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MAY 2019, PAGES 60, `100 VOL. 7, ISSUE. 5

ODISHAENRICHING. ENCHANTING. ENLIGHTENING

THEME PARKSASSESSING THE JOYRIDE OF TOURISM

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

Dear readers,

According to a report, the number of Indians holidaying abroad is likely to treble by 2025 and may account for 40 per cent of the international air trips from the country. What is more encouraging is that tier-II and tier-III cities are leading the growth this time, widening and deepening the base of holidaymakers. Surprisingly, the growth in vacations in foreign countries will be driven by tourists from tier-II Indian cities as well as an increase in budget carriers flying on international routes, the report jointly prepared by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation and Expedia group said. The foreign tourism boards, therefore, are gearing up to meet the growing number of Indians who are travelling abroad and splurging. While many of the National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) also have established their own offices in the country, others are making use of representations or their embassies/ cultural desks to test the waters, before taking the plunge. TravelScapes, in its outbound special, converses with top NTOs, who already have a huge presence in India, to further

comprehend their key agenda to increase the knowledge of the respective countries among the travel trade which will in turn capture a larger share of this potential market and will eventually attract more Indian footfalls. We also try to interpret whether the familiarisation trips organised for the Indian travel trade are actually contributing significantly to the increased efforts in marketing and taking it forward to the next phase of growth in outbound travel.

Also, as we always promise, Versatile Excellence Travel Awards (VETA), with its every edition, comes back with a louder bang; TravelScapes therefore adding another feather to its hat launched the debut edition of VETA Middle East in the land of dreams- Dubai. This year’s debut edition of the VETA in the Middle East was graced by all the biggies of the town and trade including Taiwan as the “Destination Partner” and the Royal Arabian Destination Management Company as the exclusive “Destination Management Partner”. With more crowds pulling in at the venue in comparison with the last two successful editions,

VETA Middle East 2019 became the talk-of-the-town overnight, within a few hours of time to be precise. With utmost appreciation, success, support and a bigger promise, we aim to come back with more newness and bigger prospects in the coming editions of VETA.

Since the holiday season is here, we bring to you a myriad of options to explore around, both in India and abroad. A surprise like a long forgotten book in the corner of a library, Odisha indeed, is the soul not only of India but the world, abundant with everything that the world seems to be losing in its quest for ‘modernisation.’ We take you on a joyful journey where we unveil the charming simplicity and the pristine natural beauty of this best kept secret of India.

This issue brings news and reports about trade, hospitality, aviation and the latest in the tourism, worldwide.

We value your feedback and suggestions so please do write to us on [email protected].

Happy reading.

Indian travellers outpacing growth in outbound tourism traffic

Varun MalhotraPublisher & CEO

PUBLISHER & CEO Varun Malhotra [email protected]

DIRECTOR Pranav Khullar [email protected]

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Gagneet Kaur

ASST. EDITOR Sayanti Halder

REPORTER Kritika Dua

REPORTER & MARKETING ANALYST Lokesh Tuli

BUSINESS HEAD Shilpi Sharma

AGM SALES & MARKETING (MUMBAI) Aarti Rajkhewa

MARKETING EXECUTIVE Bhavini Srivastava

CONSULTANT Anindya Malhotra, Jitin Mann

ART DIRECTOR Rakesh Kumar

Editorial & Marketing Office: Versatile Media: 207, Satya Mansion, Commercial Complex, Ranjeet Nagar, New Delhi-110008Contact: 011 - 45530380/83 • [email protected] information in TravelScapes 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 interviews are not necessarily shared by us. Material appearing in the magazine cannot be reproduced in whole or in part(s) without prior permission. The publisher reserves the right to refuse, withdraw or otherwise deal with all advertisements without explanation. All advertisements must comply with the Indian Advertisement Code. The publisher will not be liable for any loss caused by any delay in publication, error or failure of advertisement to appear.Owned and published by: Varun Malhotra, Editor & Publisher, EB-63, Maya Enclave, Hari Nagar, New Delhi - 110064 and printed at in-house facility.

TravelScapes

ACCOUNTS Saroj Thakur

ADMIN HEAD R Prem Lata

EXECUTIVE-CIRCULATION Hari Puri, Raja Rari

4 travelscapesonline.com MAY 2019

CONTENT

CENTRE STAGE

UPDATE GITB

34 IndiaA burgeoning supplier of outbound tourists

42 THE 11TH EDITION OF GITB 2019 CONCLUDES ON A SUCCESSFUL NOTE

6 .........................................................................................................................................................................................MoT14 ................................................................................................................................................................................... Trade30 .........................................................................................................................................................................Hospitality48 ...........................................................................................................................................................................Outbound52 ...............................................................................................................................................................................Aviation58 ..................................................................................................................................................................... On the Move

REGULAR UPDATES

pg-8

MAY 2019 VOL. 7, ISSUE. 5

HIGHLIGHTS- VETA ME

SPECIAL FEATURE

22 ASSESSING THE JOYRIDE OF TOURISMTHEME PARKS MODIFYING THE WAY OF TRAVELLINGIn today’s time, theme parks are star players in the tourism industry and play a special and important role in generating tourism demand. Theme parks are the main motivators for tourism trips to many destinations and core elements of the tourism product. With regards to the same thought, TravelScapes explored opportunities on how theme parks are emerging as a whole new market for tourism

VETA MIDDLE EAST 2019REACHING HIGHER STATURES WITH EVERY NEXT STRIDE

AROUND THE WORLD

EXOTIC INDIA

46 KINGDOM OF BAHRAINResplendent jewel of the Arabian Gulf

44 ODISHAENRICHING. ENCHANTING. ENLIGHTENINGA treasure trove of history, the vibrant destination comprising of quaint palaces ingrained with tradition and culture, Rajasthan, has a myriad of faces that very few are aware of.

IN CONVERSATIONSPECIAL FOCUS- OUTBOUND

28 TCARVING OUT A NICHE IN THE MARKETKarnataka Tourism’s new initiatives to infuse interest in travellers

26 Slovakia targets to shift Indian's attention for tailor-made experiences


UPDATE MoT TravelScapes

Currently, the GLP facility works as a visa for foreign tourists who are arriving in groups of four or more. Tourists who are

sponsored by Indian travel agencies approved by the tourism ministry with a pre-drawn itinerary are granted collective landing permits for a period not exceeding 60 days, with multiple entry facility to enable them visit a neighboring country. Considering the feedback received, a view has been taken that Group Landing Permit facility may be scrapped for passengers of those countries which have been extended e-visa facility, as its sole purpose has been served and because, e-visa facility has been presently extended to 166 countries.

Ministry of Tourism has identified 17 sites in 12

clusters in the country for development under Iconic Tourist Sites Development Project, pursuant to Budget Announcements of 2018-19. Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism says, “One of the big plans that we are working on is to develop our iconic sites. We have picked out the 17 most iconic sites in India such as the Taj Mahal, Kaziranga and we are working backwards to make them world class. We think that all the first-cut master plans are done, so I think that will be a big push as to how we can really make these most iconic sites as truly world-class tourist experiences.” Speaking on the growth of tourism in the country he said, “There is no doubt that tourism will emerge as an economic engine for growth for this country and I don’t think there will be any confusion on that politically.

Whatever work that we have been doing and the way that the tourism sector has been pulling together that will continue strongly.”

The sites that will be redeveloped are: Uttar Pradesh- Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri; Maharashtra- Ajanta and Ellora; Delhi- Humayun’s Tomb, Red Fort and Qutub Minar; Goa- Colva beach; Rajasthan- Amer Fort; Gujarat- Somnath and Dholavira; Madhya Pradesh- Khajuraho; Karnataka- Hampi; Tamil Nadu- Mahabalipuram; Assam- Kaziranga; Kerala- Kumarakom and Bihar- Mahabodhi.

The Election Commission of India has levied a ban on serving alcohol after

11 pm which has pushed many tourists away. Concerned over the impact of the time restrictions and inflow of tourists, hoteliers in Goa submitted a representation to the Director, Department of Tourism seeking relief from the ECI on the same. The representation stressed on the need for a relaxation in timings as the tourism season is currently at its peak and is expecting a further surge for the weekend festivities. In November last year, the state government made a draft public for

comments- Tourism Policy and Masterplan by KPMG Advisory Services and Tourism and Leisure Advisory Services. Post which, the stakeholders of tourism industry were upset since there wasn’t much for small-scale restaurateurs and businesses while the big players were taken more into consideration. In the future, tourism officials want the state to plan a roadmap in such a way that doesn’t hamper the inflow of tourists.

Goa has concluded its polls on April 23 and Panaji assembly by-poll will be held on May 19.

The Ministry of Tourism under the “Incredible India” banner participated

at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Dubai 2019 to showcase India as a preferred destination for tourism and to provide a platform for the tourism stakeholders to showcase the various tourism destinations and promote India as a ‘Must See, Must Visit’ destination.

The India Pavilion showcased India as a “365 Days Destination” year round multi-faceted tourist destination, Culture, Adventure, Cruise, Golf, MICE, luxury, wildlife, Wellness and medical tourism and more. “I am happy that India is showcasing its tourism potential yet again at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM). India has immense opportunities for tourism whether it is related to sight-seeing, spirituality, wellness, shopping, sports or other activities. The infrastructure for tourism

has been continuously improving in India to accommodate tourists from across the world but there is still immense untapped potential for future tourist arrivals in India. We can also learn from Dubai in promoting tourism in India. The Government of India has liberalised and simplified visa regime for tourists and our Consulate has also played its true part in facilitating travel of Emiratis and foreign nationals to India from UAE. I am sure that our participation in the Arabian Travel Market will enhance tourism inflow to India,” Vipul, Consul General, Consulate General of India, Dubai.

About 20 participants from India representing the State Tourism Department of Kerala, Air India, IRCTC, Tour Operators, Travel Agents, Hoteliers/Resorts, Wellness Spas and Ayurveda Centres were present in the India Pavilion to showcase their showcase their diverse tourism products and services.

MoT considers scrapping Group Landing Permit for passengers of e-visa countries

Tourism to boost economy; 17 tourist sites to be redeveloped: Suman Billa

Goa travel trade wants state to plan roadmap to sustain tourism

India Tourism participates in Arabian Travel Market 2019

Suman Billa

UPDATEMoTTravelScapes

The tourism sector generated 247.3 billion dollars (about INR 16.9 lakh crore) in 2018,

marking a growth of 6.7 per cent and contributing 9.2 per cent to the gross domestic product (GDP), an industry report said on Monday. The FICCI-Yes Bank report titled 'India Inbound Tourism: Unlocking the Opportunities' said India is a tourism powerhouse and the largest market in South Asia. "By 2029, the Indian tourism sector is likely to grow at 6.7 per cent per annum to reach INR 35 lakh crore with 9.6 per cent contribution to the GDP."

The sector generated 2.67 crore jobs in 2018. By 2029, it is expected to provide employment to nearly 5.3 crore million people directly and indirectly. Foreign tourist arrivals crossed one crore in 2017 and the growth trend is expected to continue. Consumption by domestic tourists remains a key strength of the sector in India, much stronger than the global average.

Growing disposable income, increase in new millennial tourists, new travel destinations, as well as new themes of tourism, will further propel the growth. The report said systematic growth, maintenance and sustainable development of tourism destinations and focus on promoting emerging avenues of tourism will be essential towards unlocking its true potential.

The growth in the Indian travel and tourism

sector has largely been driven by domestic tourists. Foreign tourists still account for a limited share as compared to some of the top-ranking countries. The government intends to achieve the ambitious target of one per cent foreign tourist arrivals in the world's international tourist arrivals by 2020 and increase it to two per cent by 2025.

Traditional and emerging themes of tourism including nature, heritage and cultural, religious, adventure, medical and wellness, MICE and wedding have been a key attraction for domestic and foreign tourists. "Strong domestic demand, economic growth, price competitive offerings, infrastructure development and the emergence of new destinations besides niche tourism products will continue to drive the growth of the industry in future," said the report.

Indian tourism sector to reach INR 35 lakh crore by 2029

India had issued over 25 lakh e-visas last year, a five-fold jump from 2015, and reduced the

main category visa from 26 to 21, an official said. Home Ministry officials also said sub-categories of visa have been reduced from 104 to 65, thus rationalising and simplifying the visa regime and removing confusion.

The number of e-visas issued by the Bureau of Immigration, under the Home Ministry, has risen from 5.29 lakh in 2015 to 25.15 lakh last year, the official said. On the other hand, the number of regular or paper visas issued by Indian missions abroad has come down from 45 lakh to around 35 lakh in the same period. The number of main categories of visa has been reduced from 26 to 21 by clubbing some categories. The e-visa facility now covers 166 countries and foreigners can obtain online visa within 72 hours for travel related to tourism, business, health, medical attendant and conference purposes.

The scope of tourist visa has been expanded by including activities such as short-term, unstructured courses (up to six months duration) on local languages, music, dance, arts and crafts, cooking, medicine. Voluntary work up to one month has also now been allowed under tourist visa.

25 lakh tourists visited India in 2018 availing e-visa

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TravelScapesHIGHLIGHTS VETA ME TravelScapes

Recognising and celebrating brilliance across all key sectors of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry in the Gulf, Versatile Excellence Travel Awards (VETA) Middle East 2019 by TravelScapes recently went out and loud in the dream destination of Dubai at V Hotel Dubai, Curio Collection by Hilton on April 28, 2019, that assembled the crème-de-la-crème of the tourism segment in the Middle East. This year’s debut edition of the VETA in the Middle East, the award ceremony was graced by all the biggies of the town and trade including Taiwan as the “Destination Partner” and Royal Arabian Destination Management Company as the exclusive “Destination Management Partner”.

A platform celebrating the global achievers in the travel industry for their hard work, support and achievements along with a sheer contribution to business and industry, the two back-to-back editions of VETA in India established a benchmark in the industry for travel awards. Lifting the fame and success to a notch higher, Publisher and CEO Varun Malhotra and Director Pranav Khullar of Versatile Media (TravelScapes) rode the mighty journey of VETA beyond the borders to the Middle East in Dubai.

VETA for “Most Popular MICE Destination” was awarded to the Czech Republic while Modi Yoga Retreat received the VETA for "Most Promising Wellness Luxury Resort in India". Followed by this, the VETA for "Best B2B Travel Portal Middle East & North Africa" was awarded to TBO (Travel Boutique Online) Holidays and the “Most Popular Adventure Destination” recognition was awarded to South Africa. As the evening rolled on, Address Downtown was recognised as the “Best Luxury Hotel” whereas “Fastest Growing Luxury Resort in Maldives" was given over to Mövenpick Resort Kuredhivaru Maldives. Keeping the bar of the Middle East’s hospitality

segment up and above, the next VETA for “Inspiring Hotel Leader in Middle East” was recognised to Iftikhar Hamda, Cluster General Manager, Ramada Hotel & Suites Ajman, Ramada Beach Hotel Ajman and Wyndham Garden Ajman Corniche.

With more crowds pulling in at the venue, VETA Middle East 2019 became the talk-of-the-town overnight, within a few hours of time to be precise. The remaining set of awards included Jetsave India Tours as "Emerging Inbound & Outbound Tour Operator"; Genting Cruise Lines for "Most Popular Cruiseline for On-Board Entertainment" and Roda Hotels & Resorts for "Fastest Growing Hotel Chain in Middle East", respectively. VETA for the "Fastest Growing Global Destination Management Company" was awarded to One Above Destination Management Services; “India’s First Premium Cruise Liner" was bestowed to Jalesh Cruises whereas Dubai Parks & Resorts was recognised as the "Best All-Inclusive Theme Park"; Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa as the "Best Luxury Resort in the Maldives"; Villa Hotels & Resorts as the VETA for "The Leading Leisure Resort Brand in Maldives"; VFS Global marked as the "Pioneer of Innovation in Visa Outsourcing & IT" while the VETA for "Best Emerging Destination" was awarded to Taiwan.

The uber glitzy and glam-pact VETA Middle East 2019 gave new definitions to entertainment and travel trade awards. The show was hosted by noted Bollywood actors Rohit Roy and Nikita Dutta who casted a starry spell on the evening to enhance the event’s glamour quotient a notch higher. Accompanied by the vivid recitation of sand artist Sarvam Patel on Taiwan being ‘Asia’s Best Kept Secrets’ the evening progressively poured itself with utmost appreciation, success, support and a bigger promise to come back with more newness and bigger prospects.

