Volume V l Issue 1

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asia 14

middle east 18

Ministry of Railways unveils Alternate Train Accommodation Scheme

europe 20

Americas 22

oceania 25

africa 26

caribbean 27

global 28

technology 29

events 30

responsible tourism 31

OTM Mumbai 2016: Participation soars on early bird offers

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Indonesia aims to triple international tourist arrivals

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UAE’s rail network to connect all seven emirates

OTM Mumbai, India’s biggest travel show is scheduled to take place at Bombay Exhibition & Convention Centre on February 18, 19, 20, 2016. Early bookings of big participants have started coming in and the exhibition space is fast filling. Attractive early bird offers were launched giving favourable booking rates for advance bookers. National Tourist Offices and Indian State Tourism Boards have already started chalking out big plans for special promotional campaigns they will launch during OTM Mumbai 2016.

form for the same. OTM’s hosted buyers will be entitled to access to the entire exhibition area with VIP Pass, invitations to all parallel events comprising International Tourism Summit and Top 100 Travel Producers Awards, educational sessions, destination briefings and other networking programmes. They can also avail facilities like ‘online meeting scheduler’ for fixing appointments. While the hosted buyers are being flown in from major markets, there is also a strong drive to ‘bus’ in travel trade visitors in larger numbers from neighbouring cities forming Mumbai’s

Conducted in the most prominent outbound tourist market of India, OTM Mumbai had recently launched Hosted Buyer Programme for 2016 which received huge response from the industry. Under the programme, Fly Free to OTM!© and Free Stay at OTM!© are offers of free return tickets and hotel accommodation to about 500 qualified buyers from some of the important Indian cities, a provision designed primarily to save their time and money. Besides, it entails the potential to add numbers to OTM Mumbai’s already committed audience of more than 10,000 registered trade attendees. Based on pre-qualification, the hosted programme has hand-picked these 500 buyers through desk research and industry feedback. The invitees were not required to fill any

hinterland, i.e. Pune, Nashik, Surat etc. OTM, with its sister publication Travel News Digest, is also organising OTM India’s Top 100 Travel Producers Award, the winners for which have already been chosen out of over 1,000 travel producers based in India. The awardees and runnersup have been offered VIP Hosted Buyer status. They will not only walk the show but will also be featured in a special issue of Travel News Digest. Trophies and certificates will be awarded in a glittering ceremony on the sides of OTM. As a part of the efforts to ensure larger travel trade attendance and engagement, cooperative programming is being done with leading travel trade associations to invite their members and create networking events alongside the OTM.

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Scandinavia aims to attract Indian tourists

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Hawaii visitor arrivals continue to reach record highs

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Sidharth Malhotra becomes Tourism New Zealand’s ambassador

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Mauritius aims a growth in tourist arrivals from India

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Bahamas announces new tourism advertising campaign

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International arrivals into Asia Pacific continue to register growth

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Fxkart.com launches first forex booking app in India

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Green Gate launched at Frankfurt airport

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Special Feature

SPECIAL FEATURE

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | November 2015 •

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The North East India Tourism Industry Exploration of paradise unexplored has just began by E B Blah President North East India Tourism Confederation

A

recently held seminar at the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management, Shillong, featured a meeting amongst some of the biggest names in the industry in a bid to initiate a discussion on the challenges encountered by Northeast Tourism thereby creating a common forum to address them. The entire infrastructure development of the region, especially air, rail and road connectivity have seen greater strides than at any other point in the past. But the real issue, however, is that of the nature of growth. Northeast India can be claimed to be one of the top eco-tourist destinations in the country with a wide range of locales boasting numerous opportunities and products that can be tailored to engage with the spirited adventurer as well as those of a more conventional frame of mind. World Heritage sites namely Kaziranga Wild life Sanctuary and Manas National Park are located in this region, but in terms of the composition of leisure and business travel, the latter still dominates the travel space except in only a few areas. Tourism in this region will certainly continue to grow but I am not so sure about leisure tourism as it faces a number of uphill challenges. It is my belief that an increase in the share of leisure-centric inbound tourism can have a greater socio-economic impact in the region than the more cut-and-dry business oriented travel itinerary. An acknowledgement of this from those in the tourism sector as well

as the general population is necessary for fostering eco-tourism. In addition, religious tourism also has considerable potential in the Northeast but like many others segments, there is a lack of focused and targeted marketing. For example, the number of Buddhist and Hindu temples and holy sites can be integrated as a circuit that can be a big attraction for the people of many South Asian and South-east Asian countries. The issue of human resource crunch evoked an interesting response from the members of the North East India Tourism Confederation who were attending the Confederation Meeting during the recently concluded International Tourism Mart at Gangtok, Sikkim. Many conceded that it was time to address this issue very seriously as the Northeast as a whole searches for its identity amid economic stagnancy and lack of employment. A critical component of this issue was whether there was a need to change the way we train our

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TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | November 2015

people, especially with regards to the hospitality and tourism sectors. Historically, our focus has been on skill-development as a means of generating opportunities for employment but the lack of organised and concerted as well as consistent effort has been a pitfall many a time. There are indications that suggest that many people from the Northeast of India, in search of employment opportunities, end up working in the hospitality industry elsewhere in the country, a situation that is ludicrous considering that here at home, we are suffering the issue of human resource crunch in this sector. It is therefore suggested that we need to create a better training and working environment for our people, have a good salary structure at par with the industry outside of the region, and focus on a long-term strategy of retention and recruitment programmes that will encourage people to look at Northeast tourism with renewed vigour and as a means of stable career. With poaching from other industries becoming commonplace, the loyalty factor has dissipated and that is a big challenge for us, not least because of the aforementioned reasons. Above all, it was agreed that the Northeast of India needs to have a common framework in place so as to meet the twin demands of meeting tourists’ needs as well as aiding, in a meaningful way, the development of the region. The fact that many of the states are interdependent on each others’ resources as well as cooperation when it comes to catering to the needs of the well-heeled and well-planned traveller and tourist, and also that the Northeast is seen by many outside as a contiguous destination, there is a need to develop, pursue, and implement in earnest a state-sponsored and sanctioned North East Tourism Policy. This Policy should be exclusively for this region, incorporating the expertise and knowhow of all stakeholders, including state governments, industry experts and businesses, academics, as well as the people at the grassroots level who are the actual stakeholders of such a step. This policy can be mentioned separately in the National Tourism Policy. Nobody is questioning the growth potential of the Tourism Industry in the Northeast of India. The question that emerges and remains as a consequence is that of the nature of growth and that of maintaining unhindered pace of growth in the tourism and allied sectors. Currently the situation is mixed. If there are opportunities galore, then so are the challenges and many of them appear, at first glance, insurmountable. Any growth entails extraordinary challenges and this is proving true of the Tourism Industry in Northeast India. To be fair,

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it is pitted against serious odds that range from poor infrastructure and connectivity within Tourism Circuits, manpower issues and lack of professional services, to standardisation and classification of Hotels, Guest Houses, and Resorts by way of which the best possible services are available to tourists. Are we going to witness development in all the verticals of the tourism business? Where is the industry actually headed in the medium and long term? The vision of the North East Tourism Policy as proposed by a tourism expert, P K Dong, should be to promote a wide range of eco-tourism products of Northeast India that are ecologically and culturally sustainable, internationally competitive, commercially viable and sustainable as well as refocussing on tourism as a principal means of development and progress in the region. 

INDIA

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | November 2015 •

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Over 2 lakh tourists arrived on e-Tourist Visa during Jan-Sept 2015 Government of India launched Tourist Visa on Arrival (TVoA) enabled by Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), presently known as e-Tourist Visa scheme from November 27, 2014. At present, e-Tourist Visa facility is available for citizens of 113 countries arriving at 16 airports in India. During January-September, 2015 a total of 2,01,705 tourists arrived on e-Tourist Visa. Ministry of Tourism compiles monthly estimates of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) on the basis of Nationality-wise, Port-wise data received from Bureau of Immigration (BOI) and Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from tourism on the basis of data available from Reserve Bank of India. FTAs during the period January-September 2015 were 56.08 lakh showing a growth of 4.6% over January-September 2014. Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) from Tourism in India during January-September 2015 period were `91,737 crore ($14.453 billion) showing a growth of 3.2% over the same period during 2014.

Improving road and air connectivity is the key to developing tourism in the Northeast: Dr Mahesh Sharma The 4th International Tourism Mart (ITM) was inaugurated by the Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge), Culture (Independent Charge) and Civil Aviation, Dr Mahesh Sharma, along with the Chief Minister of Sikkim, Pawan Chamling in Gangtok, Sikkim. The ITM was organised by the Union Ministry of Tourism in association with the North Eastern states and the state of West Bengal. Dr Mahesh Sharma said that the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has a great vision to develop the Northeast which has a very high tourism potential in the country. Promoting tourism in these states will be one of the prime focus areas of the Ministry of Tourism, he added. Dr Sharma said that improving connectivity is the key to promoting tourism in the Northeast. The Minister informed that Sikkim will have its own airport in Pakyong, 35 km away from Gangtok by December 2016. Centre will work to create better road connectivity for the public through National Highways for the Northeast. He assured that he will discuss the matter

of road connectivity with the concerned ministry. Pawan Chamling, Chief Minister of Sikkim highlighted the initiatives taken by the Government of Sikkim to make the State a most preferred tourism destination in the region. He informed that his Government has created a comprehensive action plan to develop tourism in order to showcase and share

the cultural and natural heritage of Sikkim with the world. Village Tourism and Home Stays have a tremendous potential in Sikkim as the villages are well developed and well connected. A Village Development Action Plan has been prepared for the purpose, he explained. Secretary, Tourism, Vinod Zutshi said that the Government is developing the Northeast region in terms of all aspects – tourism, education, health, transport networks, telecommunications, information technology, electricity grids, flow of investment and trade and everything else that is needed to harness its economic and commercial potential and raise the standards of living of the people in this region. The International Tourism Mart 2015 had 52 international delegates from 23 countries; 71 tour operators from eight North Eastern states and West Bengal. The State Tourism Departments of eight North Eastern states and West Bengal were present at the exhibition booths at the mart venue, Saramsa Garden.

Government to develop 78 lighthouses across India to boost tourism The Ministry of Shipping has taken up an ambitious plan to develop lighthouses dotting India’s vast coastline as new beacons of tourism. “All over the world lighthouses enthral tourists with their scenic and serene surroundings and rich maritime heritage. In India there is a vast tourism potential, which has largely remained untapped,” said the Minister for Shipping Nitin Gadkari while addressing the Investors Summit on Development of Lighthouses as Beacons of Tourism in Mumbai. Gadkari said India has as many as 189 lighthouses and the Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships (DGLL), Noida, has drawn up a plan to develop 78 of them as tourist attractions under Public-Private Partnership. Such identified lighthouses are in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Nine lighthouses from Maharashtra and Goa – located at Sunk Rock, Kanhoji Island, Uttan Point, Korlai Fort, Jaigadh, Ratnagiri, Devgadh, Vengurla Rocks, Tolkeshwar Point, Fort Aguada and Sao George are part of the lighthouse development project. Gadkari said the Shipping Ministry has already held road shows in Chennai, Kochi and Visakhapatnam and the outcome has been very encouraging, with 236 potential investors participating in them. The Minister said there have been some concerns expressed by investors, especially with respect to Coastal Regulation Zone clearance, security clearance, support from Ministry of Shipping in the form of subsidy, etc. Gadkari admitted that there would be some road blocks while implementing this ambitious projects, but asserted that

the Government’s attitude will remain positive. He said an Inter-Ministerial Group comprising representatives of Ministry of Shipping, Tourism and Environment and also that of participating states will be set up to iron out problems if any. Gadkari said, his Ministry has already consulted the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding security clearance, as well as the Ministry of Environment with respect to forest and environment clearances. He informed the investors that environment clearance would be obtained on case to case basis. Gadkari said the government is also expecting that the development of these lighthouses as vibrant tourist spots may give a boost to local economy by generating additional employment as most of these lighthouses are located in the remote areas of the country. The Director General Lighthouses and Lightships,

Captain A M Surez said four lighthouses located at Chennai and Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu and Alapuzha (Alleppy) and Kannur (Cannanore) in Kerala have already been developed as tourist attractions, which are seeing substantial footfalls. The DGLL has invited Request for Qualifications (RFQ) from prospective and potential developers for eight lighthouses at Kanhoji Angre and Sunk Rock off the Mumbai coast, Aguada in Goa, Kadalur Point at Thikkodi in Kerala, Minicoy in Lakshadweep islands, Mahabalipuram and Kanyakumari-Muttom in Tamil Nadu and Chandrabhaga in Odisha. An Expression of Interest (EOI) for developing Tourism infrastructure has also been issued by the DGLL for another set of 70 lighthouses. The Shipping Ministry has favoured Swiss Challenge method for awarding lighthouse projects in a bid to encourage innovative ideas.

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TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | November 2015

Indian Railways launches IT enabled passenger services The Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu launched a number of IT enabled passenger services. These are: i. Paperless Unreserved Ticketing through Mobile Phones on suburban stations over Central Railway ii. Paperless Platforms tickets at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Dadar Central, Panvel, Thane and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Andheri, Mumbai Central, Borivali, Dadar Western, Dadar Central, Vasai Road, Bandra, New Delhi and Nizamudding stations on Northern Railway, Western Railway and Central Railway iii. Paperless Season tickets on suburban sections of Western Railway, Central Railway and New Delhi-Palwal Section of Northern Railway iv. Currency, Coin-cum-Card operated Automatic Ticket Vending Machines at various suburban stations on Central Railway and Western Railway v. Train Enquiry Mobile Application on iOS platform. Speaking on the occasion, Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu said, “Moving ahead in the direction of making Digital India, I am happy to inaugurate the System for Paperless Unreserved Tickets, Paperless Season Tickets and Paperless Platform Tickets through Mobile Phones, in the Mumbai Suburban system of WR and CR and Delhi – Palwal section of Northern Railway. We have come up with the Unreserved Ticketing Service (UTS) that will greatly reduce pressure on ticket windows and is more convenient for passengers. Ticket Vending Machines will also be available that will be operated by currency, coin or card,” he added. Created by Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS), the UTS service is available for Central (Mumbai), Western (Mumbai) and Northern Railway (Delhi) where passengers can book paperless platform and season tickets through the app. Additionally, the minister also unveiled the National Train Enquiry System (NTES)

for iOS where passengers can find out live train statuses. The faculty would be made shortly available in Chennai and Kolkata. He also inaugurated a cash / smart card-operated ticket vending machine at the New Delhi Railway Station and a mobile app for freight operation monitoring named ‘Parichaalan’. The app can be downloaded from Google Play Store and one can charge his Railway wallet either from a booking office or through the Internet using the IRCTC payment gateway. The need to print out the ticket has been done away with. Instead the passengers will carry the ticket on the mobile as an image. About 50 Currency-cum-coin-cum-card Ticket Vending Machines (CoTVMs) are now functional over various stations. It will enable ‘Mission 5 minutes’ (not more than 5 minutes to buy a ticket) to become a reality. Railways will also benefit from this innovation because they will be able to cope with higher ticket sales with lower investments.

