OTOAI Special Issue 2013

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A DDP PUBLICATION

FINAL_OTOAI DUMMY 2013:TT Layout 12/3/2013 3:45 PM

FINAL_OTOAI DUMMY 2013:TT Layout 12/3/2013 3:45 PM

Boosting India-Filipino tourismAs OTOAI kickstarts its first convention here in Manila,

catches up with Guldeep Singh Sahni, President,OTOAI to get a perspective about strengthening the partnerships of Indian and Filipino travel trade…

Just a month before the Convention, thePhilippines was struck

by Typhoon Haiyan andearthquakes. This did notdeter Outbound TourOperators Association ofIndia (OTOAI) that is nowhosting its first convention in Manila.

Tourism is the bestpossible way to help the

Philippines recover andOTOAI will support thecountry through its firstconvention here. Accordingto Sahni, the main motto of the maiden con-

vention is to introducePhilippines to OTOAI members and give Indiantravellers another new destination to explore.

“The scale of the stormhas made international head-lines, frightening awaytourists across the centralPhilippines and trigger masscancellations at resorts. Wewant to alter this and helpthe Philippines recover assoon as possible. The conven-

tion opens a new level ofpartnership betweenPhilippines and India,” theOTOAI President says.

Currently there are50,000 Indian arrivals to

Philippines and through this convention, OTOAI hopesthe footfalls will increase.“The convention brings pan-India tour operators onto oneplatform and create a com-mon cause. Keeping in mindthe evolving profile of thetravel agents in India, thetheme for the convention hasbeen aptly selected as – TheChanging Face of Indian\Outbound,” he adds.

The destination is alsobeing showcased to the traveltrade through a fam trip toislands like Boracay, Palawanand Cebu. Also, currentlythere are no direct flights tothe Philippines from India.

“In case we can gener-ate an overwhelmingresponse and create the need-ed numbers, the associationcould also later on pitch fordirect flights,” he affirms.

ME G H A PAU L

Indian travellers should continue visiting the Philippinesas this can help speed up rebuilding efforts following thethe recent calamities. Ramon Jimenez, Jr., TourismSecretary, Philippines talks more on building tourism.

In the aftermath of naturalcalamities in ThePhilippines, Tourism

Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr.sees the OTOAI conventionas a breather. PhilippinesTourism is open for much-needed business and thisconvention is a step in theright direction. Tourism con-tinues to be one of the majorcontributors to thePhilippines economy andthus, plays a significant rolein rebuilding lives and busi-nesses in communities.

Supporting the OTOAIConvention in Manila,Jimenez Jr says, “We wel-come the participants of thefirst international conventionof OTOAI. It is an honour forour country to have beenchosen as the host destina-tion for this maiden conven-tion. This event is much wel-comed by the local traveltrade counterparts who areraring to take advantage of

India’s upward outboundtravel trajectory.”

With the impendingASEAN Economic integrationand existing bilateral andregional cooperation initia-

tives, Philippines expectsimproved inter and intra-regional visitor flows that willyield more robust economies,stronger business relation-ships and better lives in communities.

The PhilippinesDepartment of Tourism (DOT)is also appealing to Indiantourists to continue visitingthe Philippines as this canhelp speed up rebuildingefforts following the devasta-tion caused by the recent

calamities that hit the country,he adds. Despite these unfor-tunate incidents, thePhilippines remains a safe andfun destination for all tourists.“A great majority of tourist

products are available,whether one is looking for abeach vacation, historical trip,gastronomic tour, or one of themany other possible travelopportunities. The country ishome to some of the world’sgreat tourist and adventuressites with its unparalleled nat-ural wonders, spectacularbeaches, world-renownedheritage sites, modern shopping complexes, rich bio-diversity, culture, and history,”he affirms.

TT BU R E AU

We expect a new level of partnership

between India and the Philippines. The

Convention brings pan-India tour operators onone platform and creates

a common cause

Guldeep Singh Sahni President, OTOAI

It is an honour for ourcountry to have been

chosen as the hostdestination for thismaiden convention. Thisevent is much welcomedby the local travel trade counterparts

Ramon Jimenez, Jr.Tourism Secretary,

Philippines

� The Depar tment ofTourism appeals toIndian tourists tocontinue visiting thePhilippines

Come one, Come all

� The Philippines isexpected to benefit fromthe convention byreceiving a sizeablenumber of tourists afterthe convention

� Currently there are50,000 Indian arrivals in the Philippines

Win-Win Deal

FINAL_OTOAI DUMMY 2013:TT Layout 12/3/2013 3:45 PM Page 1

SSpecialSpecial INTERVIEW2 TRAVTALK

As per Daniel G Corpuz,Under Secretary,

Tourism Development Sector,Philippines, the best part ofthe OTOAI Convention is theopportunity to permanentlyinstall Philippines as the bestoutbound destination in themindset of Indian tour oper-ators. He said, “The confer-ence of the Outbound TourOperators Association ofIndia (OTOAI) is very impor-

tant to Philippines Tourism.Since this is also the first timethat OTOAI will do an inter-national conference, we, atthe DOT, must ensure thatwe get positive results fromthe same. We believe thatwith OTOAI holding theirconference here in the coun-try, the results would beincreased volume of touristarrivals from India.”

