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TravTalkIndia.com
Vol.XXVI Issue 23; December 1st
fortnight issue 2014 A DDP PUBLICATION Pages :52

TravTalkIndia.com
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DECEMBER 1ST
FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014 TRAVTALK 3
No fleecing of tourists: Sharma
In an exclusive interview with , Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State forTourism & Culture
(I/C) has pointed out a three-pronged strategy to take tourism to new heights.
P
romising to take tourism
to new heights, the new
Tourism Minister will look
at taking tough action against
touts, setting up tourist facility
centres and launching heli-ser-
vices.“Firstly, the Ministry will
look at setting up tourist facility
centres.The facilitation centres
for tourists, especially for over-
seas visitors, will be set up at all
international airports and only
authorised taxi operators will be
allowed to ply on these routes.
We will also put a monitoring
mechanism in place to boost
end-to-end tourism,” Sharma
revealed.
Secondly, tough action
against touts will be taken.
Expressing concern over the
tout menace, Sharma lament-
ed, “There have been several
cases of tourists, specially for-
eigners, being fleeced by touts
operating at airports and vari-
ous tourist spots.There will be
tough action against touts who
are found harassing tourists
coming from outside.It will not
be tolerated.Thus, preventing
fleecing of tourists by touts will
be one of my priorities as it is
causing a bad name for India.”
Thirdly,theMOTwillfocus
on the cleanliness drive.“In the
next three months, all our
MEGHA PAUL
Preventing fleecing of tourists by
touts will be one of my priorities as
it is causing a bad name for India
eVisadream,arealityfor43nationsNow, Incredible India will get an Incredible number of tourists.Visitors from over 43 countries will be able to avail
VoA enabled by Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), which has been launched on November 27, 2014.
H
istory was made on
November 27 as the
decision to guarantee
Tourist Visa-on-Arrival facility,
enabled by Electronic Travel
Authorisation (ETA), for
43 countries was rolled out
by Home Minister Rajnath
Singh and Minister of
State for Tourism and
Culture (Independent Charge)
Dr Mahesh Sharma, in Delhi.
The ministers were
joined on stage by Tourism
Secretary Dr Lalit Panwar,
Secretary, Ministry of Home
Affairs, Anil Goswami, former
Tourism Secretary Parvez
Dewan, IATO President
PEDEN DOMA BHUTIA
(L-R) Parvez Dewan, Dr Lalit Panwar, Dr Mahesh Sharma, Rajnath Singh, Anil Goswami, Subhash Goyal and Pronab Sarkar
Contd. on page 8
Contd. on page 8
Contd. on page 8
List of 43 countries
with eVisa inside
Mahesh Sharma
Minister of State
Tourism & Culture (I/C)

BULLETIN
In a bid to facilitate visa appli-
cation process and make it
more efficient in the country,
Russia has opened a visa appli-
cation centre in New Delhi.India
is the first Asian country to
house a Russian Visa
Application Centre.The centre
in New Delhi is set up by Indra
Visa Fiduciary Services at
Ashoka Estate, Barakhamba
Road. Lex Systems is manag-
ing the facility.
Talking about the com-
mencement of the application
centre in Delhi, Denis Alipov,
Minister Counsellor, Deputy
Chief of Mission, Russian
Embassy in Delhi remarked,
“One of the prime objectives of
the Russian visa application
centre is to improve the quality
of service provided to Indian
citizens seeking visa to the
Russian Federation, and to
accelerate and simplify visa
processing.The Centre plans
to incorporate more transpar-
ent features, such as cashless
transactions and online facili-
tation. The visa application
centre has advanced security
features and state-of-the-art
technology.” Three more such
centres have now been
opened in Mumbai, Kolkata
and Chennai.
According to Alexander
Abramov, General Director,
Lex Systems; the Centre will
perform the technical
functions associated with the
processing of documents
required to obtain the Russian
visa. “However, the final deci-
sion on visa issuance or
denial will rest with the
Russian Consulate. Besides
visa documentation and pro-
cessing, the Centre will pro-
vide information on various
attractions and offerings in
Russia and other such
tourism-relevant details,”
he added.
India is the first Asian country to house a Russian visa application
centre.ThreemoresuchcentreshavenowbeenopenedinMumbai,Kolkata
and Chennai, besides the one in New Delhi.
RussiaopensvisacentresinIndia
MEGHA PAUL
N The Centre plans
to incorporate more
transparent features, such
as cashless transactions
and online facilitation.
N The visa application centre
has advanced security
features and state-of-the-
art technology
Asia’s First
Denis Alipov
Minister Counsellor, Deputy Chief of
Mission, Russian Embassy in Delhi
Alexander Abramov
General Director
Lex Systems
As a facilitative measure to
attractmoreforeigntourists
to India, the Government of
India launched the ‘Visa-on-
Arrival’ (VoA) Scheme in
January2010forcitizensoffive
countries, viz. Finland, Japan,
Luxembourg, New Zealand
andSingapore,visitingIndiafor
tourism purposes. The
Government extended this
Scheme to the citizens of six
more countries, namely
Cambodia,Indonesia,Vietnam,
the Philippines, Laos and
Myanmar in January 2011.
Recently India has extended
VoA to South Korean tourists
for which the Ministry has start-
ed receiving data from April
15, 2014. Presented above
are the important highlights
of VoAs issued during
October 2014.
InOctober2014,atotalof2,705VoAswereissued,ascomparedto1,911VoAs
during the month of October 2013, registering a growth of 41.5%.
growth in
TT BUREAU
The Visas on Arrival issued under the Scheme,
during January-October 2014 were Japan (4,373),
South Korea (4,243), New Zealand (3,263), Singapore
(3,027), the Philippines (2,996), Indonesia (2,450),
Finland (865), Myanmar (327), Vietnam (216),
Cambodia (109), Luxembourg (108) and Laos (18).
Hence it’s clear that Japan stole the show with maxi-
mum Visa on Arrival in its plate.
During January-October 2014, a total number of
21,995 VoAs were issued as compared to 15,770 Visas
on Arrival during corresponding period of 2013 regis-
tering a growth of 39.5%.
The Visas on Arrival issued under this scheme
during October 2014 for nationals of the twelve
countries were South Korea (683), the Philippines
(469), Japan (423), New Zealand (373), Singapore
(345), Indonesia (225), Finland (105), Myanmar
(34), Vietnam (20), Luxembourg (17), Cambodia
(10) and Laos (1).
South Korea: Most VoAs in Oct
And Japan takes the lead...
41.5% VoA
During January-October 2014, the highest number
of VoAs were issued at New Delhi airport (10,378)
followed by Mumbai (4,218), Chennai (3,014), Bengaluru
(1,487), Kolkata (1,418), Kochi (712), Hyderabad (547)
and Trivandrum (221).
Delhi Airport issues highest VoAs
In October 2014, a total of 2,705 VoAs were issued
under this Scheme as compared to 1,911VoAs during the
month of October 2013, registering a growth of 41.5%.
Massive growth year-on-year

VIEWPOINT
It’s here, finally! Ever since the announcement
of the Visa-on-Arrival, enabled by Electronic
Travel Authorisation (ETA), everyone had been
waiting with baited breath for the list of the
countries. Now, that the names of the 43
countries in the first phase have been
announced, the entire industry is buoyant.
Prime Minister Modi has also been very
vocal about developing tourism and he doesn’t
lose out on an opportunity to mention it in his
various speeches during international visits.
From the ramparts of the Red Fort, the Prime
Minister had mentioned tourism as a focus area
and he has delivered that what he had promised.
With this development, India, which had so
far been stuck at the figure of 6 million, can
now aim higher. The FTAs, which some
predict, could go up to the tune of 8-8.3
million foreign tourists!
India has also recently signed a landmark
Tourism MoU agreement with Nepal, something
which in spite of being close neighbours, we had
not done for almost 67 years. This MoU will
particularly boost Buddhist tourism, and help
develop circuits in both countries.
We also welcome the three new faces in
the ministry of tourism - Minister of State for
Tourism and Culture (Independent Charge) Dr
Mahesh Sharma, Tourism Secretary
Dr Lalit Panwar and Joint Secretary, Ministry
of Tourism, Suman Billa, and we are hopeful
that under their guidance, tourism will
reach new heights.
The VoA move is a shot in the arm for the
tourism sector, and the travel and trade
associations should make the most of it and
aggressively promote Incredible India. The
state tourism boards should also pitch in and
take up their share. With so many tourists
expected, we definitely would like to see
infrastructural development, upkeep of
monuments and heritage properties as our
immediate priorities. The PM’s Clean India
campaign should be taken forward and all
tourist spots should come under the purview.
It is only when every wing of the travel
industry comes together and works in unison
can we help in furthering the cause of the
government and make India truly Incredible.
Then we can all extend a warm welcome to our
foreign guests and show them the True India.
Athithi Devo Bhava, as they say!
Yay for eVisa
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We have been participating in
this fair for many years now.
This year, we have been able to
complete all the appointments
we had made, but there were
not many new contacts… The
set-up nevertheless at WTM is
fantastic! I spoke to people, like
I met a lady from UK, who said that the visa cost to
India is 110 Pounds, while theThailand visa is US$ 40.
That’s a lot of money and if you are travelling with
friends or family then it means a lot. And then getting
the visa is another challenge. However, I’m very opti-
mistic that the ETA will definitely help.Travellers from
Italy, Spain and UK, especially the youth, will increase.
I have a lot of faith in the new government.
Rohit Arora
General Manager, The Park, New Delhi
I didn’t see any new attractions
so I would rate WTM the same
as last year. The demand for
destination India is still not that
buoyant.People are still waiting
for the eVisa and if you go with
the numbers that the MOT is
quoting of a 18-20 per cent
growth, we probably will truly reach that number because
once the VoA actually comes into force, people will be
eager to visit because it’s currently not easy to get a visa.
People are very positive with Mr Modi visiting all coun-
tries.I was talking to a few operators who said the neg-
ativity is still not completely gone, especially with women
who don’t feel very safe travelling to India.But I believe
the sentiment is becoming far more positive with VoA.
The bottom line is that we need to move on and convey
a positive image of Brand India.
Gautam Kaul
COO,Yatra Exotic Routes
WTM is a good platform to liaison directly with customers, to improve your relationships
and to increase new business enquiries. We have got excellent leads and very good
responses. Apart from meeting our old customers, we have found some new customers
and hopefully they should convert into business. At WTM, we meet all our clients in one
single place so this also minimises our expense for PR activities. It’s a one-place get-
together to find new opportunities and clients. We also get clarity on what action and
improvement is required from our end. We get a lot of exposure to what other people
are doing in the world that is different from us. I’m going to be back next year at the
same place and same counter.
Meenu Sachdeva
Managing Director, TI Infotech
READERS’ TALK
WTM 2014
India tourism successfully made its mark at the WTM London.The Indian travel
agents, when contacted by , presents their views on how this event could
emerge as a better platform for networking.Here are a few excerpts:
VoA brings in positive sentiments
DEEPA SETHI FROM LONDON
I think WTM needs to attract
more European buyers, just
relying on UK buyers is not suf-
ficient. We need to reach out to
buyers by attracting them to
come here. In the old days, the
buyers used to come on charter
flights from Belgium and Paris.
Forget charter flights, we could get them on charter
trains now… It’s got to change, it’s too UK centric.
India has a very strong presence at WTM. We have
our own appointments but that’s not enough, and the
UK is a very limited market. If it’s called World Travel
Market, then it should be the World Travel Market in
every sense. A lot of pre marketing as a destination
must be done, there has to be India everywhere.You
have to promote it to build up to WTM.
Arjun Sharma
MD, LPTI
We have come to WTM with
high expectations because last
year was great. I feel India
needs to position itself in a much
better way. Incredible India has
been very good, but everything
has its own shelf life and there
have to be new concepts.There
have to be more interactive sessions with the buyers.
MOT should take up more meaningful dialogue with
them here .We should relook at it and reposition our-
selves. Even infrastructure wise, we made it too close
and too private.We have to keep it open for ourselves.
It’s time now to change and relook at it.With the new
minister, we are hoping things will turn around.Unless
we change the age old traditions of doing business here,
we will miss a trick!
Debasish Bhowmik
Senior Vice President,
Hotel Clarks Shiraz