REACHING HIGHER STATURES WITH EVERY NEXT STRIDE

MAY 2019 travelscapesonline.com 9


UPDATE MoT TravelScapesHIGHLIGHTS VETA ME


HIGHLIGHTS VETA ME


UPDATE MoT TravelScapes

Modi Yoga Retreat Most Promising Wellness Luxury Resort in India

South Africa Most Popular Adventure Destination

Mövenpick Resort Kuredhivaru Maldives Fastest Growing Luxury Resort in Maldives

Jetsave India Tours Emerging Inbound & Outbound

Tour Operator

Czech Republic Most Popular MICE Destination

Genting Cruise Lines Most Popular Cruiseline for On-

Board Entertainment

TBO Holidays Best B2B Travel Portal Middle East & North Africa

Address Downtown Best Luxury Hotel

Iftikhar Hamdani Inspiring Hotel Leader in Middle East

HIGHLIGHTS VETA ME TravelScapes


UPDATEMoT

Roda Hotels & Resorts Fastest Growing Hotel Chain in Middle East

Jalesh Cruises India’s First Premium Cruise Liner

Hideaway Beach Resort & Spa Best Luxury Resort in the Maldives

VFS Global Pioneer of Innovation in Visa Outsourcing & IT

One Above Destination Management Services Fastest Growing Global Destination Management

Company

Dubai Parks & Resorts Best All- Inclusive Theme Park

Villa Hotels & Resorts The Leading Leisure Resort Brand in Maldives

Taiwan Best Emerging Destination

HIGHLIGHTS VETA METravelScapes


TravelScapes

Pradip Lulla of Cupid Travel & Tours has been elected unopposed as the Vice

President of Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI). His nomination was proposed by Trust Travel & Tours and seconded by Shrishti Tours & Travels. He earlier held the post of General Secretary, TAFI. The last date for receiving nominations for TAFI national elections for 2016 was 1700 hours on June 15, 2016. After examining the nominations that were received by the TAFI Secretariat in Mumbai, a list of names have been announced of those who have been elected unopposed and those who will be contesting the elections on June 30 at Hyatt Regency in Ahmedabad.

UPDATE

The Port of Kochi welcomed MSC Splendida for her maiden call on April 7 and celebrated the moment with the exchanging of crests to officially celebrate the

ship’s first arrival. This event marks an important moment for MSC Splendida as it is the first time the ship calls a port in India. With this maiden call, the Port of Kochi and India enjoyed the privilege of welcoming one of the largest cruise ships in their history.

The maiden call presented a unique opportunity for the citizens of Kochi and many tourists to witness MSC Splendida in all its splendour. The 333-metre ship is bringing to the sea some of the very latest innovation and technologies and is designed to deliver a unique cruise experience, meeting the needs of guests today and for years to come. One of the most technologically advanced ships at sea, this was the first ship in MSC Cruises global fleet to be fully retrofitted with the ground-breaking MSC for Me digital innovation programme. This guest-centric feature connects holidaymakers with their desired cruise experience through cutting-edge technology that is specially engineered to meet their every need, regardless of how they prefer to use technology when travelling.

At 137,936 GT, MSC Splendida is one of the largest, most modern cruise ships to ever operate in the region. She features 1,637 cabins, 76 per cent of which come with a balcony and can accommodate up to 4,363 guests. The ship, which entered into service in 2009, continues to provide state-of-the-art cruise experiences and, amongst others, features the MSC Yacht Club, an exclusive “ship-within-a-ship” high-end concept which has been designed for the most discerning guests who desire exclusivity and privacy. Offering a broad range of private facilities, MSC Yacht Club guests benefit from exclusive services including a 24-hours personal butler, a dedicated concierge service as well as priority boarding and disembarkation.

Angelo Capurro, Executive Director, MSC Cruises commented, “Calling the Port of Kochi is a great highlight in our journey and it is exciting to deliver an unparalleled cruise experience at this beautiful destination. Kochi is bustling centre of activity, with a rich and varied cultural heritage and a maritime history that goes back many centuries. To be able to call here is privilege and an unforgettable experience we wanted to share with our guests.”

ADTOI (Association of Domestic Tour Operators in

India) presently has nine State Chapters (Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Gujarat, West Bengal+North East, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab, Haryana & Chandigarh) operating in the country. Having good number of ADTOI members in North East, especially in Guwahati (Assam), it was decided to have separate North East Chapter and accordingly ADTOI North East Chapter was launched on 6th April 2019 at Vivanta by Taj, Guwahati coinciding with Rongali Festival with the support of Chief Organiser of Rongali, Shyamkanu Mahanta. ADTOI team lead by its President, P P Khanna and accompanied by Chetan Gupta, General Secretary, Dalip Gupta, Treasurer, Anil Rajput, Joint Secretary and EC Members Ashish Sehgal, Ved Khanna, Vishal Bhatia and West Bengal Chapter Chairman, Debjit Dutta was present on the occasion along with members from North East. Among

those present on the occasion were Rajesh Prasad, Principal Secretary, Razvee Hussain, Addl Secretary Tourism Govt. of Assam, Bhaskar Phukon, Managing Director, Assam Tourism Development Corporation. During the launch of North East Chapter its Office Bearers were nominated –Arijit Purkayastha as Chairman, Sazid Subhan, Secretary, Sudarshan Khound, Treasurer and Shreya Barbara, Lady Entrepreneur Officer (LEO). Khanna during the launch assured of ADTOI’s unstinted support by its members on PAN India basis to promote North East Region among the domestic tourists all the year round. With the improved infrastructure facilities and accessibility to the destinations he expected a rise in the tourist arrivals in all States in the North East in the days to come. Arijit Purkayastha, Chairman designate of the Chapter assured to put in best efforts by his team to promote the region extensively with the support of the state government.

Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) has finalised the dates for the second edition of the India Tourism Mart (ITM).

Subhash Goyal, Honorary Secretary, FAITH, said that the 2019 edition of trade show will be held from September 23-25, 2019 at The Ashoka, New Delhi. He also said that the association is expecting to shortlist around 500 international buyers in this year’s ITM. In 2018, around 250 buyers attended the show. “The process of selection is very transparent, everything detail is available online. For this year’s show, we will also have representatives of the Ministry of Tourism, who will be present in the selection process. This year, we will not allow buyers who came for the show last year,” he informed.

“We have had meetings of the board members, where all the arrangements are being done in a transparent manner. We are also in the process of choosing an advertising and marketing promotion agency. We have already called for tenders and we will be soon finalising it,” he further added.

MSC Splendida makes maiden call in Kochi, India

TAFI announces the dual role of Vice President Pradip Lulla

ADTOI launches its 10th chapter in Guwahati

FAITH confirms final dates for India Tourism Mart 2019

TRADE

Pradip Lulla

P P Khanna

Booking period : 28th Mar – 15th May 2019Travel Date : From 15th May – 30th Jun 2019Double Sharing : USD 352/- Per personInclusions :• 3 Night’s accommodation in Pool suite • Daily breakfast • Return Apt Transfers on Pvt Basis with join Boat/FerryBenefit Included : • Early check in if transfer is arranged on the boat at 1230 pm or on a private boat• THB 2000 Spa Credit Per room per Stay

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Anchor Destinations And Travel Management*Rates may vary due to seasonality and dates

Booking period : 18th March- 30th May 2019Travel Date : From 1st April -31th July 2019Double Sharing : USD 377/- onwards Per personInclusions :• 03 Night’s accommodation in Avani Pool Villa• Daily breakfast • Two way airport transfer on pvt basisBenefit Included : • Early Check In at 10 am.• THB 2000 Spa Credit Per room per stay

Avani Koh Samui

Exclusive Promotions Koh Samui

Travel Date : 28th March - 31st Dec 2019Double Sharing : USD 322/- onwords Per personInclusions :• 03 Night’s accommodation in Deluxe Lawana Room• Daily breakfast • Two way airport transfer on Pvt basisBenefit Included : • Early Check In at 10 am.• THB 2000 Spa Credit Per room per stay

Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Booking period : 18th Mar – 15th May 2019Travel Date : From 01st May – 15th July 2019Double Sharing : USD 377/- onwords Per personInclusions :• 03 Night’s accommodation in Junior Garden View Suite• Daily breakfast • Two way airport transfer on pvt basisBenefit Included : • Early Check In at 10 am.• THB 2000 Spa Credit Per room per stay

Anantara Bophut Koh Samui

Anchor Destinations_april.indd 1 4/12/2019 5:21:25 PM


UPDATE TravelScapes

According to a report, contrary to the expectation that footfall in Hampi

would increase, especially after a group of monuments at the world heritage site was listed number two on the “must see” tourist spots by the New York Times, tourist flow has dipped by nearly a lakh between April 2018 and March 2019. As many as 6,34,145 lakh tourists (6,05,765 domestic and 28,380 foreigners) visited Hampi in this period.

The footfall for the same period last year was 7,30,456 lakh (6,95,903 domestic and 34,553 foreigners). However, tourism officials are hopeful that the numbers will better during the year. The figures provided by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Mini Circle Hampi pertain to tourists visiting ticketed monuments — Vijaya Vittala temple, which houses the stone chariots and musical pillars and is considered as “architectural marvel of human genius”, the Lotus Mahal and the museum.

For children aged below 15 visits to these monuments is free. If school children coming to Hampi on excursion is taken into consideration, the footfall would be almost double, say officials. Though the tourist

season is mostly from September to March, the inflow of foreign tourist is above 500 in the hot months of April, May, June, and July. It gradually increases from August. The number is usually the highest from October to February.

The ASI has also collected a total revenue of INR 3.89 crore —INR 2.22 crore from domestic and INR 1.66 crore from foreign tourists — during 2018-19. However, the revenue was higher compared to the INR 3.51 crore collected last year, although the number of tourists was on the decline. This is owing to increase in the entrance fee.

In an effort to promote Mauritius as a luxury destination in India, Anchor Destination & Travel

Management, a B2B company specialised in niche luxury travel and Shanti Hospitality which owns Mauritius’ uber luxury resort, Shanti Maurice Resort & Spa organised a product presentation and networking dinner for the travel trade in Delhi. Around 50 agents participated in the event.

Deepika Khanna, Founder and CEO, Anchor Destinations & Travel Management said, “Our focus has always been to increase the number of destinations to our DMC network. Mauritius has some of the finest luxury resorts and a host of new resorts are also cropping up. We are currently focussing on niche luxury segment of travel worldwide. That’s the reason we decided to join hands with Shanti Maurice to promote Mauritius as summer season is coming and business is expected to pick up during this time.”

She further added, “Over a period of time, we have seen a shift in accommodation preferences as people are not willing to settle for three-star resorts, they are seeking luxury resorts as a wholesome destination and extended number of night stays. Mauritius is a lucrative destination for Indians.” For a vacation with family Indians usually prefer island destinations and Mauritius has a lot of activities and excursions to offer to them and also to honeymooners. Khanna asserted,

“We don’t have a set target for 2019 in terms of figures but we have a quality target which is the niche segment luxury.”

Namrata Rynjah, Associate Director of Sales, Shanti Hospitality said that the idea was to create a home away from home experience for the guests to relax, spend quality time and unwind with Shanti Maurice Resort & Spa. She informed that India is the fourth largest market for them, UK is on the top followed by Germany and China. Her association with Shanti Hospitality is of five years and she had to initially create awareness about the product but since then they have witnessed a robust growth of 200 to 225 per cent year-on-year. The segment of travellers from India that frequent Mauritius are basically families and honeymooners but they are

now focusing on having more MICE groups and small weddings, from India as they accommodate around 125 to 150 people. The owners have Indian origin and thus the hotel has two Indian chefs and is, therefore, better equipped to cater to the specific requirements of the Indian guests. Talking about this year’s strategy for the India market Rynjah commented, “We are looking at golfers, MICE and small weddings at the resort beside families and honeymooners.” They engage with travel trade via sales calls on a regular basis (meetings clients on a day-to-day basis), seminars, roadshows and selected events. Shanti Maurice Resort & Spa is a five-star boutique resort in Mauritius with wellness being one of its highlights offering 61 suites and 17 villas with private heated pools.

PATA India Chapter’s First ‘Tourism MasterClass’ to be held on May 15, 2019 at the Le Meridien, New Delhi from

9:15 am – 5:30 pm for tourism professionals. It is a platform for gaining knowledge and learning from the experiences of well-known leaders of the tourism fraternity. MasterClass is targeted to attract middle to senior business leaders and help to add to their professional strengths to deliver a differentiated and profitable product offering and will be inaugurated by Assistant Director General (ADG)- Meenakshi Sharma, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.

Tourist footfall in Hampi down by a lakh between April 2018 and March 2019

Anchor Destination & Travel Management and Shanti Maurice Resort & Spa come together to promote Mauritius

PATA India Chapter’s first ‘Tourism MasterClass’ to be held on May 15 in Delhi

TRADE

By Kritika Dua


TravelScapes

MakeMyTrip Limited, has acquired a majority shareholding interest in Mumbai based Quest 2 Travel.com India Private Limited (Q2T), an

internet based corporate travel management company.

Through Q2T’s enterprise software, large corporate clients are able to manage their end-to-end employee travel needs on a real-time basis, in a

transparent and secure manner. Its online booking platform offers the entire workflow of travel procurement, including an employee’s travel request approval, corporate policy compliant online booking, invoice generation, expense management, reimbursement and final invoice settlement. Q2T has been enhancing its platform to meet the requirements of corporate clients for the past several years and serves some of India’s well-known and large corporates including Tata Motors, Aditya Birla Group, Times Group, HDFC Ergo and Thermax.

Deep Kalra, Founder & Group CEO, MakeMyTrip Limited said, “This investment will help us extend our service offerings to large corporates for

their travel requirements while helping Quest2Travel benefit from the travel expertise and depth of supplier relationships thatMakeMyTrip has forged over the years. We have historically focused on providing travel solutions for retail customers and with this investment we are making a decisive foray into providing travel solutions for corporate customers as well.”

Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. has recently entered into a strategic agreement with Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC), Singapore to bring more

tourists from India to Sentosa, a holiday island-in-the-city that is home to a diverse array of novel leisure experiences. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Mahesh Iyer - Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. and Quek Swee Kuan, Chief Executive Officer, SDC, at the Thomas Cook India Group headquarters in Mumbai.

Thomas Cook India’s internal data has revealed a significant and growing-interest from Indian consumers for engaging experiences. With Singapore being a convenient short haul with extended access across India’s metro and regional markets, Sentosa has emerged as a high potential opportunity. This is also evident in Sentosa’s visitorship numbers, with India currently ranked as the island’s top source market.

Leveraging this high growth potential, Thomas Cook India and SDC have entered into the three-year strategic agreement to deepen the relationship between both parties, strengthen Sentosa’s position as a top-of-mind destination for all Indian tourists visiting Singapore, increase Sentosa’s capture rates of the India market particularly in tier II and III cities and grow visitorship to and spend on the island. To this end, both parties will collaborate on a multipronged effort comprising activities such as product development, joint consumer promotions, as well as publicity to raise Sentosa’s profile in the India market.

Srijit Nair has joined Rail Europe’s family as a Regional

Sales Director, Greater India (India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan). He will be based in the Mumbai office. At Rail Europe, Nair will continue and strengthen the relationships with partners, as well as implement marketing plan/activities.

He has worked previously as a General Manager– Sales, heading the NRI business (International Markets/Non Resident Indian) in the B2B & B2C sales structure at Thomas Cook India Ltd. He was was responsible of leading the B2B business channels for the Western and Southern regions. He was actively involved in building the

franchisee model, new acquisitions of franchisee partners and with a focused approach on B2B space especially with the Preferred Sales Agents and the travel agents.

The IATA Agents Association of India (IAAI) welcomed its new committee members for its Maharashtra chapter in Mumbai recently. The new

team includes, Manish Synghal, Dimaz Aviation as President, Rajesh Acharya, Balaji Travels as Vice President, RT Iyer, Farsak Travels as Secretary, and Sarosh Parakh, Aero Agencies as Treasurer. The Managing Committee members include Arvind Tandon, Ark Travels, Rosita Haribal of Travel Forte, Neelu Bhat of Welcome Travels, Chetan Gandhi of Travel 360 Tours & Travels and Siddhartha Shah of Primark Travel House. Presided over by Biji Eapen, National President, IAAI, the team conducted its Annual General Meeting followed by a networking evening. Eapen said, “The previous Maharashtra Committee headed by Chetan Gandhi and Siddharth Shah couldn’t get enough time to actively take forward IAAI matters due lack of time and support. So an extra-ordinary AGM was called on 29 December, 2018 to form an ad-hoc committee to take up the responsibility and nominated a committee headed by Manish Synghal and team.” Since it was a nominated ad-hoc committee, he requested the floor to acknowledge and ratify the nominated committee so that they can officially take over the chapter responsibility. As the floor unanimously accepted and welcomed the new committee, Eapen requested Manish Synghal to proceed with the new team to preside over the meeting.

