most people come, open shop and ex-pect people to come. That’s not how you do work. It’s all about building relation-ships and branding. It is not necessary that each time you participate you get some deals signed.”

Rohit kohliCreative Travels

“Shows provide an op-portunity to meet new cli-ents and also renew deals with the older ones. I wouldn’t call these shows redundant. I think they still carry a huge impor-tance. Customer base is expanding fast, we have to match pace with it.”

ARjun ShARmALPTI

Show show everywhere and not a deal to strike. Person-ally, I have been attending these shows not for very long but whatever little I have seen has led me to believe that the shows are important, but only from the networking point of

view and not for striking any new deals. Some attend it out of habit, some for the sake of it and many others just to keep the branding and visibil-ity quotient intact. March, May and November – ITB, ATM and WTM are

VIEWPOInT

December 2010 25THE BIG fIGHT

When the budgets of big companies and state tourism boards are chalked, a portion of them are reserved for taking part at the WTM, ITB and ATM. For the smaller companies, attending events like SATTE, ITM, GITB and KTM is a must. But the big question here is, in this era where everything is available at the click of a button, how important is it to put up a booth in the hope to attract more clients? Are trade shows today serving the purpose they were set for? TTJ explores both sides of the coin and brings forth an interesting mix of opinions for you.

how relevant are the trade exhibitions today?new clients and also renew deals with the older ones. Almost 80 per cent of our business meets are with our old clients, while 20 per cent

of our meetings are with the new ones. LPTI participates is many trade shows but per-sonally, WTM is my favourite. It is all in one level, contained

and is an effective business tool. This is my 26th WTM. I have been participating from the time when the In-dian stand used to be only

12 sq mt, and today, we have grown by leaps and bounds. I wouldn’t call these shows re-dundant. I think they still carry a huge impor-tance in terms of business maintenance and generation. Customer base is expanding fast, we have to match pace with it,” said Arjun Sharma, Man-aging Director, Le Passage to India.

Well, from the ATMs to the WTMs and ITBs, internation-al shows have today made a mark for themselves by being a “must attend” event

in many diaries, but what is interesting to note is that many states in India too have started hosting shows on the so called “national level” which are more like the poor cousins of their international counterparts. GITB in Jaipur, SATTE in Delhi and the recent one to join the club is ITM in Goa. Once again, we are compelled to ask, just how relevant are these shows to the Indian market?

“You can never achieve your targets if your objec-tive is not clear in the first place,” said Lalit Mishra from Blue Ocean Hospitality, Goa, adding, “This is exactly what happened with ITM. The or-ganisers were although re-

ferring to the show as a “na-tional” one, it was far from it. The ideal way to go about organising a show, I think is to start from the state level. There were many loopholes with the ITM this time. For starters, it was not well pub-licised, there was no “buy-ers” information and many people, I was told later, were stopped at the entrance and denied the right to enter the show. If it is well-organised and the details are shared with us well in advance, we would like to participate in the event next year.”

A disappointed Mudgill said, “The first SATTE had over 80 inbound agents. Today, there are not even 8. There is nothing left in these big marts. It is now time for regional marts to take over. There is a need for more internal networking. The distribution channels are changing, and we too need to change with it. I personally think that the time for marts is over.”

Certainly not believing that the time for marts is over, but Arjun Sharma is a staunch supporter for the need of a national level well-organised mart in India. “In India, we have a plethora of good shows but we lack a good national level show, something like a WTM. Al-though we do lack a proper venue, but for starters, Pra-gati Maidan at New Delhi is a good option. If the Ministry of Tourism, Government of In-dia, does take a step in that direction, they will have all the support that is needed,” he said.

“The politics of Indian travel shows is killing the definition of trade shows. In-stead of being complemen-tary to each other, shows like GITB and SATTE have be-come competitors. Of all the regional shows, KTM is the best product based show in the country that promotes small niches,” said Kohli, adding, “A national show in India will succeed only if it is done by the industry as a whole and not by the people who have their vested inter-ests.”