Among the tourism chal-
lenges that will find a
response at FITUR 2015 –the
Trade Show organised by
IFEMA and due to be staged
at FERIA DE MADRID from
January 28-February 1 – are
cross-border medical assis-
tance, the reorganisation of
trade, the new business mod-
els and impact of technologies.
Tourism’s relationship with
cross-border medical assis-
tance has much to do with the
high quality of Spanish health-
care and the high expertise of
its professionals, as will be
seen at FITUR HEALTH, which
will showcase how tourism
companies can diversify their
business lines, seek new
opportunities, increase their
visibility and generate contacts.
Another of the major
trends is shopping tourism and
its impact on the economy of
many tourist destinations, par-
ticularly urban ones, in which
some changes are needed.
Visitors to FITUR SHOPPING
will discover how this new
tourism model requires some
retail units to adapt and create
specialised departments. In
addition, the UNWTO will
organise at FITUR the first
international conference on
shopping tourism.
Technology applied to
tourism and travel planning is
also growing in importance and
is changing many businesses.
FITURTECH will uncover how
it is doing this;the latest mobile
devices will be showcased;and
a showroom will be opened on
the tourism of the future and
the emergence of these new
business models. Innovation
will also become apparent at
FITUR KNOW HOW &
EXPORT, with Smart Tourist
Destinations, the Tourist App
Guide and the Apps
Competition.And sustainability
–another of the major drivers
of today’s tourism– will have its
reflection at FITURGREEN,
with success cases and tools
in three key areas: planning,
management and promotion of
tourist destinations; sustain-
able accommodation models;
and technology and innovation
associated with sustainability.
At INVESTOUR, a forum
openingupforthefirsttimetoall
countries worldwide, African
companiesandfromalloverthe
globewithdiscussaboutcollab-
orationandwilldebateoninvest-
ment in human capital and the
impact of Africa’s brand image
on foreign direct investment.
Anothermajortrendintheworld
is the increase in gay tourism,
which is growing at a rate of
more than 11% annually, more
thandoublethatofconventional
tourism. This evolution will be
reflected in the FITUR Gay
(LGBT) area, which is growing
insizeandnumberofexhibitors,
givingaccessforthefirsttimeto
SMEs,boostingpersonalmeet-
ings, and which will sell to the
enduserandlaunchthewebsite
www.fiturgaylgbt.com.
The upcoming FITUR-2015 will train its eyes on increasing medical tourism, boosting the use of technology in the
industry, sustainable tourism, shopping and more at the Feria De Madrid.
Future tourism trends and avenues
TT BUREAU
The tourism trends coincide
with Spain’s growing impor-
tance as a tourist-receiving
country and the increase in
its ability to manage large
visitor flows.The knowledge
acquired by operators, the
know-how amassed and our
country’s experience as a
world power in tourism con-
stitute important assets for
development on the interna-
tional stage, both inside and
outside Spain. This ability
has already been confirmed
by the record arrival in 2013
of 60.6 million tourists, 5.6%
more than in the previous
year, to which we must add
the 62 million visitors fore-
casted for 2014.This will all
be in evidence at FITUR.
Spain’s
importance
as a receiver
of tourists
N The latest mobile devices
will be showcased; and a
showroom will be opened
onthetourismofthefuture
andtheemergenceofthese
new business models
FITURTECH
DECEMBER 1ST
FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014 TRAVTALK 7EXHIBITIONS

8 TRAVTALK DECEMBER 1ST
FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014 COVER STORY
These 43 nations
have VoA
Contd. from page 1
Australia
Brazil
Cambodia
Cook Islands
Djibouti
Fiji
Finland
Germany
Indonesia
Israel
Japan
Jordan
Kenya
Kiribati
Laos
Luxembourg
Marshall Islands
Mauritius
Mexico
Micronesia
Myanmar
Nauru
New Zealand
Niue Island
Norway
Oman
Palau
Palestine
Papua New
Guinea
Philippines
South Korea
Russia
Samoa
Singapore
Solomon Islands
Thailand
Tonga
Tuvalu
UAE
Ukraine
USA
Vanuatu
Vietnam
heritage and tourist sites will be
covered under the cleanliness
drive,” the Minister said.
Sharma, who is also the
Minister of State for Civil
Aviation, also stressed on
launching heli-services for
tourists for several tourist
places to increase connectivity.
“On the lines of the service
available at Vaishno Devi, we
will unveil heli-services for
several tourist places to boost
connectivity.To begin with, we
will launch the helicopter
service in the Buddhist circuit,”
he added.
Heli-services for
Buddhist circuits
Subhash Goyal and IATO
Secretary Pronab Sarkar.
All arrangements, includ-
ing the software, are ready
at nine international
airports - Delhi, Mumbai,
Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad,
Bengaluru, Kochi,
Thiruvananthapuram and Goa.
“It's a major decision of
the Government of India. It
conveys the message of how
important the sector is and it
augurs well for the industry.
Depending upon how it is
received, we'll request the gov-
ernment to increase this from
43 to many more countries,”
says Dr Panwar.
Dewan, who has been at
thehelmofaffairseversincethe
announcementhadbeenmade,
says, “We are grateful to the
Prime Minister, the Finance
Minister,theHomeMinisterand
the Home Ministry that this rev-
olutionary step has been taken.
I'm predicting this year we are
going to achieve 7.5 million
tourists, then next year, we are
lookingat8.2-8.3milliontourists
with VoA.This will not just help
boost tourism, but also develop
the business sector.In fact, this
isbeinglookedasabigboonfor
business travellers. We can't
even calculate the impact that
this is going to have.”
In order to get aVoA, one
would need to apply on the
designated website along with
the required fees (US$ 60).
They would be granted an ETA
within 72 hours. The tourists
will need to enter India within
30 days from the date of
approval of ETA and will be
valid for 30 days stay in India
from the date of arrival.
Usha Sharma,
Additional Director General,
Ministry of Tourism, says, “It is
a historic moment. We've
been assured by the tourism
associations that the growth
in FTAs will be doubled in a
very short time. We are look-
ing forward to when India will
be seen as a country where
the visa regime is liberalised
and people can visit regularly.
We see a very bright future for
the country.”
Now Incredible numbers for India
This is being
looked as a big
boon for business
travellers. We
can't even
calculate the
impact that this is
going to have.
It conveys
the message
of how
important
the sector is
and it augurs
well for the
industry
We've been
assured by the
tourism
associations
that the growth
in FTAs will be
doubled in a
very short time
Usha Sharma
Additional Director General
MOT
Dr Lalit Panwar
Tourism Secretary
MOT
Parvez Dewan
Former Tourism Secretary
MOT
Contd. from page 1
Contd. from page 1

FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014 EXHIBITIONS
WTM Latin America and the
43rd
Braztoa Business
Event are to be organised from
22-24 April, 2015.Taking place
in a new venue, Expo Center
Norte, the event continues to
grow in square metres with rep-
resentation from strong travel
brands from around the world.
Lawrence Reinisch,
Exhibition Director, WTM Latin
America, says, “We are
pleased to announce that an
incredible 85% of the show
floor has already been
reserved and the Brazil section
is almost full. More than 25%
of exhibitors from WTM Latin
America 2014 have confirmed
their participation for 2015. I
have been working on trade
fairs for many years and
have never seen this
happen before”.
Great destinations such
as Dubai, Peru, Bahamas,
Chile, Morocco and the US
are all confirmed to attend
WTM Latin America, as
well as ACCOR and Hilton
hotel chains.
WTM Latin America will
also see tour operators from
both Latin America and the rest
of the world including Delta
Tours from Lithuania, Travel
Bolivia, Fenix Peru and Face
Peru. In addition to these new
exhibitors taking space at the
event, destinations that have
been a part of WTM Latin
America in the past have
realised the strength and poten-
tial of the show and as a result
are increasing their presence
on the exhibition floor.Amongst
these destinations are Chile
and Israel, and Mexico and
Peru who have increased their
stands by 50% for 2015.
Over 85% of the show floor has already been confirmed for
theevent.Also,morethan25%ofexhibitorsfromWTMLatin
America 2014 have confirmed their participation for 2015.
WTM LA: 85% sold out
TT BUREAU
More than 25% of
exhibitors from WTM
Latin America 2014
have confirmed their
participation for
2015. I have been
working on trade
fairs for many years
and have never seen
this happen before
Lawrence Reinisch
Exhibition Director
WTM Latin America
Nestled in the heart of South
Africa, Cape Town is a
premier urban tourism and
business destination with
much to offer local and
international visitors.
“We are delighted to
announce that Africa Travel
Week (ATW) comprising
International Luxury Travel
Market Africa (ILTM Africa)
Incentives, Business Travel
and Meetings Expo Africa
(IBTM Africa) andWorldTravel
Market Africa (WTM Africa)
has once again received the
full backing and support of the
City of CapeTown.WTM Africa
2015, which will be held over 3
days, is set to encompass
Africa’s inbound and outbound
markets for general leisure
travel, luxury tourism, and the
MICE/business travel sector.
The partnership betweenWTM
Africa and City Of Cape Town
is a valuable and strategic one,
which aims to develop the suc-
cess of WTM Africa as well as
ILTM Africa and IBTM Africa.”
said Exhibition Manager for
WTM Africa Sheree Simpson.
“InCapeTown,wepursue
an enabling environment that
would make it easier to do busi-
ness in our city. Tourism, be it
throughevents,businesstripsor
leisurestaysprovidethatoppor-
tunity to explore the business
side of the city in the naturally
wonderful setting that is Cape
Town,” said Councillor Garreth
Bloor, Mayoral Committee
MemberforTourism,Eventsand
Economic Development in the
City Of CapeTown.
The Cape Town
InternationalConventionCentre
(CTICC) is the ideal venue for
conferences, exhibitions, trade
shows, concerts and other
large-scale events. Situated at
the foot of one of the world’s
most iconic mountains, in the
heart of South Africa’s vibrant
and welcoming Mother City,
CTICC’s undeniable charm is
exceededonlybyitsprofession-
alism and versatility. Offering
flexiblevenues,world-classfacil-
ities, and professional staff,
CTICC is designed with great
experiences in mind.
On-site five-star accom-
modation completes absolute
convenience;whileeasyaccess
toCapeTown’svisitorattractions
means CTICC is far more than
a venue. Apart from the two
auditoria seating 1500 and 620
delegates, the centre boasts of
over 11,200m² of flexible
exhibition space and a 2,000m²
Grand Ballroom with magnifi-
cent views of the city.
CapeTown boasts of many award-winning beaches and
World Heritage sites.CapeTown is also the Official Host
City for World Travel Market (WTM) Africa.
WTMAfrica:Bestforbiz
N WTM Latin America will
also see tour operators
from both Latin America
and the rest of the world
including Delta Tours from
Lithuania, Travel Bolivia,
Fenix Peru and Face Peru
Highlights
N It is set to encompass
Africa’s inbound and
outboundmarketsforgeneral
leisuretravel,luxurytourism,
and the MICE/business
travel sector.
WTM Africa
TT BUREAU

FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014 EXHIBITIONS
The Central India’s largest
B2B event ‘Madhya
Pradesh Travel Mart’ (MPTM)
was organised from October
18-20, 2014 at Hotel Palash
Residency, Bhopal.
The event was inaugurat-
ed on October 18 by Shivraj
Singh Chauhan, Chief
Minister, MP and was presided
over by Surendra Patwa,
Minister forTourism & Culture,
MP, along with many other dig-
nitaries from the MP Tourism
Department and buyers and
sellers all over the world.
The MPTM, spread over
three days, showcased the
tourism attractions of the state.
Destination Madhya Pradesh
got together all stakeholders of
the tourism industry in the state
such as hoteliers, travel agents
& tour operators, adventure
tour operators, tourism dis-
tricts, handicrafts and hand-
looms, cuisine, etc.
The event’s objective was
to promote the tourism and
service business in India and
international locations. The
major markets include Europe,
South East Asia, Eastern Asia,
the United States, Australia,
and, as well as emerging ones;
such as Middle East, South
America, and South Africa.The
event witnessed participation
from some of the top travel &
tourism State Boards from India
like Chhattisgarh, Karnataka,
Maharashtra, Gujarat, etc. to
name a few. Many well-known
brands in travel sphere like
JehanumaPalaceHotel,Kanha
Village Eco Resort, Courtyard
by Marriott, Radisson Blue
Hotel, The Baagh-Kanha,
Residency Hotel, Noor-us-
Sabah Palace, etc. were also
among those who had their
stands at the Mart.
With over 2,000 B2B appointments, the inaugural edition of Madhya Pradesh
Travel Mart had over 115 buyers from over 10 countries.
Madhya Pradesh at the fore
TT BUREAU
MPTravelMart-2014takesoff
N Inaugural edition had over
115 buyers from over 10
countries
N Tour Operators from USA,
UK, Australia, Russia,
Ukraine, Germany, Hungary,
Mexico, Poland, Singapore,
Sri Lanka, India etc
N Participationfromsectorsof
wildlife resorts and camps,
Buddhistdestinations,hotels
and resorts, adventure tour
operators, luxury hotels, etc
N Domestic Tour Operators
from all over India, with
buyers from major markets
such as Delhi, Mumbai,
Ahmedabad,Kolkata,Nagpur
and emerging markets such
as Bengaluru, Hyderabad,
Pune, etc
Mart Highlights
MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan lighting the inaugural lamp
The MPTM, spread over three days, showcased the tourism attractions
of the state. Destination Madhya Pradesh got together all stakeholders
of the tourism industry in the state such as hoteliers, travel agents &
tour operators, adventure tour operators, tourism districts, handicrafts
and handlooms, cuisine, etc
Pinning UP on the tourism mapUPTM 2015 was recently launched in New Delhi in the presence of OP Singh, Tourism Minister, Uttar Pradesh, Amrit Abhijat, Secretary–Tourism,
Uttar Pradesh, Jyotsna Suri, Senior Vice President, FICCI and Rahul Chakravarty, Director-Tourism, FICCI. The website for the Mart, (www.ficci-
uptm.com) was also launched at the event. The first edition of UPTM will be held in Lucknow from February 22-24, 2015
See Page 43 for more details

RAILWAYS
The total approximate earn-
ings of Indian Railways on
originating basis during April 1,
2014 to October 31, 2014 was
`86,595.04 crore compared to
`77,273.88 crore during
the same period last year,
registering an increase of
12.06 per cent.
• The total approximate
earning from goods during
April 1, 2014- October 31,
2014 was `57,646.68
crore compared to
the same period last year,
registering an increase of
11.12 per cent.
• The total approximate
revenue earning from
passengers during April 1,
2014-October 31,
2014 was `24,716.97
crore compared to
`21,247.64 crore
during the same period
last year, registering
an increase of 16.33
per cent.
• The approximate revenue
earning from other
coaching amounted to
April 2014 – October 2014
compared to `2,187.47
crore during the same
period last year, register-
ing an increase of 6.58
per cent.
The total approximate
numbers of passengers booked
during April 1, 2014–October
31, 2014 were 4,918.57 million
compared to 4,965 million dur-
ing the same period last year,
showing a decrease of 0.94 per
cent. In the suburban and non-
suburban sectors,
the number of pas-
sengers booked
during April 2014 to
October 2014 were
around 2,664.95
millionand2,253.62
million, compared to 2,655.67
million and 2,309.33 million reg-
istering an increase of 0.35 per
cent and a decrease of 2.41 per
cent respectively during the
same period last year.
The earnings of Indian Railways during the period of April 1st
, 2014 to October
31st
, 2014 saw an appreciable increase of 12% to `86,595 crore.However, the
overall number of passengers saw a slight dip in the same period.
Railway earnings up by 12%
TT BUREAU
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in Seoul in November between the
Ministry of Railways, Government of India and the Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport
(MOLIT) of the Government of Republic of Korea (South Korea).The MoU onTechnical Cooperation
in the Rail sector was signed in Seoul by Arunendra Kumar, Chairman, Railway Board from the
Indian side and Yeo Hyung Koo,Vice Minister, MOLIT from the South Korean side.
The MoU would enable technical assistance and coop-
eration between the Railways of the two countries on areas
such as high-speed rail, modernisation of rolling stock,
railway operations, modernisation of signalling, con-
struction and maintenance technologies and in devel-
opment of logistics parks/terminals.
Indian Railways partners Republic of Korea
Commuters on the new
Mumbai Metro can now
experience the flavour of God’s
Own Country with the ‘Kerala
Green Express’running on the
network under a branding
agreement with the state
tourism department.
Kerala has become the
first destination in the country
to be associated with the
newly-launched Mumbai Metro
network. The Kerala Green
Express has begun running on
the Mumbai Metro’s Versova-
Ghatkopar corridor.All the four
coaches of the train will have
images showing Kerala’s beau-
tiful landscapes and greenery
on the outside and inside.
The Mumbai Metro car-
ries more than six lakh passen-
gers every day. The Kerala
Green Express will travel a
stretch of 11.07 km, passing
through 12 elevated stations
on theVersova-Ghatkopar line.
“We are proud to be
associated with Mumbai's
brand new metro network,”said
AP Anil Kumar, Tourism
Minister, Kerala, adding that,
“We are also privileged to be
the first destination in India to
promote tourism through the
new metro in the country’s
commercial capital.”
KeralaTourism had earli-
er promoted its destinations on
several iconic establishments
like the famous London taxis
and they had earlier done a
campaign promotion wrapping
the Rajdhani train– the longest
distance running train in India
with Kerala images.
“With a mammoth num-
ber of people using the
Mumbai metro every day, our
association with the network
will bring us close to the
residents and visitors of the
cosmopolitan city,” said
Suman Billa, Joint Secretary,
MOT and Former Tourism
Secretary, Kerala .
“It is a prestigious associ-
ation for us because the
Mumbai Metro is fast emerging
as an iconic feature of Mumbai,”
saidPISheikhPareeth,Director,
KeralaTourism.
Kerala Tourism is the first destination to be associated with Mumbai Metro
network.The train, decked inside and out with the best of Kerala’s sights, will
promote God’s Own Country in Mumbai.
‘KeralaGreenExpress’inMumbai
TT BUREAU
Suman Billa
Joint Secretary, MOT and
Former Tourism Secretary, Kerala

Addressing a PHD Rail
Infrastructure Summit-
2014 under aegis of PHD
Chamber of Commerce and
Industry in Delhi, Minister of
State for Railways Manoj
Sinha announced that the
identified projects would be
shortly put on the website of
the Ministry of Railways, with
all details and deadlines.
The minister elaborated
that the consultation process
has already had the participa-
tion of top polity of the present
government, including its rail-
ways Minister Dr Suresh
Prabhu and the Railway Board
Chairman. He further asked
industry associations like PHD
Chamber to make its contribu-
tion and provide suggestions
so that the projects would be
industry-friendly.
Sinha also said that the
successive Railway Budget
would be prepared to serve the
government’s intention of exe-
cuting mega railways projects
under its five-year agenda
plan, and to push the consul-
tation process so that the exe-
cution is not delayed, and cost
escalations arising out of nor-
mal delays in such projects are
prevented for good.
The Minister explained
that the new Modi government
was committed to revive the
PPP mode projects to uplift the
face of Railways and meet
modern requirements.
The Railway Board
Chairman Arunendra Kumar,
in his address, said that the
future focus of the infrastruc-
ture projects of railways would
be through PPP mode but in
addition to it,
Railways would put
up non-conventional
related energy
projects in the wind
and solar sector to
reduce its energy
bill which currently
ranges between
`35,000 crore to
`38,000 crore
per annum.
States such as
Rajasthan, Maharashtra and
Madhya Pradesh were in talks
with railways for execution of
such projects.
Chairman of High Speed
Rail Corporation of India and
CMD, RailVikas Nigam, Satish
Chandra Agnihotri in his
remarks observed that the new
government had prepared to lay
a railway line between
Rishikesh and Karnprayag in
Uttarakhand to connect the holy
shrines of Badrinath and
Kedarnath to the mainstream
railway line. In his welcome
remark, the President, PHD
Chamber, Sharad Jaipuria
said, “At present, the Indian
Railways is taking many new
initiatives led by the new gov-
ernment at the Centre: like
faster decision making, clear-
ances and a better policy envi-
ronment for global and domes-
tic corporate.”
Senior Vice President of
the Chamber, Alok B Shriram,
also said that the initiatives
taken by Railways for its overall
developmentandmodernisation
were opportunities that should
be given a huge push. The
Ambassador, Embassy of
the Kingdom of Belguim,
JanLuykx,ChairmanRailways
Committee, PHD Chamber,
Sandeep Aggarwal and its
Executive Director, Saurabh
Sanyal were also present on
the occassion.
TT BUREAU
The Railway Ministry is preparing a roadmap for
execution of around 50-70 mega PPP railways projects
in the next five years, for which necessary consultation
process would be finalised in the next 60 days.
50-70 railway projects in 60 days
DECEMBER 1ST
FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014 TRAVTALK 15RAILWAYS
Dignitaries at the Rail Infrastructure Summit-2014