MakeMyTrip Limited Acquires Majority Stake in Quest2Travel.com

Thomas Cook India inks strategic agreement with Sentosa, Singapore

Rail Europe appoints Srijit Nair joins as Regional Sales Director, Greater India

IAAI welcomes new Maharashtra committee members

UPDATE TRADE

Srijit Nair


UPDATE TravelScapes

Jalesh Cruises, India’s first premium cruise catering to the Indian

domestic and international cruise business, recently christened ‘Karnika’ in an official naming ceremony in Mumbai. Essel Group’s Shreyasi Punit Goenka took on the mantle of the ‘Godmother of the Ship’. Karnika marked the occasion while celebrating the achievements of five Indians who are credited to bring international fame to the country by being the first ones to achieve pinnacle in their fields that included, Milkha Singh, first Indian Athlete to win a Gold at Commonwealth Games (1958), Subhash Chandra, Chairman, ZEE & Essel Group, the first Indian to launch a private satellite TV channel (1992), Actor Sushmita Sen, the first Indian Miss Universe (1994),

Mahesh Bhupati, first Indian to win Grand Slam Tournament (1997) and Mary Kom, the first Indian woman boxer to win Asian Games (2014).

Jalesh Cruises, the first full-fledged

Indian cruise brand promoted by Zen Cruises, which commences its domestic sail between Mumbai and Goa starting April 17 with a 2,000 pax capacity luxury cruise ship, Karnika, will attempt to tap

niche segments of events market like weddings and corporate incentives. The cruise operator has obtained permissions to hold Indian weddings with proper ‘Havans’ (fire place) onboard the ship specially to lure the lucrative Indian weddings market.

Furthermore, Jalesh Cruises and rezREWARDS, an exclusive loyalty programme of RezLive.com, have entered into a strategic partnership that will allow travel agents to redeem their loyalty points for a cruise experience onboard the luxurious Karnika. The cruise experience is already activated on the rezREWARDS portal for travel agents on the rezREWARDS platform. Also, a special postal stamp of INR five was also released on the occasion to commemorate the historic occasion on Indian waters.

Jalesh Cruises to soar the Indian tidesCountry's first premium cruise liner is here

TRADE


TravelScapesSPECIAL FEATURE

A theme park is a place where there is occupancy of many attractive and thrilling alternatives, which attracts a massive crowd of visitors and travellers beyond the existing periphery. In general, theme parks can be defined as a subset of visitor attractions. Visitor attractions are described as permanent resources which are designed, controlled and managed for the enjoyment, amusement, entertainment and education of the visiting public. Lately, the core growth in per capita income is fuelling the demand for theme park tourism, all over the globe. The important drivers that trigger demand in the theme park tourism market are increasing tourism expenditure, growing urban and middle-class population and rising GDP. Most importantly, constant technological upgradation in theme park projects is driving this particular market. Competition in the theme park market is growing, also in terms of an increasing number of parks, but also relative to other uses of leisure. But in different

areas, the theme park market seems to be reaching its saturation point and the parks have to cater to visitors who are getting more and more experienced and demanding.

The growth of digital infrastructure has embedded the ‘fear’ of missing out among the Indian audience. The interesting/myriad experiences by seeing photos and posts of what their friends had been experiencing on social media has fuelled the rise of outdoor experiences. Additionally, an increase in nuclear families especially those belonging to Indian middle-class population with discretionary spending are opting for domestic vacations, short weekend getaways which have equally become popular in recent years. This same trend is believed to also be contributing to on-going growth for theme/amusement parks, which are all about marketing their unique experiences as there is no in-home equivalent to a theme park experience. This mainly arises from the

nostalgia factor that it seeds in. It clearly becomes an experience enhancer, defining the experiences that would come later while accentuating every reason to return. In the years to come, rise of accessible experiences will be gaining prominence.

As rightly pointed out by Raveendra Singh, Associate Vice President, Marketing & Strategic Planning, Adlabs Imagica, customisation has long been the key to help bolster value proposition of the particular destination to travellers and mobile technology proliferation has helped to take customisation to a new level. Therefore, all major online ecommerce players such as BookMyShow, Paytm, Cleartrip, MakeMyTrip, Booking.com, Expedia, to name a few, have consequently added local experiences (activities and must to activities) to its portfolio. In turn, all of these players have transformed themselves into a one-stop-shop solution as these personalised/tailored local experiences drive impulse purchases leading to increased revenue.

In today’s time, theme parks are star players in the tourism industry and play a special and important role in generating tourism demand. Theme parks are the main motivators for tourism trips to many destinations and core elements of the tourism product. With regards to the same thought, TravelScapes explores opportunities on how theme parks are emerging as a whole new market for tourism

ASSESSING THE JOYRIDE OF TOURISMTheme parks modifying the way of travelling

By Team TS


TravelScapes SPECIAL FEATURETravelScapes

As the region’s premier destination for excursions and vacations, Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) is able to offer clients a full and diverse suite of both state-of-the-art and unconventional meeting facilities and venues. Welcoming over 20 million visitors a year is a highly popular lifestyle destination with both locals and tourists from across Asia-Pacific with its five award-winning attractions. The integrated resort has successfully differentiated itself in being able to effectively blend business and

leisure into a total experience in one single destination.

The five attractions of RWS are extremely popular as fun, immersive and alternative MICE venues for clients looking for a different experience. After formal conferences and meetings at the Resorts World Convention Centre, clients can continue their evenings at unique venues such as a mesmerising banquet at the Open Ocean Gallery in the S.E.A.

Aquarium after a leisurely stroll to view the over 100,000 spectacular marine animals. Aquarium also offers specially-customised scavenger hunt programmes for clients who would like to introduce team-building fun into their corporate outings.

An emerging trend is the growing preference among consumers to spend on experiences rather than products. ‘Experiential travel’ has been a buzzword for a while now as millennial of today live life differently and things no longer matter. This population segment stands out because of their bold tastes. Inevitably, the millenials are creating an ‘Experience Economy’. And with this recent trend of always wanting to do something different and in constant search of newer, outdoor experience gripping the Indian audience, the future and growth of tourism sector exhibits huge scalability potential in India.

India has evolved very much, in

terms of entertainment. Theme and amusement parks are an essential part of the global as well as Indian leisure and entertainment industry. With the advancement in technology, the segment of entertainment has become all-inclusive to the consumers. Online bookings of local tours, attractions and even dining have skyrocketed. This is because digital platforms have minimised the gap and enabled local travel businesses and restaurants to connect to larger audiences or mass reach. But mass tourism is no longer sufficient. To escape from run-of-the-mill and homogenised experiences, travellers are seeking out more adventurous

and experiential travel. Experiential categories such as adventure activities, skip-the-line historical experiences, food tours and cooking classes skyrocketed, with year-on-year growth increasing. This trend of experience-driven travel is set to continue and online travel aggregators (OTAs) are gearing up to offer unique tours and activities.

Small amusement parks have already been there as part of tourism in India for a while now. The change that we are observing is that nowadays, many people from the background of real estate and another part of the entertainment industry are investing into theme and water parks, resulting into larger scope for the industry. A large amount of money has been poured

by people so that consumers are getting new options with high technology rides, attraction and its helping to expand the industry.

Rides and attractions are the main reason behind the people to visiting any place for entertainment. However, these things also come with a lot of operation and maintenance expenses. The main bread and butter

of any theme park would be the extra services, which they can offer with food, souvenir shops and other amenities, to name a few.

Chow Keng HaiSenior Vice President-Resort, Resorts World Sentosa

Raveendra SinghAssociate Vice President, Marketing & Strategic Planning, Adlabs Imagica

Smit ShahDirector, Arved Ajwa Theme Park Pvt Ltd


TravelScapes

The rising trends of promoting happiness and well-being for employees and to diminish the stuffy corporate images, many companies are now exploring innovative locations for team-building activities and tourism. Theme parks are now considered as the next MICE destination as more companies are required to offer more to their staff than just the four walls of an

office and the traditional nine-to-five work life. They need to provide stimulation, memorable experiences and perks, all while encouraging an amiable atmosphere that promotes productivity and innovation. As all levels of corporates are encouraged to socialise, theme parks provide the perfect playground for business events and team-building activities. The reminiscence of happy

childhood memories, adventure games and roller-coaster rides can bring out the best in an individual.

Theme and water parks have a great opportunity to work as tourism destinations and also compete with the prevailing ones. Partnerships with hotels, in conjunction with the development of multipurpose spaces, will allow meetings, conferences and events to take place in ‘non-traditional’ locations. Currently, our park hosts meetings for local businesses who desire to provide a unique experience for their colleagues.

The excursion is coupled with waterpark time and this blend offers a great balance of the business and the entertainment, which also acts as an incentive for the employees. As time is a precious commodity, the availability of meeting space coupled with the waterpark is of great value. Our park has a distinct advantage in this area. Wild Wadi Waterpark is owned and operated by Jumeirah International, a leading hotelier in

the region. We benefit because of this, both in providing support to the hotels for their events and working with the business that better fits our capabilities. With the plethora of options available, being able to set ourselves apart and provide something unique, is of great benefit.

Komal SethIndia Representative, IMG Worlds of Adventure

Chris SwartzWaterpark Manager, Wild Wadi Waterpark

The current upsurge in the market for theme parks is being driven by a variety of factors. In addition to a high GDP growth rate and the growing middle-class segment of people, the introduction of a uniform GST rather than a state-wise entertainment tax has also improved feasibility. Other factors driving the industry are increased awareness among the consumers and also the introduction of religion and education-based theme parks in India. Most of the current tourist market for Indian parks is domestic; the introduction of religion-based theme parks opens the door to attracting

foreign tourists to these parks. Many park operators are also looking into taking their companies public as the industry is gaining ground the India market. The future looks quite bright for the industry as we have the advantage of a large population, a majority of which is young.

Compared to other strong Asian economies, our budgets for theme-based parks are comparatively lesser which only proves that there is a long way to go. There are various areas generating revenue through theme-based parks. For the owner, revenue comes by the way of tickets, food and

beverage purchase, merchandising and in some cases provision of storage facilities. Moreover, revenue is generated in the form of tax collected directly along with indirect economic effects such as upsurge in local tourism, train and hotel bookings.

Aditya KhursijaCommercial Director, Parkash Amusement Rides & Fun World

SPECIAL FEATURE


TravelScapesSPECIAL FOCUS - OUTBOUND

With the opening of new visa centres in three prime Indian metro cities, how do you see more Indians travelling to Slovakia?The opening of three visa centres in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, respectively, brings the possibility of convenient and easier access to submit Schengen visa application for Indian travellers.

Our objective is to attract more travellers from India to Slovakia. It all starts with visa applications and therefore, we have taken concrete steps to facilitate and speed up the process, such as launching three new visa centres in India and doubling the capacity of our consular department.

The cooperation with VFS Global also means that the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in New Delhi can process more national 'D visas' for Indian students or future employees of Slovak companies. VFS Global has signed the mandate to service Slovak visa in 10 countries including India through a network of 38 visa application centres.

How do you plan on enhancing the bilateral relations between your country and India in order to boost tourism traffic?In 2018, around 12,000 Indians visited Slovakia with majority of them coming for business purposes. We plan to address agents and tour operators in India in order to get their support for Slovakia as a worthy destination. Developing partnerships with the right agents can have a significant impact on the travellers from India. We also plan to develop closer cooperation between Indian tour operators with the Slovak ones,

based on mutual benefit.

Which all segments and how many of Indian tourists are you aiming for, by the end of the year 2019? We understand that India as a big country that would prefer to explore big countries having a lot of possibilities of tourism. We will try to divert Indian travellers from this approach. We would shift Indian's attention to Slovakia where everybody can find some tailor-made experiences. Our primary focus would be to promote and provide unique packages to the India market.

What are the shifting trends that you have currently noticed amongst the Indian travellers flying to Slovakia?Indian travellers are mostly travelling to Slovakia for business purposes that are usually working for global companies such as TAT Consultancy Services, Amazon, Swiss Re, Orange or for Information Technology (IT) companies such as Dell, IBM, Nokia and Ness, to name a few. Last year, more than 200 Indian employees of newly built KIA Motors factory in the south of India successfully travelled for one month of training to KIA Motors’ Slovakia factory.

Indian businesses have already discovered Slovakia and made it their hub for larger European market, citing around 1.5 billion EUR investment that TATA has made in Slovakia for their Jaguar facility. The launch of the most innovative Jaguar Landrover factory in Nitra might bring the increase of Indian

business travellers from automotive industry.

Considering the growing demand of Indians’ outbound travelling, how do plan to position your destination as a top preference for the market?We do not expect to make Slovakia top preference but we want to attract more significant number of Indian tourists. We are already in negotiations with few companies in order to enhance the promotion of Slovakia as an attractive tourist destination.

There is so much that can be offered to potential tourists even by such a relatively small country. For example, on our territory, one may find 120 historical castles, hundreds of other historical buildings and cathedrals, nine national parks and 7000 natural caves. Also, we have, in total, 30 records in the list of world heritage of UNESCO. The country is also famous for its wineries. There are more than 140 boutique wineries in Slovakia.

Any plans for visa relaxation for attracting more Indian travellers to your country in 2019?Slovakia is a member country of Schengen zone, thus it is processing Schengen visas for Slovakia and following Schengen Visa Code rules. Unless the decision is made by all Schengen countries, no relaxation or concession in the visa processing for Indian citizens is expected. It means that the visa issuing process is the same as to any other European Union (EU) country.

By Sayanti Halder

With the recent opening of the Slovak visa processing centre in New Delhi on March 27, 2019, in association with VFS Global and followed by centres in Mumbai and Bengaluru, H.E. Ivan Lančarič, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Republic in New Delhi shares the progressing steps towards attracting more Indian travellers to Slovakia

SLOVAKIA TARGETS TO SHIFT INDIAN'S ATTENTION FOR TAILOR-MADE EXPERIENCES

H.E. Ivan Lančarič


TravelScapes

CARVING OUT A NICHE IN THE MARKETKARNATAKA TOURISM’S NEW INITIATIVES TO INFUSE INTEREST IN TRAVELLERS

Standing true to its tagline, ‘One State, Many Worlds’, Karnataka has truly embraced the idea of offering the opportunity to scribble your own adventure trail while showcasing the best of what the state has got in store for the travellers. Working in tandem with the theme “Script Your Adventure”, a new brand campaign TVC along with a print ad promotion and marketing collaterals, launched in February this year, Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation has plans afoot to attract the travellers from both within and outside the country during the year 2019. As informed by Pushkar, the promotional video uploaded on the social media channels has crossed 2.5 million views in just seven days. Also in line with the theme, the state tourism is leveraging the best possibilities to give a shout out to the travellers around the world. To further encash on the diverse tourism opportunities in Karnataka, KSTDC recently concluded its promotional roadshows in the month of April recently.

“To boost the state tourism’s promotions and make the industry aware about the state’s offerings, we started with the roadshow in Mumbai

and Goa in March and continued with the same in New Delhi and Lucknow in April. Our aim was to conduct B2B meetings to enable our key stakeholders to meet the travel industry and have fruitful linkages and also familiarise them with the various aspects of Karnataka such as nature, wildlife, adventure, pilgrimage, heritage and culture and many more. We further have plans to organise two roadshows every month, in different Indian cities. On the domestic front, we are also participating in the major travel marts across the country and has been an active participant of mostly all the major marts. On the international front, we participated in eight different European cities last year and this year, we plan to again exhibit there and add a couple more cities on our agenda. Overall, we also participated in five international travel marts. I am certain that these initiatives will actually help in giving us business, establishing contacts and boosting tourism,” Pushkar starts off.

“Talking about the connectivity front, Bangalore has become one of the most connected cities, internationally, ranked three in terms of international

flights. Now the Mysore airport has also become functional, flights have also started from Hampi, connectivity to Chennai started last year and this year, we are expecting to start enhanced connectivity to Hyderabad and Kochi as well. Overall, the entire state is progressing fast in terms of connectivity and we are expecting to boost the same in the immediate future,” he further adds.

When asked about the strategies for promoting and developing the newer tourist segments, Pushkar highlights that the development of coastal tourism is on the cards. “Talking about this particular segment, the beaches here are virgin and unspoiled and have a lot to still explore, unlike the beaches of Kerala and Goa. We also have a lot of water-based activities including scuba diving and the houseboat concept has already come up in certain places and there is an array of other activities that have already gathered a lot of interest among the travellers. Apart from coastal tourism, a lot of eco trails are also getting developed where one can go for a walk in the forest areas. Adventure tourism is another segment that has picked up really well in the recent past

and we are already working on a lot of initiatives to boost this potential segment.”