“In my opinion, theOTOAI Conference has twoimportant features that will

carve the Philippines intothe tour operators’ mindset:the series of topics with thebest possible resourcespeakers and the two-daybusiness-to-business meet-ing between OTOAI andtheir Philippines counter-parts. The series of topicswill bring clarification to alot of questions for theIndian traveller. The B2Bmeetings will ensure thatthere would be more busi-ness for both the Indian andthe Philippines travel sectorparticipants,” he added.

In fact, the way theIndian outbound market hasemerged, the Philippines hasseveral old and new travelattractions that India as asource market will more than love.

Here Corpuz said, “Wewill continue to focus inbringing more group travelinto the country by offeringmore destinations that willcater to incentive and family

groups. For the gatewaysinto the country, Manila andCebu will continue to be themain gateways. We haveintroduced Clark with Subic as an alternative gate-way during the Routes Asiain Mumbai this year. Clark

and Subic are also newincentive travel and meetings destinations. Wewill continue to introducenew destinations likePalawan and Davao whichwere introduced during theOTM this year.”

The first international conference by OTOAI is expected to enhance the volume of Indian tourist arrivalsin the Philippines substantially. In fact, the way the Indian outbound market has emerged, the Philippineshas several old and new travel attractions that India, as a source market, will more than love.

‘India will grow as a source market for us’

We believe thatwith OTOAIholding theirconference herein the country, theresults would beincreased volumeof tourist arrivalsfrom India

Daniel G CorpuzUnder Secretary, Tourism DevelopmentSector, Philippines

VI V E K SE T H I Verna Covar-Buensuceso,Director, Group Head for Europe,India and the Middle-East,Department of Tourism,attributes the impressive growthto the similarities between Indiaand the Philippines, pointing outthat English is a commonlanguage, that both nations lovefestivals, and that currency values are almost the same.“Like Indians, Filipinos are extremely family-oriented. Infact, we offer homestay programmes for Indian tourists,”says Verna. Besides this, there is a significant Indianpopulation in the region, including Malaysia, Singapore,Indonesia and Thailand. A visit to the Philippines can becombined with trips to these places.

Verna Covar-Buensuceso,Director, Group Head for EuropeIndia and the Middle-EastDepartment of Tourism

Makati Business Centre (Tapan)


SSpecialSpecial INTERVIEW4 TRAVTALK

Riaz Munshi, VicePresident, OTOAI and

Convention Chairman feelsOTOAI is the platform whereall the countries who are tar-getting India as source mar-kets can do their promotions.“India’s outbound tourismcan impact the GrossDomestic Product of coun-tries who get visitors fromIndia. Hence the future ofIndia’s outbound tourism alsosounds bright,” he affirms.

However, there aremany challenges and thebusiness sessions during theconvention are aimed at tack-ling these roadblocks.Elaborates Munshi, “Thereare many forces like suppli-ers, customers, new technol-ogy, competition and newentrants that are acting onthe outbound industry as ofnow. All these forces can neg-atively impact the outboundtour operators. We need to

work together to ensure sta-ble and growing businessenvironment and help thetour operators develop andrestructure their businessesinto sustainable and prof-itable enterprises.”

Unfortunately, people inIndia think about problemsmore than finding solutions,he laments. “Our businesssessions will help the trade in

sustaining the exter-nal shocks andevents. The sessionwill also addressissues related to tech-nology and help us inbattling internaltransformation withthe increased use oftechnology andchanging marketdynamics.” The con-vention will also aimto further the resolveof making the out-bound tourism indus-try a more meaning-ful, ethical, profitableand equitable place

to do business.

There will be B2B ses-sions to get first-hand contactabout Philippines during theconvention. We will havepanel discussions and expe-riences of what Manila has tooffer and beyond. There will be product training andour own topics of discussions as well

The Convention will also aim to further the resolve of making the outbound tourism industry a more meaningful, ethical, profitable andequitable place to do business…

Battling technology and change

ME G H A PAU L

Our businesssessions willhelp the trade insustaining theexternal shocksand events. Thesession will alsoaddress issuesrelated totechnology

Riaz MunshiVice PresidentOTOAI and Convention Chairman

A new report by the WorldTourism Organisation(UNWTO) and the WorldTravel & Tourism Council(WTTC) during APEC HighLevel Policy Dialogue onTravel Facilitation inIndonesia shows that visafacilitation could create up to

2.6 million new jobs in theAsia-Pacific EconomicCooperation (APEC)economies by 2016.