“Shows today are business for organisers. There is ab-solutely no business gen-eration. Gone are the days when such shows used to result in new contacts. It’s the age of Internet where all kinds of dealings are done using the latest means of technology.”

RAjESh mudgillIATO

“The ideal way to go about organising an Indi-an show, I think, is to start from the state level. The objective behind starting a show should be clear in the mind of the organisers and the attendants should also not harbour false hopes.”

lAlit miShRABlue Ocean Hospitality, Goa

months when the industry de-cides to come down on a com-mon platform and exchange pleasantries. The editorial workers grab the people who are otherwise pretty tough to get hands on; the senior col-leagues do a fairly good job at acting humble and meet-ing their juniors, and the ju-niors, well, they are happy to be visiting the “foreign” land. Well, if its only about meeting old contacts and renewing the contacts, how about throwing a get together one fine eve-

ning and inviting everyone over for drinks and dinner? I am sure the buyers would be more than happy to oblige. Similarly, what’s the point of hosting an ITM or a GITB if it is not serving the purpose it is meant to?Some debates, I guess, are meant to continue forever, and just like old habits die hard; at-tending trade shows is a habit that the travel and tourism in-dustry just can’t seem to get rid of. So, what can we say, see you all at ITB!

December 2010 26 HOTEL COnnECT

Having started renovation more than six years ago, The InterContinental Hotel in Geneva has undergone a monumental change in its look and is now all set to greet guests, many of which are dignitaries, with its refreshed approach.

MRS Hospitality group has launched city’s first true luxury boutique hotel – Suryagarh, Jaisalmer. The hotel, a rendition of the glorious tomes of the royal past, opens as a member of Preferred Boutique, under the Preferred Hotel Group.

go geneva, travel free and stay at the interContinental

Suryagarh becomes the new landmark in Jaisalmer’s hospitality industry

Built in 1963 and opened in January 1964, the18 storey

tower InterContinental Hotel, Geneva, with its incompa-rable views over the Mont Blanc and Jura ranges, dominates the Geneva sky-line. Situated halfway be-tween the centre of the city and Cointrin International Airport, the hotel is close of the European Headquarters of the United Nations, of na-tional and international orga-nizations, not forgetting the PALEXPO Exhibition Centre and the International Confer-ence Centre (CICG).

The Geneva InterConti-nental continues to attract personalities and its guest book has been signed by some of the biggest names in world politics (Jimmy Carter, Yasser Arafat) films (Sophia

Loren, Alain Delon), the arts and music (Dalida, Donna Summer, Anguun) and sport (Alain Prost). Over the years, the hotel has welcomed as its guests the world famous: (Martin Luther King), 400 Heads of State including four Presidents of the United States as well as several Kings and Queens, around 4000 ministers, innumerable Ambassadors and a large clientele of tourists and busi-nessmen representing most of the countries on earth.

“We are the preferred hotel for the diplomats and about 2-3 per cent of our clientele is also from leisure segment,” said Michel Per-ret, GM, InterContinental Hotel.

New York-based designer Tony Chi has taken his own hotel renovation and restora-

tion skills to a new level with his stunning makeover of all the public areas of the Hotel Intercontinental Geneva.

“The objective was to provide the hotel with a com-pletely new look – modern, but classical – and at one with the natural beauty and sophisticated international presence of the city on the Rhone. With the full sup-port of InterContinental, we achieved that wonderfully,” said Perret.

Also handling the tour-ism department of the city, Perret outlines some of the most amazing and unknown facts about Geneva. “We are perhaps the only city that of-fer seamless travel within it based on a single pass. We offer a free transportation pass for every tourist that is applicable on trams, busses,

small boats and more! You can get this pass at the air-port itself and pave your way to your hotel within the city for absolutely free,” he said, adding, “In terms of tourist arrivals, this year, we have experienced a 10 per cent growth and are hopeful for a further increase in the com-ing year. We have also ap-pointed Beatrice Dolder from

Polygon in Mumbai, who will now be representing Geneva tourism in India.”