Further aiming at creating an ideal networking platform, Karnataka Tourism will be organising Karnataka International Travel Expo (KITE) 2019 from August 25 to 27 in Bengaluru. The travel expo will feature around 350 international and domestic buyers interact, network and do business with exhibitors and stakeholders from the state. Pushkar adds, “This is the first time we are going to organise an international level event in Karnataka. Since Kerala has already established its presence through KTM (Kerala Travel Mart), Karnataka also wanted to take a step forward. Keeping the vision in mind, the Chief Minister made its official announcement in the budget programme. Further, we are going to have B2B meetings where 100 international buyers and 250 domestic buyers will be present and around 150 sellers are expected to exhibit at the event. There will be post FAM tours for buyers as well. The show, overall, will help tourism achieve new heights in Karnataka and build relationships across the world”

In a candid conversation with TravelScapes, Kumar Pushkar, IFS, Managing Director, Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) highlights how the new promotional campaign will broaden the spectrum of tourism offerings and acknowledges that the state is all geared up for hosting KITE (Karnataka International Travel Expo) in August this year

Kumar Pushkar

INCONVERSATION

By Gagneet Kaur

TravelScapes


SPECIAL FOCUS WELLNESS

By Lokesh Tuli

MODI YOGA RETREATRECLAIM YOUR MIND, BODY AND SOUL

“Health isn’t about being ‘perfect’ with food or exercise or herbs. Health is about balancing those things with your desires. It’s about nourishing your spirit as well as your body.” And Modi Yoga Retreat, nestled amidst the verdant stretch on the uphill, follows the philosophy of detox and develop. A wellness retreat established to recreate the synergy of mind, intellect and soul by providing holistic wellbeing through the rejuvenating and ancient philosophies of Ayurveda and Vedanta combined with contemporary international therapies to help the individuals in getting aligned with one true self

Rejuvenation and WellnessRejuvenation and special wellness zone in Modi Yoga Retreat offers an extravagant selection for exchanging your exhaustion and dullness with some of their most indulging therapies consisting of Ayurveda, Western and Hydro therapies offering a healthy lifestyle space dedicated to everything from deep tissue massage to colon cleansing as per your dosha and so much more. The focus of these therapies is to enhance the overall wellbeing of the mind and body while bringing completeness to individuals as they find their connectivity with the divine further offering a deep sense of serenity and fulfillment.

Luxurious Living SpacesA synonym for bespoke luxury and the most extravagant taste, Modi Yoga Retreat offers luxurious rooms and suites starting from Superior city view rooms that offer sheer comfort, opulence to the magnificent Ganges view rooms and when it comes to lavish suites, it has Wow Ganges view suite which offers plethora of amenities with awe-inspiring views and last but

never the least is the Modi Presidential Suite offering uninterrupted privacy with a terrace, an outdoor jacuzzi and a butler service at your disposal any time. Offering a perfect rendezvous with luxury and magnificence, the living spaces here make for an intimate and lavish escape.

LocationPositioned at Virbhadra road in Rishikesh exactly at the foothills of the Himalayas on the banks of soothing Ganges, Modi Yoga Retreat is an epicenter of all that is relaxing and unruffled. With a verdant view

and quaint surroundings, one will be left with no choice but to admire the personified opulence and magnificence of majestic Himalayas with the crashing surf as the soothing soundtrack while one cherishes the rendezvous with luxury.

With holistic packages like ‘Rejuvenation’, ‘Detox’, 'Sleep Care', 'Weightloss' and ‘Panchkarma’, the wellness offerings in Modi Yoga Retreat are the ultimate alternatives for utmost welfare and renewal. Anti–ageing, Ayurveda, Medi-spa and medical trips, you name it and the retreat has it!

All in all, Modi Yoga Retreat is what an epicenter of wellness has to offer. So, breathe in the freshness and alter your way of life at the Modi Yoga Retreat!


TravelScapesUPDATE HOSPITALITY

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and SAMHI successfully launched 10 Holiday Inn Express hotels in the country. In November 2017, IHG started its journey with

SAMHI with the signing of 14 hotels within their India hotel portfolio to renovate and rebrand to Holiday Inn Express on par with the global brand standards. September 2018 witnessed the launch of first rebranded Holiday Inn Express hotel in Gurgaon Sector 50. In the following next six months, total of 10 properties were launched across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Nashik, Pune and Chennai.

Pascal Gauvin, Managing Director, IMEA, IHG said, “We are pleased to announce that the newly launched hotels are currently trading at an ADR of INR 3254, and Holiday Inn Express Gurgaon Sector 50 which has been open for six months is operating at 21per cent above the forecasted RevPAR. These numbers are very encouraging and give us confidence in the continued success of the portfolio. Our partnership with SAMHI and launch of the new Holiday Inn Express portfolio has given us a solid foothold in the midscale hotel segment in India. With the recent openings, we now have 27 operating hotels under the Holiday Inn brand family in the country, and a robust pipeline of 33 hotels due to open in next 2-3 years. Through this venture, we have realised that in a market like India, it is imperative to forge partnerships with partners such as SAMHI. Together we will continue to contribute by building a robust hospitality market in the country.”

Sarovar Hotels & Resorts’ aggressive growth continues with the hotel group announcing the signing of a new hotel in the most populous and largest

city of Madhya Pradesh, Indore. One of the fastest growing hotel chains in India with over 80 operational hotels across 50 destinations in India and Africa, the group has signed Sarovar Portico with 88 rooms including suites in Indore.

The city is known for its interesting culture and rich historic importance. It is an emerging commercial powerhouse to the state, making it the preferred destination for the business and leisure traveller. With a prime location, the hotel enjoys excellent access to all key tourist attractions and will be offering all modern facilities including an all-day dining restaurant, gym, swimming pool, and banquet facilities.

Commenting on the development, Anil Madhok, Executive Chairman, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts said, “We are focusing on our expansion plans and the signing of a new hotel is a consolidation of our strategic effort to expand the presence of our brands to newer destinations, hitherto unrepresented. With business, as well as leisure travel, continuing on a spiral growth to this region, we aim to meet the demand for quality accommodation over the coming years. Through our distinctively recognised brands, our effort is to formally establish our hotel brands offering value for money and superior facilities and services to our discerning travellers”.

Marriott International is looking to add 19 new properties and more than 3,000 rooms to its Middle East and Africa portfolio in 2019.

Underpinning a strong demand for its diverse brands, the new additions are in line with the company’s expansion plans to add more than 100 new properties and nearly 26,000 rooms across the region by the end of 2023. Marriott estimates its development pipeline through 2023 represents up to $8 billion of investment from property owners and is expected to generate over 20,000 new jobs across the region.

“Our growth across the Middle East and Africa is fuelled by a strong demand for our diverse range of well-established brands, each offering different attributes that cater to this region’s ever-changing and evolving marketplace,” said Jerome Briet, Chief Development Officer, Middle East & Africa, Marriott International. “This region continues to present us with opportunities to further grow and enhance our portfolio across new and established markets. While the majority of our growth will be through new-builds, we are seeing an increasing number of conversion opportunities, especially in the luxury space.” Year-to-date, the company has opened five new properties in the region and is expected to add 14 more - bringing its portfolio across the Middle East and Africa to nearly 270 properties and over 60,000 rooms - by the end of the year.

SAMHI to invest INR 100 cr for renovating 10 hotels

Sarovar Hotels & Resorts launches in Indore, Madhya Pradesh

Marriott to add over 3,000 rooms to MEA portfolio in 2019

PHOTO STORY

One Above organises roadshow with networking evening across four Indian cities

One Above, a Truly Global Destination Management Services Company recently marked the completion of three months short term goal that is the success of building 25 DMCs across the globe servicing Indian B2B clientele. A roadshow with networking evening was conducted across cities in India covering Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Ahmedabad showcasing all One Above DMCs and supporting partners. The event was well-attended and received an overwhelming response by the tourism fraternity in all

the cities. Along with One Above Global DMCs, various top companies participated in the show

across all four cities such as Centara Hotels & Resorts, Anantara Kalutara Resort, Legoland Malaysia resort & Lexis hotel groups, Angsana Laguna & Banyana Tree

Phuket, Furaveri Island Resort & Spa, Swissotel Hotels & resort, Atmosphere Hotels & Resort, Onyx Hospitality Group, Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts and GO air. It was a mega

success with over 200 agents attending the event.



UPDATE TravelScapes

Accor has announced two majestic hotels in India – Raffles Jaipur and Raffles Udaipur

– in the presence of Accor Chairman and CEO Sébastien Bazin and owner Ratankant Sharma. The iconic Raffles brand is synonymous with luxury, glamour and extraordinary adventure and this announcement signals a new direction for Accor in India, with a stronger focus on luxury and premium brands. Both hotels will deliver a palatial experience in an extraordinary setting along with the famously discreet and personalised Raffles service.

Raffles is renowned for setting the standard for luxury hospitality for over 130 years. With 13 properties across 11 countries, each Raffles hotel represents a carefully curated experience in the most distinguished addresses in the world. Since joining the Accor network in 2015, the brand has

undergone a renaissance, with a strong pipeline that will see the portfolio double in the next few years.

Commenting on it, Sébastien Bazin, Chairman and CEO Accor, said, “It is with immense pride that we announce the arrival of the Raffles brand in India, a hallmark of luxury and sublime service in a country that is famous for delivering luxury at the highest level. With our strategic partners, we look forward to providing an oasis of calm and charm in two of the most incredible destinations in India. We thank Ratankant Sharma and our partners for entrusting us with these landmark properties and we look forward to delivering the distinctive Raffles experience to travellers in India. We also thank Sharma for bringing the first Fairmont to India in Jaipur and extending this partnership to the Raffles brand.”

Hong Kong’s largest hotel group’s sales team was in the country recently for sales and

promotional activities meeting and engaging customers to bring them the latest updates as well as future development of the group. Their sales representatives met with over 200 customers from corporations, professional conference organisers and travel agencies in Mumbai and Delhi. This time, delegates of this sales mission are from Harbour Grand Kowloon, Harbour Plaza Metropolis, Kowloon Harbour Front, Harbour Plaza 8 Degrees and Harbour Plaza Resort City.

“India is a key market for our hotels in Hong Kong. We like to bring to our business partner the latest updates and development of our group which include the recently renovated Harbour Grand Kowloon lobby with the ‘Prisms of light’ – a chandelier of 150,000 pieces Swarovski crystals. In the third quarter of this year, a new tower extension of the hotel with 360 new guest rooms and suites will be opened. This will

bring the total room inventory to close to 1,000, becoming one of the biggest five star hotels in Hong Kong”, said Priyanka, Director of Nijhawan Group, GSA for Harbour Plaza Hotels & Resorts in India.

“We’re opening this fall a new hotel, which will bring the group’s total room inventory in the city to more than 9300 rooms. Hotel Alexandra, with 840 guest rooms, is well located at the North Point harbour front”, said P.C. Koh, Director of Harbour Plaza Hotels & Resorts.

Accor debuts Raffles brand in India with two new hotels

Harbour Plaza Hotels & Resorts hosts roadshow in India

The Palm Beach Hotel, a sister concern of LeSutra, Mumbai, opened the doors to its heritage wing,

the Andhra Arts and Crafts Hotel recently. The new wing, a ‘Microcosm of Andhra’ in itself, boasts around 70 sculptures and 50 art installations that weave in the narrative of Andhra’s arts and crafts within the passages, corridors and residential areas of the hotel, making it the world’s first handicrafts hotel.

Le Sutra Hotel, the World’s first Indian Art Hotel based in Mumbai, is designed on the threegunas or qualities as defined by ancient Indian philosophy, namely - Tamas, Rajas and Satva.Each room in the hotel is a unique representation of the three gunas giving guests a never before seen experience. The Andhra Arts & Crafts Hotel is Le Sutra’s third landmark project, which aims to preserve and bring forth the local craftsmanship of Andhra Pradesh, the other two being the world’s first Indian Art Hotel and Tribal Art Homes.

Designed exclusively by Andhra national award winning artisans, interior designers, craftsmen and sculptors the property for the very first time has all its rooms themed on craft forms likeTholu Bommalata or leather shadow puppetry, Budithi brass work, Kalamkari pen art andEtikoppaka toys to create an evolved aesthetic expression encompassing the #HeartofAndhra. With the additional 24 boutique rooms, the property has joined the ranks of 50 art hotels the world over. And also, holds its uniqueness by being the only handicrafts hotel in the world.

Radisson Hotel Group has reiterated its deep commitment to South Asia at the Hotel Investment

Conference South Asia (HICSA) 2019. Now, with the support of Jin Jiang, the world’s fifth largest hotel company, Radisson Hotel Group is well positioned for significant future growth. The company is already one of the largest international hotel groups in India, with 143 properties and over 16,800 rooms currently operating or under development nationwide. With the recent appointment of Zubin Saxena as Managing Director and Vice President Operations, South Asia, the region is steadfast towards providing value add to owners through strong relationships with an increased focus on operational excellence, both the region’s core pillars of success.

As the group enters the second year of Destination 2022, its five-year strategic roadmap, extensive expansion is underway across this vibrant region. Radisson Hotel Group signed 15 hotels in India in 2018 and it has already signed four more properties in 2019: Park Plaza Amritsar, Radisson Greater Noida, Radisson Gurugram Sohna Road City Center and Park Inn by Radisson Kashipur.

World’s first handicrafts hotel launches in Vizag

Radisson strengthens footprint in South Asia

HOSPITALITY

AJMAN CORNICHE HAS A NEW LANDMARKWalk in,drop your bags and relax. It’s time to unwind, surrounded by the calm blue waters of the Arabian Gulf. With 179 luxurious rooms, we look forward to your stay with us.

Experience some of the best cuisines in Ajman with our all-day dinning restaurant and our speciality seafood restaurant. Indulge yourself with our pool bar, jacuzzi and spa.

Welcome to Wyndham Garden. It’s your new address in Ajman Corniche.

wyndhamgardenajman.com

Wyndham Garden Ajman Corniche is operated by R hotels under a franchiseagreement with Wyndham Hotel Group

[email protected]

AJMAN CORNICHE HAS A NEW LANDMARKWalk in,drop your bags and relax. It’s time to unwind, surrounded by the calm blue waters of the Arabian Gulf. With 179 luxurious rooms, we look forward to your stay with us.

Experience some of the best cuisines in Ajman with our all-day dinning restaurant and our speciality seafood restaurant. Indulge yourself with our pool bar, jacuzzi and spa.

Welcome to Wyndham Garden. It’s your new address in Ajman Corniche.

wyndhamgardenajman.com

Wyndham Garden Ajman Corniche is operated by R hotels under a franchiseagreement with Wyndham Hotel Group

[email protected]


UPDATE MoT

By Sayanti Halder and Kritika Dua

INDIA: A BURGEONING SUPPLIER OF

OUTBOUND TOURISTS

CENTRE STAGE TravelScapes


TravelScapes

A world driven by excitement to visit new places and have unique travel experiences, the tourism industry adds a vital contribution to a country’s economy. A sizable population of Indians is also on a travelling spree due to rising disposable income and changing lifestyles. The India outbound market is already huge and doesn’t show any signs of slowing its growth. It is rapidly becoming one of the fastest growing outbound travel markets in the world, second only to China. The National Tourist Offices (NTOs) are leveraging on this opportunity and showing increased interest in the India market that can be witnessed through their marketing and promotional activities but it has its own roadblocks. Here, the Indian travel trade

comes into play as the international tourism boards connect with them to increase their brand’s awareness and understanding in the market. The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), meanwhile, has forecasted that India will account for 50 million outbound tourists by 2020. TravelScapes gets talking to the senior representatives from the Embassies and NTOs to further comprehend their key agenda to increase the knowledge of the respective countries among the travel trade which in turn will boost indirect marketing for their destinations. We also try to decipher with the aid of NTOs, the productiveness of the familiarisation (FAM) trips organised for the travel trade.

Luis Cabello, Commercial Counsellor-Commercial Office of Peru in India, Embassy of Peru

Bejan Dinshaw, Country Manager, Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi

Engagement with the Indian travel trade has been our priority for the last two years, resulting in the formulation of an annual plan to further improve the awareness regarding Peru as a tourist destination. Peru offers something to every kind of traveller and lends itself to every segment of travel, be it FIT, GIT or MICE. In terms of sectors, Peru is internationally recognised as a destination rich in history, culture, gastronomy and adventure. Thus, our engagement with the travel trade has been and will continue to be specific to the target market.

