Talking about the convention theme‘Navigating the

Future’, Zakkir Ahmed,President, TAFI said, “Overthe years, we have guided,supported and assisted ourmembers to keep up withchanging times, by evolvingthemselves from just an air-ticketing agent to a travelconsultant. This year, we aretaking it ahead.

Our members have evolved withtimes, discoverednew revenue streamsand channels. It’stime for us toeducate them on howto maximise on thesenew revenuestreams.

During this convention,we are going to provide anoverall perspective of globaland Indian tourism industryto our members, address the

challenges faced by theindustry and our membersand bring out a solution forway forward. We are going totalk about the future andadapt to the present.”

Educating their mem-bers about specialisation indestination is one of the rea-sons the association hold itsannual convention in differ-ent international locationsevery year. Ahmed said, “Byholding the convention in adifferent country, we are notonly exposing our members

to a differentnation whichthey can expe-rience and pro-mote it back inIndia but alsomeet the localsuppliers andget the bestdeals. On theother hand, it

has been a record that Indianarrivals, to the destinationwhere TAFI Convention isheld, grow at an average rateof 10-15 per cent post con-vention. We also promoteIndia to these destinationsand strive to increase foreignarrival numbers to India.Thus, it not only benefits thehost country but also mem-bers and the overall tourismindustry of India.”

“Commission is not ourfocus… our focus is toincrease the profitability onbottom-lines of our mem-bers,” says Ahmed. Alongwith underlining the keyissues and challenges faced bythe travel agents, the associ-ation also intends to workclosely with airlines as thereis a need to work together tocreate win-win situation forall players in the tourism sec-tor. Apart from working onweekly payments, web parity,bank guarantee and insurancescheme issues, TAFI isfocussing on increasing itsmembership base from 1400to 2000 soon.

“Change has a life of its own and only those who navigatethe future can lead the game,” says Zakkir Ahmed,President, TAFI speaking to . A few excerpts...

With the global eco-nomic slowdownand diminishing

returns from conventionalstreams, traditional travelagents face a plethora ofchallenges that the sectorneeds to tackle on a prioritybasis. The convention hasbeen scheduled to enabletravel agents to learn aboutfuture trends and businessopportunities, along withpower networking.

As per Praveen Chugh,Vice President, TAFI,“Considering present challenges faced by the travel trade, we have aptlychosen the theme of our2013 convention as‘Navigating The Future’. Inthe current scenario, the traditional travel agent has begun to feel the heat ona daily basis.”

“The TAFI Conventionwill give new insight on cur-

The TAFI Convention-2013 will highlight and find solutions to create better business models and will helpthe travel agents to learn about future trends...

Better biz @TAFI 2013

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It has been a record that Indian arrivals grow atan average rate of 10-15per cent post convention,to the destination whereTAFI Convention is held

Destination Benefits

Renewing old ties

Linking the India-SouthAfrica connect, AditiBhende, Convention

Chairperson says, “Our con-nection with this very excitingdestination goes back to thedays of the beginning of theMahatma in Durban. This city,in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, has a sizeable Indianpopulation that shares tieswith India over the last fewcenturies,” she adds.

KwaZulu-Natal Tourism{KZN}, along with SATSA (TheTourism Services Associationof South Africa), have played avital role in ensuring thedream of bringing India andSouth Africa together for thisglorious event. “Years of delib-eration and proactive rolesplayed by both, that is, KZNTourism and TAFI will convertthis dream into a reality. Ourhost country South Africa andairline partner –South African

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Aditi BhendeConvention Chairperson, TAFI

Contd. on page 3

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Evolving with time

AN I TA JA I N

Praveen ChughVice President, TAFI

With the TAFI Convention 2013 in South Africa, the potentialof renewing the ties with tourism is much stronger, saysAditi Bhende, Chairperson, TAFI Convention 2013.

Contd. on page 3

Zakkir Ahmed President, TAFI

A DDP PUBLICATION

COVER STORY TA F I D A I LY 2 0 1 3 - D A Y 1 TRAVTALK 3

Airways have played a key roleto help this convention seelight,” she adds.

“Our other partners forhotel stay –Tsogo Sun Group,other international anddomestic airline partners-Emirates and IndiGo , havealso played an important roleto create a wonderful offer forour delegates. The conven-tion venue will be at the ‘ICCDurban Convention Centre,”she confirms. According to

Bhende, logistically, it is achallenge to execute, organ-ise and plan this major event

due to the long-haulflights/connectivity/multiple departures from var-

ied cities from India & the pre & post tours. She feels,

“South Africa &KwaZulu-NatalProvince has a widevariety of tourismproducts to offer. Thusevery Indian delegateattending theconference will want toexplore more of thisexciting land.”

The convention willalso comprise a Business-to-Business exhibition onFebruary 25&26, 2013,which will bring buyers &sellers of our industrytogether to exchange ideas,build business through amutually beneficial and professional relationship forthe future.

Moreover South Africaas a destination will surely benefit with this convention.

rent industry issues and ourvision beyond 2013. For this,we are proposing to organiseBusiness Sessions fromFebruary 25-26 to highlightand find solutions to createbetter business models.

There will also be dis-cussions on bilateralexchanges between the twocountries and educating thetravel industry on futurebusiness & cultural opportu-nities. This will bring the twocountries closer and rekindlethe path started by MahatmaGandhi,” he added.

The tentative businesssession schedule will includetopics like Beyond 2013,Winning the Battle forRelevance, Golden Horizon,and Power of Today amongothers, which will be presentedto member-delegates by stal-warts from the industry. In thepast, TAFI Conventions weresuccessfully held in Malaysia,Mauritius, Singapore,Thailand, Dubai and Macau.

“It is interesting tonote that there has been atremendous increase ininbound as well as outboundtraffic between India andthese destinations just afterthe convention. This, inturn, has paved the way inimproving bilateral tradeand developing friendly rela-tions with these countries.The convention will be inau-gurated by the president andTourism Minister of SouthAfrica on February 24,” saidChugh. “The new team ofTAFI Managing Committeeis pledged to work in atransparent manner and isdetermined to make a differ-ence in its day-to-day func-tioning,” he added.

Makingbetter outof the best

The tentative business sessionschedule will include topics likeBeyond 2013, Winning the Battlefor Relevance, Golden Horizon,and Power of Today amongothers, which will be presentedto member-delegates bystalwarts from the industry

New Pastures

‘India-South Africa have an old connect’

A road dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi in Durban

Contd. from page 1

Contd. from page 1

ANALYSIS

The first travel trade con-vention of 2013 kicked

off in Durban, South Africa.Its theme, according to itscore members, is an unequiv-ocal message of what itintends to push through inthe coming years. ‘Navigatingthe future’ communicates anassertive message for takingcontrol of several contrariandynamics at work. Its pricklyrelationship with airlines,attritional lobbying with thegovernment and a general

rounding up of its severalmembers in forums, to decideon their stance, all fit relevantly into the thematicscope. Its pro-activeapproach to seek out support,assistance and associationwith tourism bodies of BRICSnations will also be highlight-ed at the convention this year.

Over the years, TAFIConventions have built aroundthought-provoking premises,with themes like ‘Drive thechange- Stay on the top’,‘Breaking Barriers – Believe toAchieve; ‘Coopetition – Key toSuccess’, ‘Addressing Change– Rebrand, Reposition,Reinvent’, and TAFIConvention 2013 is no exception.

Changing dynamicsThrough this conven-

tion theme, TAFI intends tostress on the need to adaptwith the changing dynamicsof Indian travel industry.Talking about the theme,Zakkir Ahmed, President,TAFI said, “TAFI Conventionsare eagerly awaited and thisyears is no exception. In fact,we are looking at the biggest-ever TAFI convention inmember participation.Reputed speakers from India,South Africa and globalindustry have been invited to

talk about expanding revenueand discuss issues which arepinching our revenues. Thetiming of the convention isalso perfect as the travelagents will come back withinnovative products fromSouth Africa exactly whenthe bookings for summer sea-son will start. So, we areexpecting lot of benefits fromthis convention for every participant.”