Located within close prox-imity to the hotel is the Rama-da Park Hotel, which shares business with the InterConti-nental Hotel and is the ideal hotel for people with a tighter budget. The property offers 5-star amenities at the price of 4-start property.

Designed as a Sun fortress, it exquisitely combines contempo-

rary with medieval, featuring rambling courtyards and tra-ditional Rajasthani artefacts. Everywhere you turn, there are modern and authentic

versions of painstakingly re-stored period furniture and a luxury of space emphasised by the interesting use of yel-low marble and Jaisalmer stone lending an ambience of Regal splendour. Grand architecture inspired by the

palaces of Rajasthan show-cases the rich heritage of the Suryavanshis with pavilions and domes intricately de-signed.

Conveniently located from the city centre, Surya-garh boasts of 62 luxuriously appointed rooms and suites. Heritage pieces of art were rescued and restored from forgotten attics juxtaposed with modern convenience to usher guests into a journey of romance and grandeur of another century.

Speaking of Suryagarh, Manvendra S.Shekhawat, Managing Director com-ments, “It was my family’s prime endeavour to place Jaisalmer on the map of lux-ury travel in Rajasthan, and

India as a whole. Hence the creation of Suryagarh was conceptualised, accentuat-ing an authentic Jaisalmer fort experience.” Saurabh Rai Bhatnagar, Regional Director – India, Preferred Hotel Group adds, “We are delighted to welcome Sury-agarh, Jaisalmer aboard our Preferred Boutique brand portfolio. The hotel is truly a tribute to the iconic and world renowned splendour of Rajasthan.”

The hotel offers the larg-est banqueting facilities in the city, including spa-cious ballrooms, conference rooms and multiple alfresco venues for corporate and social meeting and events. Dining options include

Nosh, an all day dining serv-ing a menu of exceptional quality featuring the best of both international and Indian cuisine.

Suryagarh offers innova-tive guided excursion trips to the spectacular ruins of Kuldhara, Gadisar Lake as well as tours of the Desert National Park. Engage your adventurous side by dune bashing and enjoy breath-taking views of the sunset. A plethora of activities await within the premises of the hotel, such as cooking dem-onstrations and talwar baazi. Revel in the opportunity to learn the art of lacquer paint-ing and enamelling from dis-tinguished practitioners of the ancient art forms.

vPriyANKA SAxeNA

vTTJ DeSK

(L - R) Cypert Schwartz, Sanjay Narula & Michel Perret

December 2010 28 fOOD fOR THOUGHT

Meeting Master Chef Kunwar Rani Kulsum Begum, a descendant of the Salar Jung family, at ITC Grand Central, was an unforgettable experience. Inspite my inhibitions about her, well, considering she is from the royal family and all, I was pleasantly surprised by her charm and warmth. As she talked of the gastronomic delights of the yore, I could easily imagine the kitchens of yesteryears! She wields the royal ladle of the royal cuisines of the erstwhile Nawabs of Hyderabad. The selection of food crafted out of fresh spices, are perfected authentic delicacies with indigenous masala mixes. She hosts various food festivals at ITC and is associated with the hotel for almost a decade now.

A culinary journey into the royal cuisine

Through my years of ex-perience in journalism I have learned that to

draw out a person and get him talking, start with what is closest to his heart first. So with Kulsum Begum, it had to start with her signature dish – the Shikambhur Kebab, which are also one of her fa-vourites, as it has its origins in the Salar Jung family. “We prepare it very differently. Though this dish is prepared all over Hyderabad but our ingredients and method of preparation is way different,” she informs. The dish origi-nated in Hyderabad with the Salar Jung family.

The roots of the royal dishes can be traced back to the

Mughal era in India and are original Persian recipes. They have been passed on in the Salar Jung family from one generation to the other. Chef Kulsum learnt to cook after her marriage. While at her parents’ place before marriage, unmarried girls were not allowed to enter the kitchen. This tradition was based on the logic that af-ter marriage the young girls would leave their parents’ home and with them take the secret recipes. All the mar-ried women were supposed to learn the recipes at their husband’s home. However, when she moved to Lucknow after getting married, she found Lucknawi food to be very different as compared to the Hyderabadi cuisine. A great longing for the lat-ter made her persuade her grandmother to part with her recipes through letters.