First few months of this year has been very fruitful as we have participated in the travel trade events in addition to executing a FAM trip for a group of seven tour operators in March. Peru has also been present in other crucial events in India and abroad. For the coming months, we are looking forward to increasing the engagement within the trade fraternity with activities such as roadshows in multiple cities, door-to-door visits to important agents in the trade and focused meetings for Peruvian or Indian operators looking to meet

their counterparts specialising in niche segments and markets. Related activities such as webinars dedicated to increasing the knowledge on the destination, in addition to launching online courses for the travel trade are also on the map for us.

Though it is still too soon to tell, we are positive that the numbers of Indians visiting Peru will continue to grow, following the trend we have been seeing in the last two years, with a growth of over 21 per cent year-on-year. Recently we concluded a FAM of almost two weeks in Peru, which was organised by the Trade Office of Peru in India, in collaboration with LATAM airlines and the Association of Inbound Tour Operators of Peru (APOTUR). FAM trips, in my opinion, are extremely fruitful in the promotion of a destination here, when planned in a strategic manner.

Our presence in the market says a lot about our initiatives. We participate in all the major travel trade shows in India. Regular training sessions with various tour operators are also conducted to impart knowledge to them. We are closely connected with associations such as TAAI, through which we train travel agents across India. Our own roadshow also helps us to network and educate people. Stakeholders from Abu Dhabi take part in these roadshows in key markets of India; this gives them a chance to directly interact with people from the travel fraternity. Consumer events such as Abu Dhabi Week helped us to connect with the consumer directly; we are planning more such events in key markets in India.

Familiarisation trips are a perfect route for destination

experience. There is a big difference between knowing a destination and experiencing it. When someone travels to a destination, he does not only learn new things but also various pre-conceived misconceptions are busted. There are various features of a place which one gets to know only after experiencing the same. We have been hosting trips for travel agents, corporates, wedding planners and media, in order to showcase them the various facets of the destination. This has helped us to maintain the visibility of the destination in the India market and several leads have been generated through such FAM trips.

CENTRE STAGE


TravelScapes

Sara Sodhi Juneja, Country Head - India, Visit Finland

Arzan Khambatta, Head- Czech Tourist Authority, Czech Tourism, India

Visit Finland, in order to increase the engagement with the travel trade in India and to educate them about the destination, conducted roadshows in Delhi and Mumbai which were very well attended by the Indian travel fraternity owning to the increased popularity of the destination. MATKA 2019 – Northern Europe’s biggest travel fair held in Finland hosted a buyer delegation from India in 2019 which was attended by agents from leading travel companies. Visit Finland is also organising the first ever Midnight Sun Workshop in June 2019 showcasing Finland as a summer destination with a dedicated hosted buyer delegation from the India market. Finland

received a very warm welcome in the India market with the arrivals growing by 15 per cent from India to Finland in 2018. We are focusing on developing Finland as an all-year destination for Indians and are expecting good growth in 2019, as well.

Apart from targeting families, experiential travellers, business visitors, honeymooners and leisure travellers, one of the main focuses this year would be the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) segment. The Czech Tourist Authority – CzechTourism continues to promote the ‘Land of Stories’ through various promotional activities, including sales visits, training, familiarisation trips and joint co-ops with various travel agents.

One of the most successful FAM trips that we have had so far was the blogger FAM in December focusing on the Christmas Markets of the Czech Republic. This particular media FAM trip reached over 10 million people. The FAM

trips with trade and traditional media have been equally successful as during these trips, we aim to focus more on places beyond Prague that the Czech Republic has to offer. This year, we have a few FAM trips coming up in tandem with our theme, ‘Land of Stories’, happening in Prague and Brno and cultural experiences of castles and chateaux, where families can rejuvenate and relax amidst nature.

CENTRE STAGE

Kenichi Takano, Executive Director, Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO)

In 2018, we recorded a growth of 14.7 per cent amounting to 154,029 Indian tourist arrivals. Indian tourist has given confidence to JNTO to explore newer horizons. Soon, we will also see direct flight connection to Japan from Chennai and Bangalore by ANA and JAL, respectively. In response to that, we will expand our reach and will introduce Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Kolkata for trade promotion and destination seminar activities in the current financial year, reaching out to new travel agents and keen to make good relationship with them.

This year is already head started with Japan destination seminar for travel agents in Delhi and Mumbai together with participation in SATTE and OTM and celebrity FAM (familiarisation) trip. All this, together, has changed the business landscape of Indian travel

and tourism industry. In response to this effect, we have aligned our marketing programs with FAM trips. FAM trips designed for media, travel agents, bloggers, foodies and celebrities and also amplified with right media mix to enhance the awareness of Japan and introduce the new activity in Japan like a summer festival and new destination like Tohoku, which Indian travellers do not know. End of February, we did a wedding FAM trip. Few Indian wedding planners visited Okinawa, beautiful island located southern part of Japan, for the first time. Local government in Okinawa and Japanese hotels there are now keen to promote this beautiful island as a new wedding spot.


TravelScapes

Claudio Zemp, Director-India, Switzerland Tourism

Lubaina Sheerazi, India Representative, Ministry of Tourism, Oman

Since the last few years, we have witnessed a robust evolution in the India tourism market. Travellers today, want to go beyond the typical travel routine, looking to go more off-the-beaten path, explore new destinations and engage in a variety of experiences. Aside from surging interests from group travellers, we are also seeing a rise in Free Independent Travellers (FITs). They are now travelling to Switzerland beyond the peak April to June season and are engaging in a wide array of experiences from excursions, to culinary and adventure. Through the different activities and initiatives offered by Switzerland Tourism, we want to educate the Indian travel trade about Switzerland and its various travel products and services. This includes our partner destinations, activities offered by them and the Swiss Travel Pass – an all-access

ticket to Switzerland’s public transportation network.A FAM trip for the trade enables them to experience

Switzerland as the destination and its travel offerings. It is a learning experience which in turns helps them to sell the destination to their clients. Although, our outlook on ‘FAM trips’ is slightly different and unique, as they are always interlinked or done in conjunction with our activities and initiatives in India such as webinars and e-learning program contests. Our workshop in Switzerland also includes pre and post-tours in order to give our trade invitees an opportunity to experience Switzerland and sample the various travel offerings.

Firstly, setting up an office in India that represents the Ministry of Tourism Oman opened avenues to interact with the travel trade fraternity and over a period of time we have managed to create awareness about Oman and its tourism products through multiple mediums. One-on-one meetings, product presentations, training, TV and print advertising, marketing collaborations, public relations activities and direct marketing has played an essential role to educate travel trade and build brand Oman in India. In order to keep the trade updated with all the latest news and announcements, we also share newsletters regularly via e-mails. In addition, we conduct roadshows every year which is a unique interactive platform with prefixed meetings that gives trade partners and travel agents in the Indian market an opportunity to interact and learn more about the diverse product offerings and experiences that Oman has to

offer. Roadshows conducted so far in various cities within India have received a remarkable response and we have scheduled our 2019 roadshow in Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune towards the end of May.

Familiarisation trips offer the first-hand experience to the trade or media who are the key sellers and influencers of a destination. Showcasing the product to them and guiding them personally through the destination has helped us to educate the trade better which has eventually resulted in a growing number of arrivals to Oman. Conducting familiarisation trips for travel agents, wedding planners, media and influencers to showcase the key attractions of the destination and new developments taking place in Oman, has helped to create awareness among the mature and evolved traveller.

Nishant Kashikar, Country Head, Tourism Australia

Tourism Australia believes in continuously engaging with travel trade partners and taking them along on the journey of making Australia the most desirable place on earth. This is done through various webinars, face-to-face training programs, trade events and familiarisation trips where off-beat experiences, new accommodations, recent trends and attractive offers are highlighted. In fact, Tourism Australia was one of the pioneers of the online training program for travel agents, the Aussie Specialist Program where front-line sellers are equipped with the right knowledge to sell Australia. In addition to this, trade partners are regularly kept up-to-date on the destination through webinars and face-to-face training, ensuring a personal element that is so essential while undertaking training initiatives. To further add a layer of authenticity and build good advocacy for Australia, agents are also invited down under for trade events such as Australia Tourism Exchange, Dreamtime and

Corrobboree to experience the destination and build relations with the Aussie travel trade fraternity.

The concept of hosting FAM trips aligns with Tourism Australia’s strategy of leveraging the power of advocacy by talking about real stories and sharing real experiences. At Tourism Australia, we have devised a program called ‘Friend of Australia’ to foster mutually beneficial and long-term ‘friendship’ with those that we regard as positive and influential story-tellers. Besides our Friend of Australia program, we regularly engage with top Indian influencer chefs, food connoisseurs and critics, travel influencers, amongst others to highlight the different aspects of the destination. These familiarisation initiatives have helped us achieve an arrival footfall of 357,700 as of December 2018.

CENTRE STAGE


TravelScapes

Sanjay Sondhi, CEO, OM Tourism

Pinki Arora, Marketing Representative- North & East India, Bangladesh & Nepal, Tourism Authority of Thailand

Romit Theophilus, Director Sales & Marketing, German National Tourist Office-India

Various workshops for the Indian tour operators, meetings with golf operators, wedding planners and MICE agents, interacting with the production house are the regular activities conducted by Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) in the India market in order to educate and promote Mauritius as a perfect destination in the metro and other tier II and III cities. MTPA India also conducts familiarisation (FAM) trips for select agents from leading travel companies across India to showcase various offerings of Mauritius and give a flavour of the exceptional hospitality, cuisine, wellness, golf, adventure and many more.

FAM trips are a first-hand experience for the tour operators, MICE agents, wedding planners and media

personnel. Seeing is believing! And there is nothing like a FAM tour to turn an agent into a firm believer – in our product(s). FAM tours allow us to showcase different aspects of our destination directly to potential partners. FAM trips add to the participants’ knowledge base and motivate them to promote the sampling of the destination. A well organised FAM tour can reach the highest ROI of all marketing platforms raising the sales indicator to double digits.

To promote new destinations and products in Thailand for Indians travellers, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) continues to educate the travel agents and tour operators through sales calls, product presentations roadshows familiarisation trips and more. Apart from this, we also regularly send out interactive e-mailers and update our social media with new attractions and information about the upcoming and on-going activities/festivals in Thailand. To promote Thailand as a great wedding destination, TAT provided e-training for wedding planners through a micro called www.myweddinginthailand.com, which would give them in-depth information and understanding of organisation Indian weddings and special occasion celebrations in Thailand.

Familiarisation trips for travel agents are a good way to showcase, with a first-hand experience, new destinations and attractions in Thailand that they can further sell to their clients. It also gives the agents an opportunity to visit different hotels and resorts suited for Indian travellers. Wedding FAMs have been extremely beneficial to us as the planners get to experience the destination and venues so it becomes much easier for them to convince their clients to choose Thailand. Thailand has had fairly good traction and gets around 400 Indian weddings, yearly.

Destination Germany, which has always used new and innovative strategies to promote itself, launched its Web-Based Destination Training Module www.germanyspecialist.com in December 2017. The platform which has around four interactive and informative training modules is prepared so tour operators can easily access all essential information required to create interesting itineraries for Destination Germany. The platform already has over 1000 registered tour operators seeking to improve their knowledge of the destination and aiming at being certified ‘Destination Germany Specialists’.

Germany continues to be one of the most favoured destinations for Indian travellers. Corporates are seeking newer destinations for MICE trips beyond traditional destinations and themes, thereby looking for unique

experiences. Expenditure on accommodation, food and dining would be important parameters while deciding on a destination. In Europe, Germany is the most preferred destination for incentives, amongst all the cities, Munich and Berlin continue to be amongst the top favourites, with these cities becoming very popular for MICE visits. Our sales visits in the past to smaller tier II and III cities have proved that Germany is now being included in itineraries for a longer duration. While earlier most itineraries included only a drive-through in Germany, now many over a minimum of II overnights. The most popular region still continues to be Bavaria, The Southwest of Germany and Frankfurt and its neighbouring regions.

CENTRE STAGE


TravelScapesHOTEL FEATURE

SEEK SOLACE IN SPIRITUALITY

SHRI RADHA BRIJ VASUNDHARA RESORT & SPA

An aesthetically pleasing, one of its kind, idyllic hideaway Shri Radha Brij Vasundhara Resort & Spa exudes calm vibes. This is where the devotees of Krishna and all those seeking to break the monotony of city life should consider for unwinding and being at leisure

Situated at the feet of divine Govardhan Hill, the mountain which was lifted by Lord Krishna to offer shelter to villagers from heavy rain, this remarkable resort offers a mélange of splendour and spirituality. Spread across an area of 26 acres, Shri Radha Brij Vasundhara Resort & Spa boasts of 50 luxury cottages and its best part is that each cottage offers a glimpse of the mighty Govardhan Hill. Mathura station is the closest railway station and from there, it’s a half an hour drive through the city. The resort is about a three hours’ drive from Delhi. The well positioned property has multitude of popular tourist destinations in the vicinity as most of them are within 30 minutes’ drive ranging from Barsana to Gokul, Nandgaon, Vrindavan and Deeg.

The unique resort is laid out in the shape of a tree with the pathway replicating the tree shape and 10 clusters of 24 cottages each as the branches. Each cluster is named after an Indian river. The whole theme has been conceptualised to connect guests with the nature and 80 per cent of the resort area is green, covered with softscaping.

With the theme “come discover the joy of living” cottages are designed to help the guests enjoy their

break from daily grind of life and explore the richness of life. The vast and capacious resort comprises ornate cottages wherein each is spread across an area of 1275 sq. ft. Each cottage opens into its mini private tastefully landscaped lush greenery. The two spacious yet cosy bedrooms along with the living room are best suited for families and long stay guests. For the spiritually inclined or those on pilgrimage, there is a striking temple with idol of Shrinathji, right in the middle of manicured lawns.

Anubhuti the Spa is a one of its kind spa treatment and is the only one in the Braj region. The resort is famed for its candle massage and scrub in which oil from the melting candle is used for massaging the body. Couple Journey is a relaxing package for couples comprising full body rituals. This resort is the ideal retreat for couples looking to unwind after their tiring trip to local attractions or to the seventh wonder of the world, The Taj Mahal, which is just one hour 30 minutes’ drive from the resort. The families on a vacation can indulge in spa, gymnasium, all-weather indoor swimming pool along with sauna, steam and Jacuzzi. There is a wide variety of sports such as board games, table tennis, billiards, air

hockey to keep them engaged and entertained. The resort is ideal for destinations weddings and

especially for the international tourists who are looking to get married in authentic Indian style. The layout of the resort is best suited for intimate weddings. It has three well-appointed banquets spaces, ranging from capacity of 150 to 1500 people. Shri Radha Brij Vasundhara Resort & Spa has everything in to place to be a perfect destination for those looking for off-beat experience of off-site office meetings, theme-based weddings, birthday parties and hosts of other family engagements. On one hand the resort provides sheer solitude to spiritually inclined, while on the other hand its green, plush environment is replete with all the modern facilities and the perfect setting to the busy corporate executives looking to spend quality time with family and friends.

Tanya Agrawal, Director of the resort says, “Though we have all the modern facilities in our resort yet we have tried to connect our guests with the nature by following environment conservation measures. Vehicles have restricted entry inside the property; guest transportation is mainly via battery-operated club cars. We have cycles in resort for guests to ride. The entire guest stationary is made up of recycled brown paper. All the horticulture waste (dry leaves) is used to produce manure on site and there is no procurement from outside. Sewage Treatment plant is installed to treat water which is then used for horticulture. Rainwater harvesting is in practice. Organic (chemical free) products are being used in spa for treatments.

4th Floor Ashoka Estate, 24 Barakhamba Road, New Delhi -110001Tel: +91-11-23354377/23354373/43667124/43667125

kuwaitairwasys www.kuwaitairwasys.com

Kuwait Final.pdf 1 4/12/2019 12:58:39 PM


UPDATE TravelScapesGITB

The 11th edition of the Great Indian Travel Bazaar Exhibition (GITB) 2019 kicked off recently in Jaipur with pre-scheduled 5,600 B2B meetings. Joint Secretary, Tourism, Government of India, Suman Billa inaugurated the event in Jaipur on April 29. Also present on the occasion were Sreya Guha, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Art & Culture, Government of Rajasthan; Dr. Jyotsna Suri, Past President, FICCI & Chairperson, FICCI Tourism Committee; Aashima Mehrotra, Director, Tourism, Government of India and Kenji Hiramatsu, Ambassador of Japan to India.