The report, ‘The Impactof Visa Facilitation’ in APECeconomies indicates thatalthough there has beenadvances across the APECregion to facilitate visas, 21per cent of expected interna-tional tourists arriving intoAPEC over the period 2014-2016 would still be required

to obtain a traditional visaprior to travel under currentvisa policies.

Facilitating visas for thesetourists could create as muchas 2.6 million additional jobsin the APEC economies by2016. Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General, UNWTO said, “Thisreport clearly shows thatplacing visa facilitation as a national priority cantranslate into socio-economicbenefits.”

Here David Scowsill,President & CEO, WTTC,

said, “Encouraging freedomto travel is a key strategic priority for WTTC. It is a simple step for Governmentswhich create jobs, economicgrowth and incalculablesocial benefits.”

Visa facilitation to create2.6mn new jobs in APEC

Taleb RifaiSecretary-General, UNWTO

David ScowsillPresident & CEO, WTTC


As the dedicated traveltrade association for out-

bound tourism in India,

OTOAI will address differentnational and global issuesthrough its business sessions,

Vineet Gopal, Joint Secretaryof OTOAI and ConventionVice Chairman informs.

“Outbound tourismfrom India has grown leapsand bounds in the last fewyears. The first convention isaddressing the future of thisIndian outbound industry. Weare looking at various aspects

from domestic as well asinternational perspective.Also we are discussing issuesrelated to the industry likerecognition by the govern-ment of India, taxes andchanges expected in future,”Gopal pointed out. A majorcomponent of the five busi-ness sessions is how the out-

bound tour operator caninnovate and utilise variousmarketing strategies as well.

The association’s mis-sion is to lead the outboundtravel industry by settinghigh ethical principles oftourism, excellence and pro-fessionalism. “We also aim toenhance the integrity and

quality of the travel trade andcreate an environment of col-laboration with various part-ners,” he adds. Topics likenew product opportunities;the ongoing ‘It’s More Fun inthe Philippines’ campaign;how and why make DMCsyour partner; the difficulty indealing with international

hotels – all these will be dis-cussed in the convention. Theconvention will also focus onpromoting specific regions inthe Philippines like Boracay,Palawan, Cebu and Manila.The OTOAI is a good singlepoint of contact for engagingthe Indian outbound travelmarket, he adds.

TT BU R E AU

Topics like new product opportunities; the ongoing ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’ campaign; how and why makeDMCs your partners; the difficulty in dealing with international hotels – all these will be discussed in the convention.

5 biz sessions to develop strategiesSpecialSpecialINTERVIEW TRAVTALK 5

We also aim toenhance theintegrity andquality of thetravel trade andcreate anenvironment ofcollaborationwith variouspartners

Vineet GopalJoint Secretary of OTOAI and ConventionVice Chairman

BusinessSessions at OTOAI Convention

Day 1, Session I:Difficult or Simple:Dealing withInternational Hotels

Session II: Tourism – Is More Fun InThe Philippines

Session III: Is the current structureof NTOs optimal?

Day 2, Session IV: How And Why To MakeDMCs Your Partners

Session V: New Products / NewOpportunities

The following are thebusiness sessions to beheld at the first OTOAIConvention in Philippines


ANALYSIS

Despite the outbound sec-tor facing plethora of

challenges such as fallingrupee and steadily rising air-fares, the industry shows

signs of optimism. The Indianoutbound refuses to give up and charters new growthstrategies to continue moving on.

Here, the OTOAI mem-bers share their views and

opinions on the burning challenges faced by the Indian tourists and travelagents, such as visa hassles and the paucity ofdirect flights, and how tocounteract them with innovative solutions.

Bottlenecks & solutionstalks to OTOAI members to understand the

bottlenecks of the outbound sector and the way forwardfor the same. A few excerpts…

TT BUREAU

Shravan BhallaGeneral Secretary, OTOAI

OTOAI has been looking into common grievances on matters such aspassports, visas and taxes. The association highlights the challengesconfronting the sector and ensures higher standards of service deliveryto the growing outbound market.

Also, we are constantly monitoring the quality standards of our mem-bers. One of the objectives of the association is to promote a culture oftransparency so that customers get timely and accurate informationabout destinations and deals. The association’s core philosophy is basedon the belief that the travel industry should be equitable and efficient, giving every stakeholdera chance to earn a fair return.

For the past one year, we are really working to ease visa restrictionsfor Indian tourists. And in this regard, we have witnessed remarkablebreakthroughs. Philippines Tourism has granted us a special statusand an OTOAI member can apply for a visa directly. Also, we tookup the proposal for UK cash bond issue seriously and opposed ittooth and nail. It has now been revoked and this step from the UKgovernment is a welcome step. We are also trying to get ‘industrystatus’ for the outbound segment. The convention will surely boost

Indian arrivals to tourism. Apart from honeymoon, leisure and adventure segments that will lure outbound to The Philippines, casinos will also attract Indian clientele. Currently, Indians usually head to Singapore or Macau for casinos, this is a new unsaturated market forthe segment.