ITC is the first hotel to launch the Salar Jung Hyder-abdi cuisine in India. Chef adds, “Our family takes pride in the fact that we can identi-fy the authenticity of the food. For us, the real taste counts. The ingredients we use, the

elaborate procedures and fine tech-

niques

that we fol-low make all the differ-ence. For instance, you will find vari-ous ver-sions of Hyderabadi Biryani even in Hyderabad, but it will taste completely different when it is prepared with homemade spices following the traditional techniques.

She further elaborates, “The Salar Jung royal cui-sine is different from other Hyderabadi food, as the method of cooking as well and the ingredients vary. We had traditional doctors, called hakeems, who would specify the quantity of each ingredient for every dish. Thus, all the ingredients that would be used in the prepa-ration of a dish would have medicinal value, when used in a specified quantity in various dishes. If it is more or less, the nutritional value may be lost and the taste will dif-fer too. The hakeems would be present while food would be cooked and would taste the dish and only then allow it to be served.” During Chef’s younger days, royal cooks would sit with the hakeem and chalk out the recipes.

The Salar Jung family is following those same

recipes. However, there

had been certain additions, modifi-cation in the old recipes. Chef Kulsum goes on;

“Hyderabad has an influence of

various cultures. So, with time, and the cli-

mate, the recipes went through some changes.

But the method is still the same as it was during the early days. In fact, there exist written records of the recipes.

Some of the ingredients had to be ordered from abroad, specifically Persia, during those days but now they are all easily available in India. To identify the right kind of ingredients is also very im-portant as every food item is known by different names in different parts, so one needs to know what is what, so as to escape using something entirely different. Also, there are several varieties of the same ingredients that one needs to be aware of. Now-a-days, with the advent of pressure cooker and lack of time and manpower, the fla-vour has changed. We used to have particular foods that were cooked on high flame and others were cooked on low or the dying flame of the coal. We would leave the food to cook on slow flame for the whole night, cooks and helpers would actually sleep in the kitchen to stoke the embers while the dish was being cooked.”

How could we conclude our meeting without asking for “chef’s recommenda-tion” for the gourmands who come to ITC Parel, Mumbai? Though she admits that the selection of vegetarian dish-es is quite limited, she rec-ommends Baghara Baingan, cooked with very small and dark purple coloured brinjals. She suggests Dum-ka-Gosht for the non-vegetarian salver where marinated mutton is cooked on very slow flame or in the oven.

vMUMBAi COrreSPONDeNT

KULSUM BEGUM’S ASSOCIATIOn WITH ITC In 2001, ITC invited Begum Kulsum to host a food festival at ITC Maurya, Delhi, and her association with the group has contin-ued thereon. Around three years back, Begum Kulsum shifted to ITC Grand Central, Parel, Mumbai, and has been an integral part of the property since. The “royal” chef prepares a gamut of dishes during the various food festi-vals hosted by ITC throughout the year and which are hugely popular amongst the gourmands who ap-preciate finer things in life, especially food.

December 2010 30 RAzzMATAzz

World Travel Mart 2010 registers good response, yet againWorld Travel Market 2010, the premier global event for the travel industry, experienced an impressive 10 per cent increase in visitors. Almost 27,000 (26,908) visitors attended WTM 2010 over the four days (November 8 –11) compared to 24,402 visitors who attended WTM 2009, reveals unaudited figures of the event. Overall participant figures increased by almost 5 per cent (4.7%) compared to WTM 2009. The event saw 47,719 travel industry professionals take part com-pared to 45,571 in 2009. There were more than 5,000 exhibitors including 628 main stand holders, compared to 607 in 2009.