Around 10 states besides the host state Rajasthan participated this year: Gujarat, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha, Goa, Punjab and Chandigarh.

Rajasthan's luxury train, Palace on Wheels (POW) bagged deal worth INR 5.2 crores during the GITB 2019 on account of 20 per cent advance bookings for the next two seasons of 2019 to 2020 and 2020 to 2021.

The two drafts were presented to Sreya Guha,

RECORDS OVER 11,000 PRE FIXED MEETINGS BETWEEN BUYERS AND SELLERS

THE 11TH EDITION OF

Principal Secretary, Tourism, Government of Rajasthan at the Rajasthan Tourism pavilion. The first draft of INR four crores was presented by Naveen Kundu, CEO, Ebix Group, and Arun Kundu, Managing Director of Mercury. Total business from Ebix Group will be INR 20 crores in the season. The second draft worth INR 1.5 crore was presented by Manish Saini, CEO, Worldwide Rail Journeys on account of 20 per cent advance booking for the seasons of 2019 to 2020 and 2020 to 2021.

The next two upcoming seasons (2019 to 2020 and 2020 to 2021) of POW already have an advance booking of 40 per cent. With deposits of day one, the total advance bookings are now at 80 per cent.

Also present on the occasion of the draft presentations were Managing Director, Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC), Dr Kunj Bihari Pandya; Director, Tourism, Government of Rajasthan, Dr. Bhanwar Lal; Executive Director, RTDC, Manish Goyal; Executive Director (Finance), RTDC, Lalit Verma and General Manager, Palace On Wheels, Pradeep Bohra.

By Team TS

GITB 2019CONCLUDES ON A SUCCESSFUL NOTE


UPDATETravelScapes GITB

GITB 2019 ended with euphoria among the travel trade at Jaipur Exhibition & Convention Centre (JECC), Sitapura on April 30. The buyers and sellers expressed great satisfaction on account of over 11,000 pre-scheduled B2B meetings held over the course of two days.

Speaking about the success of the Mart, Guha said that GITB has been hugely successful in attracting serious buyers and sellers. The participation of 11 states including the Host State of Rajasthan shows that the mart has established itself across the country. Queries for the next edition of GITB have already started pouring in with more state governments looking to participate next year.

Lal said that GITB has established itself as a leading event in terms of FTOs who take part in the Mart in large numbers. The event has grown in stature over the years with a humble beginning in 2008 from the Birla Auditorium. GITB has been beneficial not only to Rajasthan but for other States as well.

Co-Chairman of FICCI Rajasthan State Council and Secretary General of Indian Heritage Hotels Associations (IHHA), Randhir Vikram Singh said that GITB has been an excellent networking platform for stand-alone hotels which can interact with foreign buyers and meet all the stakeholders under one roof. With well-screened buyers, GITB is much stronger than other marts organised in the country. Here the sellers can pick and choose which parties they are interested in connecting with and pre-schedule their meetings accordingly.

Former President of Rajasthan Association of Tour Operators (RATO) Khalid Khan said that since its inception, GITB has been evolving and has become bigger and better with each passing edition. The Mart has had a substantial impact on the footfalls and impact of tourism in Rajasthan.

Over the years, GITB has evolved as one of the

biggest travel and trade shows in South Asian subcontinent. The first day of GITB 2019 had 5,600 pre-scheduled meetings between major inbound foreign buyers and 300 exhibitors from the hospitality and travel trade. In all, there were over 11,000 structured meetings at GITB 2019 over the two days.


TravelScapes

ENRICHING. ENCHANTING. ENLIGHTENINGA land of rich history and culture, Odisha boasts of several beaches, monuments, temples,

Buddhist sites and artistic heritage. It’s a perfect mélange of magnificent architectural wonders and pristine natural beauty. Jotted below are some of the reasons to visit this

coastal state

ODISHA

By Team TS

BEACHESExperience solitude amidst the serenity of the golden sun kissed beaches of Odisha. Blessed with a 480 km coastline, the state offers some of the most

untouched azure beaches that you can set foot on in the country. Dotted with casuarina and mangrove forests, here you can have a rejuvenating time amid the soothing waters. From the mystifying receding Beach at Chandipur, to the Puri – Konark Marine Drive soaked in calm divinity and the alluring sights at

the Olive Ridley nesting at Rushikulya, the beaches of Odisha will surpass your expectations and charm you beyond imagination.

EXOTIC INDIA


TravelScapes EXOTIC INDIA

FOREST & WILDLIFEEnliven your trip with unadulterated wilderness at Odisha as its striking landscape is home to around nineteen wildlife sanctuaries, two national parks including a UNESCO biosphere reserve Simlipal, two tiger reserves and several wetlands including Chilika Lake. The coastal state’s wilderness is a beautiful revelation for many allowing them to reconnect with nature. The most incredible testimony to the centrality of conservation efforts in ensuring shared prosperity are the 24 night-stay properties managed by local communities.

BUDDHIST SITES Away from the hustle and bustle of the city life along the river banks and serene surroundings, live remnants of Odisha’s glorious tryst with Buddhism. The rich depository of the Buddhist history is reflected in Odisha’s Buddhist monuments and the influence of this religious belief can be found in the socio cultural life of the people. Some of the not-to-be-missed buddhist sites in Odisha are Dhauli Shanti Stupa or the Peace Pagoda, Jirang Monastery and Diamond Triangle of Odisha: Lalitgiri, Udaygiri and Ratnagiri.

ARTS AND CRAFTSIn ancient and medival times Odisha was known as Utka which means a land of excellence in art and craft. The art forms of any state are a visual manifestation of its rich cultural heritage. It is the case with Odisha as well as its art and craft reflect on a tradition which the tourists can witness in the imagination and skill of the craftsmen visible in their various artworks. The vibrant and diverse arts and crafts of Odisha include stone work, silver filigree, wood craft, appliqué work, brass and bell metal work, dhokra castings, pattachitra, paper mache to terracotta, tie & dye textile in cotton, tassar and silk.


TravelScapes

BahrainSun-kissed beaches, resplendent mosques, pearl diving, body flight experience, multiculturalism and delectable cuisine are among the many reasons travellers are lured to the Kingdom of Bahrain. It’s a destination that will suit all tastes and every pocket. Traversing this enchanting country, TravelScapes got the opportunity to discover that there’s much more to it

A stroll into history and culture A UNESCO World Heritage site Qal'at al-Bahrain or Bahrain Fort has a vivid history dating back to around 5000 years and it was indeed the perfect introduction to Bahrain for us, as to know a country, one has to know its history. The Bahrain Fort is the site of the former capital of Dilmun and one of the most significant archaeological sites in the Arabian Gulf. Bahrain was home to the waves of civilisation over many centuries, spanning Dilmun, Tylos, Portuguese and Ottoman and its traces can be witnessed in Qal'at al-Bahrain through the various types of stones in the fort among other elements. We were told that human and fish skeletons, pearls, date syrup traces were found during the excavations here. The site has a spring water beach in the vicinity wherein in the evening hours one can enjoy horse rides or gaze at the setting sun. The fort looks splendid during sunset. A record of the Dilmun civilisation has been preserved in the Bahrain National Museum which you can visit to dig deeper into the Dilmun history.

Another UNESCO World Heritage site, Renovated houses in Muharraq is among the renowned cultural offerings in Bahrain that aptly captures the essence of the old traditional architecture and interiors in its traditional Bahraini houses. We also spotted some interesting graffiti along the way and some cute drawings on the walls by kids. We were told that locals still live inside these houses. It is also known as the Bahrain Pearling Pathway as the alleys were used by pearl divers to reach the port. As you enter the area you can witness Bukhalaf Coffee Shop with aesthetic and authentic Bahraini decor. Some of the highlights

of Renovated houses in Muharraq tour for us were House of Art, Sheikh Ebrahim lecture hall, Sheikh Ebrahim Bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Centre for Culture & Research, Kurar House (house of weaving), Ibrahim Al Arrayed House of Poetry, Abdullah Al Zayed House for Bahraini Press Heritage, all of which were symbolic of Bahrain’s rich heritage. While you are here, indulge in a traditional Bahraini feast or try the famous Arabic coffee at Raazji .

We witnessed jaw-dropping opulence at Al Fateh Grand Mosque which was built to honour the founder of modern Bahrain, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Muhammad Bin Khalifa, who was known as 'Al Fatih' (the conqueror). We were awestruck by the surahs engraved in kufic calligraphy and splendid geometrical patterns. The guide, Magdi Osman revealed that the magnificent beige brick-and-stone mosque has marble flooring from Italy, carpet in the prayer halls is from Scotland, a three-and-a-half-tonne Swarovski crystal chandelier from Austria that enhances the splendour of the main hall, teak used in the doors were brought from India and the hand-blown glass lamps are from France. The dome is one of the largest fibreglass domes in the world.

Myriad adventures and leisureBahrain is an exciting destination for adventure enthusiasts and offers plethora of adrenaline filled escapades besides pearl snorkelling. We began our affair with a daredevil drive, the 4x4 Land Rover experience. We were caught up in the thrill and excitement during the whole off-roading experience wherein on a 3.5 km natural track, there were a

series of trails filled with 27 obstacles such as slow rising, axle twister, steep climbs, daredevil descents, staircases and more which the Land Rover Discovery overcame like a pro.

We also got the opportunity to visit the SAKHIR tower (King's friends and relatives watch the F1 action from here), control room and Media Centre.

After a short training, we took on the wheels on its state-of-the-art karting track to get a very first taste of the fast-paced motorsport. It proved to be an adrenaline filled extraordinary experience.

The next awaited adventure was indoor skydiving at Gravity to experience the phenomenal feeling of a freefall in one of the tallest wind tunnels in the world. The tunnel is 12 m high and is constructed with tempered glass. Relax, hold still and overcome your fears as there is a trainer holding you and flying with you towards the top of the wind tunnel in the second round of the skydiving experience. And we finally headed to the ultimate adventure pearl snorkelling, the famed Bahraini adventure. It began via a boat to Amwaj Marina but only swimmers can try their hands at pearl diving so the diver Baher Eldahan plunged into the sea and was inside for almost an hour and came back with 27 oysters. We enjoyed the breeze, azure water and the exciting process of opening each oyster (taught by Eldahan) in search of the pearl but none of us was lucky enough to find one. It’s one of the only places in the world where you can dive and even take the pearl (if you are lucky enough to find one) as the most unique souvenirs.

For some leisure time, tourists can consider visiting Al Dar Island via a sea taxi and can witness several

AROUND THE WORLD

By Kritika Dua


TravelScapes

dhows before taking the sea taxi. You know that you are here when you hear groovy music, people going for a swim or trying water sports, families enjoying a hot barbeque or simply relaxing in the beach huts. It also has villas where people can stay for the night after partying. Marassi Beach is one of the cleanest, most-pleasant beaches in Bahrain so one can relax in the lounge chairs with umbrellas, indulge in some water sports, grab a bite at any of the restaurants with a scenic view. Both Al Dar island and Marassi Beach have kids zone or a playground area. Getting up-close with the camels makes for an interesting Bahraini experience, click selfies or feed them at the Camel Farm which has around 450 camels. The farm is owned by Mohammed bin Salman Al Khalifa. To unwind drive through the King Fahd Causeway or Bahrain Saudi Bridge which connects Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and enjoy the serene views from the Bahrain side.

Gastronomical gems Food is one of the most heartfelt and authentic expressions of tradition, history and culture and Bahrain will spoil you with a wide range of options. Thus, it will not be incorrect to say that it’s a heaven for non-vegetarians but it does not disappoint the vegetarians as well. A homegrown family eatery Al Abaraaj is famous for its grills and Middle Eastern cuisines which the tourists visiting Bahrain should definitely try but if you want to go for a hip district with cool street art and a party vibe, then look no further than Block 338 having a row of restaurants and some art galleries, where you can find a mix of locals, tourists and expats. Every three to six months a new restaurant opens in this area. We indulged in the fine-dining restaurant operated by a Michelin starred chef Vineet Bhatia. Rasoi by Vineet takes you on a delectable journey of contemporary Indian cuisine. Start your day with a Bahraini breakfast at Haji’s Cafe 1950 in the Manama Souq, especially the non-vegetarians can relish a breakfast or you can also consider gorging on

Saffron Royal Breakfast Saffron by Jenna in Muharraq for the authentic dishes such as Balaleet, Egg Tomato, Kabab roll, Saffron drink or Karak Chai (masala chai). As you step into Villa Mamas, it welcomes you with a warm ambience and aesthetic décor, the fragrance of fresh ingredients, herbs and spices soothes the senses and perfectly complements the dishes, be it meat, fish, chicken or vegetarian. Here you can also purchase soaps, chocolates, molasses, olive oil and other organic produce. The impressive menu comprising Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine also boasts of a range of vegan and gluten-free options. Buffet at Art Rotana Amwaj Islands and Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay are among the best choices and will surpass your expectations if fine dining is what you are seeking. Some of the must try traditional Bahraini delicacies are Qoozi, Bahraini Kebab, Gahwa and Halwa.

From souqs to storesWandering through the bustling streets of Bahrain, we indulged in retail therapy in gleaming supermalls and souqs. Their souqs still evoke the ambience of the ancient souqs and we spotted both locals and tourists there. Manama Souq is the old bazaar of Bahrain's capital, Manama and is a warren of narrow streets and alleyways. Here you can shop everything from Bahraini halwa, antiques, electronic goods, rich fabrics, home décor items, t-shirts, lanterns, handicrafts, types of radios, dates, spices, seeds, shisha pipes and their famous saffron, black lime and perfumes. It also has heritage cafes, art galleries and some age-old shops. Little India is a corner in the Manama Souq, where you can find some shop owners from Kerala. Grab a quick bite in the vegetarian restaurant Swagat and be a part of the evening aarti inside the 200-year-old Shrinathji (Krishna) Temple which was really a special experience in Bahrain and fine example of religious tolerance. The highlight of this souq for us was the shop called Hurafuna Bahraini Crafts that had an interesting display of dolls, puppets, fabric notebooks,

bookmarks with calligraphy, coffee paintings, leather wallets and handbags, ceramic and porcelain pottery, wooden home décor items such as boats, sculptures, ships and traditional chests and palm tree basketry.

Visit A'ali Town is Bahrain’s biggest pottery and handicraft centre, located amidst 4,000-year-old burial mounds and to find out further about their art, we visited Jaffar Mohammed Al Shughul Pottery Factory and Delmon Pottery. You can take back home some vibrant and unique souvenirs from here. Besides Bahraini potters, here you can also witness potters from Lahore and Rajasthan in action using the old-fashioned foot operated wheel and baking the finished pots in kilns built into the nearby burial mounds. These pots are usually painted with watercolour spray paint and come in various shapes and sizes. The pots and handicrafts are unique as these ranges from naturally finished to vibrant, with designs including Arabic calligraphy, forts, mosques and much more.

City Centre Bahrain is a mega-mall located in the heart of Manama and has something for everyone. It has a host of international brands including Bershka, Accessorize, Zara, Karl Lagerfeld, Balmain and Saks Fifth Avenue. There are shops of fine Arabian fragrances and boutiques of local designers, Carrefour supermarket, food court and restaurants such as Rendezvous and a cinema complex. Bahrain Dragon City Mall offers quality Chinese products ranging from clothes to shoes, electronics, lightings, toys and more. There are both wholesale and retail shopping outlets and a big food court. Chinese architectural and commercial influence can be seen in this mall’s design. Seef Mall has a mix of high-end international labels such as Dunhill, Givenchy and Armani Exchange and high street brands: Massimo Dutti, Oasis and American Eagle Outfitters, to name a few.

*The FAM trip was organised by Bahrain Tourism & Exhibition Authority.*

AROUND THE WORLD


TravelScapesOUTBOUND UPDATE

Yas Waterworld, a leading waterpark in Abu Dhabi, succeeded in its attempt to win the

Guinness World Records title for ‘Most Nationalities in a Swimming Pool” recently. The event, on April 12, was held in the presence of Guinness World Records representative as well as Farah Experiences and Yas Waterworld senior management. It saw people from 102 nationalities come together to represent their home countries and celebrate the values of co-existence and tolerance that the UAE has long embraced.

Leander De Wit, General Manager of Yas Waterworld, said, “It fills me with an immense pride to be able to celebrate this milestone record in honour of the Year of Tolerance, which was made possible thanks to the co-existence cultures and rich diversity that we are blessed to have in the UAE. On behalf of the

entire team at Yas Waterworld, I’d like to express our gratitude to our beloved guests who joined us on this momentous day to help us achieve the record title of ‘Most Nationalities in a Swimming Pool’.”