Elaborating on thetheme, Ahmed said, “Infuture, human resourcedevelopment assumes a keyrole for the success of travelcompanies. With specialisedinstitutes providing profes-sional training and capabili-ties, can our industry investin tech-savvy whiz kids who

supplementbusiness?Further, bot-tom-line con-siderations areparamount.Coupled withdizzying bor-rowing ratesand costs of

financing, not to mention thegrowing list of client default-ers, experts will suggestfinancial jurisprudence, man-aging credits and a look atrobust structuring safety pro-cedures. Monitoring BSP pay-ment cycles and synergiesbetween members will becritical with revenue beingthe key.”

But to stay ahead in thebusiness, agents need tounderstand the needs offuture travellers, and getready for challenges arisingin the coming years. While

prophets of doom and criticshave concluded that travelagents have knowingly insu-lated themselves to the ideaof change, there are thosewithin the industry whobelieve that the travel agenthas enough street-smart andenterprise to accommodatechange. And then, there arethose who believe that whileboth the above schools ofthought are relevant in theirown right, the only way tofind out which point is closerto the mark is to go out andmeet these challenges, drivethe change and at least try tostay on top.

Pradip Lulla, NationalGeneral Secretary, TAFI said,“There is a need to evolve ourbusiness models as per thechanging dynamics of ourindustry. One cannot com-pare the Indian travel indus-try with global markets likeEurope and US where creditcard penetration is over 80-90 per cent, and where themarket accepts transactionfee. India is a different mar-ket where credit card pene-

tration is very low, travellersare still hesitant to book hol-idays online and travel agentsstill add ‘service’ to travelproducts. With our primarysource of revenue (air ticket-ing) dwindling with time, it’stime for us to look at alterna-tive streams of revenue andincrease profitability in bot-tom-lines.”

Plotting a courseAccording to Praveen

Chugh, Vice President, TAFI;global travel trends indicatethat moderate growth isexpected for the tourismindustry despite the uncer-tain global economic outlook.He said, “Factors such as rising incomes in emergingmarkets, and disposableincome in mature marketsare expected to drive demandthis year. We have entered aperiod of drastic change andthe industry is reinventingitself to meet changingexpectations, rapid techno-logical advancements and ashifting world economic envi-ronment.”

While change is a natu-ral, inevitable process, thedecisive question is whetherthat change is allowed to passoff unaffected or is it chan-nelled in a direction that endsup serving a purpose.Consolidation will overwhelmthe industry, automation willmake it more sophisticatedand new revenue opportuni-ties will arise, even as the oldones run out. The governmentwill begin to acknowledge thetravel trade, albeit at its ownpace and the passenger will,as always, want more for thesame or lesser price. All of this

The TAFI Convention 2013 is expected to provide acute sense of purposeand impression that the travel industry scenario, now, is definitely changing for the better, and all one needs to focus is on opportunities.

‘Navigating the future’ is right choice

AN I TA JA I N

Contd. on page 8

There is a needto evolve ourbusinessmodels as perthe changingdynamics ofour industry

Factors such asrising incomes inemerging marketsand other similarvariables areexpected to drive demand

We are looking at the biggest-ever TAFIconvention in memberparticipation

Zakkir AhmedPresidentTAFI

Praveen ChughVice PresidentTAFI

Pradip LullaNational General SecretaryTAFI

The theme forTAFI 2013 hasbeen speciallychosen,considering thepresentchallengesfaced by thetravel trade

Aditi BhendeChairpersonTAFI Convention Committee

Acouple of years ago,SATSA, which is the

South African equivalent ofTAFI, contacted TAFI anddecided to work together anddid mutual agreements.Initially when the agree-ments started, they wantedto know more about tourismpromotion activities and seehow they can work together.“Our counterparts in SouthAfrica are the ones who haveactually won the TAFI confer-ence. They signed an MoUand the conference is a com-bination of all their efforts.The credit for winning theconference must go to them.SATSA in South Africa has

been the driving force behindorganising TAFI this year,”says Hanneli Slabber,Country Head, South AfricaTourism.

Welcoming TAFIWe are very excited

about TAFI and have workedon a really good campaign toattract many attendees.Around 840 seats are allgone. We can accommodatemore people on the ground,but on those specific dates,the airline seats are all soldout. People are taking lot ofdifferent routes for the con-ference. Kwa-Zulu Natal isalso the home to the largestIndian population in SouthAfrica. South Africa also has

the secondlargest Indianpopulation out-side India.

Badge ofHonour

TAFI is abadge of hon-our for our pri-vate industryas they can

invite their private industrycounterparts. They are allvery excited about it. From anexposure point of view, thereare not only agents who sellthe destination but also thosewho do not have South Africaon their product list. Thisprovides us the opportunityto show the destination to the

agents and show everythingbeautiful that we have tooffer. There are a huge num-ber of pre and post toursbeing organised. First, thefams are going to the provi-sional tourism authority and

then after their capacity isfull, they are moving on toother provinces. The dele-gates got an opportunity tochoose from a lot of options.

Must try in DurbanDurban has the best

temperature, warm andclean waters with greatwaves and amazing food. Ithas a holiday feel about it allthe time. For the conven-tion, we plan to have NorthIndian, South Indian andSouth African food. Whenyou are in Durban for streetfood, everyone must try theBunny chow. Its freshlybaked bread hollowed outand filled with curry.Durban makes the world’sgreatest bunny chows. Thetemple of understanding,the Hare Krishna temple inthe city, has the best veg-etable curry. The temple isalso absolutely stunning.The best fun experience inDurban is the Ushakamarine world. They have anaquarium and lot of showswith the fish, aquatic ani-mals and water rides. There

is a lot of shopping in thecity, the biggest shoppingcentre in the southern hemi-sphere is the GatewayTheatre of Shopping and it’smassive. The busiest shop-ping centre, in terms of footfall per square meter, in thesouthern hemisphere is thePavilion shopping centre.

In South Africa, we eata lot. We have lot of restau-rants, food arcades, bars andcoffee shops. The casinosstay open round-the-clockand for the best night life, head to Florida Road. It is one place in Durban

that has a majority of clubs and pubs all in thesame street.

Growth prospects for2013

2013 is going to be aninteresting year for us. Lastyear, we had just under90,000 tourism arrivals fromIndia. Till September 2012,we crossed 80,000 and arevery confident that we willbreak the record. In 2013, weare really looking at a 10 to15 per cent increase in touristarrivals. We have major airconstraints. We only have

In conversation with Hanneli Slabber, Country Head, South Africa Tourism, finds out more about Durbanand the growth in tourism arrivals anticipated after the convention.

‘Private sector brought TAFI to South Africa’NTO6 TRAVTALK TA F I D A I LY 2 0 1 3 - D A Y 1

DE V I KA JE E T

Hanneli SlabberCountry HeadSouth Africa Tourism

ICC Convention Centre, Durban

Contd. on page19

India is fortunate to have asubstantial base of domes-

tic tourists, who as per recentstatistics, had already crossedthe 850 million domestic vis-

its mark. In other words, itoffers a great opportunity,which the Ministry ofTourism plans to tap through its new campaign‘Go Beyond’.