Sikkim’s first airport in Pakyong to be operational from December 2016

Sikkim’s first airport is expected to be operational from December 2016, with provision for direct connectivity to the land-locked state thereby boosting tourism. “Preparations are afoot and we are hopeful that the state will have its first airport operational from December 2016,” said Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma at the 4th International Tourism Mart. Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling announced that the airport will come up at Pakyong, 35 km from Gangtok. Currently, the nearest airport is Bagdogra in West Bengal from where one has to drive down to Sikkim. The state is also going to be declared as an ‘organic state’, first in the country, by next year. This green initiative had been formulated to make the entire farming activities

environment friendly. There will be no use of pesticide, chemical fertiliser or any non-biodegradable material. Crops will be grown with organic manure. Sharma said, “We are proud of Sikkim and the state has great potential for tourism and the Centre is extending all help to promote northeast including Sikkim as a tourist hub.” “The Ministry has allocated `98 crore to Sikkim for the development of tourism out of which `90 crore is already released.” The government has also extended e-Visa facility to 113 countries and as a result there has been an increase of about 40% of foreign tourist arrivals. The foreign exchange has also increased due to more footfalls, the Tourism Minister said.

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IRCTC unravels Golden Triangle package Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has rolled out a rail-based weekend travel package from November 21 that will permit fastpaced travellers to zip through the Golden Triangle comprising the three cities of Delhi, Jaipur and Agra in three Shatabdi express trains. The two day rail-tour package to Agra and Jaipur from Delhi has its tickets in the three Shatabdi Express linked to offer comfortable and hassle-free travel schedule to travellers. “This is one of the innovative travel packages which eminently suit those travellers who are planning a short-duration getaway. The package allows them to experience the magnificence of some of the most famous monuments in India,” said IRCTC Chairman and Managing Director A K Manocha. Beginning from November 21, the package is slated for every Saturday and Sunday. The one night/two days Golden Triangle package begins with guests boarding the Delhi Habibganj Shatabdi early morning at New Delhi station and de-boarding at Agra. The travellers will be treated to the exemplary sight of Taj Mahal, the Agra Fort and Id-Mat-ud-daula along with lunch at a star hotel in Agra. The guests will then board Agra Jaipur Shatabdi to reach Jaipur for the overnight halt. After breakfast next morning, the guests would visit the Amber Fort. Post lunch organised at the hotel, guests can savour the grandeur of the Jaipur rulers at the City Palace museum. The journey will culminate in a travel back to the capital on Jaipur New Delhi Shatabdi. The package is priced at `9,444 per person on a double occupancy basis, excluding the entry fee to monuments.

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TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | November 2015

Taj to launch a new hotel near Mumbai Airport Taj Hotels, Resorts & Palaces has unveiled details of a new hotel, scheduled for an opening in November. The new Taj Santacruz will be located close to the domestic terminal at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and will offer 279 rooms and suites. These include the Grand Luxury Suite and Presidential Suite which occupy the highest floor and feature separate living areas and kitchens. Guests in the Taj Club rooms and suites will be offered access to the fifth floor Taj Club and 24-hour butler service. F&B options at the new hotel will include Tiqri, an all-day dining restaurant serving ‘Mumbai street food and global comfort food’, Rivea, a Mediterranean restaurant, the Golden Dragon Chinese restaurant and the Tiqri Lounge. Other facilities include a 24-hour fitness centre, the Jiva Spa and luxury retail outlets. As for the corporate market, Taj Santacruz provides a business centre and space for meetings and events. Taj Santacruz is scheduled to open in the

month of November and will become the fourth Taj hotel in Mumbai, following the existing Taj

Taj Falaknuma declared world’s best palace hotel Taj Falaknuma, once the residence of the sixth Nizam, Mir Mahboob Ali Khan (1869-1911), has been declared as the number one palace hotel in the world in 2015 by TripAdvisor. The coveted award is given to hospitality industry’s best that have attained outstanding reviews from discerning travellers across the world, according to a statement by Taj Falaknuma. The Taj Group of Hotels took 10 years to restore the palace and open it in 2010. The hotel has 60 rooms. The regal architecture and opulence of the hotel is renowned as is its food with the paan

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ice-cream being one of the specialities of this hotel. The interiors of the hotel are a statement in royal opulence, replete with large Venetian chandeliers, rare furniture, grand marble staircases, priceless statues and objects d’art and murals encased in ornate frames along with a Palace Library, home to rare manuscripts and an acclaimed collection of books. “It is our constant endeavour to offer unique and impeccable experiences to our guests,” stated Girish Sehgal, General Manager, Taj Falaknuma Palace.

Lands End, Taj Wellington Mews and Taj Mahal Palace.

INDIA •

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | November 2015

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Shahrukh Khan to shoot ad film for West Bengal Tourism Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan is geared up to shoot an ad film to promote West Bengal’s vital tourist spots. Bratya Basu, Minister of the State Tourism, informed that the actor, also the brand Ambassador of West Bengal, would visit Kolkata for the indoor shoot. A budget of `8 crore has been fixed for the film’s shooting, for which the reputed agency Ogilvy and Mather have been hired for `75 lakh. Khan has expressed his desire to not to take any remuneration for the film. Several films of at least one-minute duration would be prepared for the campaign, with the catch line ‘Experience Bengal – the sweetest part of India’, Basu revealed. He said that the film will showcase West Bengal’s variety, the picturesque Darjeeling hills and Dooars in north, besides the rustic flavour of Santiniketan in Bolpur and the coastal areas in the state. The film will be dubbed in English, Hindi and Bengali.

Irrfan Khan becomes the face of campaign for Rajasthan Tourism

Odisha urges Centre to include the state’s Buddhist circuit in Swadesh Darshan

Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan has recently become the new face of Rajasthan Tourism, for a special campaign named Resurgent Rajasthan. Loaded with several film projects, the actor managed to take out some time to visit Jaipur. He would help in whatever way possible to promote his motherland, said Khan. He is personally looking into the campaign and how things are shaping on ground. Irrfan had previously met the Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje for the campaign and this time around discussed the campaign and the way forward on it. With his charm and global appeal, Khan’s new role is bound to boost tourism in the state.

Rajasthan launches night tourism in Jaipur The Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation has recently launched night tourism in Jaipur. A new hopon hop-off coach has also been introduced for this purpose. The tour includes major attractions like Amar Jawan Jyoti, Vidhan Sabha Bhavan, Birla Mandir, Albert Hall, Hawa Mahal, Jal Mahal, Amber Fort and concludes with dinner at Durg cafetaria Nahargarh Fort. GS Gangwal, Joint Director, Department Of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan said, “The night tourism concept was introduced during this summer. Due to the heat during the day tourists do not prefer to visit the attractions. This is when we came up with the concept of night tourism, where travellers can visit the major attractions in the evenings from 6 pm till 10 pm. This new tour concept is slowly becoming popular amongst travellers.”

The state government, along with the Federation of Hospitality and Tourism of Rajasthan also recently organised a Visit Rajasthan road show at the Nehru Centre in Mumbai. Bhim Singh, President, Federation of Hospitality and Tourism of Rajasthan said, “We want our key stakeholders to meet potential buyers in other states and try to increase footfalls in our state. Currently, Rajasthan is growing rapidly in the MICE and weddings segment apart from leisure...we have also identified some new destinations.” The Visit Rajasthan road show is a 10 city show which includes New Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Guwahati, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. The road show started on September 25, 2015 and will conclude on February 12, 2016. Odisha Government has requested the Centre to include the Buddhist circuit of the state in the list announced by the Union Tourism Ministry under the Swadesh Darshan scheme. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik stated in his letter that archaeological exploration and excavations have unearthed more than 200 Buddhist sites across the state. The Buddhist triangle - popularly known as the Diamond Triangle of Odisha comprising Ratnagiri, Lalitgiri and Udayagiri, about 100 km from the state capital - is now a major tourist attraction, he added. Stating that socio-cultural life of early medieval Odisha has been reflected in the Buddhist monuments, the Chief Minister said, “It is a well established fact that Buddhism spread to the rest of the world after the Great Kalinga War from these places of present day Odisha by Emperor Ashoka.” He said Dhauli-Ratnagiri-Lalitgiri-UdayagiriLangudi circuit in Odisha deserves to be included in the list of Buddhist circuits under the ‘Swadesh Darshan’ scheme to improve these destinations with adequate tourism infrastructure and facilities.

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TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | November 2015

SpiceJet to operate flights to Dubai from Amritsar and Kozhikode SpiceJet has announced the launch of direct flights to Dubai from the cities of Amritsar and Kozhikode (Calicut), services of which will commence from November 15, 2015. To celebrate the launch, it is offering tickets at an introductory fare of `4999 all-in one way between Kozhikode-Dubai and Amritsar-Dubai. While SpiceJet will operate daily flights on the Kozhikode-Dubai route, flights on the Amritsar-Dubai route will operate on all days except Saturday. It will be deploying its Boeing 737NG aircraft on the newly launched routes. With the launch of these flights, the airline will now serve Dubai direct from eight Indian cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Kochi, Madurai, Amritsar, and Kozhikode, with connections from more cities including Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru.

Jet Airways introduces four new domestic routes

Jet Airways will start new flights from Mumbai and Delhi to the eastern port city of Vishakhapatnam, plus new daily flights between Srinagar and Jammu, effective from November 15. It will also launch direct flights between the eastern metropolises of Chennai and Kolkata. The Delhi-Mumbai route will be upgraded with the

deployment of a twin-aisle Airbus A330 aircraft, offering extra seat capacity. A 16th daily flight will also be introduced on this high-demand sector. Gaurang Shetty, Jet’s Senior Vice President of commercial said, “The new flights and additional frequencies in our 2015 Winter Schedule will further strengthen our robust domestic network, while offering our guests additional choice and flexibility to plan their travel. We are happy to introduce the A330-200 wide body aircraft between Delhi and Mumbai to provide additional connectivity on this key route.” In addition to the new routes, Jet will increase the frequency of several existing services, focusing mainly on Bengaluru. This includes the addition of a 10th daily flight between Bengaluru and Delhi, an 11th daily service from Mumbai to the Garden City, a third daily service between Hyderabad and Bengaluru, a sixth daily flight on the Bengaluru-Mangaluru route, and six more weekly flights between Bengaluru and Goa. Elsewhere, there will be a third daily service from Delhi to Ahmedabad, a second daily service from Delhi to Varanasi, and a fourth daily flight between Delhi and Hyderabad. Jet will also introduce new late night flights from Mumbai and Kolkata to Chennai.

AirAsia India boosts frequency across Delhi, Guwahati and Goa AirAsia India recently declared the addition of frequency to its existing sectors Delhi, Goa and Guwahati. The airline will be operating three daily flights from Delhi to Goa and two daily flights from Delhi to Guwahati from November 17, 2015. With this increase in frequency, AirAsia India would operate 38 flights connecting 10 destinations across India. Travellers have been able to book from October 20, 2015 onwards for the travel period from November 17, 2015 to February 29, 2016. Mittu Chandilya, CEO and MD, AirAsia India said, “The positive load factors and performance standards in these sectors has enabled us to increase our frequencies, making the connectivity stronger. As we step into the peak travel season, increased connectivity to Guwahati from the Capital will enable guests to plan their trips during the festival period. Guests can also make best use of our additional flight to Goa from Delhi to plan their trips to the most sought after destination for the

year-end and New Year.” The increase in frequency of flights has been designed to cater to business and leisure travellers who are always on the lookout for convenient and comfortable flying options.

Air Costa examines pan-India ops Air Costa is currently awaiting the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s approval to fly pan- India and is in talks with various investors for raising funds. The airline also plans to lease six more Embraer aircraft by the next calendar year as they look at enhanced operations once it receives a national operator’s permit. Refusing to name the “interested parties”, an official said both domestic and foreign investors had evinced interest in funding Air Costa.

Vistara forms partnership to train crew in India Vistara has formed a new partnership with Gurgaon-based Flywings Simulation Technique Centre to train its pilot and cabin crew in India, including ‘Safety and Emergency Procedures’. Prior to this, the Delhi-based airline had been sending its crew for training in Singapore, using facilities of its parent company, Singapore Airlines. Vistara has been authorised by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to conduct these trainings with FWSTC. Through the most advanced SEP training equipment and realistic scenario-based trainings offered by FWSTC, Vistara’s SEP practical training needs will be met as the crew will now be able to enhance their knowledge and skills required to efficiently manage any emergency. “Vistara places great impetus on these specialised areas of safety and emergency management. I am positive that our employees will immensely benefit from FWSTC’s practical, in-depth and specialised aviation training solutions to be able to efficiently deliver service excellence,” said Phee Teik Yeoh, CEO of Vistara. FWSTC’s Director, Captain Sanjay Mandavia, remarked, “Being the first such training centre in northern India…FWSTC provides quality training architecture with modern training devices, experienced faculty and state of art infrastructure to meet global standards of excellence.”

Highway between Delhi and Jaipur to be completed by December 2015 The key national highway connecting Jaipur with the national capital would be completed by December. It was facing delays of over four years primarily due to land acquisition issues. This highway would reduce present travel time from six-seven hours to three hours between the two cities, said Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road and Highways, Government of India. The road ministry is also considering a proposal to build a 261 km greenfield expressway between Delhi and Jaipur at an estimated cost of `32,800 crore. It has also carried out a feasibility study for the project, which will require the state agencies to acquire 2,800 hectares of land. “We are studying the feasibility report. The proposal is under consideration,” Gadkari said. As per the estimate, land acquisition is estimated to cost about `18,000 crore. The proposed alignment would take off in the northwest direction at existing national highway-8 near the IGI airport and end at the same stretch on the Jaipur bypass near Daulatpura. With land being a sensitive issue and difficult to acquire from farmers, the proposed expressway is expected to face many challenges before actual work begins. “Apart from this, there are many other challenges like getting investment and recovering it over a reasonable time frame. The government needs to come out with more innovative concepts for expressways in the Indian context,” Vishwas Udgirkar, Senior Director at consultancy firm Deloitte, said. Seeking to decongest traffic on NH-8 near Manesar, the Minister announced the launch of the country’s first ‘Metrino’ project between Manesar and Dhaula Kuan. The project could be started in the coming years on pilot basis and could cost `4,000 crore. Metrino refers to a transport system in which pods, fully automatic driverless vehicles, are suspended under an overhead network. The overhead network in the Manesar-Dhaula Kuan project is proposed to be laid on the median of the highway stretch. Terming the transport concept as revolutionary, the minister said that there will be 700 air-conditioned electric pods and each pod will have a capacity of five-seven passengers.