Sidharth KhannaHead IT, OTOAI

OTOAI is a very new association and my primary concern was to make it prominent in the online space. The association has now geared up to become visible in the social media platform. Through our dedicated website that was created around ten months earlier, we have seen an increase in engagement of members here. But we are not fully functional yet. We aim to make the site more interactive from January-end. We will give our OTOAI members a pass-word and login id. Once they log in, they can view all the recent hap-penings in the industry. They will also be able to post discussions about the outbound industry here.

The West chapter is a very active OTOAI chapter. We are looking atincreasing our membership base here. The primary focus of OTOAI hasbeen to bring the smaller travel agents on one platform and educatethem about new trends and help them facilitate their business. In thisregard, we see a great potential in the Tier-II and III cities of WesternIndia. Cities like Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Ahmedabad and Surat aregreat source markets and generate a huge outbound traffic. Going for-ward, the chapter will tap travel agents and tour operators in these areas.

Bengaluru Airport to be renamedBangalore International

Airport Limited (BIAL), theairport operator for BengaluruInternational Airport said theywould change the name of theairport to KempegowdaInternational Airport,

Bengaluru with the openingof the new terminal 1A onDecember 14. The new name honors Kempegowda,the founding father ofBangalore. The expanded ter-minal, which spans over

150,500 sq meters, will morethan double to floor spacearea of the current terminal.In addition, the new terminalwill have a Code F aerobridgeto accommodate an AirbusA380 aircraft.

Himanshu PatilHead-West Chapter, OTOAI

Rajeev SabharwalTreasurer, OTOAI


SSpecialSpecial DESTINATION8 TRAVTALK

Philippines for countless experiences

Located approximately 315 km south ofManila and 2 km off the northwest tip ofPanay Island in the Western Visayas regionof the Philippines is the Boracay island.Known as the beach that never sleeps thisisland with its pristine waters offer aplethora of water sports. Be it scuba diving,helmet diving or snorkelling, Boracay is amust visit for adventure enthusiasts. Andthe fun in the island doesn’t stop whenthe sun sets. Known for a pulsatingnightlife, one can hop from bar to bar andthe beach shack restaurants.

Boracay

A joyride on the vibrant colourfuljeepney, a walk by the Manila’s RoxasBoulevard or the popularly calledBaywalk, an exploration of the Spanishwalled city of Intramuros... are a few ofthe unique experiences that Manila hasto offer. Erected on the ruins of a Malaysettlement at the mouth of the PasigRiver, Intramuros was the centre ofSpanish political, religious and militarypower. Literally meaning the walled city,visitors can experience Spanish-eraManila through the walled city’s church-es, restaurants and museums. The majorattractions inside Intramuros include Fort Santiago, the oldest Spanish fortress in the Philippines and Casa Manila, amuseum in Intramuros depicting colonial lifestyle during Spanish colonisation of the Philippines. Adjacent to this walledcity is the historical urban Rizal Park.

Manila

As the national campaign for tourism – ‘It's more fun in the Philippines’ – rightly states, the Asian archipelago offerssome myriad experiences. The country where the rich Spanish and American culture blend with the true Filipino hospitality, checks out what the destination has in its kitty for the discerning and demanding travellers.

The City of Puerto Princesa in Palawan offers powderywhite sand beaches. With the coves and bays of PuertoPrincesa’s coastline, the islands on the nearby Honda Bayoffer beach lovers an uncrowded haven. Dive sites are locat-ed from five to 40 minutes away from the beach by speed-boat inside Puerto Princesa Bay. These are preferred sitesfor open water training dives as they offer slopes and walls.Colourful reef fish are common and various colonies can beobserved in one dive.

Palawan


SSpecialSpecial AGENTS1 0 TRAVTALK

No doubt that the Indianoutbound travel, at pres-

ent, is slow due to multiplereasons, but AnjumLokhandwala, Director,Outbound Konnections ispositive that the comingmonths would bring the outbound business back in action.

At present, OutboundKonnections manages DMCsfor Canada-based DMCi,Mumbai-based AkquasunGroup and Mille Tours-basedin Reunion Island; representsThe Residence Resorts andGSA for Crystal Beach Resort& Spa. According toLokhandwala, the Indian out-bound travel market growthis inevitable, despite the fluc-tuating currency or the slow-down in economy. The company – OutboundKonnections was launched

due to the opportunityoffered by the growth ofIndian outbound travel sec-tor. She elaborates, “Seeingthe growing demand of theOutbound Tourism, we have kickstarted a new ven-ture called OutboundKonnections. The companyhas an aggregate workingexperience of 15 years withhighly-learned professionalsand a complete understand-ing of the travel & hospitalityindustry to the core. We arean organisation which offersits services in the fields ofrepresentation and marketingof tourism products and var-ious support activitiesrequired in this regard.Outbound Konnections ishighly dynamic and proactivein its approach as a tourismsolution provider.”