December 2010 32 RAzzMATAzz

Sun-N-Sand Mumbai recently played host to the delegates of 12th Mumbai Film Festival 2010 for the second consecutive year. The event, organised along with MAMI, was held from October 21 - 28, 2010. Some of the delegates staying at Sun-N-Sand Mumbai included Oliver Stone, well known Hollywood director and three times Oscar winner, Jane Campion, renowned Hollywood filmmaker, screen writer and producer, Yeon Jeong Hee, one of the greatest South Korean film star, Suhasini Maniratnam, National Award winner and also director and producer amongst other well known dignitaries from International and Indian film fraternity.

Stars shine down at Sun-N-Sand Mumbai

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Luxurious Service ApartmentsIn Bangalore, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad & Pune

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December 2010 34 RAzzMATAzz

TTJ throws a gala launch bashHaving made a humble appearance at the WTM London, Travel Trade Journal (TTJ), the new landmark publica-tion in the trade fraternity hosted a gala get together on November 18, 2010 for the trade industry. Held at the wonderful venue of Liverpool Terminal at the Tivoli Gardens, the event saw a huge turnout as many members from the industry decided to let their hair down that evening. Ashwani Lohani, Divisional Railway Manager, cut the ribbon and inaugurated the magazine. Amazing ambience, great food and some excellent wine added much fervor to the event. Thank you all for making it a memorable evening.

December 2010 35RAzzMATAzz

TTJ throws a gala launch bash

December 2010 36 RAzzMATAzz

December 2010 37RAzzMATAzz

December 2010 38 VACATIOnS UnLIMITED

Jet’s special offer to indian Armed Forces

Float you celebrations with Aloft hotelsAloft Hotels and dot.yum – its all-day multi-cuisine

restaurant, are geared to add a special zing to your celebrations with packages and offers. En-

joy a delightful Christmas Eve buffet dinner at dot.yum and get a complimentary buffet lunch on December 31 with the Eve 2 Eve package.

Alternatively, one can also indulge in the allure of Magic 15 where you can enjoy a scrumptious lunch or dinner buffet on any weekend in December, and avail a 15 per cent discount on a buffet on a weekday in the subsequent week. Check-in for the same starts at 5 pm on Christmas and New Year’s eve and check-out at 5pm on the following day for just Rs 6999/- + tax. Each time you indulge in a buffet at the restaurant, your name will be added to a lucky draw and on December 31, you stand to win amazing goodies from Aloft Hotel.

Jet Airways has announced special fares for the Indian Armed Forces and Paramilitary personnel. Under

this scheme, all serving as well as retired defence and paramilitary personnel, and their families, may now avail a 50 per cent discount on base fares. The special fares are now open for booking at www.jetair-ways.com. Guests from the In-dian armed forc- es and paramilitary per- sonnel

may also avail the airline’s web check-in facility, for enhanced convenience. It is mandatory for guests

to carry their valid iden-tity cards issued by the Indian Armed Forces as proof of identifica-

tion throughout the journey. The of-

fer is valid on certain travel classes and not valid for in-fants. Passen-ger service fee, relevant airport

taxes and fuel surcharges will

apply.

December 2010 Short takes40

enjoy farmstays with Punjab Tourism

Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promo-tion Board (PHTPB) has signed an MoU with Mahindra Homestays, to

promote and market ‘Farm Tourism’ in the state. Punjab Tourism currently has 23 reg-istered farmstays. Realising the potential for rural tourism, PHTPB has decided to pro-mote farmstays as an exciting alternative to hotels, mirroring an authentic experience of true Punjab hospitality. This MoU should also create alternate sources of income for farm house owners.

3 new aircraft for SriLankan Airlines

SriLankan Airlines will acquire its first brand new aircraft in more than a de-cade. Three of the new aircraft are

scheduled to be acquired from May-Novem-ber 2011, and will offer the latest comforts and entertainment systems including Audio-Video On Demand (AVOD) in both Business and Economy Classes. These three aircraft will be preceded by two other A320s which are likely to arrive in December 2010 and early 2011.

Turkish Airlines renews contract with interglobe

In a recent turn of events, Turkish Airlines, which had discontinued its GSA with In-terglobe, has now renewed its contract

with the company. The airline, ever since its arrival in India, has been catering to the In-dian market with the help of Interglobe, and will continue to do so even now. So for all those in Delhi who now wish to locate where Turkish Airlines’ office is, head Janpath, to the Interglobe office.