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TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | November 2015

9

Kerala to emerge as global health tourism hub

Maharashtra Tourism aims a growth of 10% by end of 2015

Kerala is set to emerge as the perfect destination for health tourism in the world as it has many advantages like trained personnel, infrastructure and English-speaking medical staff. State Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson said that Kerala has held out advantages like well-trained practitioners, English-speaking medical staff, infrastructure in the form of super-specialty hospitals, a mix of modern and alternative treatment systems, affordable cost and low waiting times. “I believe that by promoting medical value travel in Kerala, with the right thrust from all quarters, the health tourism industry in Kerala can boom to become the global leader,” Thomson said while inaugurating the fifth edition of ‘Kerala Health Tourism’, an international conference and exhibition on the sector. Observing that the medical tourism sector in the country is expected to grow from the current $3 billion to $7-8 billion by 2020, Thomson said the state government would come up with an integrated plan for building up the sector. “Health tourism has evolved from a concept to a much in demand reality whereby foreign nationals are now looking at Kerala to receive medical care and attention. Gone are the days when one had to travel abroad to

Paraag Jaiin Nainutia, MD, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) announced a seven to eight percent growth in the state’s tourism last year. “Our aim is to increase this to 10% this year,” he added. Valsa R Nair Singh, IAS, Secretary, Tourism and Culture, Government of Maharashtra said,

receive quality healthcare and treatment,” he said. Additionally, Kerala Health Tourism (KMT) 2015 saw the announcement of the launch of Kerala Medical Value Travel (KMVT), a forum to promote health tourism in the State. Azad Moopen, Chairman of KHT 2015 said KMVT is an industry body of 22 NABH accredited hospitals for the promotion of medical value travellers and has been set up with the objective to build a strong health tourism industry.

Speaking on the sidelines of KHT 2015, he said, “We are taking serious efforts to make Kerala a most sought destination for medical travellers. The initial focus will be on Gulf countries for long term sustainability for the sector and later to African countries where there is lack of basic healthcare infrastructure facilities.”

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“Maharashtra has been one of India’s biggest tourist attractions with its wide arena of magnetisms, and is home to the largest inventory of tourism products that the country has to offer with five UNESCO World Heritage Sites, over 900 caves, 350 forts, a splendid wildlife, and world-class beaches.”

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TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | November 2015

Kerala Tourism at the Westminster Kerala’s time-tested Ayurveda and the enchanting backwaters have wooed the British parliamentarians, in a first-time presentation by an Indian state tourism board at the Westminster. Kerala Tourism made the presentation about the state for the British MPs, at a special meeting held recently in the British Parliament complex. The meeting was led by State Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson and Tourism Secretary G Kamala Vardhana Rao, who met the British MPs, including many Indian-origin members of the British Parliament. Thomson and Rao were in the British capital to take part in the ‘Mayor of London’ event to showcase ‘God’s Own Country’ to a British audience. The cultural extravaganza, which had ‘mohiniyattam’, ‘thiruvathirakali’ and ‘kathakali’ performances, was held at the iconic Trafalgar Square on the same day. “It was an honour for Kerala to address the British MPs in the parliament complex,” said Thomson. “The MPs evinced great interest in Kerala and admired our top status on the global tourism map,” he added. Among those present were Virendra Sharma,

Indian-born MP of the West London constituency Ealing, Southall, and Stephen Timms, Member of Parliament from the suburban East Ham seat. “We wanted to directly address the British parliamentarians and tell them why the United Kingdom is the biggest tourism market for Kerala in the world,” Thomson said. Last year, Kerala had received 151,497 travellers

from the United Kingdom. Kerala Tourism’s London visit is aimed at increasing the figure substantially during the ‘Visit Kerala’ year. The presentation by Kerala Tourism in the British Parliament complex assumed significance because of the many Indian-origin politicians elected to the House of Commons. “The Indian community members in Britain are the greatest ambassadors of our country,” Thomson said, while inviting them to come and invest in Kerala’s tourism sector. The meeting, held in a Parliament conference hall, was also attended by several prominent members of the large Indian diaspora in Britain. “Kerala is a very enchanting land,” said the Ealing MP Sharma, while recalling his visit to the state. Offering his support, he appreciated the efforts of Kerala Tourism in leading an energetic campaign across the world to promote tourism in the state. “The engagement with the British parliamentarians was a major step in elevating our campaign to a much higher level of direct dialogue,” said Rao, who talked to the MPs about the varied destinations and new tourism products offered by Kerala.

Telangana Tourism joins hands with OYO Rooms Tamil Nadu to promote Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation (TSTDC) has sealed a partnership with OYO Rooms, to increase the occupancy levels at their Haritha properties. The move also aims to increase the accessibility of their hotels as OYO provides easy bookings through their app that will host details of the listed hotels. This will ensure easy discovery and booking of hotels by travellers. As a technology-driven organisation, OYO Rooms will extend its expertise in sales and operations to the tourism department of Telangana and market the hotels listed with the TSTDC. Under this bilateral partnership, OYO Rooms will also audit the properties and provide valuable customer feedback to the department. A panIndia campaign to promote tourism in Telangana will also be conducted as a part of this partnership. Commenting on the partnership, Anuj Tejpal, Chief Business Development Officer, OYO Rooms said, “This is a great opportunity for us as it will enable us to bring

eco-tourism through forest development

our expertise of standardisation of rooms to a large number of government-run properties. We will be running end-to-end operations and will be generating demand for these properties. Moreover, with this partnership we will gain access to some of Telangana’s best hotels and help promote tourism in the state. The tech savvy and innovative approach from the TSTDC officials is very motivating for young companies like OYO.”

Taj Balloon Festival to be held in Agra

The Department of Tourism, Government of Uttar Pradesh in association with Sky Waltz will be hosting TAJ Balloon Festival in Agra, an endeavour to boost leisure or adventure tourism and aviation based entertainment in the state. The festival will feature 15 balloons from across countries like the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Spain and Germany, amongst others. Expert balloonists will be displaying their skills as the skyline of the ‘Taj’ city Agra will be dotted with colourful balloons. TAJ Balloon Festival, Amrit Abhijat, Secretary & Director General, Tourism of Uttar Pradesh said, “Uttar Pradesh is the unique state that provides various

adventure sport related activities to tourists. While white water rafting, trekking, mountaineering are popular, we are now introducing Hot Air Ballooning as the latest aviation and adventure sport for the discerning tourists. This festival is the first step towards creating a world class ballooning centre in the state of Uttar Pradesh.” The festival will also feature special ‘Evening Tethered Flights’ wherein balloons will rise to a certain height from the ground. This will enable enthusiasts to take a closer look at the balloons. During the TAJ Balloon Festival, a Night Glow Concert will take place where hot air balloons will light up in sync with live music.

Tamil Nadu government, in its efforts to promote eco-tourism, has decided to develop two forest locations in the district and enlist the services of tribal people as ‘eco-guides’. Development of eco-tourism at Kalikesam and Pechiparai will be the primary areas of focus under the government’s new initiative ‘Tamil Nadu Bio Diversity and Greening Project’. At Kalikesam, provision of eco-tourism infrastructure has already begun. Kani tribal living in 47 settlements and who know the topography very well would act as guides to nature lovers and also provide food to them. A select few among them would be trained to act as eco-guides. The state government had sanctioned `80 lakh to develop eco-tourism, the main features of which would include coracle ride, ‘eco-huts’ for camping, awareness centre, nature trails, river bathing and eco-canteens. This will benefit development of forest and wildlife while attracting nature lovers. District Forest Officer, Kanyakumari, said the initiative is completely a community based eco-tourism model. Eco-tourism earnings will be used for camp maintenance, conservation of ecosystem and for tribal community development, he said. Work is proceeding at ‘Zero Point’ as well and it will be launched in two to three months. Kalikesam will have coracle ride and Pechiparai bamboo rafting, he added.

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TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | November 2015

Government revises e-Tourist Visa fees Government of India has decided to revise the e-Tourist Visa (e-TV) fee in four slabs of 0 (zero), $25, $48 and US$ 60 from November 3, 2015. Presently, e-TV application fee is $60 and bank charge is $2 which is uniform for all the countries. The revision of Visa fee has been done on the principle of reciprocity. Bank charges have also been reduced from $2 to 2.5% of the e-TV fee. There is no bank charge for zero visa fees. Out of 113 countries / territories included in e-Tourist Visa scheme, $60 has been fixed for five countries / territories namely Mozambique, Russia, Ukraine, United Kingdom and USA. US$ 48 has been fixed for 86 countries / territories namely Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Island, Chile, China, China- SAR Hong Kong, ChinaSAR Macau, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Laos, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Macedonia, Saint Christopher

and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, Slovenia, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turks & Caicos Island, UAE, Vatican CityHoly See, Venezuela and Vietnam. $25 has been fixed for three countries / territories namely Japan, Singapore and Sri Lanka. Zero Visa fees has been decided for 19 countries / territories namely Argentina, Cook Islands, Fiji, Jamaica, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue Island, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uruguay,

and Vanuatu. The e-Tourist Visa holders can enter India through any of the 16 designated Indian airports which are Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Gaya, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Tiruchirapalli, Trivandrum and Varanasi. Besides reciprocating the gestures of other countries, it is expected that this revision of fee will also help in boosting tourism in the country. Since the launch of the scheme, more than 3, 40,000 e-TVs have been issued till now.

DoNER Ministry moots commercial helicopter service within Northeast to improve intra-regional connectivity The Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Ministry has mooted commercial helicopter service within Northeast in order to improve intra-regional connectivity. At a meeting of senior officers of the Union Ministry for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Dr Jitendra Singh said that the biggest hurdle in attracting investments, tourism and entrepreneurship in Northeast is the lack of adequate connectivity, even though the rail network expansion has started on a fast track in the last one year or so. The first-ever rail link to Meghalaya was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi within six months of the taking over of the present government, he said. He also said that most parts still remain unconnected by rail. Similarly, road connectivity also gets adversely affected due to weather conditions, he added. In such a situation, improvement in air connectivity is the only immediate viable option, the Minister said. Ameising Luikham, Secretary DoNER and other senior officers of the Ministry were also present. Dr Jitendra Singh said that the DoNER Ministry is taking up with the Civil Aviation Ministry, the prospect of developing Guwahati airport as regional hub for the entire Northeast. The helicopters can be grounded there overnight and can be put to use for

commercial sorties for civilian passengers at frequent intervals to different destinations in all the eight states of Northeast. He said that this will give the civilians, the freedom to plan their movement as per their requirement and priority, and not be constrained by the availability of a routine aircraft flight. Dr Jitendra Singh said that discussion can be held with different helicopter companies like Pawan Hans and issues related to equity can be worked out

to the mutual advantage of all. Guwahati airport is connected by regular flights to a number of destinations including Delhi, Kolkata, Jaipur and Bengaluru, and therefore, when regular commercial helicopter service gets initiated, passengers from any part of the country or abroad who land at Guwahati airport by a civil aircraft will have the option to take a connecting helicopter flight to a further destination in the region.

Civil Aviation Ministry releases Revised Draft National Aviation Policy The Minister of Civil Aviation, P Ashok Gajapathi Raju released the Revised Draft National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP 2015) in New Delhi. The Minister has urged all stakeholders to give their valuable suggestions, to firm up the policy. The Civil Aviation Policy should be dynamic enough to keep pace with the ever changing demands of the sector, he added. Minister of State for Civil Aviation and MoS (I/C) Tourism and Culture Dr Mahesh Sharma was also present at the function. Dr Sharma underscored the importance of bringing air travel within reach of the common man and facilitating regional air connectivity within the country. In a presentation, Civil Aviation Secretary, Rajiv Nayan Choubey, highlighted the salient features of the draft policy. The aim of the policy is as follows1. To provide a conducive environment and a level playing field to various aviation sub-sectors, i.e. Airlines, Airports, Cargo, Maintenance Repairs and Overhaul services, General Aviation, Aerospace

manufacturing, Skill Development, etc 2. To create an ecosystem to enable 30 crore domestic ticketing by 2022 and 50 crore by 2027; similarly, international ticketing to increase to 20 crore by 2027. The Draft Policy covers Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) to be effective from April 1, 2016,

Scheduled Commuter Airlines (SCA), Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) to develop India as an MRO hub in Asia, fiscal incentives, suggestions on rule 5/20, bilateral traffic rights, code share agreements, Route Dispersal Guidelines (RDG), development of airports with initiatives of Airport Authority of India, ground handling, aviation security, helicopters and cargo. MoCA will be the nodal agency for developing commercial aero-related manufacturing and its eco-system in India to ensure that commercial aeromanufacturing is covered under defence offsets requirements. The other policy reforms include greater de-regulation, transparency and e-governance, aviation education and skill building and promotion of sustainable aviation services. The Draft Policy has been uploaded on the website of the Ministry and details are available at www. civilaviation.gov.in.

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Ministry of Railways introduces Alternate Train Accommodation Scheme called VIKALP With a view to provide confirmed accommodation to waitlisted passengers and also to ensure optimal utilisation of available accommodation, a scheme Alternate Train Accommodation Scheme (ATAS) called ‘VIKALP’ has been conceptualised and has been introduced from November 1, 2015. Initially this scheme will be available only for the tickets booked through internet (E-ticket) as a pilot project for six months. More over, initially this scheme would be provided on Mail / Express Trains running on two sectors only namely Delhi-Lucknow and Delhi-Jammu sectors of Northern Railway. In this scheme, wait listed passengers of a train will be given the option for getting confirmed accommodation in alternate trains. Based on the feedback, this scheme will be extended to PRS counter bookings and also on other journey sectors. This is a major passenger friendly move to provide confirmed accommodation to waitlisted passengers in alternate trains. Some of the salient features of the scheme are as follows: • The Alternate Train Accommodation Scheme (ATAS) is presently being launched under the name ‘VIKALP’ on pilot basis only for the tickets booked through internet (E-ticket) on two sectors i.e. DelhiJammu and Delhi-Lucknow sectors. Based on the feedback it will be extended on PRS as well as on other sectors. • The scheme is presently being implemented only across Mail / Express trains of same category. • No extra charges shall be taken from the passenger or any refund shall be provided for difference of fare. • The scheme is applicable to all waiting list (WL) passengers irrespective of booking quota and concession. In pilot phase, the scheme will be available on few pre-designated trains in the above sectors only. • Under this scheme, waiting list passengers will give choice to opt for ATAS scheme. • ATAS opted passengers who remain fully waitlisted after charting will only be considered for allotment in the alternate train. • Fully WL passengers opted for ATAS should check PNR status after charting.