“India has a great num-ber of heritage sites, forts,beaches, backwaters, lakes,mountains, adventure,wildlife, culture, festivals,wellness, MICE, religion orshopping. Many of them are

extremely popular amongdomestic tourists. But, thereis an urgent need to make ourdomestic tourists go beyond,or in other words aroundthose popular destinations.We would like to see domes-tic tourists going aroundKochi, Bhuj and Darjeelingareas around the various

prominent tourists sites invarious states,” said AnandKumar, Joint Secretary,Ministry of Tourism on thesidelines of the recently heldIATO members meet in NewDelhi. “In fact, once thedomestic tourists start goingaround the prominent touristsplaces, other lesser-known

destinations gradually developinto major tourist attractionsthrough adequate promotionsand word of mouth. This willhelp us develop many newsites for domestic tourists,which eventually will also startto attract internationaltourists,” he added. For theuninitiated, the Ministry of

Tourism had launched two newcampaigns: an internationalcampaign called ‘Find WhatYou Seek’ and a domestic cam-paign called ‘Go Beyond’ at therecently-concluded ‘WorldTravel Market-2012’, whichwas held at London. As per KChiranjeevi, Minister ofState for Tourism with

Independent Charge, thesecampaigns mark a paradigmshift in MOT’s strategy topromote India within thecountry and abroad, wherethe ‘Go Beyond’ campaignfocusses on promoting less-er-known destinations todomestic as well as interna-tional tourists.

Once domestic tourists start going around the prominent tourist places, other lesser-known destinations willgradually develop into major tourist attractions through promotions and word of mouth.

Go Beyond known destinations: MOT

These campaignsmark a paradigmshift in MOT’sstrategy topromote Indiawithin the countryand abroad

K Chiranjeevi Minister of State for Tourism

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MOT TA F I D A I LY 2 0 1 3 - D A Y 1 TRAVTALK 7

Anand KumarJoint SecretaryMinistry of Tourism

HOTELS8 TRAVTALK TA F I D A I LY 2 0 1 3 - D A Y 1

In addition to the strongonline and reservation

platform, the Canadian-basedFairmont Hotels & Resorts

aims at mobilising the strongpresence of conventionaltravel agents and tour oper-ators present in India. Atul Lall, General Manager,Fairmont Jaipur points out,“We work with tourism part-

ners, ensuring that they haveknowledge about our prod-ucts and destinations.

To drive this, wehave an internalprogramme called the“Fairmont’s FamousAgents” which is theindustry’s mostexciting travel agenteducation andrewards programme.

Our members increasetheir earning power by stay-ing up-to-date on all the lat-est news from all our proper-ties. They also earn personalrewards, and enjoy countlessmember-only benefits.Staying connected to key cus-tomers, and providing educa-tion along with our custom-ary consultative approachhelps us to reach out to ourcustomers effectively.” TheRes plus programme from

corporate bookers has alsobeen warmly welcomed inIndia. The hotel is in theprocess of heightening bothprogrammes’ awarenessacross Delhi and NCR as wellas the other metros, he adds.

Throwing light on thekind of response that thehotel in Jaipur is witnessingnow, Lall informs, “We havereceived an extremely posi-tive response since ourlaunch on August 9, 2012,from the industry. As far as

the market is concerned, wehave had a good responsefrom both wedding and MICEsegments; weddings beingthe driving element in themonths of August andSeptember. Additionally, theFairmont loyal customer’sonline booking has fairly beenstrong.”

The property is prima-rily focussed on leisure andMICE businesses. “We havethe largest pillar-less confer-ence centre in Jaipur (5,500-

square-metre and 60,000-square-foot) along withexcellent and well-equippedmeeting rooms, all of themhoused in a dedicated con-vention centre block, offer-ing state-of-the-art equip-ment, high speed internet,WiFi and a host of business-

related communication tools,perfect for large or smallmeetings. Leisure travel isalso a key market, along with

domestic travellers andincentive groups,” the GM reveals.

With 255 elegantlyappointed rooms, FairmontJaipur has a host of uniqueexperiences planned for theirguests to learn the ancient

art of desert falconry, hot-air balloon rides and tradi-tional folk music and storytelling sessions.

The travel agent education and rewards programme from the group – Fairmont’s Famous Agents – is aimed atincreasing the members’ earning power by staying up-to-date on all the latest news from all Fairmont properties…

Fairmont Jaipur taps travel agents’ poolTT BU R E AU

Atul LallGeneral ManagerFairmont Jaipur

‘Indian city’ in South Africais predictable. How travelagents respond to it collective-ly, has been pondered over formost of the present decade.How they will react willdepend on whether thisunprecedented surge ofchange makes them uncom-fortable or enthusiastic.

Lulla adds, “TAFI hasalways encouraged its mem-bers to enhance their revenuemargins and adapt to thechanging travel scenario. It’stime agents should look atdeploying technology to theirbenefit, specialise in nichetravel segments, cater to spe-cial group of travellers, andprovide ‘value for money’service. While talking aboutthe future, there is a need toadapt to the present.”

Adding to this, AditiBhende, Chairperson, TAFIConvention Committee said,“The theme for this year’sconvention has been speciallychosen, considering the pres-ent challenges faced by thetravel trade. The generaleconomy being slow andrecession set in worldwide,the traditional travel agent is

facing the brunt daily. In thisconvention, through businesssessions, we hope to high-light and come together to

find solutions to adversities,and create better businessmodels for the future.”

Bhende added,“Through the business ses-sions at the convention, thefocus will also be on bilateralexchanges between the twocountries and educatingtravel industry on futurebusiness and culturalexchange opportunitieswhich will bring the two

countries clos-er and rekindlethe path start-ed by MahatmaGandhi. It’stime to look atthe challenges faced locallyand interna-tionally, and

finding options to restorethem by engaging in delib-eration. This is the concen-

trated effort that we all needto make.”

Your wakeup callThe mood is clearly one

of putting powers-that-be onthe stage and to solicit moreactive participation across amostly lukewarm member-ship. That the convention isbeing held abroad yet again,and will perhaps become amainstay policy, puts TAFI inan elite club. The moot ques-tion lingers as to whetherTAFI can create a big enoughjuggernaut that can unani-mously effect changes on theairline and government frontthat make it a fair game forthe embattled travel agent -something TAFI has princi-pally striven towards sinceinception.

More than just wildlife Like every year, the annual convention intends to showcase a new

destination to its members. This way, the members get firsthand expe-rience of the destination, get to meet local suppliers and can strike bestpossible deals and become destination specialists. Talking about thisyear’s destination – Durban, South Africa, Ahmed said, “Durban issupposed to be the largest ‘Indian’ city outside India, which in itselfassures Indians that it’s a home away from home with a tint of Africanculture. However, it’s still not well-visited by Indians as they only visitthe capital of South Africa, Cape Town and experiencing the ‘GardenRoute’. Through this convention, we intend to showcase this excitingcity with unique tourism products apt for Indian travellers. It offersnot just pure wildlife but also beaches, culture, heritage, shopping,adventure, sports, etc for every segment of traveller.”

Contd. from page 4

Run-up Meeting to the TAFIConvention 2013 held in Delhi

Delegates at thepress meet hostedby Travel AgentsFederation of India(TAFI) in collabora-tion with the TourismKwaZulu-Natal andSouthern AfricaTourism ServicesAssociation (SATSA)during the run up tothe convention 2013held in New Delhi inmid of 2012.

The most special feature ofDubai Visa Online would

be that the applicants will beable to send their requests.Further, our back-end systemwill process the same andupdate the Visa Copy on theAgents Login Id. The compa-ny is adopting technology andimproving business scales for

trade partners. The companyforayed into online space lastyear with the introduction ofthe B2B (Business toBusiness and B2E (Businessto Enterprise) portals whichfacilitated the reach to travelagents and corporate housesbased across India.

According to HussainPatel, Executive Director,Atlas Tours & Travels; theB2B portal provides servicessuch as online accounting,online cancellation options,instant refund, 24X7 call centre service, extensive MIS reporting and also the most exception-al industry commissions onall products.