“With major develop-ments in the pipeline, we plan to choose, specialise

and channelise our profes-sional approach,” addsLokhandwala.

Talking about theorganisation’s vision and mis-sion, Lokhandwala said, “Our

Mission is – ‘A clearly definedbrand will “shout above thecrowd” and stand account-able for excellent results.’What we believe is that thebasic success of a well-organ-ised company lies in market-ing, sales, good customerrelationship management

and ensuring that the productis well-tuned at all times.”Representative Companiesneed to roll out well-format-ted plans directed at the rel-evant target audiences with

technology playing a pivotalrole in the process,Lokhandwala said.

According to her, theIndian outbound travel seg-ment has tremendous poten-tial for growth and has spacefor every kind of product to fit

in. She observes, “The watersare choppy, but the resilientIndian continues to sail to far-away shores. Halfway into2013, travel agents have theirhands full. From 12 millionIndians travelling abroad in2011, the India outbound mar-ket is estimated to touchapproximately 16 million by2013 in the year end. As perUnited Nations World TourismOrganisation, India willaccount to 50 million out-bound tourists by 2020.”

Adding further on thechallenges faced by this sector,she adds, “Personally I feelIndia has a market for eachand every product and it iseasy to find a solution as it isso diverse. But yes, of course,the currency fluctuation andthe bureaucracy in obtaininga visa for a destination canalways prove to be deterrentto a destination/product promotion.”

At present, Outbound Konnections manages DMCs for Canada-based DMCi, Mumbai-based Akquasun Group and Mille Tours-based in Reunion Island; and representsThe Residence Resorts and the GSA for Crystal Beach Resort & Spa. The company ispositive about the outbound tourism growth in the coming months.

‘Outbound biz to be back on track’

What we believe is that the basic successof a well-organised company lies inmarketing, sales, good customerrelationship management and ensuringthat the product is well-tuned at all times

Anjum LokhandwalaDirector, Outbound Konnections

TT BU R E AU

Who branded India asIncredible India? Not we theIndians but long back in the10th century the Arabs andIranians were so muchimpressed with India’scivilisation and culture, thatthey appreciated usingadjectives for India such as‘Ajaib-ul Hind’. It is theexact meaning of‘Incredible India’.

Buzurg-bin Shahryar,an Iranian navigator whonavigated his ships fromIraqi ports to Indian coasts,islands, China and Japanwas specially impressedwith India’s culture. Hisown experiences and theexperiences of his othercolleagues were penneddown with a title, ‘Ajaib-ulHind’. This book had beentranslated from Arabic toFrench in 1886 AD andsubsequently it was also translated into English.

The incredible history behindIncredible India


SpecialSpecial NOSTALGIA1 2 TRAVTALK

It was ‘work meets fun’ for agents from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai, who were on a familiarisation tour of the Philippines. The group visitedBoracay, Cebu and Manila and also participated at the Philippines India Travel Exchange organised from November 22-28, 2012.

It is indeed more fun in the Philippines


SSpecialSpecial NEWS1 4 TRAVTALK

The India office of theCanadian Tourism

Commission (CTC) officiallylaunched the CanadianSignature Experiences (CSE)collection in the giant SouthAsian market. SiobhanChretien, RegionalManaging Director,Emerging Markets, says,“More and more of our key

accounts are hearing fromclients who want to visitCanada. The CSE collectionwill help us promote Canadaby showcasing Indian trav-ellers what they can enjoy inour beautiful country”.

The CSE programme isan ideal way for the traveltrade to sell Canada, especial-ly in India, where the rapidlyexpanding affluent middle-

class population is expectedto pass the 500-million markby 2025. That segment willthen hold 60% of the coun-try’s purchasing power.

The statistics are rein-forced by data from CTC’sTourism Snapshot 2012 Year-In-Review where Indian con-sumers spent $173 million ontheir Canada travels last year,a 6.4 per cent increase.Keeping this in mind,

CTC India is now targettingcities such as Hyderabad,Kolkata, Chennai andBengaluru, in addition toMumbai and New Delhi.

“The Canadian SignatureExperiences Collection is madeup of over 100 products andexperiences throughoutCanada, of which we haveselected approximately over20 products that are availablefor sale and ready for travellerstravelling from India toCanada. There are productsacross Canada, hotel chains,experiences like taking therailway, to very unique expe-riences in the wilderness likepolar-bear watching. It offersa great medley of adventure;unique, exotic and compellingexperiences that will surprisethe Indian public and they'lllove them and share themwith their friends and family,”says Chretien.

Talking about theprocess that makes a partic-ular experience a Canadian

Signature Experience,Chretien explains that thereis a procedure wherein own-ers and operators of the com-panies must apply to becomea CSE member. “There arevery rigorous criteriainvolved and the ones thatare being promoted for Indiaare experiences the Indian

travel trade are already sell-ing to the travellers. We havea group of individuals whoreview that process. Thereare many criteria - How longhave you been in the field?What makes you compelling

and unique? There are lots ofattributes to fit into the cri-teria and these are thenreviewed and scored accord-ingly,” she explained.