Fly AirAsia to Christchurch, New Zealand

AirAsia X, the low-fare airline has recently announced its latest international route from Kuala Lumpur to Christchurch,

New Zealand; making it the fifteenth destina-tion for the airline after destinations in Austra-lia, India, Taiwan, China, UK, Korea, Japan, Tehran and soon France. AirAsia X will extend its network deep into the southern hemisphere with four non-stop weekly services between Kuala Lumpur and Christchurch from April 1, 2011. Christchurch will be the tourism gate-way to New Zealand’s South Island and Kuala Lumpur will be the tourism gateway to South East Asia and beyond.

galileo to launch Universal Desktop in 2011

Having received a very positive re-sponse for its mSmart and Galileo Leisure in the Indian market, Galileo

is all set to offer bookings for rail and bus tickets in India. The most important product in the pipeline from Galileo is the Universal Desktop (launching in 2011) and Universal API. Galileo will also be welcoming addi-tional travel vendors on board next year with railway and bus content. This will benefit a wider range of customers and end-users and not just the hotel and aviation sectors.

Welcomheritage Kh-imsar Fort revamped

WelcomHeritage Khimsar fort, Kh-imsar, near Jodhpur, with its newly rejuvenated, breathtaking interiors

and refurbished facilities is sure to enthral its visitors along with its ravishing stone carved exteriors, windows and archs provid-ing a well deserved indulgence in relishing those royal experiences in the middle of the desert state. Its 67 luxurious rooms offer a blend of traditional, contemporary and new age facilities. Reflecting an impressive mix of grandeur of traditional Rajasthani royalty and modern-age amenities, the revitalised rooms feature opulent wood carved furnishings, stain glass windows and classical murals of the Rajput dynasty ensuring utmost comfort for its guests.

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December 2010 41Short takes

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Key hotels to open resort in Mahabaleshwar

Evershine Builders together with Berg-gruen Hotels brand, Keys Resort, re-cently announced the launch of Ever-

shine, A Keys Resort. This is the 6th Keys hotel in India and the third brown-field proj-ect after the successful launch of brown-field projects at Mumbai and Khandala. This state-of- the art resort, located in Mahabaleshwar, has 59 modern stylish rooms The facilities in the room include Wi-Fi, LCD televisions, a re-frigerator, tea/coffee maker, and lots more.

Abacus inks agreement with Sapsan Air

Abacus International gained further ground in Kazakhstan by signing an exclusive agreement with Sapsan Air.

In the first quarter of 2011, Abacus-connect-ed travel agents can look forward to book and ticket Sapsan Air content though an in-tegrated user-friendly guided workflow. This partnership also aligns with Sapsan Air’s strategy to expand regionally across Aba-cus’ extensive regional network.

Amadeus inks deal with Cathay Pacific

Amadeus recently signed an extensive long-term content agreement with the Cathay Pacific Group that offers

Amadeus agents access to a comprehen-sive range of Cathay Pacific and Dragonair fares, schedules and availability. The new agreement offers Amadeus subscribers in Asia access to the same level of fares, avail-ability and functionality-and under the same conditions-as any other travel agent content channel. In addition to distributing Cathay Pacific’s content globally, Amadeus provides the e-commerce technology that powers the cathaypacific.com website, enabling the air-line’s customers to shop, book and manage their travel online.

Visit five sacred Sikh Takhts on luxury train

One of the leading Indian Luxury Trains Operator – “The Luxury Trains” has recently unveiled its pioneering and

unique concept of “Spiritual Journeys” with its first venture with the launch of “A Spiritual Journey to The Guru’s Abode” to cover the “five sacred Takhts” of religious importance to Sikhism. This Spiritual journey, a first of its kind, aboard the train “The Deccan Odys-sey” is aimed at making the visit of the sacred Takhts an experience to be cherished forever.