• Either all passengers of a PNR or none will be transferred to alternate train in same class. The passenger can be considered for shifting to a train leaving from any station amongst the cluster of stations defined by Railways, based on the convenience of the passengers to a station serving the destination station on the same analogy. • The ATAS opted passengers who have been provided accommodation in the alternate train will not figure in the waitlisted charts of their original train. A separate list of passengers transferred in alternate train will be pasted along with the ‘CONFIRMED’ and ‘WAIT LIST’ charts. • The passenger allotted alternate accommodation can travel in the alternate train on authority of original ticket. • Waitlisted passengers of original train shall not be allowed to board the original train if allotted alternate accommodation. If found travelling, they will be treated as travelling without ticket and charged accordingly. • Passengers once provided alternate accommodation in alternate train will be treated as normal passengers in alternate train and will be eligible for upgradation. • In rare situations, passengers who have been provided alternate accommodation might get dropped

Buddhist Tourism Circuit Special Train begins its first journey of the 2015-16 season Indian Railways is operating Buddhist Tourism Circuit Special Train through its PSU Indian Railways

Tourism & Catering Corporation (IRCTC). This train has six trips in the season 2015-16, which started on October 31, 2015 from Delhi Safdarjung Station. During its seven nights / eight days journey from Delhi, it covered important sites such as Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, Nalanda, Sarnath, Kushinagar, Lumbini, Shravasti and at the end The Taj Mahal (Agra). The Detailed Day-Wise Tour Itinerary is as under: • Day I - Departure from Delhi

(Delhi Safdarjung Station in the afternoon) for Gaya. • Day II – Arrival at Gaya in the morning. Visit Bodhgaya. Overnight stay at the hotel. • Day III - Visit of Rajgir & Nalanda. Departure for Varanasi in the evening. • Day IV – Arrival at Varanasi in the morning. Visit of Sarnath. Visit the Ganges for the evening Aarti. Departure for Gorakhpur in the evening. • Day V/VI – Arrival at Gorakhpur in the morning. Visit of Kushinagar / Lumbini. Overnight stay at hotel. Breakfast at hotel, Sightseeing. Lunch at hotel. Return to Gorakhpur. Departure for Gonda. • Day VII – Arrival at Gonda in the morning. Visit of Sravasti. Departure from Gonda for Agra in the evening. • Day VIII – Arrival at Agra in the morning. Visit of Taj Mahal. Departure for Delhi in the afternoon. Arrival at Delhi (Delhi Safdarjung Railway Station) in the evening. The future scheduled departure dates of this train for the season 2015-16 are December 26, 2015; January 9, 2016; February 13, 2016; March 12, 2016.

/ re-allotted in alternate train due to last minute change in composition of the alternate train at the time of chart preparation. So, passengers who have been provided alternate accommodation should check PNR status also after preparation of charts of the alternate train for final status. • This information will be available on Call Centre (139), PRS Enquiry Counters, Passenger Operated Enquiry Terminals installed at stations and WEB ENQUIRY on www.indianrail.gov.in. • Passengers will also get SMS alert on their registered mobile phone number about getting confirmed alternate accommodation. • When an ATAS opted passenger opts to cancel, after he/she has been given an alternate accommodation, he/she will be treated as a CONFIRMED passenger and the cancellation rules will apply accordingly. • No refund for difference of fare between the original train and the alternate train, including Tatkal charges, if any, will be given to re-allocated passengers. • Once an ATAS passenger has been allotted alternate accommodation, journey modification will not be permitted. If required, the passenger will have to cancel the ticket and book a fresh ticket for modified journey. • When a passenger, who has been allotted alternate accommodation has not performed his journey in the alternate train, he can claim for refunds by filing a TDR request. The Ministry of Railways have also provided some important information for the passengers: i. Opting for VIKALP does not mean that confirmed berth will be provided to passengers in alternate train. It is subject to train and berth availability. ii. Once confirmed in Alternate train, Cancellation charges will be as per your berth / train status in alternate train. iii. In this scheme, your boarding and terminating station might change to nearby cluster stations. iv. You can be transferred to any alternate train available within 12 hrs from the scheduled departure of original train, in which you have booked v. Please check PNR status after charting.

Heritage development projects approved for 8 cities at a cost of `431 crore Action Plans under Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) for eight missions cities have been approved at a total cost of `431 crore. HRIDAY National Empowered Committee chaired by Madhusudhana Prasad, Secretary (Urban Development) approved the action plans for Varanasi, Mathura, Ajmer, Dwaraka (Gujarat), Badami (Karnataka), Warangal (Telangana), Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) and Vellankini (Tamil Nadu) after detailed presentations by officials of respective cities and state governments.

The action plans approved broadly seek to conserve and develop core heritage assets of respective cities besides improving sanitation through solid waste management, easy access through signage and better mobility, interpretation centres, landscaping, provision of green spaces, etc. Various cities have been divided into different zones for taking up different infrastructure development projects for enhancing the appeal of mission cities which are centres of rich cultural heritage.

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TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | November 2015

IRCTC rebrands its e-catering as Food on Track Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) has rebranded its service with a new name: ‘Food On Track’. The mini-ratna public sector unit (PSU) has further roped in new partners, on top of already existing Dominos Pizza and KFC, to boost the variety and taste of the food items. The ‘Food on Track’ would enjoy cooperation from Travel Food Services (who would take charge of Biryani Bhai, Copper Chimney, Curry Kitchen, Masala Kitchen, Desi Treat and Cafe Chino) and Punjab Grill (street foods section). Previously, e-catering used to receive daily orders totalling an average of 80-90 meals. While this has more than doubled recently after it was introduced as a station-based facility, with as many as 1,000 meals ordered through e-catering. The items comprised of Indian and continental delicacies, out of which approximately 700

meals of a single brand were ordered. The e-catering facility allows passengers to order

Thomas Cook announces the launch of its Bohemian hotel brand Thomas Cook has announced the launch of a new Bohemian hotel brand to join its five existing hotel concepts. Under this new brand, the company is developing its first Casa Cook hotel, a 90-room boutique property in the hillsides of Kolymbia, which would open in Rhodes, Greece in May of 2016 with a further three Casa Cook hotels expected by summer 2017. The boho-chic brand has been aimed at young modern travellers with an interest in the local destination as well as fashion and design. It joins Thomas Cook’s existing five hotel brands - SENTIDO, SunConnect, Sunwing, Sunprime and Smartline. Thomas Cook explained that Casa Cook employees are ‘ambassadors’, who inspire guests to explore by sharing their local knowledge and insight on traditions to offer a truly authentic holiday experience. The restaurant is not restricted to fixed opening hours and will use selected local and regional ingredients, focusing on healthy local dishes. Casa Cook Rhodes will have an extensive health and wellbeing offering, including yoga, Pilates, massages and a fully equipped state of the art gym. All Casa Cook

hotels will also offer beach cruise bicycles for guests to explore the hotel’s surroundings. Peter Fankhauser, CEO, Thomas Cook Group plc,

said, “Launching a leisure product within our own hotels is an important pillar in our Group’s strategy for profitable growth, helping us attract new customer segments to encourage future growth.” The Casa Cook Rhodes is a redevelopment of the existing Sunprime White Pearl hotel. The White Pearl is now on stop sale with customers rebooked free of charge to the SENTIDO Port Royal Villas & Spa.

Mahindra Holidays registers a growth in total income and profits in H1FY16 Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Limited (MHRIL) announced its financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2015. For the second quarter, which ended in September 30, 2015, total income stood at `36.3 crore as against `200.1 crore in Q2 FY 2015, up 18% Y-o-Y. Profit after Tax (PAT) for Q2FY16 stood at `28.9 crore vs. `24.7 crore in the year-ago period, an increase of 17%. For the first half of the fiscal (H1FY16), Total Income stood at `467.2 crore as against `390.7 crore in H1FY15, a 20% increase year-on-year. Profit after Tax (PAT) stood at `53.9 crore as against `45.1 crore in H1FY15, up 20%. Arun Nanda, Chairman, Mahindra Holidays said,

“A 50% growth in member addition during the quarter despite the current economic environment, is a reflection of the level of customer satisfaction the company has been able to achieve and I believe it augurs well for the future.” Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Mahindra Holidays, Kavinder Singh said, “Our successful execution of the strategy to make Club Mahindra an aspirational brand that provides unique family leisure holidays along with lifestyle experiences, is helping create consumer pull for our offering. This is reflected in healthy operating metrics such as member additions, referrals and successful alliances. We intend to build on this momentum in the near future”.

meals while travelling, either online at www.ecatering. irctc.co.in or by making a phone call to 0120-2383892-99 or the toll-free number at 1800-1034-139. They can also choose to do so through an SMS to 139 by giving details of their PNR and seat number. To popularise the ‘Food on Track’ at stations, IRCTC is also developing mobilebased applications. The station-based e-catering service available at 45 stations, on a pilot basis, would allow travelling passengers to order food of their choice from private food giants, in addition to IRCTC’s very own ‘Jan Ahaar’ (budget food), Food Plazas and Fast Food Units, to be delivered at these stations. The Food On Track, which is also available at the stations following its launch as e-catering in September last year, is being provided in 1,516 non-pantry car trains, as well.

IRCTC introduces Mesmerizing Kashmir package The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) has drawn up a tour for travellers in Mumbai to visit the landmarks of Jammu & Kashmir, including the Vaishnodevi shrine and Gulmarg. The 10-night/11-day ‘Mesmerizing Kashmir’ package has been scheduled for November 14, with the tariff starting from `22,839 onwards. The tour would start from Bandra station and would take the travellers to Jammu, Katra, Srinagar, Gulmarg and Pahalgam, covering most of the tourist places in the state. The package tariff is `34,608 per person on a single occupancy basis, while it is `24,418 per person and `22,839 per person on a double and triple sharing basis, respectively. The allinclusive package includes confirmed tickets in AC 3-tier, accommodation in hotel, food, transport and sightseeing. “We have drawn up the package in a most innovative way that will take our patrons from Mumbai to most of the famous places of Jammu & Kashmir in one trip. The tariff is also competitively priced and it is all-inclusive,” said Dr A K Manocha, Chairman and MD, IRCTC.

Jason Samuel elected as the new Director of SKAL International

At the SKAL International World Congress in Spain, Jason Samuel has been elected as the Director. “He has received 97 votes of the total 179,” revealed Arun Raghavan, Secretary, SKAL International Asia Area and SKAL International India. Now all attention is set on Hyderabad, which is bidding to hold the 2017 edition of the World Congress, and voting for the same would take place in some time. “The inaugural day of the Congress was marked by country flags presentation, Mayor’s address, President’s address and entertainment programme by professional dancers,” Raghavan shared.

ASIA

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | November 2015 •

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Indonesia aims to triple international tourist arrivals Indonesia intends to triple its international tourist arrivals by 2018 in a bid to boost its flagging economy, weakened by a sliding rupiah and global slowdown. The archipelago state has seen steady growth in the number of visitors in recent years, with arrivals growing by more than seven percent last year to 9.44 million. Early this year, the Ministry of Tourism was asked by the Joko Widodo administration to raise the tourism sector contribution from nine percent last year to about 15% by 2019. The Minister of Tourism, Arief Yahya, however has greater plans. “We have high ambitions to bring in 20 million more tourists within the next two to three years,” he said, announcing the appointment of Ogilvy Public Relations to drive the ‘Wonderful Indonesia’ branding campaign.

“This year, ‘Wonderful Indonesia’ ranked 47th as the best branding in the world out of 144 countries, by the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index,” added Arief, referring to the World Economic Forum-led index. “We are extremely proud of this and are determined to continue the momentum.” The ministry now has a budget of 1.3 trillion rupiah (SGD$135 million), allocated for the promotion of tourism in the current year. The amount is more than four times the 300 billion rupiah last year, as pointed out by spokesman Vincent Jemadu. Indonesia will be promoted through international media, including prominent travel and natural science magazines, as well as television advertisements overseas.

Thailand reaches out to film producers; keen to have Bollywood shoot against Thai backdrops The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in Mumbai has partnered with Cinema Tourism Summit (CTS) in its 2015 edition in order to showcase the destination to Bollywood film producers. TAT Mumbai also roped in Thai attraction Siam Niramit to invest in impressing local filmmakers, through a 10-member delegation of performers to the CTS Awards Evening, which was hosted by TAT Mumbai and therefore themed Thai Night. A full sensory experience was delivered: umbrella paintings, flower arrangements and traditionally crafted fruit carvings formed the perfect backdrop to the networking session and some of the dance performances. And an authentic Thai culinary spread took delegates straight to Thailand. Soraya Homchuen, Director of the TAT office in Mumbai illustrated the beautiful locations and experiences that offer dramatic backdrops to Bollywood’s riveting tales. After the film, Mahesh Bhatt, one of India’s

premier film-makers, calling the video ‘enchanting’ said, “I must congratulate the hosts of Thai Night for the amazing audio visual experience we just saw. Indian states too could take a cue from it – this is the kind of mesmerising visuals that will attract film-makers to a destination.” The Deputy Consul General of Thailand, Sirin Surathin said, “Recent films shot in Thailand include ‘Houseful 2’ which was shot in Krabi and ‘Student of the Year’ which was shot in Samui, Bangkok and Krabi. Additionally, ‘All Is Well’, starring Abhishek Bachchan showcased many parts of Thailand. From our understanding, Indian film-makers flock to Thailand because production costs remain lower in Thailand as compared to most traditional as well as upcoming film-location destinations.” She added that the popular destination’s authorities are open to the idea and very supportive because they recognise that films “act as a virtual holiday brochure.”

Air China launches direct non-stop flight between Mumbai and Beijing

PATA announces SriLankan Airlines as its newest aviation partner

Air China launched its direct International flight from Mumbai, India to Beijing, China. The new flight is the first and only airline to fly nonstop between Mumbai and Beijing. The strategic move of Air China is a step to strengthen its existing route network in India, through its offering of a specifically tailored product for passengers and coming up with an alternative for mediumlong haul travel with extra comfort. Commenting on the occasion, Xia, GM, Air China, Mumbai said, “Initiative proposed by the Chinese government, has started and will start more routes serving the countries along the - One Belt, One Road.” The non-stop flight secures increased connectivity and reduced transit time for our customers. The new flight Mumbai, India to Beijing, P.R.China will operate four times in a week i.e., Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Passengers will also have return flight service from Beijing, P.R.China to Mumbai, India four times a week i.e., Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. After the launch of this route, Air China will discontinue with its existing route PVG (Shanghai) – CTU (Chengdu) – BOM (Mumbai)

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has announced that SriLankan Airlines has joined PATA as its newest aviation member. Mario Hardy, CEO, PATA said,

- CTU (Chengdu) – PVG (Shanghai) effective winter schedule 2015. Air China is offering promotional fares to travel agents and customers on the first three flights. The offer rolled to travel agents is `15,000 including all taxes to Mumbai – Beijing – Mumbai, with this offer approximate 200 travel agents travelling to China. Agents will not only see the new product but they will also see China for tourism, corporate, MICE, etc. Air China is also offering these agents with an opportunity to upgrade to business class with a nominal charge. Moreover, the flight launch will enable the strengthening of investment, trade, tourism and people-to-people ties between Mumbai and Beijing.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome SriLankan Airlines to the PATA family, as our newest aviation member. As a PATA member, we look forward to working with them to help build their business and brand through our extensive networks and our in-depth research and insights into the Asia Pacific region. We will also have the extra benefit of close cooperation, when we hold our PATA Annual Summit 2017 in Negombo, Sri Lanka.” According to PATA forecast, international visitor arrivals to Sri Lanka are to reach above the 2 million mark by 2019 while tourism expenditure is expected to reach US$ 8 billion. Ajith Dias, Chairman, SriLankan Airlines said, “Sri Lanka is

emerging as one of the most exciting tourism and MICE destinations in Asia. Sri Lanka’s MICE industry experienced a leap forward in the last few years recording over 144,000 MICE visitors to the country in the year 2014 of which majority has emerged from the incentive travel segment. The total tourist arrivals into the country exceeded 1.5 million in 2014 from mere 500,000 in 2009. At a time when we look at attracting tourists from new

markets, our membership in PATA and our role in the PATA Annual Summit 2017 will provide an ideal opportunity to share insights and look for collaborative ventures to promote MICE tourism within the region.”