CTC does a lot of agent-training programmes. AsChretien says, “The traveltrade programme is the

biggest element of the workthat we do within India. Thiswill be an important compo-nent of the Canada specialistprogramme. We have a salesteam who travel throughoutIndia training agents.”

The Canadian Signature Experiences Collection is made up of over 100 products and experiences throughoutCanada, of which approximately over 20 products are available for sale and ready for travellers travelling from India to Canada.

Canadian Signature Experiences for India

TT BU R E AU

Mumbai-based GlobalDestinations intends to

continue and support thetravel agents’ communitywhich is currently facingmultiple challenges for sur-vival. According to PranavKapadia, Co-Founder &Partner, Global Destinations;the company has no inten-tions of going B2C directly,which will create competitionfor its trade partners. Thecompany was recently

appointed as an IndiaWholesaler for HeathrowExpress - London’s airportrail-link between HeathrowAirport in London andLondon Paddington station.Apart from this, it also repre-

sents Tsogo Sun Hotels,Boscolo Hotels, Kenya-basedSafari Trails, Spain-basedCentury Incoming, Italy-based Amanda Tours,Greece-based GrecianDreams, New Zealand-basedGeneral Travels, US-basedGrand Tours, Latin America-based Greyline, Europe-based Prime Travel and FijiTourism in India.

Kapadia said, “Travelagents are our core strengthand we intend to further help

them grow their business andenhance bottom-lines. We arerepresenting multiple productsfrom across the world and areensuring that our partners andtravel agents work on mutual-

ly beneficial business models.There is no use to going direct-ly to end-consumers and cre-ate competition for our travelpartners in India. We follow apure B2B model and will con-tinue to do so. However, if con-

sumers want to, they are wel-come to come directly to us.”

Talking about the latestaddition in the product line,Kapadia said, “We just startedwith Heathrow Express andare receiving a good responseand excellent number of

queries. This train is perfectfor travellers who intend tosave time and reach the citycentre of London in just 15minutes, instead of an hourthrough other modes of trans-port.” It has provided its travelpartners free access to thebooking engine of the train forefficient and faster mode ofbooking. Additionally, it is alsogoing to organise a multi-cityIndia roadshow startingJanuary 27 in Delhi and mov-ing on to Ahmedabad,Mumbai and Bengaluru.During the roadshow, it willshowcase various productsoffered by Latin Amercia-based Greyline Travels and will also have participa-tion from countries likeArgentina, Columbia, Chileand Ecuador.

Global Destinations was recently appointed as an India Wholesaler forHeathrow Express - London’s airport rail-link between HeathrowAirport in London and London Paddington station.

Working together with agents

TT BU R E AU

We are representing multiple products from across the world andare ensuring that our partners andtravel agents work on mutuallybeneficial business models

Pranav KapadiaCo-Founder & PartnerGlobal Destinations

� It is also going to organisea multi-city Indiaroadshow startingJanuary 27 in Delhi andmoving on to Ahmedabad,Mumbai and Bengaluru

Future Plans

The CSE collection will help us promote Canada by showcasing toIndian travellers what they can enjoy in our beautiful country

Siobhan ChretienRegional Managing Direct or, Emerging Markets,

Americas/Asia for Canadian Tourism Commission

(L-R:) Stewart G. Beck, Canadian High Commissioner to India; Siobhan Chretien, Regional Managing Director, EmergingMarkets, Americas/Asia for Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) and Guldeep Singh Sahni, President, OTOAI

AHMEDABAD

Indian cities taste fun in the PhilippinesThe Department of Tourism, Philippines (DOT),with the Philippines Tourism Marketing Officein India, recently held a series of roadshows.

HYDERABAD

CHENNAI

BENGALURU


SpecialSpecial NTO1 8 TRAVTALK

Tourism & NTOs: New laws of attractionspoke to several NTOs to find out what are they doing to attract the Indian travellers for the upcoming

year. From fam trips to taking the expertise of the travel trade, this is what they have to say.

We have many plans to further tapthe Indian market. The CNTO officein Delhi will be hosting events,including travel fairs, seminars andof course FAM tours for the Indiantravel trade community. We also planto come up with a new roadshow of

China Tourism next year.

Tourism Authority of Thailand, NewDelhi, recently hosted a luxury roadshow, which saw the participation of17 sellers, including hotels, resorts,spas, airlines and catamaran cruiseand sailing services. This wasattended by over 90 travel tradepartners. The road show has been held to update Indian traveltrade partners about the luxurious products and activities thatThailand has to offer.

We, along with the Ministry ofCulture, have decided to call 2014as the year of the Czech-IndianCulture. We are also planning to setup the tradition of the Czech FilmFestival in Mumbai and Goa nextyear and will be signing an agree-ment for collaboration with the film industry. Our minister of cul-ture is here to prepare the groundwork for the agreement. Wewould like to encourage Bollywood to come to Czech Republicand shoot movies in our country.