Taking about the benefits of venturing into the online space, Patel said, “Our online channel facilitates userswith airline inventories attheir own discretion andwith complete transparency.It also maintains trans-parency in providing

service round the clock toensure total satisfaction ofour trade partners. Todaybeing a fast track generationthat demands variety and service at the spur ofthe moment, our user-friendly portal ensures less-er time consuming proce-dures for bookings. Soon,

our portal will be updatedwith online visa packagesand hotel bookings specifi-cally for adventure travelmarket.”

Divulging furtherdetails on online Dubai Visa,Patel said, “We work toimplement industry stan-dard to professionalise

and promote global net-working. After a success in the last financial year 2012-2013, also with the online domestic and international ticket booking, we now plan toserve Dubai Visa Online atthe discretion of our travel agents.”

Mumbai-based Atlas Tours & Travels which has emerged as one of the largest Haj and Umrah tour operatorsin the region will soon offer Dubai Visa services online. reports…

Now get Dubai visa online@Atlas ToursAGENTS TA F I D A I LY 2 0 1 3 - D A Y 1 TRAVTALK 9

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Soon, ourportal will beupdated withonline visapackages andhotel bookingsspecifically foradventuretravel market

Hussain PatelExecutive DirectorAtlas Tours & Travels

The most special feature ofDubai Visa Online would be thatthe applicants will be able to sendtheir requests.\

Its back-end system will processthe same and update the VisaCopy on the Agents Login Id

Special Features

Mumbai-based Pathfindersis all set to expand

its DMC (DestinationManagement Company) foot-print with the commissioningof its own offices in Singaporeand Australia this year. It willalso continue to grow compa-

ny’s market share in Thailandas its business model isfocussed on FIT and MICE seg-ment. Apart from expandingthe B2B client base in India,the company also startedcatering to Russia and MiddleEastern markets. To strength-en and expand global marketreach and bring in more sup-pliers on the network for B2Bclients, Pathfinders has utilised

technology to the fullestthrough its online booking tool– Dynamic Packaging System.

Talking about infusingtechnology in travel busi-ness, Ashley Monterio,Managing Director,Pathfinders said, “Our prod-uct development department

is no longer just a contract-ing department (which is thecase with most wholesalersand DMCs). It actually listensto our clients and designsproducts to meet their needs.It puts these products on thePathfinders Online system sothat these can be easilybooked and scaled up. This isbecause our entire reserva-tion process is computerised

and yet capable of a manualinterface. We hand-hold ourtravel trade partners until

they are ready to use ourtech-savvy systems forthemselves.”

When asked if OTAs aretaking up the business sharefrom small and mid-sizedagencies, Monterio said,“No. I think that onlineclients know what they wantand will use the web tosource the product as cheap-ly as possible. Mid andsmall-sized travel agenciesoffer convenience andexpertise to their clients inexecuting their travel. Ibelieve that mid and small-sized travel agencies shouldlook at this as an opportunityto evolve and perhaps evenuse the tools provided byonline OTAs and big touroperators to benchmarkthemselves and then raisethe stakes in terms of servicelevels, knowledge, expertiseand experiences. I saw alovely line on a travelagent’s card recently: ‘Travelis the only expenditure thatis an investment.’ This travelagent sure has found hisniche.”

NEWS1 0 TRAVTALK TA F I D A I LY 2 0 1 3 - D A Y 1

Apart from expanding its B2B client base in India, Pathfinders is nowcatering to Singapore, Australia, Russia and Middle East markets..

New path to Australia & Singapore

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Mid and small-sized travelagencies offerconvenienceand expertiseto their clientsin executingtheir travel.

Ashley MonterioManaging DirectorPathfinders

� Educate yourself on products and their updates as trav-ellers want experts to handle their tour

� Specialise in destinations

� Target and advertise your product in the niche market,get on social platforms

� Adopt higher standards of professionalism and offer qual-ity with price.

Strategies to grow business

Infrastructure, highest priorityWith all eyes set on Union Budget 2013, conducted a poll asking the industry which issue theyfeel should get priority. The options given in the poll question were Focus on Infrastructure Development and Connectivity,Industry Status for Tourism, Reduction in Taxes, GST and others. Much to our surprise, the industry voted in favour ofinfrastructure development and connectivity.

SpiceJet to fly B-737 onGuangzhou-Delhi route

SpiceJet announced its entry into the People’s Republic of Chinawith the launch of services between Guangzhou and New Delhi.The airline will connect the two cities by deploying a 189-seaterBoeing 737 Next Generation aircraft on this route. SpiceJet willfly on Guangzhou-Delhi route four days a week at convenient tim-ings. Commercial flights on this route will commence fromFebruary 8, 2013. Booking of tickets for flights of these routesare open. “Guangzhou marks our debut in the Chinese sky. Weare offering the air connectivity at very affordable fare to the pas-sengers from India and China,” said SpiceJet Chief ExecutiveOfficer Neil Mills at the inaugural function held at Guangzhou.

Focus on infrastructure development and

connectivity

10%

26%

15%

44%

5%

Others

GST

Reduction in taxes

Industry status for tourism

A majority of the respondents want to see a focus on infrastructure development andconnectivity; this being the popular demand with 44per cent of the votes. Reduction in taxes was anotherdemand that gained momentum. While our earlier pollresults showed that infrastructure development wasthe most significant milestone for the industry in 2012a lot still needs to be done and the industry isanticipating more. We hope that the Union budget thisyear addresses the demands of our industry.

AGENTS1 2 TRAVTALK TA F I D A I LY 2 0 1 3 - D A Y 1

According to Rajan Dua,Managing Director,

Udaan India, the companyoffers various special initia-tives for travel agents, trav-el management companiesand corporate.

“The company hasbeen conductingVisa Seminars for travel agents, travelmanagementcompanies andcorporates.

We conducted Visaseminars in KuoniBusiness Travel inMumbai and Delhi andBCD Travel in Mumbai,Bengaluru and Punerecently. We have con-ducted two major Visaseminars in associationwith TAAI. One was con-ducted at Bhopal for TAAI– Madhya Pradesh andChhattisgarh Chapter and

the other at Nagpur forTAAI-Nagpur chapter.”

Apart from this, thegroup also sends regularVisa updates via mail totravel agents, TMCs andcorporates to keep them

informed about the latestchanges in Visas, he adds.

Talking about howthe company has madecomplex Travel VisaProcess easy, Dua elabo-rates, “Udaan has madecomplex Travel Visa

Process easy by providinginformation on visas,which are submitted ondifferent locations on one

portal. Ours is the only por-tal which provides pan-India visa requirements asper jurisdiction along withvisa fees, submission andcollection timings and pro-cessing time. It also hasvisa applications and otherrequisite forms, formats ofcovering letter/ InvitationLetter, photo specification,contact details of allDiplomatic Representationand Outsourced VisaApplication Centres, etc.Be it any corner of India,

you can access all the info24x7 by logging on to ourwebsite.” Udaan has officesin Delhi, Gurgaon,

Mumbai, Chennai andBengaluru to assist trav-ellers pan-India. There hasbeen a trend in gettingonline Visas, he feels. “A lotof embassies and con-sulates have resorted toonline Visa whether it’sonline visa application sys-tem, e-visa or bookingonline appointments. Likefor Brazil, application isfilled online and its appli-cation progress can betracked online with thesticker number. Some of

the other countries such asthe US, UK, Chile andSingapore have the onlineapplication system. At cer-

tain Embassies/Consulates,biometrics has also beenintroduced. We bookappointments on behalf ofour clients. We also provideassistance in online fillingof form thereby easing offthe process for applicant.Embassies have openedtheir diplomatic represen-tation across India and theyfollow jurisdiction whichlimits the traveller for submission of applicationin region within jurisdiction.”

More embassies and consulates are resorting to online visa in the form of online visa application system, e-visa or booking online appointments.