Qatar Airways’ CeO gets achievement award

Akbar Al Baker, CEO, Qatar Airways at the recent ceremony of Leaders in Aviation Awards, hosted by Qatar’s

Civil Aviation Authority in Doha, received an award for his role in the airline’s long-term contribution to the economic growth of Qatar. Since 1997, Al Baker has been at the helm of Qatar’s national carrier, guiding the air-line from being a small regional operation to becoming widely recognized as among the world’s top airlines.

Fortune opens excalibur in gurgaon

Having opened its doors on November 15, 2010, Fortune Select Excalibur is the chain’s 34th operating prop-

erty. The 135-room hotel joins the 107-room Fortune Select Global, also in Gurgaon. The new property is equipped with the latest technology and amenities. The hotel offers a variety of rooms, including Standard Rooms and Fortune Club Rooms, nine suites, with their signature Fortune Club Lounge.

December 2010 42 COffEE WITH TTJ

People who have stayed at The Leela properties swear by it and often land up being their loyal customers. Having carved a niche for themselves in south, the chain ventured into the northern territory with the launch of Leela Kempinski in Gurgaon and now Leela Palace at Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. TTJ chats up with Vivek Nair, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Hotel Leelaventure Limited, over coffee.

having conquered south and now north, Leela continues expansion

“Leela personifies what is best in In-dia,” says an evi-

dently proud Nair who has seen the brand grow from strength to strength. There is no doubt that The Leela today is one of the finest hotel groups in India, for the business as well as holiday makers. A firm believer in delivering an unforgettable hospitality experience in terms of impeccable service,

great ambience, sound ame-nities and finest cuisine, The Leela has today become a brand name to reckon with.

“All our properties in India reflect the local culture and architecture of the region they are based in. While the setting and design may be world class, a guest knows he is in India when he is stay-ing with The Leela group. Our exemplary service is our USP,” he says.

Talking about their recent venture that is nearing the completion stage, The Leela Palace, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, he said, “We did the soft launch at the time of CWG, but the property will be fully operational only by mid-January in 2011. From multiple accommodation op-tions to wide dinning variet-ies, the property will set new benchmarks in hospitality industry. It also has a spa by ESPA and huge banqueting

facilities. From the location point of view, it couldn’t have been better.”

Post New Delhi, The Leela group has many more surprises hidden in its kitty. Unveiled next would be its property in Agra, Chennai, Jaipur, Hyderabad and a lake resort on the Ashtamudi Lake in Kovallam, Kerala.

“We are number one in terms of rev pars. In the peak season, our room rate is somewhere between US$ 230-250, which is what prop-erties that are at par with Leela are abroad priced at, so we don’t really think we are overpriced. The group believes in striking a per-fect balance in the demand and supply quotient and our rates too are totally depen-

dent on the same theory,” said Nair, reacting to the general “overpricing” ac-cusation that the hospitality chains are held guilty for.

The Leela group has been the torch bearer in introduc-ing the “green” awareness in the hospitality industry. Almost all the Leela proper-ties enjoy wonderful green locale and are doing their bit in contributing towards maintaining a green society. “When we finalise the ar-chitecture of a property, we have a specialist landscape architecture whose advice is considered on a serious note. The group always tries to buy gardens around the property and then maintains them with full vigour,” he averred.

vPriyANKA SAxeNA

UPCOMInG PROJECTSTHE LEELA PALACE AGRAThe 140 rooms at The Leela Palace Agra will all offer astounding views of The Taj Mahal in addition to a plethora of facilities.

THE LEELA PALACE HYDERABADThe 200 room Leela Palace is being constructed on the prime location of Banjara Hills and carries a distinct resemblance to the famous Charminar.

THE LEELA PALACE KEMPInSKI CHEnnAISlated for opening in mid 2011, the property has a huge variety of accommodation, dinning and banqueting op-tions in addition to recreational facilities.

THE LEELA LAKE ASHTAMUDI (KERALA)Situated amidst the scenic beauty of coconut grooves and palm trees, all the rooms at the lake resort will enjoy a view of the Lake Ashtamudi.

Vivek Nair

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