Miloslav StasekAmbassdor of CzechRepublic to India

Runjuan TongrutDirectorTourism Authority of Thailand

India is the biggest potential marketamong the developing nations forCyprus. Thus, Cyprus TourismOrganisation (CTO), the officialTourism Authority for Cyprus, aimsto aggressively tap the Incentivesand Wedding segments in the Indianmarket with niche product offerings and packages. For the same,CTO will focus on promoting MICE and Wedding Tourism for FITs,groups and corporate segments through the travel trade channelin the country.

Vassilis TheocharidesDirector, Dubai Office, Cyprus Tourism Organisation

India is an important market and forthe last three years, Scotland hasreceived 19,000 Indian visitors annu-ally. These are mainly leisure and vis-iting friends and relatives (VFRs).However, a small portion is con-

tributed by MICE as well. The travel trade medium in India isindispensable. In India, all our activities are focused on B2B pro-motions. India has the highest number of Scots agents (1,800)after the US.

Vineet LalInternational Marketing Manager–Long Haul and Emerging Markets,Visit ScotlandThe Turkish Culture and Tourism

Office recently launched a new web-site, specifically for the Indian audi-ence. We had been using our globaltourism portal www.goturkey.comfor our Indian market, but we want-ed something specific for Indian

travellers and the travel trade. This India-specific website willgive detailed information, according to the expectations of theIndian travellers and the travel trade community.

Ozgur AyturkCulture and TourismCounsellor, Turkey

Li QianguoDy. Director, China NationalTourist Office


SpecialSpecialNTO TRAVTALK 1 9

Luring the savvy Indian travellerArturo Ortiz ArduanTourism Counsellor, Embassy of Spain – TourismDepartment, Tourism Office of Spain – Mumbai

With 60,000 Indian tourist arrivals in 2012, which is a 50 per cent increasecompared with 2011, Spain Tourism is betting big on the Indian outboundmarket this year as well. The primary objective of Spain Tourism in 2013will be to tap the MICE segment and Incentive groups. Spain is the thirdmost popular destination in the world for meeting, according to the ICCA(International Congress and Convention Association). Last year, out ofthe 60,000 Indian tourists in Spain, almost 15 per cent comprised ofIncentive clients. Hence, we are concentrating on MICE and Incentive groups this year through ourroad-shows in India.

Fred DixonExecutive Vice President- Market Development,NYC & Company

NYC & Company will launch the new version of its online training acad-emy in 2014 to facilitate the training of Indian travel agents as well. Thisyear the primary goal is to educate the travel trade in India. With so manynew products along with existing itineraries, NYC can be a complex des-tination in many ways. Hence, we have an online training academy andits new interactive version will become operational in 2014. Currently,we have 2,000 travel agents across India enrolled in the programme.Around 1,000 have graduated to become New York specialists. We are expecting the number to doublefrom 2,000 to 4,000 by the end of 2014.

Aneta KsiazekChief ConferenceExpert, Polish TouristOrganisation

In India and Japan, we willbe concentrating on wooingthe travel trade. From lessthan 9,000 Indian arrivals in2006, Poland receivedaround 20,000 Indian visi-tors last year. As part ofimproving the engagementwith the Indian travel trade, PTO has plans tolaunch Poland SpecialistProgramme in this marketsoon. In addition, we willconduct FAM trips for thetravel trade.

Zimbabwe haslaunched an e-visa plat-form for China and India inline with the increasedtourist arrivals and invest-ment from these countries.As per Karikoga Kaseke,Chief Executive,Zimbabwe TourismAuthority; both thesecountries have the largestpopulations in the worldwhich makes them thebest potential tourismmarkets for Zimbabwe.Indians can now apply forvisas online and getresponse in time since theDepartment ofImmigration will only takeless than four days toresponse. The countryreceived 9000 Indians in2012. Post the E-Visa ini-tiative, the governmentwill put in more efforts inIndia channeled towardsmarketing the destinationamong Indian travellers

Zimbabwelaunches E-Visafor India


SSpecialSpecial HIGHLIGHTS2 0 TRAVTALK

After relaxing visa normsfor Indian travellers

with specific valid visas,Philippines Tourism is now inthe process of adding directair connectivity on the India– Philippines route.According to Benito CBengzon Jr, AssistantSecretary, InternationalTourism Promotion,Department of Tourism,

Philippines; direct air-con-nectivity is one of the majorhurdles to attract Indian pas-sengers to the country. Thedepartment is now in talkswith few network partnersfrom India and Philippines tostart direct connectionsbetween both the countries.It is also in process of furtherliberalising the visa normsfor Indian travellers. Theplans for this year includeintroducing a destination

specialist programme fortrade to enhance theirknowledge on Philippines

and start focussing on the Tier-II cities in Indiawhich have tremendousgrowth potential.