AVIATION
While releasing the Draft Civil
Aviation Policy, Civil Aviation
Minister Ashok Gajapathi
Raju Pusapati, talks about
developing a transparent
policy in which regulations for
the civil aviation sector would
be more meaningful.
Makingregulationsmeaningful
• Airports are to be designed as integrated multi-modal hubs,
so that they provide the best possible service levels as well
aspotentialforgrowth.Anintegratedmulti-modalhubshould
include rail, metro, bus and truck connectivity as well as
accommodation and other services.
• While developing airports, it is equally essential
to ensure that related sectors such as access to
manufacturing, business, tourism and pilgrim centres
are developed. This needs to be done in association
with other Central Government Departments as well as
the State Government/UnionTerritory.
• The six metropolitan airports at Delhi, Mumbai,
Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad would
be developed as major international hubs and would in
future be the main access points for international travel
to and from India
• Infuture,a“hub-and-spoke”modelwouldbefollowed,which
would also facilitate the development of regional networks
and air connectivity as a whole.
Salient features of the draft
• A special package will be developed for the
North-Eastern Region to improve air connectivity
and provide linkages to remote locations. The
Route Dispersal Guidelines will be reviewed with the objec-
tive of encouraging Indian carriers to enhance regional con-
nectivity through deployment of small aircrafts and code
sharing arrangements.
• The 5/20 guidelines will be reviewed with a view to encour-
aging the entry of new Indian carriers.
For the North East
• An expert committee will be constituted to develop
a future roadmap for Air India. Airports Authority of
India will be corporatised, followed by listing in the
Stock Exchanges. Pawan Hans will be listed in the
Stock Exchanges with the same objective.A mission mode
project will be set up to ensure that Ministry organisations
are competitive in terms of efficiency and costs.
• TherulesandregulationsfollowedbyDGCAwillbeupgrad-
ed to international standards. Systems will be introduced
for online receipt and clearance of various permissions and
clearances.
• The functioning of Ministry of Civil Aviation and
the offices under the Ministry will be digitised to
improve efficiency and transparency. The service and
clearances to be given by different agencies will be put
online.
• Electronic procurement systems will be strengthened
to ensure transparency and accountability.
Institutional reforms
Heliports and helipads will be developed in locations with
sufficient potential.It is also proposed to provide suitable incen-
tives to helicopter operators in respect of operational costs in the
airports.
Helicopter Aviation
For development of the civil aviation sector, provision of Air
NavigationServices(ANS)ofinternationalstandardsisessential.
The Airports Authority of India’s initiatives would be intensified
to reducing flying time, elimination of crowding at airports, direct
routingofaircraftsandenhancingcommunicationandnavigation
services to international standards.
Air Navigation Services
TheDraftputsemphasisonrationalisingthecostofAviation
Turbine Fuel (ATF). Due to high rates of taxes, the cost of ATF
in India is 40-45% higher than the international costs.Steps will
be taken in association with the Ministry of Finance and State
Governments to rationalise the rate of taxes so that our costs
are competitive.
Aviation Turbine Fuel
The six metro airports will be developed as regional
cargo hubs, integrating multi-modal transport facilities, cold
chains and other commodity specific requirements. Air
Freight Stations will be developed in different parts of the
country to streamline Customs clearance and to reduce conges-
tion in the airports.
Cargo sector
“It is a step towards making
civil aviation a vibrant sec-
tor in our country, to rise to its
full potential”, said Raju, while
releasing the Draft Civil
Aviation Policy. The new Civil
Aviation Policy is expected to
be in place by January 2015,
he added.
The Draft has
been released
for consultation
with public and
stakeholders within three
weeks, after which six to seven
groups of experts would be
consti-
tuted to interact
with stakeholders and review
the inputs
received during the process.
TT BUREAU
Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati talking about the new policy

AVIATION
Kimberley Long-Urbanetz,
Head of Distribution, Hahn
Air, said that within the next five
years, the Indian market will
grow tremendously as 10-15
per cent of the Indian population
is travelling. Hahn Air sees the
need to have more communica-
tion with the market and visit
more accounts. She added,
“We need to inform Indians of
what we are offering.”
Talking about the impor-
tance of the Indian market for
Hahn Air, Long-Urbanetz
informed that the Indian market
would be among the top five for
the company. Informing about
Hahn Air’s marketing strategy,
she said that they need to
inform the non-IATA agencies
about their ticketing processes
which will make it easier for the
IATA agencies already working
with them to be able to book
tickets on Hahn Air.
According to Long-
Urbanetz, within a year of
Hahn Air’s own staff’s direct
contact with the Indian agen-
cies, the market has become
quicker and more efficient.
Sanjay Shrivastava, Director,
Global Account Management,
Hahn Air, also informed about
two new products that Hahn
Air has introduced. The first
one is H1 Hahn Air system
which is for non-GDS and
non-BSP carriers and can be
sold on Hahn Air platform, HR
169.The second one is 5W for
railways, covering entire Italy,
Spain, Germany and Austria
sectors.The agents can issue
tickets on their IATA locations
and can issue a boarding card
and handover to the passen-
gers travelling to the sectors.
“Since the time our India
operations have started, agents
are pretty happy and satisfied
with us.”Shrivastava added.
Hahn Air recently held two award shows in Delhi and Mumbai
to honour its member travel agents and celebrate the support
it has received from the Indian market all these years.
Agentshelp Hahn Airsoar
TT BUREAU
The absence of direct con-
nectivity between Canada
and India has not hampered
Air Canada’s growth story in
the Indian market. According
to Gary Cross, Senior
Director, International Sales,
Air Canada, the biggest carrier
of Canada has witnessed sig-
nificant growth from the Indian
market.“India is vital in driving
the carrier’s growth trajectory.
In the last three years, we have
registered rise in revenues
from the Indian market. The
company saw a compounded
growth of almost 20 per cent in
the last three years,” he
reveals. Air Canada is firmly
committed to maintaining the
momentum that has been
achieved and ensuring that
continuous improvement,
transformation and innovation
remain an integral part of its
DNA, he adds.
Cross points out, “We
have come closer to Air India as
ithasnowbecomeamemberof
the Star Alliance. Recently in
September,AirIndiaalsosigned
a code-sharing agreement with
Air Canada.The code-sharing
pact covers Air India’s domestic
flights and Air Canada flights to
Canada from London, Paris,
HongKongandShanghai.Also,
atToronto Airport, you can clear
US immigration and then arrive
in the US domestic airports.
Thus, Air Canada has an edge
in facilitating travel for India out-
bound to the US.” Going for-
ward, the carrier is looking at
working closely with the
CanadianTourismCommission,
which has invested heavily in
the Indian market.
As it beefs up its existing Asian routes, Air Canada is
very confident about the potential of the Indian market in
driving up revenues.
Indiavital forAirCanada
MEGHA PAUL
We have come closer to Air India as it
has now become a member of
the Star Alliance. Recently
in September, Air India also
signed a code-sharing agree-
ment with Air Canada
Gary Cross
Senior Director
International Sales
Air Canada
N In the last three years, Air
Canadahasregisteredrisein
revenues from the Indian
market
N The company saw a
compounded growth of
almost20%inthelast3years
N India is vital in driving the
carrier’s growth trajectory
YoY Growth in India
Kimberley Long-Urbanetz
Head of Distribution
Hahn Air
Sanjay Shrivastava
Director, Global Account
Management, Hahn Air
N Two new products has been
launched by Hahn Air. The
first one is H1 Hahn Air
system and the second one
is 5W for railways
What’s New

FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014 FAMILY ALBUM
Canada: Amazing from every angleThe CanadianTourism Commission (CTC) hosted a familiarisation trip for its trade partners to Ontario from November 13-18.The group visited Ottawa, Ontario,
Niagara, Toronto and also experienced the beauty of VIA Rail, which the agents appreciated.
CanadaapplaudsIndiantravelagentsCanada has become a very popular holiday destination amongst Indian travellers; and celebrating this, the Canadian Tourism Commission India organised a
thank-you dinner for its travel partners in New Delhi.The dinner was well-attended and the Indian fraternity interacted with Siobhan Chretien, Regional Managing
Director-Emerging Markets, Canadian Tourism Commission.

DECEMBER 1ST
FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014 TRAVTALK 21ASSOCIATIONS
In a little over two months
since its inception, the Travel
Agents Association of India
(TAAI) Uttar Pradesh &
Uttarakhand Chapter has
added six members and hopes
to reach an even 10 by
November end.
Sunil B Satyawakta,
chairman of TAAI – UP &
Uttarakhand Chapter and MD
of Lucknow-based Civica
Travels, reveals, “We will have
our Managing Committee
meeting on December 6 for
two days inVaranasi to discuss
our issues, especially on ways
in which we can increase our
membership.Since our current
members are spread all over
the state, we have decided to
hold our MC meets in places
where our members are, so it
is a more involved activity.”
Forming a Golden Arc
The chairman adds that
Akhilesh Yadav, Chief
Minister, Uttar Pradesh, has
recognised TAAI’s youngest
chapter by inviting it to be part
of the state’s new ‘Paryatan
Prothsahan Parishad’. “The
meeting was held in the CM’s
house and we were invited to
participate in it and give our
feedback.The CM will sanction
a ‘Golden Arc’ that will include
Agra, Lucknow and Varanasi.
Also present at the meeting
was UP Tourism Minister
Om Prakash Singh”
Satyawakta added.
The TAAI Chapter will
also be present with UP
Tourism for the upcoming Uttar
PradeshTravel Mart that will be
held at the Indira Gandhi
Pratisthan, Gomti Nagar, in
Lucknow from February 22-24,
2015. It is being organised by
the Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (FICCI) in collabora-
tion with the state government
under a five-year contract.
CMVision
Satyawakta added that
the CM is serious about devel-
oping tourism in the state.“He
means what he says. In fact,
the state tourism department
officials go on surprise visits to
monuments and tourist spots
to monitor maintenance and
encroachments,” he adds.
Yadav had recently announced
that this sector is on the priority
list, and will increase the annu-
al budget for tourism promotion
from the current `60 crore.
UDF issue
He also mentions that the
MC meet will table the User
Development Fee (UDF), that
the Lucknow airport charges
passengers, among the
issues. “The UDF that the air-
port charges passengers
amounts to `1,060 plus taxes
and is completely unfair con-
sidering that the old terminal
that is used for international
flights is under complete disre-
pair.There is no proper air-con-
ditioning, no signage, no forex
rates displayed, no cafeteria
and not enough seats.On what
basis are they charging the
UDF?” he questions.
While UDF is generally
included as part of the ticket
cost, in this case it is being
charged in cash at the airport.
Once it becomes a part of the
ticket, it will have a direct
impact on airfares. Lucknow
airport sees an average of 300
passengers per day. With Jet
Airways’ new Lucknow-Abu
Dhabi flight, it will increase to
an average of 400, the chair-
man estimated.
“We have spoken to
Airports Economic Regulatory
Authority (AERA) about this as
well as Union Home Minister
Rajnath Singh and even the
CM. As part of the Airport
Advisory Committee, TAAI
has communicated these
passenger grievances to
AERA,” he revealed.
As of now, the TAAI
chapter members are
gearing up for the upcoming
Lucknow Mahotsav starting
from November 25 to
December 5.
TAAI’s 20th
unit – the UP & Uttarakhand chapter – that was started this September has been busy
expanding its membership base and being actively involved in the state’s tourism promotion.
Taking up tourism issues in UP
HAZEL JAIN
The Chief Minister of Uttar
Pradesh will sanction a
‘Golden Arc’ that will
include Agra, Lucknow
and Varanasi
Sunil B Satyawakta
TAAI Chairman
(UP & Uttarakhand Chapter)
N The TAAI Chapter will also
bepresentwithUPTourism
for the upcoming Uttar
PradeshTravelMartthatwill
beheldattheIndiraGandhi
Pratisthan, Gomti Nagar, in
Lucknow from February
22-24, 2015
Coming Up
Lufthansa began its A380
services to India from
Frankfurt.Delhi becomes the
first city in India to welcome
Lufthansa’s flagship carrier
and the world’s largest com-
mercial passenger jet.
Wolfgang Will, Director
South Asia, Lufthansa, said,
“This is a really proud
moment for us and we are
delighted to welcome the
first A380 to India.It’s a mile-
stone event for us and we
are very pleased to welcome
the world’s largest commer-
cial passenger jet which
offers the finest in terms of
flying comfort, luxury and
efficiency. With the new
A380, Lufthansa customers
will be able to experience
Lufthansa’s latest in-flight
products and services
including the latest business
class and state-of-the art
First Class.”
Lufthansa
begins A380
operations to
India in Delhi