Udaan India makes flying easier

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Rajan DuaManaging DirectorUdaan India

Udaan India conducting TAAI Nagpur visa seminar

Nepal Tourism Board recently conductedNepal Sales Mission 2013 in two South Indiancities. The sales missions were held in Maduraion January 8, and in Trichy on January 9,2013. The Nepalese delegation was led byRohini Prasad Khanal, Senior Officer –Marketing and Promotion, Nepal TourismBoard.

The Nepalese delegation was led byRohini Prasad Khanal, Senior Officer –Marketing and Promotion, Nepal TourismBoard. Meanwhile, in an effort to attract pil-grimage tourists from South India, the NepalTourism Board (NTB) recently organised roadshows in Madurai and Trichy.

Khanal said that the objective of the road-shows was to facilitate mutual growth in thetourism sector. He pointed out that SouthIndians, especially those from Tamil Nadu, pre-ferred to visit religious places and NTB is keento promote Mount Kailash-Mansarovar.

He added that Nepal had a variety oftourist spots to attract tourists across agegroups and has established itself as thegateway to Mount Kailash-Manasarovar. In2012, Nepal received 164,680 tourists fromIndia by air which is 13.3% increment com-pared to last year.

Nepal boosts Pilgrimage Tourism

The Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) took it upon themselves to resolve the issues of mutual interest,revive and strengthen relations between the travel fraternity and the airlines. TAFI office bearers met airlinerepresentatives and discussed issues relevant to the travel agents.

AVIATION1 4 TRAVTALK TA F I D A I LY 2 0 1 3 - D A Y 1

TAFI embarks on promising talks

(L-R): Jayesh Tharani, Committee Member; Capt.Promod Kohli, Committee Member; Pradip Lulla, National General Secretary; Aditi Bhende,Committee Member & Convention Chairperson; Sanjay Arya, Joint Secretary; Basheer Ahmed, Joint Treasurer; Zakkir Ahmed, President;Praveen Chugh,Vice President; Urvashi.D.Mohan,Committee Member; Darshan Shah,Treasurer; Teddy Thomas,Committee Member, TAFI

Chapman FreebornAirchartering recentlyannounced a new strategicprivate jet partnership withDrukair Royal Bhutan Airlines,the national airline of theKingdom of Bhutan. Throughthe unique partnership withDrukair, Chapman Freeborncan now provide this servicefor private jet aircraft andobtain the necessary permitsto operate charters to Bhutan.Global sales and marketingdirector Alex Berry says thepartnership will provide pri-vate jet travellers with totallyunique access to the Kingdomof Bhutan as a travel destina-tion, setting ChapmanFreeborn apart from all its

competitors. Shailendra Seth,Director of Chapman FreebornIndia, added, “Drukair andChapman Freeborn are bothniche organisations and thissynergy between the two willenhance opportunities to boostluxury travel to the Kingdomof Bhutan.”

Welcoming the partner-ship Tshering Penjore,General Manager of Drukair,said: “Drukair has been pro-viding reliable and safe trans-portation for the last 30 yearsand as the only airline thatlinks Bhutan to the outsideworld, the challenge to fulfildiverse air transportationneeds has become critical.The partnership with

ChapmanFreeborn willenable us touse the wideand globalresources andportfolio ofaircraft for private char-ters.”

Private jets to Bhutan

The TAFI delegates whomet individual airline

representatives includedZakkir Ahmed, President;Praveen Chugh, VicePresident; Pradip Lulla,National General Secretary;Rajat Bagaria, WesternRegion Chapter Chairperson;Gladwyn Pinto, ExecutiveSecretary General; UrvashiMohan, Committee Member;Teddy Thomas, CommitteeMember and Vijay Gupta,Chairperson, North IndiaChapter, TAFI

LufthansaLufthansa requested that

since weekly payment defermentschedule has been agreed inAPJC, they hoped that agentswere fine with this proposal andit was accepted by the association.The airline further requested notto proceed with the court case forthe claim of commission. On thisTAFI representatives did not

agree and replied that they will revert back on this subjectlater. Hilgers promised to work closely with TAFI especiallyon Conventions, Seminars, etc. to have a better understand-ing of industry issues.

Axel HilgersDirector, South AsiaLufthansa

Turkish AirlinesThe meeting was very cor-

dial and both the sides agreed towork in harmony to resolve allmatters related to the industry.Aykac promised to extend all help.He said that they were alreadyworking on credit card solutionsfor the acceptance of issue of tick-ets under ‘Pass Through’. He alsoexpressed his keenness to attendConventions/deliberations of TAFI as and when required.

Air France/ KLMIndustry related issues

were discussed and promiseswere made to work togetherfor any kind of issue not onlyconcerning travel agents butalso to airlines.

Adnan AykacGeneral Manager - Northern &Eastern India, Turkish Airlines

Yashwant PawarGeneral Manager, South Asia Air France/KLM

Sanjay KapoorHead of Commercial – IndiaVirgin Atlantic

IndiGoDiscussions were held on the

areas of common interest with aview to find some solution as tohow we can rope in Credit CardCompanies so that travel agentsdon’t start operating as financiers.Airline representatives said that they will sort out this issue along with TAFI. They alsoexpressed a desire to enroll as TAFImembers soon.

Sanjay KumarChief Commercial OfficerIndiGo

Jet Airways1. The Airline agreed to support

the agents on deferment ofweekly payments.

2. Web promotions, parity offares already closed. Jet isworking on platform whichwill be soon introducedwhere agents can also havethe option of issuing ticketson the same lowest promo-tional fares through theirwebsite and the payments will be settled through theBSP.

3. Jet agreed to clear all PLB settlements in this month.

4. Jetlite tickets can be issued on Jet Airways documentson codeshare to enable travel agents the 1 per cent com-mission.

5. Jet also assured that there will be no discrimination inPLB distribution in the market.

6. Group deposits retained by Jet and not refunding ontime will be looked into and solution will be conveyedto agents before September 30, 2012.

7. Credit Card Acceptance: Meetings are being organisedwith various Banks to bring a win-win formula.

Sudheer RaghavanChief Commercial OfficerJet Airways

Virgin AtlanticThe meeting started on a cordial note

with the promise to support the travel and aviation industry. Kapoor said that they willbe happy to work with the travel fraternityand help each other to strengthen relation-ships and amicably resolve industry issues.He also informed the association that theywill be starting flights from Mumbai from themonth of October and are looking for support.

With the new service,passengers to and from

Ndola will find convenientand hassle-free connection todestinations in Ethiopian’swide route network such asMumbai, Dubai, London,Hong Kong, Bangkok, Cairoand Peking.

The airline has alreadystarted educating and com-municating with the Indiantravel trade about the newconnections and is workingwith them for attractive trav-el packages for Indian trav-ellers to this new unexploreddestination. It is still a rele-vantly new destination forthe Indian market and thus

the airline is working closelywith the travel trade forspreading awareness aboutZambia which has the world-famous Victoria Falls.

Talking about the newconnections and opportuni-ties to be tapped, TewoldeGebremariam, CEO,

Ethiopian Airlines said, “Weare proud to add Ndola toEthiopian’s wide route net-work. It is a continuation ofour efforts to achieve the goalof connecting Africa to theworld, by adding multiplepoints in Africa and servingthe air connectivity needs ofthe continent.”

Ndola, the third largestcity in Zambia, is the indus-trial and commercial centrein the copper belt provinceof the country. Ndola will beEthiopian 45th African andthe 72nd international destination. It will also be itssecond destination inZambia next to Lusaka.

With four direct flights a week from January 30, 2013 from Addis Ababato Ndola, Zambia, Ethiopian Airlines is looking at tapping the traffic fromEuropean, Middle Eastern and Asian markets to Zambia.