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Korea’s visa-free Jeju Island focuses on India A delegation comprising of officials from the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Korean Tourism Organisation (KTO), Jeju Tourism Organisation, Jeju Tourism Association, and Jeju Convention & Visitors’ Bureau, visited India in October, to promote Jeju to the India. Jeju has already received 1,165 people from India in 2014. Given the year-on-year growth being experienced by KTO, Jeju too has set its sights on ambitious growth and is keen to scale this number up substantially by the end of this year. Globally, Jeju attracted 12 million visitors in 2014. Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, Jung Hwan Lee, Director General, Jeju Special Governing Province said, “Indian tourists enjoy Jeju Island’s natural beauty, spa and healing, and the theme-park.” Jeju has a host of factors that make it a great fit for the Indian market and the foremost is that it is visafree. “Indian travellers visiting Jeju need not apply for a visa if they are staying for up to 30 days,” said Ji Hyeon Yang, Chief Manager, Jeju Tourism Organisation. To avail the visa free facility, one can fly to Jeju

Castlewood Group to launch 20 Dream Hotels in Asia Singapore’s Castlewood Group has plans to roll-out at least 20 new Dream Hotels in Asia over the next decade, beginning with the launch of one in Phuket. The company has formed a partnership with New York based Début Hotel Group for the development and operation of the upper-upscale Dream Hotels brand. We are absolutely delighted to enter into a partnership with Début Hotel Group and Dream Hotels,” said Chris Comer, CEO of the Castlewood Group. “Both Début and Dream share Castlewood Group’s vision of delivering world-class hotels. When we were approached about this unique opportunity, a partnership with this visionary lifestyle hotel group made perfect sense for us and our investors.” Dream Phuket Hotel & Spa, is currently being developed at Bang Tao Beach, adjacent to the Laguna Phuket resort complex, and is scheduled to open to in December this year.

Island via Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Bangkok. Tour operators and Indian travellers will be happy to note that any dietary concerns will be taken care of as the island does offer options for Indian food. “Indian restaurants, Baghdad and Rajmahal offer a good choice of Indian food and can cater to those who require vegetarian food,” Jung Hwan Lee explained. Currently Jeju’s market mix comprises of largely FIT, while package tourists contribute to a little over

24% of travellers. Byungsun Lee, Director, Korea Tourism Organisation, New Delhi said, “We are working with our airline partners to ensure that there are very competitive packages for Korea and for Jeju in the Indian market. We are witnessing a good response from Indian travellers.” The Jeju Island tourism entities will be partnering with KTO’s India office in order to notch up awareness about its natural treasures, the fact that it is a worldrenowned world heritage site and its adventure activities. “MICE operators will also appreciate the wide choice of adventurous team building activities possible in Jeju,” said Jin-Hun Cho, Marketing Director, Jeju Convention and Visitor’s Bureau while presenting the various incentives available to MICE planners who might be interested in planning MICE movements to Jeju. Jeju is banking on India as a source market for the MICE and wellness segments. Jeju attracted 12 million tourists last year with 3.3 million foreign arrivals. The tourism organisation plans to raise this to 10,000 by 2020.

Tourism Malaysia hopes to lure more foreign visitors

Tourism Malaysia hopes to witness an increase in the number of its foreign tourists, following a drop in the value of the ringgit against major currencies. Its Director-General Datuk Mirza Mohammad Taiyab said the result would be known once the statistics for the inflow of foreign tourists for the third quarter had been compiled. “Logically, when goods in Malaysia become cheaper (for the foreign tourists) with the drop in the value of the ringgit, more people will come to shop in this country,” he said, after the launch of the ‘Dekat Je Bersama ETS’ (It’s Close with ETS) tour package and ‘Perlis Dekat Je’ (Perlis is Close).

According to Mirza, Malaysia has the advantage of 3S - Scenic, Safe, Story. Tourism Malaysia has made available ‘1001’ inexpensive tour packages. He said over 81,000 packages valued at more than RM23 million were sold in 2014 and 31,588 packages valued at RM10.4 million were sold between January and September this year. On cooperation with Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad, Mirza said the Electric Train Service (ETS) had an impact on the tourism industry because it provided a safer, organised and inexpensive trip. He said Malaysia’s domestic tourism target for 2020 was 81.4 million people who were expected to spend about RM55.4 billion.

Armenia declares India as a priority emerging market Armenia is still a little known destination for Indian tourists despite their cultural and historic ties. “India is a priority emerging market for us. We have a lot of things in common. The people of our country feel comfortable in India and vice versa,” said Sergey Avetisyan, Deputy Minister, Republic of Armenia Ministry of Economy. Tourism is an economic segment for the Ministry of Tourism in Armenia. The department of tourism within the ministry deals with policies of tourism, laws and regulations. The Armenian Development Foundation is the implementing arm of the policies. Pointing out that countries like Armenia and Ukraine are obviously interested in attracting tourists from India, Avetisyan stated, “You have a huge population and we are obviously interested in Indian tourists in terms of the numbers. But besides the numbers our historic and other linkages connects us. And that is why we have good potential for developing tourism.” “In terms of tourism, our first position is cultural

and historic tourism. Following which is nature based experiences like hiking, eco tourism, etc. People normally come here because of culture and heritage. The Armenian diaspora is huge, we have Armenians

spread all across the world, who are our natural ambassadors telling about our country to their friends. There are Armenian societies, churches in many countries,” he mentioned.

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UAE’s rail network to connect all seven emirates The UAE is building a 1,200 km rail network, connecting all seven emirates and the country with Saudi Arabia and Oman. “We will try to make it ready (for passengers) by Expo 2020,” Federal Transport Authority Director General Salem Ali Al Zaabi announced at a regional rail conference in Dubai, after the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) perceived the impossibility of completing work by 2018. Most countries have not yet started construction and there are concerns that weak oil prices could be affecting the ability of some regional governments to fund major projects. The national rail network is part of a wider GCC rail that will connect all six Arab Gulf states – Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. Al Zaabi also said tenders will be issued to link the UAE to Oman after it was raised at the conference that the tender process for the UAE-Oman link had been cancelled.

The first 264 km phase connecting Shah and Habshan in Abu Dhabi to Ruwais has been complete for some time and is already being used for commercial purposes. The next phase is a 638 km network-connecting phase one to Mussafah and Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi, Jebel Ali in Dubai and to the Saudi and Omani borders. Etihad Rail, 70% owned by the Abu Dhabi government and 30% owned by the federal government, is overseeing the estimated Dh40 billion networks. Bahrain, which will have the smallest rail network of the six Arab Gulf states, is still committing to connect to Saudi Arabia along the existing King Fahd Causeway by 2018. It is waiting for a feasibility study on the same and no decision has been made on when tenders will be issued or when construction would start.

Saudi Arabia expects 25-30 million religious tourists by end of 2015 Saudi Arabia expects a rise in the number of religious tourists from 17.5 million recorded last year to 25-30 million in 2025, which would be a boost to the country’s economy, opined the economists. The contribution of religious tourism to the non-oil sector of the country’s Gross Domestic Product would rise from 5.4% to 5.7% by the year 2020, according to a

Religious tourism is gradually emerging as an attractive environment for investors and creating jobs for young Saudis, Anees Mo’mina, Executive President of Sedco Holding, pointed out. He added that the government’s investment in infrastructure, including a public transport network, would foster growth of the tourism industry and witness more private sector investment.

local publication recently. A report from Al-Jazira Capital quoted by the publication said that the government has been preparing for the expected demand by investing heavily in infrastructure projects which includes the Mecca metro and the expansion of Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz Airport in Medina. The report stated that more luxury hotels could be developed given that 43% of Mecca hotels are three star facilities, and 46% in Medina are three star and above. Religious tourism activities are centred on the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, the hospitality market in which is linked to Hajj and Umrah in Mecca and visits to the Prophet’s mosque in Medina.

Mo’mina said there is currently extensive support for the industry from various government ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Labour and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage. Training Saudis to assign them responsibility in the tourism industry by launching a national training programme should be one of the foremost tasks to ensure less dependence on foreign labour. Ziyad bin Mahfouth, Executive for Elaf group, said the Hajj season plays a critical role in religious tourism, with growing numbers over the past few years. It is expected that the number of Hajj pilgrims would grow from the current 2 million to 5 million in 2025, he said.

Doha hosts second GCC meeting

The Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) Ministers, in charge of tourism, convenes for their second meeting in Doha, Qatar. GCC Assistant Secretary-General for Cultural and Media Affairs Khalid bin Salem Al-Ghassani announced the preparatory meeting in Doha, which was held by undersecretaries in charge of tourism. The meeting was opened by H.E. Issa bin Mohammed Al Mohannadi, Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) Chairman and was chaired by Saif Al Kuwari, QTA’s Director of International Co-operation. This meeting comes after the inaugural meeting

of GCC Tourism Ministers, held for the first time in Kuwait last October, resulting in a report on interstate collaboration, which the undersecretaries reviewed and discussed. “It is an honour for Qatar to host the first complete cycle of meetings between GCC tourism officials. The

Qatar Airways and JetBlue strengthen their successful codeshare agreement Qatar Airways has announced the expansion of its codeshare partnership with JetBlue, adding 29 new codeshare destinations on the airline’s route network from Boston Logan International Airport. The expanded partnership will take effect from March 16, 2016 to coincide with the launch of Qatar Airways’ daily direct flights to Boston. Passengers will now be able to connect onto JetBlue’s network with a seamless transfer process via both New York and Boston. “The strengthening of this codeshare agreement comes at a time when Qatar Airways is focused upon expanding its own direct links to the United States and beyond, with the launch of non-stop services to Los Angeles, Atlanta and Boston throughout 2016,” said Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, H.E. Akbar Al Baker. “Passengers travelling to Boston on our latest flagship A350 XWB aircraft will be able to connect onwards to almost 30 JetBlue destinations across the continent, enhancing the overall passenger experience for all, thanks to this expanded codeshare agreement,” he added.

meetings have been a great opportunity to develop the common vision between GCC countries and to highlight the ways in which we can collaborate to achieve this vision, especially with respect to intra-GCC tourism,” said Al Kuwari. “We look forward to moving ahead with solid, practical strategies to increase the attractiveness of the region as a destination on the global map.” A draft project submitted by the United Arab Emirates on regulating and promoting the sector of tourism industry in the Arabian Gulf region was on the agenda. The delegations also explored ways to increase intra-GCC tourism, discussed public-private cooperation and a memo submitted by the GCC general-secretariat to protect the urban heritage. The meeting will also discuss the possibility of holding a ‘GCC Destinations Forum’ to promote Gulf tourist attractions, as well as a Gulf Handicrafts Exhibition.

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Oman’s Ministry of Tourism collaborates with AudioCompass to launch mobile application The Ministry of Tourism, Oman in association with AudioCompass announces the inclusion of Oman as a destination available to travellers on AudioCompass app. AudioCompass is a mobile app available on iOS and Android that serves as an audio guide to travellers all over the world. The application provides high quality, informative, detailed, curated, audiobased content for over 1200 tourist points of interest, effectively turning travellers’ smartphones into personal audio tour guides. AudioCompass is integrated in holiday packages sold by MakeMyTrip, Thomas Cook, Yatra.com and Cox & Kings. In Oman, AudioCompass will cover more than 80 points of interest with informative audio content across major destinations including Muscat, Al Sharqiyah, Al Dakhliya, Al Batinah, Dhofar and

Musandam. Commenting on the inclusion of Oman in AudioCompass, Gautam Shewakramani, Founder, AudioCompass said, “AudioCompass in Oman is a leap forward to empowering travellers visiting the country. We are thrilled that the Ministry of Tourism has chosen to support us in bringing an authentic Omani experience to travellers via their mobile phones.” Lubaina Sheerazi, India representative of Ministry of Tourism, Oman explains, “AudioCompass helps the growing breed of independent travellers from India gain deeper understanding of a culturally and historically rich and vibrant destination like Oman. People want high quality, personal and authentic experiences, and our partnership with AudioCompass helps facilitate this while improving knowledge and accessibility of Oman to travellers from India.”

UAE introduces global project to archive archaeological sites of Middle East The UAE stated that it has a global responsibility to protect the history and heritage of the Middle East, taking into account the valuable contributions of the region to the progress of humanity. Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Managing Director of Dubai Museum of the Future Foundation, stated that archaeological sites are not just stone structures and described the heritage landmarks in the region as crucial pieces in the great legacy of human achievements. Al Gergawi stated this as the Dubai Museum of the Future Foundation announced a global partnership with UNESCO and the UK-based Institute for Digital Archaeology (IDA), a joint venture between Harvard University and the University of Oxford, to document the archaeological sites in the region using

three-dimensional imaging technology to rebuild them through 3D printing in the event of potential risks. “It is important to preserve heritage sites as they serve as a source of inspiration for innovators and pioneers to build the future. What we are doing today is part of our efforts to give back to the history of our region and build on the achievements of our rich past,” Al Gergawi said. On the occasion, Director-General of UNESCO, Irinia Bokova said, “Extremists want to impose a different vision on the world. They want to tell us that there is no memory, that there is no culture, that there is no heritage. We join hands with the Dubai Museum of the Future Foundation to participate in the effort to oppose the extremists’ vision of the future and to help convey the history to future generations.”

Hisham Zaazou is the new Minister of Tourism of Egypt Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail’s newly formed government once again assigned the position of the Minister of Tourism to Mohamed Hisham Abbas Zaazou, who is wellknown for having held this position from August 2012 to March 2015. Born in 1954, Mohamed Hisham Abbas Zaazou graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Ain Shams University in 1976 and began his career with the City Bank Group with whom he worked for five years in Cairo. Later he spent more than 25 years of his career in the tourism sector. From 1980 to 1982, he was Director of R & H Voyages of Los Angeles, a travel agency which he created in the U.S. along with a sole shareholder to increase tourism to the Egyptian market. Following the huge success of his initiative, from 1982 to 1994 he decided to open a representative office of the same agency in Cairo, building and managing personally a whole network of contacts between airlines, hotels, and the industry, and personally managing sales, marketing, and staff training. Between 1995 and 2003, he served as General Manager of the Cairo Sakkara Travel Group, one of the 10 most important incoming agencies in Egyptian tourism. From 2004 to 2007 Zaazou was the General Manager of the Egyptian Tourism Federation, unanimously appointed by the Board of Directors and executive decision-makers. He

was also the first Egyptian to be elected to the board of the business council of the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). Then, from 2007 to 2012 he was selected by the former Egyptian Minister of Tourism, Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour, as an Advisor to the Ministry of Tourism, and was soon after awarded the title of Deputy Minister of Tourism with the responsibility to follow the different projects of the ministry in the short- and long-term for the pursuit and achievement of important objectives, particularly that of “Strategies for Sustainable Tourism” until 2020. Recently, he was also designated by the Tourism Ministry to be in charge of the Green Unit at the Ministry of Tourism and as the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Tourism headed by the Prime Minister. From August 2012 to March 2015 he finally held the position of Minister of Tourism under the Egyptian government Morsi and then under the rule of Al Sisi.