HOTELS
The FRHI Hotels & Resorts hosted the Global Meeting Exchange programme
at Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Abu Dhabi recently.The five-day event provided an
opportunity to meet the representatives from FRHI’s award-winning portfolio
of worldwide hotels across the three brands.Excerpts...
Beyond just networking
MEGHA PAUL
India is a core strategic market for us. We see the Indian market as critical, not only
for our growth in India, but also for its outbound growth for our other hotels globally.
Thus, it is important to have a presence in India because you want people to know
your brand.We have a two-pronged strategy in India.We are looking at developing the
India market to assist and manage the ongoing demand for inbound and domestic
travellers here.Also, we are looking at enhancing brand recognition for our global pres-
ence.We see opportunity for outbound travel to key Fairmont markets, including Dubai,
Abu Dhabi, Beijing, Singapore, Shanghai, in addition to locations in Canada, US,
Europe and Africa.The launch of Fairmont Jaipur and Swissotel Kolkata has definitely
helped in introducing Indian travellers to our brand.
Mark Sergot
Senior Vice President,
Global Sales Organization, FRHI Hotels & Resorts
We have seen a growth
story in the Indian market
and thus, for this global
meet, we had 13 Indian
buyers, which was a good
mix of corporate buyers and
professional conference
organisors (PCOs). Every
year, we have seen a
growth of 20 per cent from the MICE segment. The
five-day itinerary was a perfect opportunity to meet
representatives from our award-winning portfolio of
hotels, and participate in informal networking ses-
sions, educational discussions and exchanges with
fellow professionals and partners.
Tekla Maira
Director, Global Sales-India, FRHI Hotels & Resorts
The feedback from the
Indian clientele has been
brilliant. Seeing significant
outbound opportunities from
India, we opened our Global
Sales Office for India in
Delhi four years ago. We
have seen a spurt in gener-
ation of business across the
three brands from this market, especially the leisure,
MICE and wholesale segment, via this office. The
office is also looking at strengthening ties with the
travel trade community in India.
Meenaz Lilani
Executive Director, Global Sales - EMEA, FRHI Hotels &
Resorts
The idea to host this in Abu
Dhabi was brilliant. The
India outbound traveller is
going to Dubai more and
more; thus, Abu Dhabi
offers a lot of potential for
the Indian market.The pre-
sentations such as ‘Hotels
and the Current Climate’
gave us an overview on the growth of the industry.
This has been one of the most enlightening show-
cases I have ever attended.
Jnanesh Upponi
CEO, Fountainhead Corporate Journeys
The event went beyond
showcasing the group’s
properties. The sessions
revolved around the future
of the MICE market. We
also got insights into how
hotels, third parties and cor-
porate event managers are
working in the current
scenario.
Tarun Malhotra
Director, Inorbit Tours
Discovering Germany in Mumbai
(L-R): Romit Theophilus (Director, German National Tourist Office), Till Weigl (Destination Manager Asia & Australia) and the GNTO team at the Discover
Germany roadshow at Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai

FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014 HOTELS
The Indian Hotels Company
is looking at unveiling three
properties under its upscale
brand Gateway Hotels and
Resorts next year. This was
revealed by Prabhat Verma,
Chief Operating Officer,
Gateway Hotels. He pointed
out, “We plan to open three
properties in the coming year.
This includes a 121-key hotel
in Raipur, 150-key hotel in
Pune and 50-key resort in
Corbett, Uttarakhand.Gateway
is also looking at opening a
resort in Theog near Shimla.”
Verma was in NCR recently for
the launch of the brand’s first
resort in the country — The
Gateway Resort, Damdama
Lake, Gurgaon.
Talking about the new
property, he elaborated, “The
resort, the 25th
property in
Gateway’s portfolio, is spread
over 20 acres. While 11 acres
of the resort comprises resort
building and allied facilities, the
remaining nine acres is allotted
for leisure and adventure activ-
ities.Owned and developed by
Samak Dhoot Resorts & Spa,
it has 78 rooms in three cate-
gories, including two suites.
The guest rooms are quite spa-
cious with a standard room
measuring above 400 sq ft.”
Positioning the property in
the weekend retreat segment,
Verma said, “This is the perfect
platform where we wanted to
launch the resort and commu-
nicatetotheusersthatGateway
is also into resorts segments.
The resort has all the elements
which could attract weekend
travellers, families and groups.
There is ample scope for out-
door activities including a pool,
cricket, football, volleyball, ten-
nis,andbadmintoncourt,awell-
designed amphitheatre, a ded-
icatedadventuresportzonewith
activities such as zorbing, rock
climbing, balloon bursting, blind
mine field, cycling, etc. The
resortalsohousesthesignature
Jiva spa of the Taj Hotel. It will
be the first Jiva spa in a
Gateway property, with three
treatment rooms.”
On average room rate
and occupancy expected from
the property,Verma, added, “It
would be around Rs 8,000 and
the resort should do about
50-55 per cent occupancy in
the first year.”
The full-service brand of Indian Hotels Company has opened its first resort hotel –The Gateway Resort
Damdama Lake Gurgaon.The 25th
Gateway property will be positioned in the weekend retreat segment.
Taj opens Gateway to Damdama
The resort has all
the elements which
could attract weekend
travellers, families
and groups.
Prabhat Verma
Chief Operating Officer,
Gateway Hotels
TT BUREAU
Kenya Airways has sus-
pended direct flights from
Nairobi to New Delhi effective
November 24, 2014 as part of
operations rationalisation, but
continues to reinforce its
presence in India via Mumbai.
All guests affected by this
cancellation will be rerouted
via the Mumbai flights in
partnership with Air India and
Jet Airways. Kenya Airways
flies daily to Mumbai directly
from its Nairobi hub and will
partner with Jet Airways and
Air India for the onward con-
nection to New Delhi.
Lucie Malu, the new
Country Manager in India
says the offices in Mumbai
and New Delhi will remain
open and all the guests
rebooked. Customers can con-
tact Kenya Airways through
its 24 hour contact center on
telephone numbers +254 20
3274747, +254 711 02 4747
or +254 734 10 4747 or our
India offices on +91 22
67986798 (Mumbai) or +91
11 43083611/22 (New Delhi).
Kenya Airways remains
committed to bringing the
World to Africa and Africa to
the World offering the quick-
est route option from Africa
to New Delhi via Mumbai
or Dubai.
KenyaAirways
suspendsflights
toNewDelhi
N The resort, the 25th
property
in Gateway’s portfolio, is
spread over 20 acres.
N While 11 acres of the resort
comprises resort building
and allied facilities, the
remaining nine acres is
allotted for leisure and
adventure activities
Property USPs
O The company plans to open three properties in the coming year
O This includes a 121-key hotel in Raipur
O 150-key hotel in Pune
O 50-key resort in Corbett, Uttarakhand
O Gateway is also looking at opening a resort in Theog near Shimla
More properties in the pipeline
O Owned and developed by Samak Dhoot Resorts & Spa, it has 78 rooms
in three categories, including two suites.
O The guest rooms are quite spacious with a standard room measuring
bove 400 sq ft
The Gateway Resort, Damdama Lake, Gurgaon

FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014 HOTELS
What is the USP of
the hotel?
Grand Mercure Goa
Shrem Resort, with its dramatic
architecture, is conceptualised
as a charming Indo-Portuguese
destination. The interiors are
designed to capture the Goan
ethos through modest furniture.
The resort features 121 rooms
and suites with elegant design
and detail. Each room at the
resort in Goa is designed keep-
ing comfort in mind, offering the
finest combination of elegance,
indulgence, opulence and
upscale hospitality service
under one umbrella.The resort
revolves around the 4 brand pil-
lars:Sense ofWelcome, Sense
of Food & Beverage, Sense of
Wellness and Sense of Culture
and Discovery.
How does this position
Accor in the luxury
leisure space in Goa?
Accor, the world’s leading
hotel operator with more than
3,600hotelsand470,000rooms
inIndia,operateswithanetwork
of 7 distinctive brands under-
pinned by operational excel-
lence, while embracing its
European heritage. Grand
Mercure has established itself
as a distinctive upscale collec-
tion of hotels and apartment
hotels in key business and
resort locations. The Grand
Mercure brand has operated in
Asia Pacific for almost 20 years,
anchoring itself around
“Discover a new authentic”with
hotels and resort closely con-
nected to their local areas
through design, character and
flavour combined with the
upscale hospitality service.Goa
is the most sought after leisure
destination in India and with this
brand coming into Goa, it offers
a new experience to the trav-
ellers through all touch points
whicharereflectedinits4brand
pillars and evident across the
entire resort.
What are the MICE offer-
ings at the property?
At the Grand Mercure
Goa Shrem Resort, the MICE
segment would find a new des-
tination that is geared to cater
to all the requirements tailor
made to suit the needs of
today’s travellers and the loca-
tion is just right to mix business
with leisure for those looking to
party late after a day-long con-
ference.The facilities include a
business centre with 3 board
rooms, 4 meeting rooms well-
equipped with the latest audio
visual and communication
technology.The meeting rooms
are sized from 500 sq.ft. to
1500 sq.ft. The resort
also offers a 8000 sq.ft
Marquee or Hanger, an out-
door air conditioned convention
space that can easily accom-
modate 800 persons in a
variety of flexible settings. It is
ideal for business meetings,
trainings, seminars, social
gatherings and not to for
get a perfect venue for
picturesque weddings.
What is the potential of
hospitality and tourism
in Goa as of now?
Goa holds the distinction
of being the only market in the
country that has witnessed
an increase in REVPAR over
the last five years by 7%
year-on-year. It also has
great potential for MICE seg-
ment while it continues to
surprise everyone with the
upswing that it has witnessed
in the domestic travellers
AccorannouncedtheopeningoftheGrandMercureGoaShremResort.ThisupscaleGoaresortisownedbytheShremGroup
andmanagedbyAccorIndia.TheenchantinggetawayissituatedontheinvitingcornerofCandolimroadandisonly40minutes
from the airport by car.A few excerpts with Manish Dayya, General Manager, Grand Mercure Goa Shrem Resort…
Glocal experience@Grand Mercure Goa
GU N J A N SA B I K H I F R O M G O A
We would like to work with all
travel agents including online.
For this, we have ensured that
the rate parity is maintained.
Manish Dayya
General Manager,
Grand Mercure Goa Shrem Resort (L-R): Amar Tekchandaney (Director, Shrem), Manish Dayya (General Manager, Grand Mercure Goa Shrem Resort),
Krishani Chhatwal (Director, Shrem), Remun Bhutani (Director, Shrem), Rakshit Talwar (Director, Sales & Marketing,
Grand Mercure Goa Shrem Resort)
Contd. on page 48