More Indians to fly to Zambia

The airline has already startededucating and communicatingwith the Indian travel tradeabout the new connections

It is working with them forattractive travel packages forIndian travellers to this newunexplored destination

Directions to Fly

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Being the only beachresort situated on the

Vainguinim Beach in Goa,Cidade de Goa is increasinglybecoming a hot favouriteamong leisure travellers.With 205 rooms, including 13suites, the property currently

caters to a mix of business,leisure, FIT, honeymooners,etc. However, the property ispositive to close this financialyear at an average roomoccupancy of 72 per cent andis expecting to maintain it inthe next financial year.

Talking about the newfocus on weddings and MICEsegment, Neeta Sen, GeneralManager, Cidade de Goa, said,“Wedding is certainly a grow-ing segment with every resortin Goa (including us) hostingthree to four weddings amonth. Cidade de Goa is anideal resort for hosting the 80-100 room wedding. In essence,we are the only beach resortsituated on the Vainguinimbeach. The venue optionsranging from the beach to lushlawns and indoor choice ofhalls ensure no repetition ofvenues for the many eventsassociated with a wedding. We

have packaged menu optionsand services specifically for thisparticular segment. The bestof vendors are listed with usthat cater to all clients’ needs.This is a segment that cannotbe ignored; hence a dedicatedapproach is adopted to meetthe demand.” She also agreedthat MICE overall is a very cru-

cial segment for a destinationlike Goa. Sen mentioned thatmarket share is not affected bynew properties which arebeing commissioned in thestate. In fact, it gets affected bypricing strategies and infra-structure which is not rational.She said, “The market sharewill be fair only if, either the

airline connectivity gets betterand/or if we tap newer mar-kets. On the other hand, thecompetition also ensures thatwe, the hoteliers, personaliseservices and hold on to repeatclientele and work around creating a strong loyalty feature without compromisingstandards.”

The leading beach resort now positions itself as a romantic destination to tie the knot. reports how thisproperty is wooing couples from across the country to say ‘I do’ in this romantic ambience...

A fairytale wedding at Cidade de Goa TT BU R E AU

The market sharewill be fair only if,either the airlineconnectivity getsbetter and/or ifwe tap newermarkets

Neeta SenGeneral Manager, Cidade de Goa

The travel agents give us an approximate of 50% of bookings.These are our partners in business and form an integral part of oursales network. They are incentivised with targets and slabs that even-tually spell into a win-win model for both of us. We hold trade partiesand Thanksgiving parties for all our agents and appreciate them witha certification of achievement. Building long-lasting relationships withour agents is of utmost importance to us, informed Sen.

Travel trade: Key contributor

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GUEST COLUMN1 6 TRAVTALK TA F I D A I LY 2 0 1 3 - D A Y 1

The flowchart below, dated1982, is still as relevant

in this digital age, as it was atthat time.

Need for Travel: This can beinfluenced by availability oftime, personal interest orstress. However, in the digitalage, the influencers are fastbecoming digital in nature.With social media networksfull of stories from ‘friends’about their recent journeys,nightouts, weekend breaksand ‘check-ins’, the sheeravailability of the informationon wonderful places in theworld acts as a trigger fortravellers to explore. Whattravel agents need to realiseis that instead of just ‘selling’

packages or tours on socialmedia platforms, it is moreimportant to sell the ‘experi-ence’. Wrap the packages ortours in the words of satisfiedclients in the form of first-hand accounts or blogs or

even testimoni-als to be the ‘trigger’ forthe need totravel.

Informationcollection: Thisis where thereal estate ofyour website

plays the biggest role. Asearch engine optimised trav-el website with detailed itin-eraries, information, sight-seeing options and value add-ons will satisfy the prospec-tive travellers as well as

strengthen their resolve totravel. The role played bytravel agencies is that of a‘facilitator’ at this stage as the “trigger” has alreadyhappened.

Travel Decision: Reviewwebsites today play thebiggest role when it comes to‘reaffirming’ the decision

of a traveller about the choiceof destination and accommo-dation options. So, at thisstage, not only the travellerwill evaluate the decisionabout the destination/accom-modation, but chances of tak-

ing a particular travelagency’s services are alsoaffirmed.

Travel Preparations &Actual travel: This is anoth-er reason why your websiteshould have informationabout the destination/ accom-modation options. ‘TravelTips’ are now an integral part

of the most travel websiteswhich are customised with the itinerary of pack-ages/tours. The informationneeds to be precise. The actu-al travel will result in con-stant ‘updates’ about thetravel on social platforms inthe form of tweets, posts,blogs and reviews. You needto track what yourclients/guests have to sayafter the journey. A real timemonitoring of the online chat-ter is also essential for anyimmediate measures to nipany concerns in the budbefore they escalate.

Nostalgia: Those who love toexplore, love to ‘share’ aswell. Each of yourclients/guests can be expect-ed to share their experiencein the form of videos, images,reviews, blogs, social men-tions and other forms ofexpressions. The collectivefeedback, if positive,strengthens your position forthe very first step as men-tioned in this article earlierand thus finishes the loop. If

this feedback is adverse, takeit as a free audit of your serv-ices rather than defending orjustifying your products.Travel agencies which under-stand the power of digitalrevolution must surely agreethat the virtual world is botha challenge as well as anopportunity. It all depends onhow clearly you have definedyour objectives, how preciseis your strategy and how effi-ciently you execute it.

Travel blogs, first-hand accounts or testimonials act as a trigger for travellers to explore, as it sells the‘experience’ instead of just ‘selling’ packages.

(The writer is Avijit Arya, Chief Moguls, Internet Moguls)

Travellers log in to social media

AGENTS1 8 TRAVTALK TA F I D A I LY 2 0 1 3 - D A Y 1

With the growingdemand and boom in

the domestic and internation-al tourism, the company isnow eagerly looking at fur-ther expanding its reach andintends to have 40 franchisesby the end of 2014. For thesame, it is encouraging travelcompanies in Tier-II and Tier-III cities of India by educatingthem about the benefits ofbecoming a franchisee withBlue Star. Apart fromexpanding through franchiseroute, the company will intro-duce a B2B portal and selladdional products like travelcards (it is one among the fewagents in India to hold the

stock of travel cards for forexfrom Amex), etc. Currentlycatering to over 800 travelagents across India, consoli-dation of air tickets remainsthe top priority as core busi-

ness, but it is slowly expand-ing its focus on promotingunexplored destinationsthrough their brochures forB2B market.

Elaborating on the franchise model, MadhavOza, Director, Blue Star Air Travel Services said,

“We areencouraging travelagents to becomeour franchisee byoffering variousbenefits andassisting them with profitablerevenue streams.

We will impart our pro-fessional training and knowl-edge with them and give aplethora of USPs on variousproducts which will be thepart of our bulk negotiationwith any airline, vendor orsupplier and, in turn, it willgive them the best negotiat-ed offers to sell to their cus-tomers. Due to our qualityservices and professionalapproach, we have beenrecognised as a preferredwholesaler by many of ourtravel partners in metros likePune, Ahmedabad, Rajkot,Surat, Baroda, Delhi andKolkata in addition to ourbase city Mumbai and we arealso looking forward to servemore cities in India.”

Expecting to record agrowth of 20-25 per cent dur-ing this fiscal, Oza said, “Withthe great support and faithfrom many of our travel part-ners with us and our transpar-ent and accommodative busi-ness policies, we are able tosee ourself in the league of topservice providers to the traveltrade fraternity and we lookforward to add more traveltrade partners to our list ofassociates. Currently, we have been catering to morethan 800 travel agents on Pan India basis.”

Adding further on futureplans, Oza said, “We envisagea big market in near futurethrough the platform of B2B

portal to cater to every smallrequirement of agents situatedin any corner of the country. Inview of the same, we havestarted heading in the directionof developing our own portalto render our services moreeffectively to a wider base forgaining the mutual benefitalong with all our associates.”