The Philippines isrecording a flat growth from

Western markets, whileAsian markets are perform-ing well. Explaining thegrowing importance ofintra-Asian tourism,Bengzon said, “We intend toget actively engaged withSouth-East Asian marketsand improve on intra-Asiatraffic as there is a hugepotential there. For instance,Thailand receives 60 percent of tourists from Asianregion, while Malaysiareceives over 40 per cent.On the other hand, we havea share of just eight per cent from South-East Asianmarket and we intend to increase this further this year.”

Talking about the grow-ing potential of India as atourism source market,Bengzon said, “India hasbeen identified as a majorsource market this year as we

recorded growth of over 30per cent in January 2013over last year and an eightper cent growth in 2012 over2011. To improve tourismtraffic from India, the biggesthurdle is direct air-connectiv-ity. We are positive aboutadding more direct flightsbetween India andPhilippines. If we are suc-cessful in roping in low-cost carriers with legacycarriers in the scene, it willbe a great boost in stimulat-ing the market with excitingair fares, options for passen-gers and reducing the entire tour package cost tocertain extent.”

Apart from working onimproving the direct air-con-nectivity; the department isalso underlining the destina-tion with multiple products forall kind of travellers. It is cur-rently catering to leisure trav-

ellers, honeymooners, FITsand groups and intends toattract families, incentivegroups, DINKS and evenexperiential travellers. On theproduct side, apart from high-lighting its famous beaches,nightlife and shopping; it will be promoting heritage,culture, historical sites andeven adventure.

AN I TA JA I N

With the rising number of inbound tourists from India to the Philippines, the latter is looking forward to startdirect flights for the Indian travellers to Philippines. gives details.

Philippines looks ahead to more flights

Benito C Bengzon Jr.Assistant Secretary, International TourismPromotion, Department of Tourism,Philippines

Indians to have Fun in the Philippines

� The department is also underlining thedestination with multiple products for allkind of travellers

� It is currently cateringto leisure travellers,honeymooners, FITsand groups and intendsto attract families,incentive groups,DINKS and even experiential travellers

Wooing Indians

We intend to get actively engagedwith South-East Asian markets andimprove on intra-Asia traffic as there is a huge potential there

Benito C Bengzon Jr.Assistant Secretary, International Tourism

Promotion, Department of Tourism, Philippines

The country will soon introduce a destination specialist programme for travel partners aspart of the business strategy for India.

In charge of the mission toincrease Indian arrivals in

Philippines, Glen Agustin,Head, Team India, and ChiefTourism Operations Officer,Department of Tourism,Philippines is keen to applythe findings of the study thatpoints out the viability ofintroducing new touristattraction in the Indian mar-ket. “We are increasing thelure of attractions in the

Philippines in a gradual man-ner with the help of travel

partners. The key here is toget the Indian market ready

to explore new destinations.In fact, based on the findingof our study, we now try totake along a destination, whenwe travel to India for travel-related event, or fair. Further,we are focussing on buildingthe group and MICE move-ments. Last year, we hadabout 25 groups with an aver-age of 40 people,” said Glen.“India is a strategic market forus and we are working on

meeting more agents, organ-ising fam for the agents androadshows that will includeTier-I and Tier-II cities. Thedetailed programme in thisregard is presently beingworked by our Indian office,”he added. In fact, to find waysand means to foster air con-nectivity, the Philippines par-ticipated in the Routes Asia,which is the key event forstakeholders in the Aviation

industry and brings togetherkey players in the airline andairport industry from Asia andalso from Europe for strategicnetworking on air servicedevelopment.

Glen Agustin Head, Team India, and Chief TourismOperations Officer, Department of Tourism,Philippines

India is a strategic market for us and we are working onmeeting more agents andorganising more roadshows

Glen Agustin, Head, Team India and Chief Tourism Operations

Officer, Department of Tourism, Philippines

Selling shopping to TouristsThe malls in the Philippines sell someof the biggest international designerbrands, but shopping there opens doorsto a whole world of designer knock-offsat the greatest prices…

Greenhills Shopping Center, ManilaHot deals: Here you can get Gucci bags for less than Rs

1,000 or TOMS shoes for Rs 500. Also, if you manage to pullin some bargaining power you get to take home the wholedeal for a few hundreds cheaper.

With over 2,000 stores, Greenhills Shopping Center isa flea-market type air-conditioned shopping centre that hasbranded clothes, bags, shoes and other accessories. Theclothes and accessories may be knock-offs, but go furtherinside and you may lay your hands on some real antique wareand of course, the best selection of genuine pearls.

SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Bay CitySM Mall of Asia is the 3rd largest mall in the

world. Here, you get to shop for everything underone roof, from clothes, accessories, cosmetics togadgets, furnishings, and much more.

Our Tip: The mall provides a package pick-up service. After you finish buying at a store,ask them to send it to the mall’s Package Pick-upService. You can then pick all your purchases from one place later on! There is no bargaining atthese shops.

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