Jordan uses its natural resources to promote tourism A subsidiary of Numeira Mixed Salts and Mud Company, Odalisque Therapeutic Muds and Salts, located in Jordan is celebrating victory with their latest partnership with Monaco Business Development and Ziyad Mazzawi Corporation as the Guinness World Records recognised the longest Slip and Slide at the Dead Sea Jordan. The worlds’ longest slip and slide began its tour of Jordan with its unveiling at the Dead Sea, Jordan, in October. The event took place at the lowest spot on earth, which is 420 metres below sea level. The slide would tour Jordan, offering rides to those who want to be part of the historic tour. Odalisque signifies products that use the only natural resources Jordan produces in the Dead Sea which are the salt and mud. In the salt and mud, life changing minerals are

found representing magnesium, bromide, iodine, sulphur, potassium, and calcium. Ismail Daqour, Odalisque General Manager was thrilled about the outcome of the latest Guinness World Record and said, “We could not be happier for our country of Jordan, this wonderful country of ours deserves to be hailed as a family fun destination. This kind of event proves that Jordan is a world class tourism destination and appropriate for every age group. We are also thrilled that Odalisque could be highlighted throughout the event as a natural and therapeutic product that can make life better.” Odalisque is no stranger to supporting Jordanian events; others include the ‘Largest Floating Human Image’ of a peace sign and the Dead Sea Mud Festival, which was held in 2014.

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Scandinavia Tourism aims to attract more Indian tourists Three exotic Scandinavian countries - Sweden, Denmark and Norway - are making great efforts to attract the growing Indian outbound tourist market. In New Delhi recently they showcased products and attractions, where representatives of the destinations and attractions helped create greater awareness of this which until now has been a region that is not so well known. India is poised to emerge as the world’s fastest growing outbound market second only to China for the Scandinavian countries. An exponential growth of approximately 30% has been witnessed in the first half of 2015 for some parts of the Scandinavian region on overnights. The growth comes across all the segments of the travel industry – Fixed Departures, individual travellers and MICE – primarily Incentives. A healthy growth has been observed in the number of Indians travelling to these destinations, primarily from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru. Cities such as Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Pune have also been showing very encouraging results. The three cities Scandinavian seminar aims to engage the travel trade and provides a platform to meet Scandinavian partners from Denmark, Norway and Sweden interested in doing business with India. The seminar also aims to enhance destination knowledge of Indian travel professionals and introduce new regions and travel products. A delegation of over 20 Scandinavian partners including National Tourism Boards, Regional Tourism Boards, hotel chains, attractions, museums, airport, cruise and voyage companies and Destination Marketing Companies will be visiting these cities and reach out to the Indian travel trade. According to Mohit Batra, responsible for tourism

promotion of the Scandinavian region, “We have witnessed a very robust growth and are optimistic that this year’s showcase will help us in our endeavour of further augmenting Indian arrivals to Scandinavia in the coming months. Our aim is to raise awareness of the Scandinavian region at large – but also raising awareness of what each individual countries of Denmark, Norway and Sweden have to offer. Denmark this year has witnessed an increase of 30% on overnights from India, and Sweden approx 15% on an already higher overnight base. Norway is not yet taking account of the Indian overnights but the growth seems to have been exponential.” “We have also recently launched our social media initiative – ‘Explore Scandinavia’ which will engage with the Indian travellers in the social media sphere. This will give us an opportunity to share this beautiful region with thousands of aspiring travellers looking for new inspirations,” he added.

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Scotland to market itself as a LGBT-friendly travel destination The Equality Network, Scotland’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex equality and human rights charity has released a new report called ‘Wish you were here – The Scottish LGBT Travel Report’, which highlights the opportunities of marketing Scotland to the world as an LGBT friendly travel destination. The research behind the report was conducted in partnership with Visit Scotland, the national tourism organisation. The report showed that despite 77% of those surveyed considering Scotland an LGBT Friendly destination, only three percent said Scotland comes to mind first when thinking about LGBT destinations around the world. Scott Cuthbertson, from the Equality Network said, “Scotland has all the ingredients of a world class LGBT friendly travel destination, a favourable legal landscape, great places to visit and the friendliest people in the world, it’s time to make more of that and send out a warm welcome to LGBT travellers.” The Equality Network informed that it is developing an LGBT travel guide which would be launched next year and distributed in core markets. The aim of the guide is to persuade more LGBT tourists to visit Scotland. Visit Scotland has also used the research behind the report to launch a special LGBT portal on visitscotland.com to better support the needs of LGBT travellers.

Tirol serves as the backdrop for Spectre In the much anticipated 24th film in the James Bond franchise, ‘Spectre’, Austrian region of Tirol served as an ideal set for some of the most spectacular scenes in the film. The Ötztaler Alps in Sölden and the mountain

village of Obertilliach in East Tirol served as the backdrop for Craig Daniel’s 007. One of the highest mountain roads in the Alps, a mountain lift station that looks like curved ribs of steel and a design restaurant in the shape of a giant ice cube: the ski resort of Solden in the Otztal valley of Tirol, provided a complete mix of everything that the production needed for one of the main action scenes in the new James Bond film. Speaking on the set in Solden, Associate Producer, Gregg Wilson, explained how they wanted to deliver an amazing sequence, which would be one of the major action sequences in the movie and added that Austria seemed to have everything they needed to pull that off. Four locations in and around Obertilliach will feature in the film, including scenes from the Grade II listed historic village centre of Obertilliach.

Alitalia aims for profitability by 2017 Alitalia has unveiled a series of customer service enhancements that would improve the travel experience for air passengers. Italy’s national airline also confirmed that its three-year business plan was on track for profitability by 2017. Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, the Chairman of Alitalia, and James Hogan, Vice Chairman of Alitalia and President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, announced the details of a range of new initiatives that will be introduced in a few weeks. Two new long haul destinations, the first chauffeur service for business travellers, the opening of new VIP lounges and the refurbishment of existing ones at airports, new cabin interiors and Internet and email connectivity on board, as well as a focus on improving customer service at Fiumicino airport, are the highlights that were announced. The airline recently briefed 2,000 staff at a special meeting in Rome. Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo said, “Our performance is in line with the business plan.

For the first time since 2009, the load factor for the quarter exceeded 80% and we are on track to meet our objective of reaching profitability by 2017.” Vice Chairman James Hogan said, “Being part of Etihad Airways Partners will help Alitalia succeed in its drive to profitability and with market confidence growing, its customers will have much to look forward to and experience in the next six months and beyond.”

Cyprus witnesses record tourist arrivals In terms of tourist arrivals, Cyprus recorded an increase of 14.0%, reaching 360,899 in September 2015 compared to 316,602 in September 2014. During the period between January and September 2015, arrivals of tourists totalled 2,203,599 compared to 2,051,483 in the corresponding period of 2014, recording an increase of 7.4%. On the basis of the results of the Passengers Survey, an increase of 32.0% has been recorded in tourist arrivals from the United Kingdom from 109,951 in September 2014 to 145,166 in September 2015, 99.9% increase from Israel from 7,383 to 14,756, 34.7% increase from Germany from 9,534 to 12,840, and 27.9% increase from Greece from 9,382 to 12,001 this year. Conversely, a decrease of 17.0% has been recorded in tourist arrivals from Russia with 75,391 in September 2015 compared to 90,866 in September 2014, and 5.9% decrease from Sweden with 15,951 compared to 16,947 last year.

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Turkey Tourism conducts Destination Turkey workshop The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in collaboration with the Tourism Association of Turkish Travel Agents and Turkish Hoteliers Federation, concluded the Delhi chapter of their road show ‘Destination Turkey Workshop’ recently in New Delhi. The show housed leading travel agents and hoteliers of Turkey besides the Turkish Airlines. Apart from enriching B2B desk interactions with the participants, the visitors were also greeted with a welcome address by Ozgur Ayturk, Culture and Tourism Counsellor of the Turkish Embassy in India. Following this were addresses by Ozer Guer, General Manager, Turkish Airlines and Dr Burak Akchapar, the Turkish Ambassador to the country. In its contribution to promote Turkey as an attractive tourist destination, an increase in the number of flights was announced by the airlines, one that has a record of flying to more countries than any other in the industry. The Ambassador however expressed his discontent over the unsatisfactory 20% growth in tourism with only 8.86% rise in outgoing Indian tourists to Turkey, a statistics undoubtedly inadequate with respect to the tourism potential of the country. What he advocated was a ‘joint vision’ of tourism between the countries to reach out to a wider population, facilitating efforts organised around greater exhibition of what each has to offer the other, while emphasising the government’s pressing

responsibility in it. The cynosure of the show was a visual presentation by Gulbark Ashypar, representing Tourism Association of Turkish Travel Agents. The detailed presentation narrated an overall picture of the ‘home of unique nature and culture’ and its historical and religious prestige, highlighting its 15 World Heritage sites, recognised by UNESCO. It also focused on the diverse cuisine and entertainment available, provisions for world class hotel and transportation service and the popular tourist sites while drawing attention to the emerging trends of adventure tourism, faith tourism and the country as a trending wedding destination.

Atout France’s tourism portal revamped Atout France - France Tourism Development Agency’s travel information portal on destination France - www.rendezvousenfrance.com has now been rechristened as www.France.fr. This announcement was made public by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development - Laurent Fabius during the first Annual Tourism Conference. Welcoming this new development, Christian Mantei - Managing Director of Atout France said, “This previously untapped domain name belonging to the Government provides many opportunities to showcase French tourism. It presents a formidable opportunity to reinforce site referencing and provide a boost to uplift the viewership and audience.” The home-page of the site promotes not only global tourist sites that represent France abroad (Paris, Mont-Saint-Michel, Champagne) but also showcases major events that are strategically important for destination France. The website is available in 17 languages, with informative content showcasing various destinations and excellence clusters that are representative of France. By 2016, the tourism board’s global branding RendezvousenFrance.com will give way to France.fr.

Finland welcomes more visitors from India by opening visa application centres Finland responds to the growing demand from Indian visitors to visit Finland by opening Visa Application Centres in Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai this month. The centres will enable faster and more comprehensive services for Indian tourists, business travellers and others whose main destination is Finland.

Finland, in Northern Europe, has become an increasingly attractive destination for Indian visitors. Clean and beautiful nature, Northern lights, vibrant culture from urban festivals to Santa Claus,

and world-class outdoor activities have made more and more Indians head to Finland on their holidays. The over 120 Finnish companies present in India and increasing cooperation in trade and research, support a wide network of business travellers between the two countries. Also most of the expatriates working in Finland in highly specialised professions, especially in ITC sector, are from India. Helsinki, the capital of Finland, is a major transportation hub between Asia and Europe. The direct flight connection between Delhi and Helsinki makes Finland the closest European destination to India, with a flight time of approximately seven hours. Visitors, who continue their trip to other Nordic countries, the Baltic States or elsewhere in Europe, have a wide transportation network at hand, by air, land or sea. The Visa Centres in Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai are located in the VFS Global premises, conveniently in the city centres. In November, the Schengen States, including Finland, will launch the Visa Information System (VIS) in India. The purpose of the global VIS process is to better protect applicants against identity theft and to prevent document fraud and so-called ‘visa shopping’.

Bollywood movie Guns N Roses shoots in Ireland

Locations across Ireland will appear in the latest Bollywood film ‘Guns N Roses’, which stars Himesh Reshammiya and Shekhar Kapur. The film, directed by Vivek Singhania is due to hit screens worldwide in 2016 and would showcase Ireland to over 100 million cinemagoers in India. The motion picture has been shot on location in September-October 2015 and the locations for the movie included Dublin, Wicklow, Glendalough, Powerscourt, Houth and Ashford Castle among others.

Chocolate Tourism in Bruges, Belgium The launching of two main chocolate museums in Bruges has firmly established Belgian chocolate tourism in recent times. Choco-Story in Bruges opened its gate in 2004 and The Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate in Brussels welcomed their first visitor in 2005. Choco-Story is on Sint-Jansplein 2, which in the centre of Bruges. The museum is open everyday on the week, except for days around Christmas, and the second and third weeks of January. There is an entrance fee that covers the tasting samples at the end of the tour. Additional 500-gram (18ounce) souvenir bags of chocolate are available for purchase. The city even has its own official chocolate, the Bruges Swan. Like the rest of Europe, summer is without doubt the peak season in Belgium and this is when many people visit the country. There is a chocolate festival that takes place every April around Easter time in Bruges, which serves as a prime attraction.

Tourism Ireland worked with the Irish Film Board to secure the film, along with other Irish agencies to help facilitate filming in Ireland. Tourism Ireland is hopeful that the movie would help to significantly increase awareness of the island of Ireland among India’s growing middle classes who have the potential to visit the island on holidays. Huzan Fraser Motivala, India Representative, Tourism Ireland said, “Bollywood is a major influencer for Indian travellers when they are deciding on their holiday destination. We are confident that the film shoot in Ireland will help create a curiosity among Indians to come and visit the locations where the movie has been filmed. Going forward, we will continue to promote Ireland in India and showcase the destination as an ideal location for film shootings for Bollywood movie-makers.”

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Hawaii visitor arrivals continue to reach record highs President and CEO of Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA), George D Szigeti informed that visitor arrivals have remained strong for the first nine months of the year, reaching 6.5 million visitors. However, growth in spending has begun to plateau; with only 2.6% ahead of last year, reaching $11.3 billion. Hawaii will see a boost in air seats, with three new flights from two new carriers, pushing total air seats to the state with a record 11.8 million for 2015. Virgin America would begin flying from San Francisco to Honolulu in November and to Kahului in December, and Jin Air, a low-cost carrier from South Korea, would begin service from Seoul to Honolulu in December. AirAsia X will also enter the Hawaii market during the first half of 2016 flying from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Honolulu. “We are pleased to welcome these carriers to Hawaii and look forward to working with them to promote the Hawaiian Islands in their respective markets,” said

Szigeti. “These flights will generate an estimated $32 million in annual visitor spending, which will help us continue the momentum we have been experiencing these past few years.” Total arrivals to the Hawaiian Islands achieved a new record for the month of September, with an increase of 4.7% to 652,616 visitors. Growth in arrivals from U.S. West (+6.3% to 248,646) and Canada (+4.2% to 20,504 visitors) more than offset slight declines from U.S. East (-0.6% to 109,813) and Japan (-0.7% to 137,156) compared to September 2014. Arrivals from all other markets rose 4.3% to 112,332 visitors. All four larger Hawaiian Islands saw growth in arrivals: Kauai (+4.7%), Maui (+4.3%), Hawaii Island (+2.1%) and Oahu (+1.3%) compared to September 2014. Expenditures increased for Maui (+5.7% to $279.1 million) and Kauai (+8.6% to $101.3 million), but declined for Oahu (-4.7% to $560.2 million) and Hawaii Island (-6.2% to $119.2 million).