In a bid to provide quality travel services to growing Indian travellers, Mumbai-based Blue Star Air TravelServices launched its franchise business model few years back. It currently has 17 franchises across India.

Blue Star expanding via franchise routeAN I TA JA I N

Madhav OzaDirectorBlue Star Air Travel Services Apart from expanding through

franchise route, the companywill introduce a B2B portal andsell additional products liketravel cards (it is one amongthe few agents in India to holdthe stock of travel cards forforex from Amex), etc.

What’s in store

The number of Indiannationals’ departures

from India during 1991 was1.94 million, which rose to13.99 million in 2011 witha compound annual growthrate (CAGR) of 10.95%. Thenumber of Indian nationals’departures from India dur-ing 2011registered a growthof 7.7% over 2010 as com-pared to 17.4% growth in2010 over 2009.

The figures also provethat during 2002 & 2004 to 2011, top 3 airports fordepartures of Indian

nationals from India wereMumbai, Delhi and Chennai.During 2011, Mumbai airport registered the highest share (23.34%) followed by Delhi airport(21.51%) and Chennai air-port (11.01%). These threeairports accounted for

55.86% of the total depar-tures in 2011. However, dur-ing 2002, the share of these3 airports were 35.2%, 21.9%and 12.7% respectively andthe total share of these airports was 69.84%. Theshare of top 3 airports inoverall departures of Indian

nationals from India during2002-2009 was graduallydecreasing, while during2010 and 2011, it had slightly increased.

However, the share oftop 10 ports in overalldepartures of Indian nation-

als from India during 2002-2011 had also gradually decreased from96.26% in 2002 to 91.58%in 2011. This decline may be due to various reasonsincluding introduction ofinternational flights fromother airports.

The Bureau of Immigration (BOI) recently compiled the total count of Indian nationals’ departures to othercountries. gives you the statistics which present the real picture of the Indian outbound….

Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai busiest airportsAN I TA JA I N Port-Wise Departures of Indian travellers, 2002-2011

Year

Airport 2002 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 % share

Mumbai 17,38,301 19,09,773 21,52,002 23,68,115 26,23,707 27,34,458 26,15,702 30,31,822 32,64,653 23.34Delhi 10,84,097 12,83,733 15,10,735 17,64,264 19,56,299 21,41,600 21,17,561 26,21,535 30,09,762 21.51

Chennai 6,28,059 8,45,947 9,23,250 10,39,973 12,11,400 13,50,418 13,12,197 14,50,521 15,40,106 11.01

Kochi 2,59,970 4,27,412 497,966 5,91,236 7,73,310 9,15,278 9,68,375 10,22,233 10,98,333 7.85

Thiruvana- 2,99,815 3,45,253 4,03,637 4,74,309 5,78,647 6,19,856 6,42,011 7,51,861 6,77,998 4.84nthapuram

Hyderabad 1,87,451 2,96,150 3,83,500 4,61,616 4,94,797 4,82,897 5,43,719 7,40,350 7,77,540 5.56Calicut 2,27,707 3,33,638 3,82,720 4,54,606 5,26,290 7,35,151 7,91,021 9,04,130 9,70,961 6.94

Bengaluru 1,22,709 2,09,554 2,55,518 3,69,508 4,91,088 5,30,054 5,77,191 6,64,083 7,46,051 5.33

Kolkata 1,62,033 1,91,535 2,15,233 2,32,219 2,86,953 2,94,644 3,07,379 4,11,210 4,53,682 3.24

Ahmedabad 45,160 80,125 1,10,131 95,714 1,70,458 2,25,479 2,62,734 2,96,778 2,75,981 1.97

Others 1,84,942 2,89,689 3,49,829 4,88,054 6,70,283 8,38,164 9,28,182 10,93,478 11,78,935 8.41

Total 49,40,244 62,12,809 71,84,501 83,39,614 97,83,232 1,08,67,999 1,10,66,072 1,29,88,001 1,39,94,002 100.0

Top 3 69.84% 65.02% 63.83% 62.09% 59.2% 57.3% 54.63% 54.69% 55.86%

Top 10 96.26% 95.34% 95.13% 94.15% 93.15% 92.29% 91.61% 91.58% 91.59%

Percentage Change of Indians departing from Indian AirportsYear No. of Indian Nationals Percentage change over

departures from India the previous year

2001 45,64,477 3.4

2002 49,40,244 8.2

2003 53,50,896 8.3

2004 62,12,809 16.1

2005 71,84,501 15.6

2006 83,39,614 16.1

2007 97,83,232 17.3

2008 1,08,67,999 11.1

2009 1,10,66,072 1.8

2010 1,29,88,001 17.4

2011 1,39,94,002 7.7

TThe new Hotel IndigoLondon Kensington Earl’sCourt is the world’s first hotelto grant Lord and Lady titlesto its staff as part of their

employment package.Following a revival of theVictorian era in the recent TVphenomenon Downton Abbey,each member of staff has been

given a Lord of the Manor titleor Lady of the Manor title witha dedicated land plot and his-toric coat of arms. Set in West London, Hotel Indigo London

Kensington Earl’s Court draws on its location amongthe Victorian terraces and thisnew initiative reverses thetraditional societal roles from

the era, which would haveseen lords and ladies beingwaited on upstairs rather than behind the reception desk, downstairs.

First hotel to have Lords & Ladies as staff

Delhi, Mumbai & Chennaiairports accounted for 55.86%of the total departures in 2011

However, during 2002, theshare of these 3 airports were35.2%, 21.9% and 12.7%respectively and the total shareof these airports was 69.84%

Fact File

As per Prakash KumarRaj, Managing Director,

Mountain Edge Tours &Holidays, the most treasuredassets for a company are itsB2B network and consistencyin quality of service delivery.“Mountain Edge, over theyears, had served over 7,500families and group. We haveconsistently worked on sus-taining and raising the bar interms of service standards.As a result, the word ofmouth publicity, through ourguest’s feedback, has madeus a reputed brand and many

travel companies, aroundIndia and overseas, rely on usfor fulfilling their businessneeds.”

“Further, the B2B net-work is extremely importantfor growth of our business,backed by assured high stan-dard of service delivery thatcan be trusted every time.

Here travel expos & eventsare the good platform tointeract with tour operators,travel agents for represent-ing product, promote ourdestination and also getknowledge about other des-tinations so that we canexpand our services andbusiness,” he added.

Mountain Edge Tours &Holidays, a company based atPort Blair, Andaman &Nicobar Islands, offers abroad spectrum of servicesthat include honeymoonpackages, special interesttours, escorted tours forgroups and senior citizens,weekend trips, hotel reserva-

tions, car rental services, air-line reservations and charterservices to name a few.

“All our package toursand programmes aredesigned thoroughly withsafety measures that bringreal enriching holiday expe-rience,” said Raj.

Considering business to business relationship extremely important for growth of travel business,Mountain Edge promoters believe that it should be backed by assured high standard of service.

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daily direct flights fromMumbai. Emirates, Qatar andKenya Airlines offer goodconnections. The route isgood and a lot of non-directflights are moving theirschedule to provide better connectivity to South Africa. We need flights out of Delhi and SouthIndia. Our Visa process is also very easy.

Our roadshow, thisyear, has been very impor-tant. It is one of the biggestroadshows in terms of par-ticipation from buyers andsellers. We have 65 productson the floor with over 100South African participants.We said no to around 20people as we had capacityissues on the domesticflights, but, next year, weplan to make it larger. Theroadshow for 2014 will beon January 20. It is a mas-sive undertaking for us. Topoutbound period for long-haul from India is Diwali andnot monsoon. The top visit-ing period for Indians toSouth Africa is the monsoon.April, May, June and July,which is a low season for usand our industry can offerthe best rates at that time.We do a lot of incentive trav-el to South Africa also.