ETOA is the leading trade
association for tour opera-
tors and suppliers with busi-
ness in European destinations.
Nearly 700 members con-
tribute more than 12 billion
worth of business to Europe.It
includes tour and online oper-
ators, intermediaries and
wholesalers; European tourist
boards, hotels, attractions and
other tourism suppliers.
ETOA offers networking /
contracting platform for tourism
professionals by organising
B2B events (MAMA, City Fair,
GEM, HEM).The organisation
provides advocacy support on
a European level, high-profile
industry campaigns and
B2B marketing representation
opportunities; all in order to
promote Europe as the number
one tourism destination.OTOAI
and its members will benefit by
accessing established annual
events free, and sourcing
European and UK products.
ETOA will benefit by opening a
new market to its members and
offering new buyers for their
event attendees. OTOAI and
ETOA will create seminars
and/or educational sessions for
theirmemberstoshareinforma-
tion and issues.
The March Marketplace
(16-17 March, 2015) is a B2B
workshop which enables inter-
national tour operators, whole-
salers and OTAs to meet and
contract with UK regions and
Ireland. The event consists of
two days with different regional
focus. OTOAI will through a
pre-selection process, identify
20-30 tour operator members
interested in furthering busi-
ness to London, Ireland and
the rest of UK; for attending
MAMA ’15.
Martine Ainsworth-
Wells, Director of Marketing &
Commerce, EuropeanTourism
Association, said, “We are try-
ing to promote the Europe, par-
ticularly UK and Ireland
throughout the world. I am
thrilled to sign this agreement
with OTOAI because India, of
all the long haul markets, has a
very special place for the UK,
and the UK has a very special
place for the Indians.”Wells con-
tinued, “We already have sev-
eral Indian companies attending
WTM to find out new products
in the UK, and I feel that UK is
finally beginning to understand
the actual specific requirements
of Indian visitors.We can’t gen-
eralise this huge sub-continent.
These are nuances that the UK
market is now beginning to
understand.”ETOA will be sup-
ported by UK regional boards
like London & Partners,Tourism
Ireland, etc.
OTOAI has announced that it has recently signed an MoU with European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) at WTM
in London to mutually promote and support an Indian contingent at the March Marketplace (MAMA)-2015, in the UK.
OTOAI &ETOAjoinhandsforMAMA-2015
TT BUREAU
DECEMBER 1ST
FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014 TRAVTALK 27ASSOCIATIONS
India, of all the
long-haul
markets, has a
special place for
the UK, and the
UK has a special
place for Indians
Martine Ainsworth-Wells
Director of Marketing
& Commerce, European
Tourism Association
N TofacilitateaccessforOTOAIanditsmemberstoETOAtradeeventsin
Europe.
N ToallowmutuallybeneficialeducationbetweenEurope’ssuppliersand
Indian outbound operators to take place.
N To identify, discuss and remove barriers that hinder growth of travel.
Aims of OTOAI and ETOA Partnership
Punam Singh, Executive Director, OTOAI and Martine Ainsworth-Wells
Director of Marketing & Commerce, ETOA

When Carlson Rezidor played the hostBelgium-based hotel chain Carlson Rezidor recently organised an evening of networking and entertainment over cocktails and dinner at Auriga Restaurant &
Lounge in Mumbai.Welcoming its select set of trade partners was Chirodeep Chakraborty, Associate Director for Global Sales at Carlson Hotels South Asia.
Jagsons Travels will host its
global buyer-seller meet
titled Global Panorama
Showcase (GPS) from
February 8-10, 2015.The sec-
ond edition of the three-day
event will be held at Hotel
Centre Point, Ramdaspeth in
Nagpur. GPS acknowledges
Central India as one of the
upcoming and potential travel
trade and consumer markets in
India.The theme for GPS 2015
is‘Explore the Heart of India’.
Focus on education
While the first day will
allow end-consumers, the rest
of the days are dedicated to
the trade. Talking about the
change in format this year,
Harmandeep Singh Anand,
MD of Jagsons Travels and
Hon Secretary General of the
Travel Agents Association of
India (TAAI), said that this
year’s edition will have a clear
focus on educational work-
shops for agents as well.
“We saw really good par-
ticipationfromtheattendeesthe
last time.We therefore decided
to increase our focus on educa-
tional seminars and product
showcasing this year. Some of
the workshops will also include
certification. However, it is too
early to talk about the details of
the workshops that will be con-
ducted this year as we are
awaiting confirmations,”he said.
Last year, there were
around 14 workshops, includ-
ing six certification courses, by
Malaysian Airlines,TrawellTag
as well as Star Cruises certifi-
cation program.As a result, the
event saw participation from a
lot of tourism students as well.
Central India in focus
“For the table-top B2B
meetings, we have invited close
to400agentsfromCentralIndia
and will host close to 50 poten-
tial agents.We will also target
about 80-100 product owners to
come and exhibit at GPS-2015,”
Anand added.The products will
include hotels, attractions, air-
lines, DMCs and tourism
boards.The first edition of GPS
last year attracted about 400
attendees.
“We are looking at both
domestic and international par-
ticipation. The idea is to give
exposure to Central India that
comprises Nagpur, Indore,
Bhopal, Raipur, Akola, Jalgaon
and Jabalpur. These markets
have shown a huge potential
for growth and few of them rank
amongst the fastest-emerging
tier II cities in India.These mar-
kets rely on large metros for
service but have the potential
to stand alone,” Anand said.
For the Indian products,
it will target J&K, MP,
Maharashtra, Kerala, NE
and Rajasthan. International
participation at GPS will include
the South-East Asian countries,
the Middle East, Europe and
Africa to showcase their
tourism offerings.
JagsonsTravelsisreadytohostthesecondeditionofitsglobal
buyer-seller meet from February 8-10, 2015.
Globalbuyer-sellermeet
HAZEL JAIN
Harmandeep Singh Anand
Managng Director
Jagsons Travels

FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014 NTO
“South Carolina is not a
vacation, it’s an experi-
ence,” said Haley – while on a
10-day tour of India with her
business delegation visiting
seven cities, including New
Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad,
Amritsar and Chennai.
Haley addressed a meet
on ‘Enhancing Trade &
Investment Cooperation
between South Carolina and
Maharashtra’ hosted by World
Trade Centre, Mumbai and All
India Association of Industries.
Haley’s intentions were clear:
to attract investments and
tourists from India. While
addressing a group of
investors and a few travel trade
representatives in Mumbai,
she said, “The key sectors that
we want to focus on are aero-
nautics and automotives, but
also tourism.We have a beau-
tiful blend of manufacturing
and tourism.”
Also travelling with the
American delegation was the
Consul-General of US to India,
Thomas Vajda, and Duane
Parrish, Director of South
Carolina Department of Parks,
Recreation & Tourism.
Haley said, “Indians
bring their executive teams
here, but we also want them
to come for holidays. The
Indian community is one that
has not been introduced to
South Carolina, and I want to
extend an invitation to every-
one. We see a lot of opportu-
nities here. So the first thing
we do is communicate and
make it a win-win for both
countries. It’s about relation-
ships, not transactions.”
She added that one of
the reasons she is looking at
India is personal. “I have not
been here since I was two. So
everything I’ve heard from my
parents in terms of memories
and experiences was some-
thing of a dream for me. I
imagined it, but I didn’t know
exactly what it was until I got
here. India is even more spec-
tacular in person. So it only
makes sense that I want to
see more Indians in South
Carolina,” she said, emphati-
cally adding, “This will not be
my last trip to India.”
Born to Indian parents,
Haley was elected as the
Governor of South Carolina in
2010, becoming the first female
and first Indian-American gov-
ernor in the state’s history. She
is the youngest sitting governor
intheUSandhasbeenre-elect-
ed for the second term.She had
met Prime Minister Modi during
his recent visit to the US.
The Indian-origin governor of South Carolina – Nikki Haley – was on a seven-city tour of India with a large business delegation
including the tourism director, which reveals her intention of seriously promoting her state to the Indian outbound.
‘I want Indians to visit South Carolina’
HAZEL JAIN
I’m building
relationships
with the travel
trade right now
before we make
a splash in India
Indians bring
their executive
teams here, but
we also want
them to come
for holidays
Nikki Haley
Governor
South Carolina
Duane Parrish
Director of South Carolina Department
of Parks, Recreation & Tourism
South Carolina’s tourism focus
“This is our first trip to
India. In fact, no one in my
position has ever visited the
country. I have been meeting
some of the major tour oper-
ators and representatives of
the travel trade here and my
aim is to get their perspective
on the market. Once we go
back, we will sketch out our
plan of action on how we can
attract more Indian tourists to
South Carolina,” Parrish said.
Among the companies
he met during his visit were
Thomas Cook, Vacations
Exotica, and Abercrombie &
Kent. Speaking about the
segment of tourists he is
keen on, Parrish said, “First-
timers to the US usually visit
the more popular cities like
NYC and Chicago. We want
to attract Indians who have
travelled to the US, particu-
larly those who visit the East
Coast.We are looking at the
middle and upper-middle
segment of FIT and MICE
travellers.”
He added that the main
aim was make Indians aware
of South Carolina and what it
has to offer. The year 2013
saw about 35,000 Indians
travel to the state and Parrish
expects an increase of at
least 25% by 2015.
“I’m building relation-
ships with the travel trade
right now before we make
a splash in India. One of
the feedbacks we received
was to reach our travellers
through e-media given the
high number of smart phone
users in India apart from print
media. We will return in
2015 to do a follow-up and
renew our relationships here,”
Parrish added.

FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014 ASSOCIATIONS
As planned, the IATA
Agents Association of
India (IAAI) along with
Enterprising Travel Agents
Association (ETAA) recently
conducted their first joint
training workshop in
Mumbai for their respective
members on Saturday,
November 8, 2014 in
Juhu's Hotel Ajanta. This
was held immediately after
IAAI's AGM.
The event started with
TrawellTag Cover-More’s
extensive engagement pro-
gram conducted exclusively
for ETAA and IAAI members
by Dev Karvat, MD of
TrawellTag Cover-More, and
winner of ‘Face of the Future’
at the India Travel Awards
West. This was followed
by presentations by Alamo
Car Rentals, Alitalia Airlines
and Hotel Ajanta, which
hosted the venue as well as
cocktails and dinner.
Chetan Momaya,
President of Maharashtra
Chapter of IAAI, revealed that
the entire workshop held in
Mumbai was sponsored
by IAAI. Speaking about the
various joint initiatives, he
said, “The first training
workshop after we signed the
MoU on July 19 was held in
Pune where MTDC was a
part. This was followed by
the Mumbai one. We are
now looking at conducting
workshops in Delhi,
Chennai and Kochi.”
Jagat Mehta, Acting
President of ETAA, said that
the two associations have
been regularly conducting
training programs all over
the country. “This was the
first one in Mumbai and will be
followed by more such work-
shops,” he said.
First joint convention
The duo is also planning
their first joint convention
around the February or March
of 2015. This was confirmed
by Momaya. He said, "We are
excited about planning our
first joint convention and have
received proposals for
Malaysia, Singapore and
India. So these three destina-
tions are under discussion
right now.We will meet again
in a few days and firm up on
the destination."
Since this will be attend-
ed by members of both the
associations, the hunt is on
for an ideal location that will
be able to accommodate
500-600 persons. Momaya
said, “New Delhi is a good
contender since the ministry
also sits there.”
While Biji Eapen,
National President of IAAI,
was not present at this
workshop, he said over a tele-
phonic conversation, “I am
heading to Delhi to speak to
various individuals in
power about the various the
agents face, including the
commission issue.”
ThetwoassociationsrecentlyconductedajointworkshopfortheirmembersinMumbai–theirfirstinthecityaftertheyrenewed
their commitment to work together in July 2014.The duo will soon firm up plans for their first joint convention. presents
the key highlights of the event and brings to fore the views of the trade veterans.
IAAI-ETAA’s 1st
joint workshop in Mumbai
HAZEL JAIN
TrawellTag conducted its ‘Travel Agents Engagement
Program’ for the first time in Mumbai exclusively for ETAA
and IAAI members. TrawellTag also showcased some of
its newer products including Adventure Sports Plan, Car
Rental Protection Plan in a foreign country, Cruise Cover,
Pre-existing Diseases Cover, Trip Cancellation Protection
and Laptop Cover. Meanwhile, Alitalia, the national carrier
of Italy, has restarted its operations in India after it received
equity investment from Etihad. Rajan Laxman, Director of
Ajanta Travels, that is the GSA for Alitalia in India,
announced a flat seven per cent incentive on the base fare
to the trade across the board.
New products announced
Biji Eapen
National President
IAAI
Jagat Mehta
Acting President
ETAA
Chetan Momaya
President
Maharashtra Chapter, IAAI
Dev Karvat
Managing Director
TrawellTag Cover-More

DECEMBER 1ST
FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014 TRAVTALK 35AGENTS
Women are increasingly
making decisions around
the house, whether it is about
buying expensive durable
goods for the house or family
holidays.This is the thumb rule
that Swiss Youth Hostel
followed while deciding on
its annual familiarisation trip
for Indian agents.
It took eight agents – all
women - from West India’s
Mumbai and Ahmedabad cities
on a five nights’ trip to three
destinations in Switzerland for
them to experience a Swiss
holiday that revolved around
SwissYouth Hostels.
Youth hostels for fami-
lies, groups
Speaking more about this
idea is Jenaifer Daruwalla,
General Manager, Maison de
Voyage that is a GSA for Swiss
Youth Hostels in India. “We
were very clear that we wanted
to take women agents on
this trip as we believe that they
are increasingly becoming
the decision-makers in most
households, especially regard-
ing family holidays. The other
reason was to open them up to
the idea of family holidays
while staying at one of our
many hostels and enjoy-
ing activities that would
interest the entire family,”
she said.
The trip that was
conducted in association
with Switzerland Tourism
included visits to
Interlaken, Zurich and
Locarno while staying
overnights at the respec-
tive Swiss Youth Hostels.
The activities included a
day trip to Brienz and
Ticino which is the Italian
region of Switzerland, fal-
conry show, a chocolate
workshop, nightlife and
surprisingly a water park called
Splash e Spa!
“This was a unique ele-
ment in our trip specially since
it was in November.This water
park has an indoor and out-
door area and is the perfect
product for a family.The agents
loved it!This also goes to show
that travelling to Switzerland
during the winter is also fun
and doable,” Daruwalla stated,
adding that while most of them
were vegetarians and Jains,
the food was never a problem.
While e-biking was part of the
itinerary, the agents couldn’t do
it because of bad weather.
Swiss holidays with
hostels
Speaking about the
process of finalising the agent
names for this familiarisation
trip, Daruwalla said, “We
chose them on the basis of
the numbers they do, their
potential and their level of
commitment in promoting a
new product. Unless we get
support from the trade, we
cannot get this message of
staying at youth hostels
across to the end traveller.
This trip was a good break-
through for us in terms of con-
vincing the travel trade about
the potential of youth hostels
in the Indian market.”
Conferencing in hostels
The Swiss Youth Hostel
is also promoting conferencing
and MICE packages at its hos-
tels and it had included Zurich
hostels in the plan to showcase
these facilities to the agents.
Daruwalla said, “The agents
were amazed at what they
saw.The hostel offers confer-
ence rooms that can
accommodate 20 to 200 dele-
gates. It also has WiFi and a
business centre along with all
MICE facilities.”
In order to promote FIT as well as family holidays revolving around hostel stay in Switzerland, SwissYouth Hostel recently
conducted an all-women familiarisation trip for agents in association with SwitzerlandTourism.
A girls-only tour to Switzerland
We were very clear that we wanted to take
women agents on this trip as
we believe that they are
increasingly becoming the
decision-makers in most
households, especially
regarding family holidays
Jenaifer Daruwalla
General Manager,
Maison de Voyage
TT BUREAU

FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014 NTO
Cheers for Cricket
AreceptionwasheldrecentlyattheNewZealandHighCommissioninDelhi,tocelebrate
New Zealand’s co-hosting of the ICC CricketWorld Cup 2015.Nathan Guy, Minister of
PrimaryIndustries,wastheGuestofHonourattheeventwhichwasattendedbymembers
of a visiting New Zealand business delegation to India, and other dignitaries.
In a move to attract more high-
value Indian visitors to New
Zealand, the New Zealand
Minister of Immigration,
Michael Woodhouse, was in
Mumbai with the Tourism New
Zealand team.
Under a tripartite agree-
ment between Immigration
New Zealand (INZ), Tourism
New Zealand (TNZ) and six
key travel agents from India,
Indian visitors travelling to New
Zealand for business events
will benefit from faster visa pro-
cessing time of three days and
reduced paperwork.
Speaking about the part-
nership, Minister Woodhouse
said,“Under the scheme, appli-
cants will benefit from a quick
business visa process, and the
requirement to provide evi-
dence of funds and employ-
ment will be met through a let-
ter of support issued by the
travel agent.This is with imme-
diate effect. We already have
the infrastructure ready. We
want them to take advantage
of the conference facilities we
have in Auckland, Christchurch
and Queenstown.”
High value, but low risk
The minister was in
Mumbai for a day and it was
his first visit to India. He
added that the ministry was
keen on ensuring that New
Zealand was open for busi-
ness, for work and for play.
“But we can’t do that
alone.Our vision for a modern
and technological immigration
system is to work with our
partners.We are in a partner-
ship and there is a mutual
trust and this is evident in the
work we do with local busi-
nesses, or in this case, with
several travel companies.We
are familiar with the agencies
selected on the basis of their
ability to bring high-value/low-
risk ‘Business Event’ visitors
to New Zealand.”
With Kiwi humour, he
added, “There are various rea-
sons why Indians would want to
visit New Zealand – jumping out
of planes is just one. We can
have them jumping off moun-
tains, jumping off bridges, in fact
you can jump off just about any-
thinginNewZealand!Thereare
many ways to enjoy the fruits of
our compact but wildly-diverse
country in terms of its scenery.
But also, doing business is
important.”
Multiple travel segments
In the last financial year,
more than 20,000 Indian
nationals were issued work
visas – more than any other
country other than Britain.
More than 6,000 Indians
became New Zealand resi-
dents, nearly 15,000 Indians
were issued student visas and
35,000 Indians visited New
Zealand for tourism. Of this,
eight per cent were visiting for
business while two per cent
were here for conferences.
“India is one of our
largest markets for a number
of traveller segments: stu-
dents, tourists, and increas-
ingly skilled migrants. But
there are also very strong
business links that we can
make stronger. We also have
a growing convention and
business destination market
into New Zealand, which
India has not really tapped
into. So we are hoping that
this will lead to not only to
faster process but
also a greater number of
business travellers,” the
minister shared.
Assuring that there will
quite possibly be more devel-
opments in the future, he
revealed that the ministry is
starting to process student
visas online now and working
increasingly with other trusted
partners that may include
education agents or the
institutes and universities
themselves.
In India to sign MoUs with six chosen Indian trade partners, Michael Woodhouse, the Minister of Immigration, New Zealand
displayed complete support to the Indian market along with his straight-faced, dry Kiwi humour.
NZ visa in 3 days for biz travellers
HAZEL JAIN
India is one of our largest
markets for a number of
traveller segments: students,
tourists, and increasingly
skilled migrants.
Michael Woodhouse
New Zealand
Minister of Immigration
Simon Smith, Counsellor Immigration in
New Delhi, Ministry of Business, Innovation &
Employment, INZ, who was in India as part of
the Immigration New Zealand delegation,
spoke about the details of the six MoU that
were signed.
How did these MoUs come about?
This is a key part of INZ’s Vision 2050.This
tripartiteagreementisthefirsttourismpartnership
that has been signed globally so we are setting a
record here in India.
How did you choose the six agencies?
The six partners have their network across
India.Its not that they are Mumbai-based but they
have their reach far and wide and that’s one of
the reasons why we chose them.
Please share some details of the MoU?
At this stage, the MoU is only for the MICE
sector and business events. These are the
sectors that we really want to push. But there is
no reason why we wouldn’t look to extend it to
other segments.
The MoUs are for two years