NYC & Company launches refreshed Make it NYC campaign at IMEX America 2015 NYC & Company unveiled the newest iteration of it’s Make it NYC meetings and conventions marketing campaign at IMEX America 2015. The campaign includes refreshed branding and advertising incorporating a new tagline, ‘Meet Where You Want to Be’. “As one of the world’s most iconic destinations, New York City is at the top of every delegate’s wish list, and we encourage meeting professionals from around the world to plan a once in a lifetime experience that their attendees will never forget,” said Fred Dixon, President and CEO of NYC & Company. “With the newly redesigned Make it NYC campaign, we are hopeful that even more people will choose to meet where they want to be — New York City — this year and beyond.” Originally launched in 2013, Make it NYC was

designed to position New York City as a leading meetings destination, calling to action the many benefits of hosting a meeting or event in the City’s five boroughs. The newest iteration of the campaign showcases the vibrancy of the destination through iconic imagery, including the Manhattan skyline and Statue of Liberty, and highlights the reasons that meetings in New York City are anticipated by delegates and planners alike. An asset to meeting planners, NYC & Company’s free-of-charge in-house Destination Services department is a one-stop resource for planning unforgettable meetings and conventions in New York City. The team connects planners with more than 2,000 businesses throughout the City’s five boroughs and also offers a Delegate Discount Pass, featuring savings at

110 restaurants, attractions and retailers. In 2014, New York City welcomed 6 million meeting and convention delegates, a number that is expected to grow to 6.1 million this year.

Tourisme Montreal initiates investment to promote tourism Tourisme Montreal is spearheading an initiative to attract a wide range of new investors to the city in an effort to diversify available tourist attractions and events to bring about a broader and more varied experience. Developing the local tourism product has thus become a priority in the Tourisme Montreal’s strategic plan for 2014-18. An Investment Development Committee was created in 2014 to oversee the initiative. Led by Tourisme Montréal, the group includes Investissement Québec, Fonds de solidarité FTQ, the Business Development Bank of Canada and Montréal International. The committee aims to develop a better understanding of business opportunities for tourist products, analyse the competition, solicit investors and forge connections with local businesses, private investors and international real estate developers. “Product development is closely linked with

Tourisme Montréal’s mission and the various tourism and financial leaders have to be proactive in attracting international investors to promote growth in Montréal and enhance the city’s reputation,” said Yves Lalumière, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal. According to recent data collected by Tourisme Montréal, the summer season was excellent for tourism in

Montréal, generating wealth and jobs for the province. Compared to last year, tourist numbers increased across the board, including crossings at the Québec border, traffic at the Montréal Airport and hotel statistics for the Greater Montréal Area. For the months of June through August, the number of American tourists crossing at the Québec border rose by 9.8%. While, the number of visitors coming by car increased by 12.5%, the biggest jump this year. Meanwhile, the total number of passengers arriving through Montréal-Trudeau Airport increased by 4.4% during the same period. The most recent statistics from the Hotel Association of Greater Montréal indicate that hotels in the Greater Montréal Area enjoyed an 85.7% average occupation rate from June to September, 2015. The average room rate increased by 4.9% and accommodation revenues rose by 8.7% compared to the same period in 2014.

W Hotels extends its presence in Latin America Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc aims to consolidate its presence in Mexico with the debut of W Punta de Mita, located in Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit. Scheduled for 2016, W Punta de Mita will be part of Los Veneros, an exclusive enclave located on Mexico’s magnificent Pacific Coast, renowned as one of the world’s most desirable vacation destinations. “With the opening of W Punta de Mita, Mexico will become be the only country in Latin America to boast two W hotels, demonstrating its continued position as one of the most in-demand travel markets in the world,” said Jorge Giannattasio, Senior Vice-President and Chief of Latin America Operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. The oceanfront W Punta de Mita will house 120 guest villas, featuring lavish amenities and the W brand’s signature Whatever / Whenever service. In addition,

guests will enjoy the hotel’s vibrant public spaces, including W Living Room (the W brand’s bustling spin on the hotel lobby) where they can mingle over locallyinspired cocktails; W Lounge where guests can enjoy an unforgettable nightlife experience while listening to music; WET outdoor pool deck with stunning views of the Pacific Coast; and a signature restaurant to cater to everyone’s needs. W Punta de Mita will also feature a 4,000 sq ft AWAY Spa, with signature treatments and services as well as FIT, the ultimate workout facility. “Starwood is growing at an exciting pace in Latin America, and the W brand is a key player in this growth,” said Victor Vazquez, Vice President of Development and Acquisitions, Starwood Latin America. “With more than 25 million international tourists per year, Mexico continues to be an important and growing market for us, particularly for our luxury hotels.”

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Wyoming Tourism partners with Pixar to boost tourism Wyoming is looking to boost tourism through an animated film, which would be released in November. ‘The Good Dinosaur,’ is about a dinosaur named Arlo and his human friend as they travel a harsh and scenic land. Valleys and mountains depicted in the film were inspired by the Wyoming landscape, such as the Teton Range. Under the agreement between the State Office of Tourism and Pixar, Wyoming would invest $1.2 million of its advertising budget on a media campaign to promote both the film and the state. Additionally, the state would pay Pixar $100,000 to help sponsor the film’s world premiere in Los Angeles. In return, Wyoming would be able to promote the state, such as displaying its bucking horse and rider logo on the red carpet at the premiere. Executive Director of the Wyoming Office of Tourism, Diane Shober said arrangement with Pixar offers the state the opportunity to increase interest in and visitation to Wyoming.

California recorded 27.9% market share of Indian tourists to the U.S.

California has recorded more than 273,000 visitors from India in 2014, with spends standing at $527 million. This account for 27.9% market share of the total Indian arrivals to the U.S. With last year’s Indian visitor arrivals, there has been a 13.8% increase over 2013, forecasting an additional growth of 9.5% in the current year. Caroline Beteta, President and CEO, Visit California, said, “India continues to be an important market for California, and we are delighted with the growth in visitors to our state. The Golden State offers unparalleled diversity of unique experiences for Indian visitors, and the India Mission is a strong forum for us to build on our existing relationships and continue our collaboration with the Indian travel industry.” What drew attention apart from this was the strength of the Online Training Programme, introduced last year to educate frontline travel agency staff, with more than 1700 accomplished California Experts in India. Other Visit California travel trade initiatives include the Dream Big California Contest for India travel trade partners. The contest requires agents to complete the California Expert programme, followed by participation in a California themed, interactive crossword puzzle. Visit California India will be awarding prizes to successful applicants for three months with the grand prize being a trip to California.

“The film is visually stunning and the setting is very characteristic of the Wyoming scenery we know and love,” said Shober. “‘The Good Dinosaur’ is a perfect fit

for Wyoming with the mountain backdrops, sweeping landscapes and ties to palaeontology and culture of the American West.”

Greater Miami discloses record-breaking tourism numbers

The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) declared its record-breaking travel and tourism numbers with an impressive 5.4% increase in overnight visitors to Miami and the beaches during the last 12 months (September 2014–August 2015). In that time period, the destination welcomed 15.1 million overnight visitors up from 14.2 million over the same period for the previous year, bringing the economic impact to an astonishing $25.1 billion to the destination, up from $23.5 billion, which is an increase of seven percent. The numbers were released as the details for the new Miami Beach Convention Centre were unveiled, providing the destination with an extraordinary opportunity for further economic impact and job growth through meetings

and conventions business in the near future. President & CEO William D Talbert, III, CDME said, “The GMCVB is hard at work, selling the destination both through leisure and group marketing campaigns. This year we are seeing a five percent increase in hospitality jobs and already we are the number one industry for employment growth in the destination.” “With more than $5 billion in new development and investment projects coming to Miami and the Beaches in the next three years, it’s no surprise that the destination is a preferred location for the production industry as well as global entertainment and sporting events,” said GMCVB Chairman, Bruce Orosz.

San Francisco Travel to use the Super Bowl to drive destination branding San Francisco Travel is trying to inject the city’s unique culture and brand identity into Super Bowl 50 to leverage the big game as an integrated tourism promotion platform. Sonoma County Tourism is the official wine sponsor for the eight-day Super Bowl fan village. The partnership demonstrates the bureau’s growth over the last few years to promote the region well beyond the Bay Area as a whole. The broader perspective, in part, is due to the growing numbers of Chinese travellers visiting San Francisco for longer periods of time than domestic visitors. Asian visitors in general have been using the city as a launch pad to explore Napa / Sonoma, Monterrey / Carmel, Yosemite and other outlying destinations. President and CEO of San Francisco Travel, Joe D’Alessandro, explained that only 70,000 people would actually be going to the game, however San Francisco Travel anticipate more than a million people would come into the Bay Area for the activities surrounding the Super Bowl. This presents an opportunity to extend the brand of the city around the world. People know San Francisco, they know the Golden Gate Bridge and other iconic things, but there’s an opportunity to really show

that the Bay Area does things differently. Alessandro added that they are going to use this as an opportunity to market San Francisco well into the future by using the Super Bowl as an example of how people visiting for events, meetings or vacations would experience something they won’t find in most other major American cities.

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Sidharth Malhotra becomes Tourism New Zealand’s ambassador Bollywood actor Sidharth Malhotra would be the first Indian to become the Tourism New Zealand’s ambassador for India. “Excited to visit this beautiful country New Zealand as their tourism ambassador for India #NzMustDo #SidNZ let’s go!” tweeted the actor. A keen nature lover, traveller and extreme explorer, Sidharth is looking forward to an action packed itinerary during his visit to the country. “I am gearing up for some hardcore adventures such as skydive, skywalk and diving, and I can’t wait to experience the local wildlife of the country,” stated the actor. Sidharth is also slated to film a video featuring New Zealand’s spectacular scenery, adrenalin packed activities and cultural experiences that would be incorporated into Tourism New Zealand’s

campaign work in India. He would also spread awareness to Indian visitors about safe driving on

the roads of New Zealand. Rene de Monchy, Tourism New Zealand’s Director of Trade, PR and major events has expressed his pleasure in being able to work with the celebrity saying “from adventure activities to food and wine experiences, local culture to luxury indulgence, New Zealand is gearing up to surprise Sidharth at every step of his journey. We look forward to hosting him and making him feel at home in New Zealand.” A further special reason for the actor’s excitement would be the food, wine and the Maori culture besides his fans in the country whom he is looking forward to interact with. Sidharth would be there in the country visiting places like Northland, Wellington and Queenstown.

Qantas announces Hugh Jackman as Global Ambassador Qantas and Hugh Jackman have sealed a new partnership, announcing the actor as the Global Ambassador for the airline. He will also work with them on diverse community based projects to create opportunities for Australians to learn, work and travel to the U.S. to reach their potential. One of Australia’s most successful and highly regarded performers, the superstar has expressed immense pride in acquiring the new position and is looking forward to teaming up with Qantas to highlight the best of Australia. “I travel a lot and like all Aussie’s, I get a buzz whenever I see the familiar red tail and the kangaroo logo, no matter where I am in the world. Qantas is a great airline with great people and represents the very best of our wonderful country,” Jackman said.

Jackman is particularly passionate about encouraging Americans to travel to his homeland to experience the unique land, beauty and people for themselves. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce, who is extremely thrilled to welcome the actor said, “Hugh represents everything that the world loves about Australians and he has used his enormous international success to promote Australia as well as highlight causes that are close to his heart. We will build on the work both Qantas and Hugh are already doing and together, we believe we have the capacity to create some truly life changing opportunities.” Qantas is also co-sponsoring Jackman’s upcoming ‘Broadway to OZ’ arena shows across Australia in November and December.

Solomon Islands record a 15.6% jump in tourist arrivals The visitor arrivals recorded by the Solomon Islands Tourism for April 2015, have jumped by a massive 15.6%. Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau (SIVB) CEO, Josefa ‘Jo’ Tuamoto was delighted with the fantastic news, just days before the country’s tourism industry joins together at the Solomon Kitano Mendana Hotel for the much awaited 2015 Our Telekom National Tourism Forum. “This amazing result is indicative of the strategic approach the SIVB with government, national airline and local industry support has taken in recent months...We must continue to remember that key to everything we do, there always is an ongoing need to take long

hard looks at what we have achieved and examine how we can continue to improve on those achievements,” Tuamoto said. Australia remains the country’s important source of foreign arrivals with Fiji at the second place followed by New Zealand and Papua New Guinea at the third and fourth respectively. More than 200 industry delegates are expected to attend the ‘Managing Change and Creating a Million Tourism Opportunities’ – themed Our Telekom National Tourism Forum, which will feature an impressive lineup of keynote speakers from the government, local and overseas tourism industry and the corporate sector.

Tourism Australia re-launches the Aussie Specialist Programme in India Tourism Australia has successfully launched the revamped version of its Aussie Specialist Programme (ASP) in India. The programme aims to equip Indian travels agents with distinguished skill sets and knowledge to effectively promote and sell Australia as a preferred holiday destination among Indian travel enthusiasts. Based on extensive review undertaken with travel agents, the online training programme includes a new digital platform as well as training resources which will be shared by Tourism Australia and all eight of its state and territory tourism partners. The three phase interactive and engaging programme will highlight the unique and varied tourism offerings available in Australia, thereby making it a one-stop-platform for all travel partners. Commenting on the launch, Tourism Australia Country Manager, Nishant Kashikar said, “Over the years, our Indian travel partners have been a driving force for the increasing arrivals to Australia. We understand that travel agents need continued flow of information and knowledge about the country’s diverse tourism offerings for them to effectively create incredible itineraries for Indian travellers. The Aussie Specialist Programme thereby aims to make the travel agents an authority on Australia’s tourism attractions, thus facilitating them to effectively address the discerning demands of the evolving Indian traveller segments. The Aussie Specialist Programme is recognised as one of the world’s leading

destination training programs for the past 26 years. We are confident that the revamped version of the Aussie Specialist Programme will further help Indian travel agents to sell Australia as a destination of choice to end consumers and consequently help us achieve our 2020 Tourism targets. With a record increase in tourist arrivals from India, Tourism Australia aims to further build on robust trade relationships and advanced training programs for the trade fraternity. Currently, Tourism Australia has close to 2,100 Aussie Specialists in India, and we expect the figure to cross 3,000 by June 2016.”

The revamped version will consist of interactive training modules, itinerary suggestions, factsheets, latest industry news updates, destination FAQs and an interactive map. The site works across all tablets and mobile devices. In addition to the new website, a team of Aussie Specialist trainers is being recruited to help provide face-to-face training in key markets for frontline travel sellers.

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Mauritius aims at growth in tourist arrivals from India Mauritius is aiming for a 20% annual growth in tourists from India and is focused on attracting high-end travellers. Between the month of January and July this year the country received about 45,000 tourists, representing an increase of 21.5% over the same period in 2014. “We are targeting the high-end segment in golf tourism, destination weddings and MICE,” said Vivek Anand, the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority’s (MTPA) Country Manager for India. Mauritius recorded 61,157 Indian visitors in 2014, making India its sixth largest source of foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs). France, Britain, South Africa and China were the top sources in its one million FTAs last year.