Yas Waterworld guests held their countries’ flags while standing in Amwaj Wave Pool to help take the waterpark to Guinness World Records fame. The waterpark’s guests from across the globe then went on to enjoy a day filled with family-friendly adventures, including complementary face painting and the park’s 40 exhilarating rides, slides and attractions.

Foreigners leaving Singapore will no longer need to have their passports stamped from April 22.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said that it would, from April 22, "cease the issuance of departure immigration endorsements", meaning stamps of departure dates on travel documents. The move is part of ongoing efforts to streamline checkpoint procedures and make it more efficient to clear departure immigration, ICA added.

Since September 2016, foreign travellers whose

fingerprints were enrolled via the BioScreen system on arrival in Singapore have been able to use automated lanes when they leave the country. Such travellers do not receive stamps in their passports. Before that, all foreigners leaving Singapore had to get their passports stamped with the date of their departure by immigration officers at manned counters. The ICA said it would be informing foreign authorities of its move to cease departure immigration endorsement for foreigners.

JNTO appoints Blue Square Consultants as India Representative

No more requirements for passport stamps when exiting Singapore

KAYAK in its latest research revealed the top preferred travel destinations by Indians this

spring (March-April). The analysis based as per searches made on KAYAK during the search period from January 2019 to March 20, 2019, for any travel dates between March 15 to April 15, marked Atlanta and Seattle in the USA to be at top of the list, followed by Abu Dhabi, Oman, Seoul, and Rome.

The year-on-year keyword search volume change for Atlanta and Seatle is 93 per cent and 79 per cent respectively. Whereas for Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Seoul and Rome is 126 per cent, 68 per cent, 64 per cent and 51 per cent respectively. Commenting on the travel trends, Abhijit Mishra, Regional Director, Asia Pacific, KAYAK said, “KAYAK’s extensive database has indicated that the interest in some destinations have doubled year-on-year while Indian travellers are planning their spring vacations to escape the ongoing Indian heat. Based on the trends that we noticed, Atlanta, Seattle, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, and Rome have the highest year-on-year increase in search volume.”

The World Tourism Organisation of the United Nations (UNWTO) and Qatar National

Tourism Council (QNTC) announced last week a string of collaborations that are set to support the tourism industry in Qatar and globally.

Signed during the UNWTO Secretary-General’s first mission to Doha, the agreements will see QNTC become a sponsor of the first UNWTO Sports Tourism Start-Up Competition, which will be carried out in collaboration with Futbol Club Barcelona (FCB). The competition aims to promote and strengthen the tourism and sports sectors while enhancing the entrepreneurial ecosystem and boosting innovation in sports tourism.

Celebrating 60 years of connecting Europe by rail, Eurail has announced up to 37 per cent permanent

reduction in prices on all passes with more convenient travel options on offer for travellers from India and globally.

India being the third largest market in Asia, Eurail offers bespoke experiences and showcases a simplified portfolio of Passes, with specific product and pricing changes, tailored to suit every traveller. Eurail Global Pass gives travellers the perfect opportunity to become acquainted with the diversity and culture of Europe, with a list of 31 countries to choose from and numerous destinations, including Great Britain, FYR Macedonia and Lithuania, most recently included in the list of countries accessible via the Global Pass.

Yi Ding, Market Manager Asia, Eurail, said, “We have seen tremendous growth from Indian travellers, opting for rail travel in the past couple of years. Owing to the evolved traveller mindset today, we have not only made changes in our products aptly tailored to their preferences, but also introduced an early bird promotion of 10 percent to encourage travel. We see a huge potential in the market and are confident that, working in close

contact with our partners, we will be able to generate a higher level of brand awareness and impact positively on the top-of-mind recall of the Indian travellers.”

According to a survey conducted by Eurail, top countries preferred by Indian travellers include, Switzerland (28 per cent), Germany (20 per cent), Italy (15 per cent) and Austria (nine per cent) to name a few, highlighting a strong preference for Western and Southern Europe. The popular itineraries in the top three countries include Luzern-Zurich/Engelberg-Luzern/Zurich-Luzern in Switzerland; Frankfurt-Koln/Munich-Salzburg/Koln-Frankfurt in Germany; and Rome-Florence-Pisa-Venice in Italy.

Indians are flocking to the USA and the Middle East this spring

Qatar National Tourism Council and UNWTO to develop tourism in Qatar

Eurail reduces 37 pc on passes’ prices to tap indian travellers


UPDATETravelScapes OUTBOUND

Thrillophilia.com has tied-up with Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to promote Thailand's most unique and

off-beat experiences focusing on adventure, art, culture, and luxury. With this, Thrillophilia will also help in the overall efforts to promote Thailand as a value-for-money niche destination.

Thailand is one of the most sought after foreign travel destinations in India with Indians ranking sixth among

nationalities visiting Thailand. With an estimated 50 million Indian tourists expected to travel abroad by 2020, Thailand is poised to have an increased influx of approximately 2 million Indian tourists in 2019. With this partnership between Thrillophilia and TAT, the objective is to allow these Indian travellers to explore the undiscovered parts of Thailand, beyond the Bangkok-Pattaya circuit to less popular and off-beat destinations such as Chiang Rai, Ko Samui, Khao Yai, Chiang Mai etc. While working with TAT, Thrillophilia has brought more than 100 unique experiences online which are now available for booking on Thrillophilia.com. Travellers can discover and book experiences such as Flight of the Gibbon in Chiang Mai, Art in Paradise in Pattaya, Temple Tour in Chiang Rai, Death Railway in Kanchanaburi, Adventure at Khao Yai, Khao Sok tour and more.

Tourism Australia has launched an exclusive incentive for qualified Aussie Specialists to become an ‘Aussie Specialist

Ambassador’. As a part of this program, one winner from India will join a bespoke trip to the land Down Under and share their incredible Aussie experiences with other international travel sellers. To participate, travel agents need to follow three simple steps: sign up for/ login to the Aussie Specialist Program on www.aussiespecialist.com, complete five modules to qualify as an Aussie Specialist, if not already qualified and lastly film and submit a video of up to two minutes explaining why they believe there is nothing like Australia and why they should be the first ever Aussie Specialist Ambassador. For agents who are not a part of the Aussie Specialist Program, it is possible to enroll into the program, which provides benefits to qualified participants who can gain access to training modules, sales resources, travel offers from Australian operators, invitations to attend exclusive Tourism Australia events and training programs and receive regular product updates.

Speaking about this latest project, Tourism Australia’s Managing Director, John O’Sullivan said, “Travel sellers are a critical part of the travel distribution system and the new Aussie Specialist Ambassador initiative is all about peer-to-peer advocacy.”

Focused on promoting South Korea amongst general and business tourists

and travellers in India, Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO), has concluded a two-day experiential festival ‘Korea Festival 2019’ in Mumbai. The festival which has equal to offer for regular tourists as well as for travel trade in India commenced on April 12, 2019.

For its travel trade partners, KTO is organising Tourism Travel Mart and Korea Night- a B2B initiative for Indian tour operators and other stakeholders to network and engage with key Korean delegation. Guests got an opportunity to interact with nine Destination Management Companies and four Regional Tourism Organisations viz. Gimhae City (the land where Indian Princess Heo married the Korean King), Gyeonggi Tourism Organisation (the region to which Dematerialised Zone belongs), Incheon Airport (the winner of best airport worldwide by ACI) and Jeju Tourism Organisation (the only Island amongst the new seven wonders of nature), as well as film commissions including Korean Film Commission & Industry Network which represents all 12 film commissions of Korea and Seoul Film Commission, known to extend support to filming projects in Seoul. The nine destination travel companies present helped Indian tour operators

understand more about the opportunities presented by South Korea. For the general public and travel enthusiasts of Mumbai, the Culture and Tourism Festival was held from April 13 to 14, 2019 at High Street Phoenix in Mumbai. This two-day extravaganza exhibited the experiences across food, culture, music, tourism, etc. that South Korea offers. Alongside, a Korea Movie Weekend is also being organised by Korea Culture Centre at PVR Juhu, Mumbai. The key attractions for visitors at the festival included performances by highly sought-after Korean artists including In2it, AlexandrA, Queen and Gamblers Crew. Visitors also had an opportunity to experience traditional Korean costume - Hanbok wearing, name stamping in Korean alphabet Hangeul, mask painting, face painting and food tasting of Korean signature dishes.

In a recent gathering at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2019, Kishu Gomes,

Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau announced that Sri Lanka Tourism has begun destination brand recovery process.

One week on from the deadliest terror attacks perpetrated in the country since the end of the civil war, Sri Lanka Tourism discusses measures taken to ensure the safety and security of tourists and outlines strategic plans to rebuild tourism stakeholder confidence to ensure the vital recovery of the tourism industry that supports one in 10 families in Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lanka tourism industry stands united with the rest of the world against terrorism; as we mourn this horrific tragedy, we must move forward with our enduring Sri Lankan resilience to restore the world’s faith in our beautiful island home and our hospitality which is the heart of the Sri Lankan way of life. “Sri Lankan’s are among

the most warm and nurturing people on earth, when guests arrive on our shore’s they become family” said Gomes. “And when family is hurt the entire community comes together to protect, nurture, mourn and grieve and heal together…this is our way and it has been our way from the beginning of time.” He continued, “the promise of Sri Lanka is a promise of hope, of family, of deep awareness, of tolerance, of diversity, of sincere connection to humanity and nature and of generosity; we will live the promise of our motherland and we ask anyone who has ever visited us, relished our food, brewed our teas, cheered our cricket or just marveled at the beauty of a full moon to become ambassadors of kindness and compassion everywhere they go. We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love, support and solidarity from people everywhere and look forward to welcoming the world back home to Sri Lanka.”

Thrillophilia announces partnership with TAT

Tourism Australia seeks Aussie Specialist Ambassador

Korea Tourism Organisation successfully concludes Korea Culture and Tourism Festival 2019

Sri Lanka Tourism begins destination brand recovery process


GLOBETROTTER

Of all the countries in Central Asia, Kazakhstan has been the terra incognita for the Indian wanderers. Amidst this unexplored landscape, lies a sophisticated surprise named Almaty, on the wild plains, where Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and China encounter. With an outlier of skyscrapers, leafy parks, museums and coffee shops, this former capital and the largest city in Kazakhstan, standing tall on the mighty Tien Shan Mountains, creates new avenues of first-hand travelling

Noted as one of the main landmarks in the city, Kok Tobe is an abode that exhibits what Almaty is constituted of. The lofty mast stands high on the hill and is the highest point of the city of Almaty at 1100 metres while the mast itself is 350 meters tall. The viewpoint from Kok Tobe is worth a visit with panoramic views of the city from all directions. For a really good way to visit the top of Kok Tobe Hill and see the view of surrounding mountains, a cable car ride is an alternative one can’t afford to miss. The cable car goes over some of the oldest parts of Almaty and it’s interesting to see the old fruit growing gardens.

KOK TOBE: Experience the birds-eye view

ALMATYGliding the curtain of splendour

By Sayanti Halder

TravelScapes


TravelScapes GLOBETROTTER

Medeo or Medeu is a picturesque valley located 15 km above the city of Almaty acting as one of the best-possible outdoor speed skating and bandy rinks. Besides its beautiful nature, there are some other attractions to experience in Medeo, one of which is the world's largest speed skating rink. Embracing both the Medeu Valley as well the Valley of Malaya Almatinka River, the Medeo outdoor ice skating rink, situated at an altitude of almost 1,700m, claims to be the highest ice skating rink in the world. The enormous rink sits in a mountain gorge, which earlier used to be naturally frozen, overlooking the vast stretch of the city. Medeo offers an amazing platter of winter activities and chills, thanks to Almaty’s bitterly-cold winters but nowadays, it is artificially refrigerated.

MEDEO: Ice-skating on the top

Located as the oasis of natural beauty in Kazakhstan, the Big Almaty Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes that Mother Nature has to offer to the nature lovers and travellers of every age and preference. The trees wrapped in autumn foliage, boasting bright yellow amid the hunter greens of the pine trees, the lake is definitely one of the most visited natural attractions, especially considering the fact how easy it is to reach it. However, because it is on the high mountains of the country, the lake is a spot of seldom visits by visitors. Acting as a haven for travellers who love off-the-beaten places, Big Almaty Lake is one of the highlights of this vast and rich in spectacular natural wonders’ country with endless steppe.

BIG ALMATY LAKE: Spread of truest liquid turquoise

The first settlement in the area of Almaty was founded in the Bronze Age, however, the city was first mentioned in the 13th century when it was one of the stops on the famed Silk Route. Not much remnants of the great past in Almaty is currently found but the smooth glide of brushes with the diverse hues of metropolitan has surfaced the true beauty of Almaty, as a major city of Kazakhstan. The majority of the architecture is a great example of the Soviet past and if travellers like Socialist realism style, they are in for a treat. In Almaty, it is not difficult to spot these details and even the most random concrete structure can look special. Among these, some true gems of brutalism, as well as some old and pretty, are the wooden houses, sprawling in every lane of this city.

ALMATY CITY: Blend of heritage and urbanisation


TravelScapesUPDATE

In view of the spike in demand for air travel in the upcoming peak summer season, Vistara has announced the addition of 14 flights,

for the period April 16 – July 15, 2019. Three new routes have been added for the specified duration: Mumbai – Bengaluru, Mumbai – Hyderabad and Mumbai – Kolkata. In addition, the airline will be flying the Pune – Hyderabad route for the period April 7 – April 30, 2019. Vistara also recently added Raipur (with double daily flights to/from Delhi) and Dibrugarh (with daily flights to/from Delhi via Bagdogra) to its steadily expanding network.

A massive surge in flyers’ count in Kolkata airport over the past four years has sent

Airports Authority of India (AAI) planners scurrying to the drawing board to prepare an expansion blueprint. With the integrated terminal, which has a capacity of 24 million passengers per year, set to get saturated next year, four years ahead of initial projection, AAI is bracing to pump in more than INR 1,000 crore to raise the annual capacity by a further 9 million passengers. AAI had invested INR 2,325 crore in the integrated terminal that was commissioned in 2013.

According to a report, Kaushik Bhattacharya, Director, Kolkata airport said a decision had been taken to demolish the old domestic terminal to create space for a new terminal that would increase the annual passenger handling capacity to 33 million.

Recommended by Colombia “The demolition of the old terminal, which was constructed in 1995 and served till 2013, has been approved by the AAI board. The demolition job will begin in August and be completed within a month. Thereafter, a new terminal spread over nearly 70,000 sq m (7.5 lakh sq ft) will be constructed. The design is yet to be finalised but it should be in place by early next year,” said Bhattacharya, who had been closely involved in the construction of the integrated terminal seven-eight years ago. The focus of the second phase will be to expand the security hold area (SHA) — the lounge where passengers wait before boarding and after passing through the security check — and adding boarding gates with aerobridges. A small check-in area may also be added to the plan.

Hahn Air recently announced a successful first quarter of 2019. The German airline

and ticketing specialist already integrated ten new carriers into its global network of more than 350 air, rail and shuttle partners by the end of March of this year. Among the new partnerships, two are new interline agreements. The flights of the Thai low-cost airline Nok Air (DD) and of Precision Air (PW) from Tanzania can now be issued on the insolvency-safe HR-169 ticket. Travel agents can find and book their flights under the airlines’ own two-letter-codes in selected GDSs even in markets where the carriers are not members of the local payment systems (BSPs).

In addition, eight new carriers joined the network of H1-Air partners of the global consolidation service Hahn Air Systems. On behalf of the tour operator President Travel and Tours, four Nepalese carriers are now using the H1-Air product: Buddha Air (U4), Himalaya Airlines (H9), Shree Airlines (N9), and Yeti Airlines (YT). Moreover, AB

Aviation (Y6) from the Comoros Islands, Flair Airlines (F8) from Canada, Skyway CR (LC) from Costa Rica and Germania Flug (GM) from Switzerland opted for the H1-Air solution. As a result, all eight carriers are now available under the designator H1 in all major GDSs. Over 100,000 travel agents in 190 markets can book their flights and issue them on the HR-169 ticket. Finally, four existing partners extended their cooperation with Hahn Air by entering into a Dual Partnership with the leading provider of distribution services. The two Kenyan carriers Five Forty Aviation (5H) and Fly-SAX (B5), as well as JC Cambodia Airlines (QD) from Cambodia and Air KBZ (K7) from Myanmar complemented their interline agreements with the H1-Air product. Travel agents can find their flights in selected GDSs under the airlines’ own two-letter-codes but also in all major GDSs worldwide under the Hahn Air Systems H1 designator.