‘More flightsrequired’

Contd. from page 6

Prakash Kumar RajManaging DirectorMountain Edge Tours & Holidays

B2B network an asset for Mountain Edge

In these turbulent times forthe aviation industry,

IndiGo has shown a steadygrowth and has become aleading Indian carrier. Theirgrowth pattern is like noother and sharingtheir secret, AdityaGhosh, President,IndiGo, says, “It allstarted by buildingthe business ideaon a structuraldifferentiator. In2005, we placedour first order of100 planes fromAirbus. For us,this order gaveus the structuraladvantage we want-ed to build. Having saidthat, the real reason forour position of leadershipin India has been the team’scommitment to getting thebasics right –on time per-formance, providing consis-

tently low fares, and a cour-teous and hassle-free travel

experience.”

Keepingtheir threecore businesspropositions inmind, the air-line workstowards mak-ing all theirroutes prof-

itable. “There are no gim-micks, such as offering pro-motional fares every once ina while. The prices arealways low and that’s thereason we are the fastestgrowing airline in India,with the highest load factorsaround. Hence, we get good

response on all our routes-always,” adds Ghosh.

Discussing their loadfactor, headds, “Ouraverage load

factors are inthe mid-80s despiteconsistently addingcapacity every year.Load factors arenothing but a reflec-tion of satisfied and

delighted customerswho come back and fly

us and indeed, encourageothers to try IndiGo. We are

constantly trying to be thatreliable and consistent airlinethat customers have come tolove. We may not get it right100 per cent of the time, butevery day, all of us are put-ting in our best effort to getthere. Our focus on creatingthe world beating bench-mark(s) in the aviation frater-nity, from flying experienceon-board to maintaining thereliable product, single air-craft fleet including the order

of eco friendly A-320 Neo air-craft, and employee develop-ment through robust training programmes, are some of the factors that have given IndiGo an edge over the others.”

The airline has alreadysigned another deal, a recordsetting of $15.6 billion topurchase 180 more passen-ger jets from Airbus.Cumulatively, they haveplaced orders for 280 planes.

“The airline will contin-ue to tap the huge passengertraffic the Indian market hasto offer in the years to come.To meet the growing traveldemand, IndiGo’s fleetexpansion remains intact.

By 2015, we would complete the delivery order of the 100 aircraft order placed in 2005.Thereafter, moreairplanes areexpected to bedelivered between2016 and 2025.

Ordering more A320swas the natural choice tomeet India’s growing flying

needs. As the air travelbecomes more prevalent,IndiGo will continue toexpand its network to meetthe requirements of bothbusiness and leisure travellers wherever theydemand it,” highlightsGhosh.

Discussing the burningissue of FDI in Indian avia-tion, he adds, “We are notlooking for investors, neitherforeign nor domestic. But Idon't know whether foreigninvestments will itself be thesolution to all the problemsthe Indian aviation is into.Foreign investment can bringin money, but how thatmoney will be utilised is a dif-ferent issue.”

Discussing the futureof the Indian aviation sectorand comparing this race to amarathon and not a sprint,Ghosh says, “The Indianeconomy is resilient and ithas a huge domestic growthstory. In the airline busi-ness, we have many years ofgrowth ahead of us. India isa under penetrated aviationmarket in the world. For a country of more than a billion people, wehave less than 500 commer-cial planes. Less than one per cent of rail passen-

gers travel by air in Indiaevery year. There will be afew ups and downs. We have approximately one commer-cial aircraft per every threemillion Indians. The alterna-tive modes of transport are either extremely time consuming or they are saturated. I definitelythink India’s infrastructurewould be able to catch upand accommodate the large fleet. Now just like with any other industry, more so with aviation, success comes with difficulty, but that is not unfamiliar with many other industries.”

In an exclusive interview with , Aditya Ghosh, President, IndiGo, discusses the burning issue of FDI inIndian aviation and highlights the importance of getting the basics right – on time; low fares; courteous andhassle-free travel – to beat the competition.

‘Always good response on all our routes’

DEEPA SETHI & DEVIKA JEET

In the airline business, wehave many years of growthahead of us

India is a highly underpenetrated aviation market inthe world

For a country of more than abillion people, we have lessthan 500 commercial planes

India’s infrastructure would be able to catch up andaccommodate the large fleet

Ghosh Speaks

Aditya GhoshPresident, IndiGo

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In a world first, VirginAtlantic has launched a

commercial art gallery at35,000ft, offering Upper Classpassengers flying betweenLondon and New York theopportunity to view, and pur-chase, a series of one-of-a-kindpaintings by renowned Britishartist, Ben Eine, all from thecomfort of their seat.

“We have witnessed astrong demand among thetransit passengers from India,with over 40 per cent growthto New York from Delhi. Wehave seen a near doubling ofthe number of Upper Classpassengers travelling with usfrom Delhi to Newark lastyear,” says Stephen King,General Manager, VirginAtlantic- India.

The Gallery in the Air,which takes place betweenFebruary 1 and 28, 2013, isthe latest cutting-edge initia-tive from Virgin Atlantic tofurther enhance passengers’inflight shopping and enter-tainment experience, takingthe display and sale of fine art into uncharted terri-tory. Each piece is inspiredby the adventurous and innovative spirit of VirginAtlantic, its entrepreneurialowner Richard Branson, and the iconic transatlanticcities of London and New York.

“We like to do thingsdifferently at Virgin Atlanticand are always finding newways to surprise and enter-tain our customers. Our newgallery in the Air is the firstever commercial art gallery

in the sky and is a goodexample of this,” saysRichard Branson, President,Virgin Atlantic Airways.

The eye-catching can-vases will be on displayacross the London Heathrow,JFK and Newark Clubhousesand, as passengers take theirseats, they can take a virtualtour of the Gallery in the Air,look behind-the-scenes at themaking of the Virgin Atlanticartworks by Eine in his studioand buy the unique pieces of art for themselves in exactly the same way as they would a duty-free shopping purchase.

Further discussing plansfor this year, King adds, "Wehave also launched a domes-tic flying programme withinthe UK from March 2013. Thenew schedule will connect

Delhi, Mumbai withManchester and Scotland(Edinburgh and Aberdeen)via London, Heathrow. Theairline will be adding 24domestic flights a day withinthe UK to its existing longhaul network that willstrengthen connectivity forits Indian passengers fromDelhi, Mumbai, Pune andPunjab. The new flights with-in the United Kingdom willstrengthen the connectivityVirgin Atlantic offers fromDelhi and Mumbai."

Virgin Atlantic collaborates with British artist, Ben Eine, to launch first evercommercial art gallery in the air. The gallery is on the flights connecting Londonand New York; a sector very popular with Indian travellers.

Virgin Atlantic takes fine art to the skies

The airline will beadding 24domestic flights aday within the UKto its existing longhaul network thatwill strengthenconnectivity for itsIndian passengers

We like to do thingsdifferently at VirginAtlantic and arealways findingnew ways tosurprise andentertain ourcustomers

Richard BransonPresidentVirgin Atlantic Airways

Stephen KingGeneral ManagerVirgin Atlantic- India

Virgin Atlantic has launched acommercial art gallery at35,000ft for Upper Classpassengers flying betweenLondon and New York

Art reaches new heights

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TravTalk cherishes the wonderful moments that the travel trade had at TAFI Convention 2011 in Macau. The Convention accomodated interestingbusiness sessions. The women power at TAFI Convention was very much evident as they were the ones who had managed a successful show. VasukiSundaram, Chitra Bhatia, Rani Bachani and Aditi Bhende constitued the Convention Organising Team under the leadership of Ajay Prakash, who wasthe President of the Association.

Refreshing old memories from Macau