DECEMBER 1ST
FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014 TRAVTALK 39NTO
Focussing on maximum
comfort and exclusive trav-
el across Germany, the
German NationalTourist Office
(GNTO) India is promoting the
concept of‘Smart Luxury’.For
the same reason, the Board
has recently launched a micro
site to showcase Michelin star
restaurants, theme-based
unique hotels, etc. GNTO has
already started tying up
with luxury travel agents to
promote the same in India,
Romit Theophilus, Director-
Sales and Marketing, GNTO
India revealed.
Germany, which earlier
was earlier considered more of
a business destination is seeing
a huge spurt in leisure tourist
arrivals. For January-August
2014, leisure and business trav-
el shares stood at 42 and 58 per
cent respectively, compared
with last full year’s 30 and 70
per cent respectively.
According toTheophilus,
Indian tourists didn’t consider
Germany as a holiday destina-
tion. “However, now they are
realising that there is a lot to
explore in Germany for
leisure as well.Stuttgart,
Munich, Frankfurt and
Berlin are now hugely
popular among Indians
as leisure destinations.
Indian leisure business
has also picked up for
theme parks.Especially
after the Bollywood
movie, Don 2, which
was shot in Germany,
Cologne, too, is witness-
ing an upward trend in
terms of tourist arrivals
from India,”he informed.
From January to August 2014,
tourist arrivals from India rose
8.1 per cent, amounting to
over 435,052 overnights.
GNTO’s goal is to close the
year with 700,000 overnights
by Indian tourists.
German National Tourist Office (GNTO) India has recently launched a micro
site to showcase Michelin star restaurants, theme-based unique hotels and
niche trails for the Indian market.
SmartLuxuryonGermany’sradar
MEGHA PAUL
From January to August
2014, tourist arrivals from
India rose 8.1 per cent,
amounting to over 435,052
overnights. GNTO’s goal is
to close the year with
700,000 overnights by
Indian tourists.
Romit Theophilus
Director-Sales and
Marketing, GNTO India
N Stuttgart, Munich, Frankfurt
and Berlin are now
hugely popular among
Indians as leisure
destinations. Indian leisure
business has also picked
up for theme parks
Highlights
The FRHI Hotels & Resorts
values and respects the
mutually beneficial relationship
it enjoys with travel agents, and
is pleased to reconfirm its
ongoing commitment to this
community with the continued
promise of complimentary
high-speed and wireless inter-
net access to all FRHI loyalty
club members, regardless of
how customers book their trav-
el experience. This means
members can make their
reservation through their pre-
ferred booking channel includ-
ing a travel agent, online or
directly via the company's
proprietary reservation
systems to receive this guest
benefit, in addition to all others
associated with its guest
recognition programs.
"Our philosophy is to
work closely with travel agents
in promoting our distinctive
brands and hotels, provide
them with tools and services to
grow their commissions, and
make it convenient and easy
for them to do business with
us,”said Jeff Senior, Executive
Vice President & Chief
Marketing Officer, FRHI Hotels
& Resorts. “Our offer under-
scores this commitment and
shows the vital role these travel
partners play in FRHI's
distribution strategy.
The brands within the FRHI portfolio
Fairmont,RafflesandSwissôtel–remain
committedtoworkingwiththetraveltrade
to drive and enhance customer loyalty.
FRHI commits to trade
TT BUREAU
Our philosophy is to work closely with
travel agents in promoting our brands,
and make it convenient for them
to do business with us
Jeff Senior
Executive VP & Chief Marketing Officer, FRHI Hotels & Resorts

FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014 AGENTS
Ramesh Punjabi, Joint
Managing Director, Le
Passage to India, feels online
business channels have
attracted young travellers,
and tour operators have to
keep pace to becoming part
of this scenario.
However, the B2B segment
will continue to conduct business in the conventional
way and travellers will continue to deal with a‘face’and
‘contact’in order to feel secure and ensure all aspects
of their travel are dealt with by professionals.
Finding itself at the crossroads, the travel agents’ fraternity now faces a need to ‘reinvent’ and ‘redefine’ its role.With
travel portals bringing the world literally to the travellers’doorstep, the need for conventional travel agents has all but
disappeared.Clearly, it is time for them to think‘out-of-the-box’, innovate, and assume a new avatar.
Overcoming the identity crisis
INDER RAJ AHLUWALIA
Homa Mistry, Managing
Director, Trail Blazers India,
feels that, with the introduc-
tion of the internet, the
tourism business’ potential
has increased manifold.
Travel agents will do much
better than earlier as their
reach has increased without
investment, and there is no difference between small
and big travel agencies.Essentially, it boils down to a
situation where one adopts new marketing ways for
the same job.Those who will adapt to the change will
only see better days ahead.
Cdr. CP Sharma of
Neptune Travco feels mul-
tiple travel portals and
search engines are defi-
nitely penetrating the travel
market. Travel agents do
have to provide value-
added services like travel
insurance; visas; foreign
exchange; good handling
services; leisure holidays and activities etc to keep
themselves relevant.The personal touch and service
is paramount. Agents need to change their revenue
models and move towards customised offerings for
discerning travellers.
Ratna Chadha, CEO,
TIRUN Travel Marketing,
and India Representative
for Royal Caribbean
Cruises, considers travel
agents to be the primary
channel of distribution as
they have direct access and
the widest reach to the con-
sumer, and route 99 % of cruise bookings.The inter-
net has made the role of agents even more demand-
ing because it acts as a catalyst for information.
Besides, since the passenger has already
researched the information, agents need to be up to
speed as well.
Sunil Sikka, Marketing
Manager, WelcomHeritage,
feels that the increasing use
of internet and advent of
online travel portals and
search engines has pre-
sented an identity crises for
travel agents. While the
internet provides holiday
packages, travel agents offer holiday experiences.
But in order to survive in the competitive world of dig-
italization, travel agents need creative ideas, and
increased web presence as today’s era is drifting
towards the digital sphere and in the coming days
most communications will happen online.
Shivraj Singh, M.D. Atithi
Voyages, agrees that the
internet has weaned away
considerable business from
travel agents and tour oper-
ators. People find it easier
to go online and research
destinations and select
properties, as against going
to agents and seeking professional help. But the
agent – client relation is like a doctor – patient one.
The doctor’s role can’t be replaced.Potential visitors
to India lean heavily on agents’ advice about issues
such as safety and health.
Capt. Swadesh Kumar, MD
Shikhar Travels, feels that
‘when God closes one door,
he opens many others’, which
applies well to travel agents’
business.It is like a super-mar-
ket or a boutique where peo-
ple buy the specific merchan-
dise they seek.The same prin-
ciple applies to travel agents’
business.Those who specialise in a particular aspect
of travel will survive and flourish as they provide specific
services to clients.The key for the industry is to pick
one aspect of tourism and focus on that.This will lead
to not just survival, but also profitability.
Kuku S. Kumar, MD
Travelmate, feels travel
agents today are facing the
worst crisis in history since
IATA agents were appointed
as an integral part of the air-
line sales and distribution
system. The entry of travel
portals and search engines
have hit the earnings of small and medium agents
who were dependent on service to the customer and
commission from airlines.The commission has been
withdrawn and capping system introduced, and these
factors are dealing a fatal blow to agents. In India,
agents can still survive with government’s support.
Aparna Basumalik, Chief
Executive Officer, Club 7
Holidays, feels travel agents
are here to stay, but they
have to come of age, be tech-
savvy, and provide innovative
services. Online business
may be good for seasoned
travellers, but it doesn’t come
cheap, and has its share of problems.Clients are look-
ing for reliable handling of their travel, and this is where
agents are necessary. Since one has to pay service
fees online too, why not go through an agent? It’s worth
paying a small supplement to agents who provide
clients a sense of security.

The Med, Dead and Red in Israel
Indian agents meet Israeli partners
Indian travel agents experienced the best of Israel during a Meeting, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) FAM organised from
November 10th
-18th
, 2014. The agents visited Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Dead Sea, Masada, Judean desert and Red Sea in the resort city of Eilat.
HavingFun
AtWork

DECEMBER 1ST
FORTNIGHT ISSUE 2014 TRAVTALK 43AVIATION
UPTM 2015 was recently
launched in New Delhi in
the presence of OP Singh,
Tourism Minister, Uttar
Pradesh, Amrit Abhijat,
Secretary–Tourism, Uttar
Pradesh, Jyotsna Suri, Senior
Vice President, FICCI and
Rahul Chakravarty, Director-
Tourism, FICCI. The website
for the Mart, (www.ficci-
uptm.com) was also lunched at
the event. The first edition of
UPTM will be held in Lucknow
from February 22-24, 2015. It
will be organised by the state
government, the state tourism
board and Federation of Indian
Chambers of Commerce
(FICCI) for the next five years,
according to a Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) that
was signed by them this year.
Chakravarty informed
that 75 hosted foreign tour
operators from across the
world and 15 inbound opera-
tors, 25 domestic tour opera-
tors from across India along
with around 80 sellers of the
tourism products promoting
Uttar Pradesh as a destination,
will participate.A familiarisation
(FAM) trip will also be organ-
ised at the end of the Mart, for
foreign tour operators to
Lucknow, Varanasi and Agra,
he added.
Suri said, “The Chief
Minister of Uttar Pradesh,
Akhilesh Yadav understands
the benefits of tourism. He
knows what it can do to grow
employment and Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) of his
state.So, he conceptualised an
initiative of the UPTM.”
In his address to the
meet, Singh said, “Our Chief
Minister has brought in a new
slogan ‘Green UP, Clean UP’.
We’ll have to set up a sustain-
able way of living.He said, “UP
is a state where you find every-
thing from heritage to culture.
And we all have to make an
effort together to make it one
of the best spots for tourism.”
Abhijat said that a
‘Heritage Arc’will soon be cre-
ated, covering Agra, Lucknow,
and Varanasi.An international
cricket stadium and Jai
Prakash Narayan Convention
Centre in Lucknow are
being planned to be set up.
He added,
“We are planning to
enhance the‘Aarti
Experience’in
Varanasi, along
with improvising the
traffic and cleanliness
issues.Varanasi will
be soon equipped
with air connectivity
from Sarnath and
Kushinagar.”
Abhijat also said that the
Heritage Hotel Policy would
provide a thrust to the hospi-
tality sector of Lucknow,
Varanasi, and Agra.The Policy
offers entrepreneurs in the
sector subsidy in luxury
and entertainment tax. He
added that the website is
being renovated to offer
more information.
OrganisedforthefirsttimebyFICCIandtheStateTourismBoard,theUttarPradesh
Travel Mart is all set to turn eyes.On the occasion of its launch, the state tourism
minister unveiled a few plans, including aVaranasi-Sarnath direct flight.
Fly Varanasi to Sarnath soon
TT BUREAU
The UP Tourism Minister launching the UPTM website
Hahn Air rewards top
performers in Mumbai
In an event held on Oct 29, 2014 at the Mayfair Banquet in Worli,
Mumbai, Hahn Air organised an award function for honouring agents.
The Head of Distribution from Germany Kimberley Long-Urbanetz
was there to grace the occasion. The Martin Trophy was presented
to the top three agents and appreciation certificates to other
supportive agents.

Dec-1st 14

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