Vistara adds three new routes for peak summer season

AAI lays expansion plan for Kolkata airport worth INR 1k crore

Hahn Air Group welcomes 10 new partners in Q1 of 2019

Air India to resume Delhi to Madrid flight from April 18

State-run Air India is set to resume its services to Madrid from New Delhi from April 18, the airline stated in a report. The

airline had temporarily suspended services to Madrid along with Birmingham from New Delhi last month following the closure of the Pakistani airspace for all West-bound flights to and from India.The national carrier operates three times-a-week flight services to the Spanish capital from New Delhi. "Air India is set to resume its thrice-a-week service on the Delhi-Madrid-Delhi sector from April 18, after a brief interlude to cater to the consistent heavy demand from passengers both in Spain and India," the airline said in a statement. The New Delhi-Madrid route is serviced by India's flagship aircraft Boeing 787-800. Air India has also announced return fares, starting from EUR 487, for travel on Madrid-Delhi-Madrid sector.

AVIATION


UPDATETravelScapes

Will Jet Airways Fly Again?

Launch of Buddha Air's Kolkata-Kathmandu flight delayed till May 27

IndiGo announces six new flights including four UDAN routes

Tatas raise stake in AirAsia India to 51 per cent

After ceasing operations earlier last month, Jet Airways technically isn’t gone forever.

There are still some who want to see the airline gain additional financing in order to resume operations. While there are some indicators Jet Airways could fly again, it seems unlikely given the current situation.

Jet Airways had a lot of debt and very little cash. India’s all-out price war, with fares as low as a few cents, meant that there was an incredibly slim margin for profit. Unfortunately, the market just didn’t work for Jet Airways. They invested in new aircraft, including the 737 MAX and broadened their international partnerships. With a robust route network, Jet Airways thought they could be India’s top carrier.

Also burdening Jet Airways were high fuel costs and high taxes. Jet Airways simply could not make a profit. They teetered and tottered for

months before finally seeing their fleet depleted. In the days prior to their official suspension, only a handful of aircraft were operating and zero international routes were scheduled.

There has been a movement to resurrect Jet Airways. According to the recent reports that former Jet Airways staff engaged in protests to get the airline up and running again. Jet Airways had a sizeable staff who are now faced with major uncertainty. While some crew members went off to rival carriers, like SpiceJet, others are still looking for opportunities.

With rival carriers descending on Jet’s valuable assets such as planes and the valuable slots at crowded airports, Jet Airways would face significant headwinds if they restarted operations. This would definitely worry investors, especially as Indian airlines continue to miss out on record profits that other carriers see.

Nepal based, Buddha Air, has delayed the launch of Kolkata-Kathmandu operations

by over a month because of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. The airline will now begin its operation from May 27 instead of its earlier plan to start from April 16, Buddha Air's Marketing Director Rupesh Joshi said.

"We will operate three weekly flights between Kathmandu and Kolkata on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from May 27. Both the India government and all agencies involved with aviation business suggested to begin the service post election. So we decided to defer it," he said. Buddha Air would be the second Nepali Airline to connect Kolkata with Kathmandu after the Royal Nepal Airlines' withdrawal from Kolkata two decades back, Joshi said.

The Royal Nepal Airlines now operates flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore to Kathmandu, he said. Joshi said grounding of

Jet Airways will affect tourism in Nepal and a large number of booking for hotels and tour operators have been cancelled. He said Jet was the key airline to bring foreign tourists to the Himalayan country. Now, return fare from Indian destinations from Nepal had soared four times the normal rate owing to grounding of the Jet Airways.

IndiGo is has announced six new routes, out of which four will be serving Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) RCS

scheme, starting June 22, 2019. The UDAN routes include Kolkata-Allahabad, Allahabad-Kolkata, Raipur-Allahabad, Allahabad-Raipur. On the other hand, the airline launched new flights between Kolkata, Allahabad, Raipur and Jabalpur, while developing regional hubs at Allahabad and Kolkata. The new routes will be serviced by an ATR aircraft. The new flights will boost IndiGo’s connectivity in the Tier II cities with fares starting from INR 1,999.

William Boulter, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo said, “We are pleased to have the opportunity to be able to fly on these RCS routes and enhance connectivity amongst the Tier II cities including Kolkata, Allahabad, Raipur and Jabalpur. Launching flights on these routes will enhance our point to point connectivity, enabling customers to save both time and money.”

Tata group and partner AirAsia Investments infused has INR 500 crore in budget-airline AirAsia India, increasing

Tata Group's stake in the airline to about 51 percent, according to a report citing sources close to the development.

As per the report, the investment helps the group to hold a controlling stake in two carriers including the Vistara. Prior to the deal, both Tata group and AirAsia had 49 percent stake each with Tata Trusts managing partner R Venkataramanan and group executive S Ramadorai holding the rest, the report said. “Stake allocation to Venkataramanan and Ramadorai was a business decision and the group now owns 51 percent in the airline,” a source was quoted as saying in the report.

As per the report, Air Asia India was started with 49 percent shareholding by AirAsia Group, 30 percent by Tata group and 21 percent owned by Arun Bhatia’s Telestra Tradeplace. Bhatia exited the airline in 2016, and Tata Sons, Venkataramanan and Ramadorai bought its stake. The development comes at a time when the crisis in Jet Airways has created a vacuum in the aviation sector. The infusion of funds by the Tata could enable it to become the key player in the sector.

AVIATION


TravelScapesREPORT

• Halal tourism expected to create 1.2 million jobs in the Middle East by 2020

• Hospitality firms should offer tailored, halal-friendly products to appeal to younger Muslim travellers, experts tell attendees at ATM 2019

• More than 40 per cent of Muslim travellers’ global outbound spending comes from the UAE and Saudi Arabia

Gulf hospitality operators looking to increase their share of the growing halal tourism market should diversify and digitise their offerings to suit younger generations of Muslim travellers, according to experts who spoke at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2019.

With the GDP impact of Muslim travel in the Middle East on course to

hit USD 36 billion by 2020 – up from USD 30.5 billion in 2017, according to Salam Standard – halal tourism represents a lucrative prospect for GCC hospitality brands. The segment is expected to create 1.2 million regional direct and indirect jobs by next year.

Representatives from Wego, DinarStandard, Shaza Hotels, Tripfez, Serendipity Tailormade, Mosafer C by Ummah Collaboration, holidayme, Orange County Visitors Association, Cape Town Tourism and Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) explored ways to tap into the growing segment of Gen Z and millennial travellers at the Global Halal Tourism Summit 2019, which took place on ATM’s Global Stage.

Mamoun Hmedan, Managing

Director – MENA and India, Wego, said, “There are new destinations popping up out of nowhere. Developers are building properties from scratch, with halal-friendly offerings that are designed to appeal to younger generations of Muslim travellers.

“Wego does a lot of work on social media and collaborates with tourism boards to educate people about the opportunities available to them when they travel. We make sure we always have options for our customers to look for properties near to mosques or attractions that may be of interest to Muslim travellers.”

Approximately 41 per cent of Muslim travellers’ global outbound spending comes from the UAE and Saudi Arabia, according to figures released by Salam Standard. The Middle East’s total outbound spend is projected to grow to USD 72 billion by 2020.

In addition to emerging trends such as eco, ethical, all-female, experiential, gastro and adventure tourism, panellists also discussed digitisation and success stories from ‘non-Muslim’ destinations such as Orange County, Cape Town and Japan.

Chris Nader, Vice President, Shaza Hotels, said, “Gen Z and millennial travellers are setting the trends in halal tourism. The biggest challenge for us involves the resort side of the market –

providing the privacy and facilities that Muslim guests need while delivering the entertainment they are looking for. It can be a challenge to create that mix.

“Whenever we create a resort, we have to develop something that is culturally relevant to the location. Travellers are no longer looking for ‘just a hotel’; they want to know what we can offer in terms of experiences. So, Muslim travellers don’t necessarily need to see halal branding but they do need to know that halal services are available.”

Industry-wide investment in halal tourism-related travel technology currently stands at approximately USD 40 million, according to research conducted by DinarStandard. Panellists agreed that this figure is likely to grow further in the future, as younger Muslim travellers continue to drive innovation in online services.

Faeez Fadhlillah, CEO, Tripfez, said, “If you look at the distribution of millennials globally, many of them are living in Muslim-majority countries. In the next 10 years, the youth in this region are going to play a significant role in driving tourism trends. That’s why online travel agencies are so interested in meeting demand from Muslim travellers. Companies are doing everything they can to capture this market.”

DIGITALISATION AND DIVERSIFICATION, KEY TO ATTRACT YOUNGER MUSLIM TRAVELLERS, GCC DESTINATIONS URGE


TravelScapes REPORT

FICCI-Yes Bank Report titled ‘India Inbound Tourism: Unlocking the Opportunities’ highlights India as tourism powerhouse. The sector has generated USD 247.3 billion (INR 16.91 trillion) in 2018, with a growth of 6.7 per cent and accounting for 9.2 per cent of the total economy. Currently, it is the 8th largest country in terms of contribution to travel and tourism GDP and the largest market in South Asia. By 2029, Indian tourism sector is likely to grow at 6.7 per cent per annum to reach INR 35 trillion with 9.6 per cent of GDP.

The report further highlights that the tourism sector generated 26.7 million jobs in 2018. By 2029,

the sector is expected to provide employment to nearly 53 million people, directly and indirectly. Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) crossed 10 million in 2017 and the growth trend is expected to continue. Consumption by domestic tourists remains the key strength of the sector in India, much stronger than the global average. Growing disposable income, increase in new millennial tourists, new travel destinations as well as new themes of tourism will further propel the growth.

FICCI-Yes Bank report also states that the systematic growth, maintenance and sustainable development of tourism destinations as well as focus

on promoting the emerging avenues of tourism will be essential towards unlocking its true potential.

The growth in Indian travel and tourism sector has largely been driven by domestic tourists. Foreign tourists still account for a limited share as compared to some of the top-ranking countries. The government intends to achieve the ambitious target of one per cent foreign tourist arrivals in world’s international tourist arrivals by 2020 and increase it to two per cent by 2025.

Traditional and emerging themes of tourism, including Nature, Heritage & Cultural, Religious, Adventure, Medical & Wellness, MICE and Wedding, among others have been a key attraction for domestic and foreign tourists. Strong domestic demand and economic growth, price competitive offerings, infrastructure development and emergence of new destinations and niche tourism products will continue to drive the growth of the industry in future.

The government has also undertaken several initiatives such as rapid implementation of Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD schemes, e-Visa for citizens from 166 countries, Adventure Tourism Guidelines, among others. Furthermore, promotional activities such as Incredible India 2.0 campaign and India Tourism Mart 2018 have also immensely benefited the sector.

Going forward, there is a greater need for the government and private sector to collaborate towards thematic development of the destinations, skilling of local communities and the conceptualisation and implementation of developmental initiatives for the sector.

The report suggests 14 points to make India a tourism superpower and the sector expected to create 53 million direct and indirect employments by 2029

INDIAN TOURISM TO REACH INR 35 TRILLION BY 2029: FICCI-YES BANK TOURISM REPORT


TravelScapesPHOTO STORY

ATM 2019 paves way for cohesive tourism industries

Travel and tourism professionals from every corner of the world were in the UAE for the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2019,

the largest travel industry exhibition in the Middle East, which opened on April 28 and concluded on May 1. Identifying the top tourism trends showing the greatest growth potential is one of the most valuable insights Arabian Travel Market had to offer and this year’s event – was no different as it launched Arabian Travel Week – an umbrella brand comprising four co-located

shows. Travel, tourism and hospitality professionals from around the world will also have an opportunity to explore the next generation of industry innovations at the Middle East’s first

ever edition of Travel Forward, which will take place alongside Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2020. ATM 2019 welcomed over 2,500 exhibiting companies and around 40,000 attendees, with over 150 countries represented, 65 national pavilions and more than 100 new exhibitors made their ATM debut including Expo 2020 Dubai, flynas, Belarus National Tourism Agency, Moscow

Committee for Tourism and Montenegro National Tourism Organisation, South Africa Tourism Bureau and Zimbabwe

Tourism Authority.

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TravelScapesON THE MOVE

PROMOTED AT: ITC Mughal Agra TO: General Manger

ITC Mughal Agra appoints Rajat Sethi as General Manger. Sethi comes with over 20 years of hospitality experience and was previously the GM of The Grand Vasant Kunj New Delhi. Prior to this, he was the Area General Manager of the Radisson Blu MBD Hotels Noida and Ludhiana. Sethi started his career with Carlson Hospitality Worldwide as a Management Trainee and since then there is no looking back.

PROMOTED AT: Four Seasons Hotel BengaluruTO: Director of Marketing

Four Seasons Hotel Bengaluru has appointed Mahema Bhutia as Director of Marketing. In this role, Bhutia will be responsible for overseeing the dynamic Sales and Marketing team during the pre-opening phase while positioning the hotel as a leading luxury destination in the Garden City. With over two decades of experience in the hospitality and travel industries, she has aced five hotel pre-openings so far.

PROMOTED AT: Cygnett Hotels & Resorts TO: Director-Operations & Development

Cygnett Hotels & Resorts has announced the appointment of Ankur Chandra as Director-Operations & Development. In this role, Chandra will be responsible for leveraging hotel operations and expanding the brand in new territories and markets. He will also be responsible to keep a check on the profitability of operations and supervising all aspects of hotel management.

PROMOTED AT: Holiday Inn Resort Kolkata TO: General Manager

Holiday Inn Resort Kolkata NH6 by IHG South West Asia has appointed Nitinn Sharma as General Manager. Sharma comes with 22 years of hospitality experience and is a long-time member of the IHG family. His journey with IHG started over 11 years ago with Crowne Plaza Today Gurgaon and he has been instrumental in the opening of both Crowne Plaza New Delhi Rohini and Crowne Plaza Today Gurgaon.

PROMOTED AT: Marriott International Bangalore TO: Senior Cluster Marketing and Communication Head

Marriott International Bangalore Hotels has appointed Nikita Das as Senior Cluster Marketing and Communication Head. Das will be taking care of the communications portfolio for the three hotels – JW Marriott Bangalore, Sheraton Grand Brigade Gateway and Renaissance Hotel Bangalore. She brings with her a rich experience in the marketing and advertising industry.

PROMOTED AT: Hyatt Place HampiTO: General Manager

Hyatt Place Hampi appoints Shalabh Verma as General Manager. Verma is a seasoned hotelier with over two decades of experience and has been associated with the Hyatt Hotels & Resorts for 10 years. His journey with the company began as Director of Sales at Park Hyatt Goa Resorts & Spa followed by a move as Director of Sales and Marketing at Hyatt Regency Kolkata, Park Hyatt Chennai and Grand Hyatt Mumbai.

PROMOTED AT: JW Marriott ChandigarhTO: Director of Operations

JW Marriott Chandigarh has announced the appointment of Saurabh Thakur as Director of Operations. In this role, Thakur will be assisting the General Manager in overseeing the operations of the hotel. He began his career in 2005 as a Management Trainee with Hyatt Regency Mumbai from where he moved to Hyatt Regency Delhi in 2006 as Assistant Restaurant Manager. Thakur has nearly 14 years of hospitality experience.

PROMOTED AT: IATOTO: Chief Operating Officer

Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) has appointed Rahul Chakravarty as Chief Operating Officer (COO). Chakravarty was associated with the FICCI, leading the tourism division for the industry body for the past 15 years. In this role, Chakravarty will be guided by the Executive Committee (EC) of IATO, put forth the views of IATO members and strive for service to IATO members and in turn to the industry.

PROMOTED AT: Fairfield by MarriottTO: Director of Sales

Fairfield by Marriott Pune Kharadi appoints Vrushali V Kummar as Director of Sales. Kummar is an accomplished hospitality business leader with 18 years of international brand experience with IHG, Berggruen, Marriott, Oakwood and Hyatt. She also holds a strong knowledge of global practices in hospitality and is well versed in establishing sales and marketing setups from luxury to business hotels in major markets.

RAJAT SETHI

MAHEMA BHUTIAANKUR CHANDRA

NITINN SHARMA

NIKITA DASSHALABH VERMA SAURABH THAKUR

RAHUL CHAKRAVARTY

VRUSHALI V KUMMAR

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RNI No. - DELENG/2013/48401 • Licence No. : F.2(T-3) 2013 • Posting Dt. 9-10/05/2019Place of Posting: NIEHOND 110028 • Reg. No. - DL(W)10/2208/2019-2021 • Date of publication 3-4/05/2019

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