MTPA hopes that the long-standing historical and cultural connections between Mauritius and India

would help to achieve its next target of attracting 100,000 Indian tourists per year. Minister of Tourism & External Communications, Charles Gaëtan Xavier-Luc Duval, who is also deputy Prime Minister, said that a major focus in the island’s winter season (running from June to September) was boosting numbers by drawing more visitors from India, China, Africa and Russia. Overall, visitor numbers rose by 11% in the nine months to September compared to the same period in 2014. Duval expected that to continue till the year’s end they would have to attract a total 1.125 million visitors in 2015. Mauritius drew more than 1 million visitors for the first time in 2014.

A R Rahman becomes Seychelles’ Cultural Ambassador in India Allah-Rakha Rahman, the world-renowned Indian composer, singer, songwriter, music producer, musician, and philanthropist, has been named as a Cultural Ambassador for Seychelles in India. The artist was in Seychelles participating in the second edition of the Seychelles-India Day celebrations. He was called on stage by Alain St Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture, who explained that since the last couple of years, Seychelles had initiated the concept of naming cultural ambassadors. “We choose people who understand Seychelles, who knows Seychelles, and who believes in Seychelles as a holiday destination with a difference and who has the ability to promote us as a sought-after holiday destination to their own people. We are proud to welcome A R Rahman of India as our cultural ambassador,” said Minister St. Ange. Rahman received his appointment certificate from the country’s Vice President, Danny Faure, in a ceremony organised to celebrate India Fest at the International Conference Centre in Victoria. The artist was also presented with a token of honour by Ramu Pillay, who is the chairperson of the Seychelles-India Day celebrations committee. Former President of the Seychelles James Mancham, Indian Minister of State responsible for Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation Dr Mahesh Sharma, Tourism and Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Panda, were among

other guests present on the occasion. A R Rahman said that he was proud to have been chosen as one to promote Seychelles as a cultural ambassador. “The visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Seychelles in March, the first prime ministerial visit from

Kingdom of Swaziland: The new preferred destination of adventure tourists Despite being the smallest country in Southern Africa, the Kingdom of Swaziland offers a lot of opportunities and surprises for adventure seekers. A wide range of adventure activities from the tree top canopy tour in the Malolotaja Nature Reserve to caving the only major granite cave system known in Southern Africa. The Malolotja zip wire situated in a gorge deep in the Malolotja Nature Reserve in northern Swaziland, 11 elevated forest platforms await. The lines begin slow and short and then gradually become more intense, ranging from fast to high (almost 80m off the ground) to a shaky (but secure) suspension bridge over the Majolamba River. The whole experience can take up to three hours to complete, with exceptional views of scenery and fascinating wildlife. As well as being a family friendly activity, the zip wire is also environmentally friendly. The lines go through the trees, rather than cutting them down, proving to have a minimal impact on the surroundings. The bases between each zip blend into the surroundings, offering a wonderful bird’s eye view of Malolotja gorge. From high up in the sky to deep underground, an 800 m course of subterranean passages 90 m below ground provide a unique cave system formed by

the Kophola River, which flows underground between Msunduza and Kophola mountains. This is the only major granite cave system known in Southern Africa, and includes a series of water-eroded chambers with names such as ‘Key Hole’, ‘French Connection’ and for the Harry Potter Fans, ‘Platform Nine and Three Quarters’. Progress through the caves is slow and strenuous, but exhilarating. Swaziland’s highlands, mountains and gorges offer opportunities to both climb and descend a number of rock faces. Other adventure activities include River Tubing down the Ngwempisi River, climbing and abseiling on Swaziland’s mountains and gorges, white water rafting on the Usutu river, Quad biking the ‘Devils Cauldron’, mountain biking with wildlife at the Milwane Wildlife Sanctuary or trekking at the largest exposed granite pluton in the world.

India in 34 years, and the state visit to India by President James Michel shortly thereafter, reflected not only our strategic convergence but also the importance we attach to our bilateral engagement. Our two countries are now on the threshold of a qualitative transformation in our ties across a broad spectrum,” said Dr Mahesh Sharma.

Reunion Island witnesses a positive first half in tourist numbers

In the first half of 2015, Reunion Island saw a rise of tourist numbers, with an increase of 5.3% since the beginning of the year. The Island has been increasing its visibility and attractiveness to its European markets, along with those of the Indian Ocean area. With growth of 5.3% in the first half of 2015, the number of foreign tourists reached 197,400, thus approaching the best figures ever observed since the tourist attendance record of the island in 2011 (471,000 tourists over the year). Tourist traffic from mainland France represented 77% of tourist accommodation on Reunion Island. The country remains the main destination market

and saw its numbers increase, reaching a volume of 152,000 tourists in the first half 2015 (+3,000). Tourist traffic of customers from Europe increased by 17%, a volume of 14,400 tourists (+2,000 people in the first half 2015). While, tourist traffic from the Indian Ocean area increased by 25%, or a total of 26,300 visitors (+5,000 people in the first half 2015). Even though the so-called customer affinity remains stable, with a volume of 100,200 tourists, there is a net increase in leisure tourism with 64,300 tourists, more than 3,300 people compared to 2014. Business tourism, meanwhile, is up 23% (+24,600 persons in the first half 2015).

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Bahamas announces new tourism advertising campaign The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism has announced the launch of a new advertising campaign named, ‘Life is Grand’. The campaign highlights the ecological riches, natural wonders, exhilarating adventures and vibrant culture that make life grand on Grand Bahama Island. “The Northern Bahamas, which includes Grand Bahama Island, was not impacted by Hurricane Joaquin. While the entire Bahamas is united and focused on relief and recovery efforts in the Central and Southern Bahamas, the rest of The Bahamas is open for business and The Ministry of Tourism is spreading that word. Visitors to Grand Bahama Island are inspired and enchanted every single day, and I am proud and honoured to present a campaign that showcases the best of this island and gives a taste of our diverse offerings as we seek to give each of our unique islands a strong brand identity,” said Obie H Wilchcombe, MP, Minister of Tourism. The campaign intends to increase stopover arrivals, cruise and day trips by ferry and progressively reposition Grand Bahama Island as the easy escape for South Floridians. It will also feature multimedia assets that include TV, radio, outdoor, digital, and mobile along with consumer activations in South Florida and social media. Capturing the authentic spirit of Grand Bahama Island, the TV spot is

enlivened with a performance by famous Bahamian singer Julien Believe that was recorded specially for the ‘Life is Grand’ campaign. The campaign will be

Nevis is now an easier destination to reach Nevis, a 36 square mile island in the Caribbean, famous for its fantastic beaches, hiking, and natural wildlife that includes green vervet monkeys, is now easier to reach due to a new codeshare agreement between JetBlue and Seaborne Airlines. Visitors can smoothly transfer via San Juan Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport (SJU), Puerto Rico to flights arriving directly in Nevis at Vance W Armory Airport (NEV). This new codeshare means customers flying from the U.S. to Nevis with JetBlue and Seaborne would enjoy the benefit of travelling on a single ticket. Passengers benefit from one-stop check-in at the departure airport, direct baggage transfer to the final destination and conveniently timed connections. “The new codeshare between JetBlue and Seaborne Airlines is excellent news for Nevis and for visitors. While Nevis is the gem of the Caribbean, there are no direct flights from the contiguous U.S. to our lovely gem. This new codeshare only makes travel more seamless and smooth for visitors, meaning they will arrive relaxed and ready to embrace the tranquility that we are renowned for by cutting out the difficulties of not travelling on one single ticket,” said the St. Kitts and Nevis Minister of Foreign Affairs and Aviation, Mark Brantley. Further explaining that, “With tickets being available to easily purchase on the JetBlue website as well as all online travel booking

websites, ultimately the visibility of Nevis as a top Caribbean destination in the U.S. market is drastically raised. We have already seen the positive effects of this codeshare and in my capacity as Minister of Tourism for Nevis, I look forward to this thriving positive relationship between the two airlines, and as a result, the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.”

Dominica is set to welcome more visitors “Dominica is open for business and ready to welcome visitors to its shores,” said Minister for Tourism and Urban Renewal, Robert Tonge. This comes after the island was hard hit recently by Tropical Storm Erika. At a recent press briefing, the Minister

provided an update on the status of the island’s tourism industry. Air access to the destination has resumed with LIAT, Seaborne and WINAIR offering daily flights between Dominica, from Antigua, Barbados, San Juan, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and St. Croix. Flights operate from the main airport – Douglas Charles Airport and the smaller Canefield Airport which is 15 minutes from the capital Roseau. The installation of three Bailey bridges along the west coast has greatly improved the road accessibility. The guests are entitled to more than 80% of the island’s accommodation, a wide variety of which is available including boutique hotels, intimate guest houses and quaint inns. Dominica’s Director of Tourism, Colin Piper noted, “We invite all potential guests to visit Dominica. Tourism is a leading growth sector for Dominica’s economy and your visit allows for a sustainable rebuilding and recovery process post Tropical Storm Erika. We are confident that you will have a transformational experience.”

multilingual and will be translated into Spanish and rolled out on top U.S. Hispanic TV and radio stations in Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

Trinidad & Tobago prepares to welcome cruise visitors

16 ships and over 30,000 cruise visitors are expected to experience the scenic beauty of Trinidad & Tobago during the 2015 / 2016 cruise ship season that begins in November. The upcoming season, which ends in May 2016, represents a 56% increase in cruise passenger arrivals to the destination compared to the same period previous year. Trinidad &Tobago have been added to the itineraries of some of the world’s most luxurious cruise ships for the upcoming season, including the MSC Orchestra, with a capacity of over 2,000 passengers, World Odyssey and Voyager ships. Also making a return to Trinidad & Tobago’s waters are the Saga Sapphire and Seven Ocean Princess. The Caribbean Tourism Organisation reported 104% growth in cruise tourism arrivals for the twin-island nation between 2014 and 2015, the largest rate of growth reported for any destination, testifying for the increasing popularity of the islands as a port-of-call. The increasing number of visiting ships is complemented with an increasing variety of onshore activities and tours available for cruise passengers, both in and beyond the city of Port-of-Spain. The cruise experience involves not only shore side activities, but also onboard services of the cruise ship, while visitors to the island can explore through the eyes of a local. Cruise passengers will have the opportunity to bask in the beauty of the lush northern mountain range en route to Maracas Beach or witness the spectacular sight of Scarlet Ibis at the Caroni Bird Sanctuary. The Tourism Development Company (TDC) of Trinidad & Tobago, to ensure that every cruise visitor savours the warmth and liveliness of the destination, will be deploying Visitor Guides in and around the Port of Port-of-Spain to assist passengers. Local tourism ambassadors will also be strategically positioned at the cruise ship terminal and in the streets of the capital city to assist passengers with maps and information on local points of interest.

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International arrivals into Asia Pacific continue strong growth momentum through early 2015 International arrivals into the Asia Pacific region continued the strong growth momentum of previous years with a gain of 5.4% during the first halfyear of 2015, resulting in close to 12.5 million additional arrivals year-on-year. This continues the full year growth of 6.1% during calendar year 2014, which culminated in a total foreign inbound volume of more than 550 million. These are some of the top-level findings contained within the Annual Tourism Monitor 2015 Final Edition released by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). Following the release of the Early Edition in May this year, the Final Edition includes a number of other measures of travel activity and profiles including length of stay, expenditure and several other useful quantitative metrics. Early indicators of travel flows for calendar year 2015 (year-to-date) are also provided for 39 Asia Pacific destinations as an early warning mechanism for identifying major shifts and movements in key source and destination markets. Highlights of the Annual Tourism Monitor 2015 Final Edition include:  International Visitors arrivals to the Asia Pacific region – as defined by the 45 destinations covered in this report – have collectively shown significant growth over the last five years rising from almost 455 million in 2010 to over 552 million in 2014.

 Asia continued its dominance in 2014, capturing more than 410 million foreign arrivals – a relative share of more than 74% – led by Northeast Asia with a share of 47% of total international arrivals into Asia Pacific.  China, Hong Kong SAR and the USA were the top three generating markets for all international arrivals within the Asia Pacific region in 2014, although there were significant deviations in that grouping from sub-region to sub-region.  For early 2015, the 39 destinations in the Asia

Travel and Tourism leaders welcome the Global Sustainable Development Goals The leaders of the major Global Travel and Tourism associations have welcomed the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Global Travel Association Coalition (GTAC), which represents the leading public and private bodies in the Travel and Tourism sector, attests to the global importance of the SDGs and the role of the Travel & Tourism sectors in their realisation. Speaking on behalf of GTAC, David Scowsill, President of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) said, “Travel & Tourism is a sector which collectively contributes nearly 10% of the world’s GDP and one in eleven of all jobs on the planet. Over one billion people cross international borders each year, a number expected to reach 1.8 billion by 2030, while at the same

time, billions more travel domestically. This is a sector which will play a very significant role in making progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. “Like the Sustainable Development Goals themselves, the Travel & Tourism sector is global and action-oriented. It consists of millions of companies – from the smallest hostel to the largest airline – which together forge an industry which encourages sustainable economic growth, creates jobs, promotes opportunities across society and alleviates poverty,” he added. The President also noted, “Travel & Tourism has the potential to contribute directly or indirectly to all of the goals. In particular, as one of the largest and fastest growing economic sectors in the world, Travel & Tourism is well-positioned to foster economic growth and create jobs throughout the world to meet Goal #1 “End poverty in all its forms everywhere”. Tourism has been included as a specific target in Goals #8, #12 and #14 on inclusive and sustainable economic growth, sustainable consumption and production and the sustainable use of oceans and marine resources.” “The Sustainable Development Goals will play a major role in framing our world for the next generation. The Global Travel Association Coalition, representing the major public and private bodies in the Travel & Tourism sector, welcomes their adoption and commits to contribute to making them a reality,” he informed.

Pacific region with arrivals data for early 2015 show a collective gain of 5.4% year-on-year, compared to growth of five percent for the same destinations and periods of 2014.  The Americas region is showing the strongest 2015 period growth (6.8%) year-on-year, followed by the Pacific (6.3%) and then Asia (5.0%).  Early 2015 indictors for the key source market show that Thailand, Hong Kong SAR and Japan captured more than 4.1 million additional arrivals from China, period over period in 2015.  The impact of the contraction in the Russian outbound market is also considered in light of destinations across the Asia Pacific region in early 2015, with Thailand, Turkey and China being particularly negatively affected. “Understanding the immediate impacts of changes in the foreign inbound markets allow us to contain the negative consequences and boost the positive. This Final Edition of the 2015 PATA Annual Tourism Monitor therefore provides an important first step in quantifying these changes and allowing us to make resource deployment decisions based on those quantification metrics,” said PATA CEO Mario Hardy. “Our publications along with PATAmPOWER are valuable tools for those planning and making important decisions in allocating their resources for the future.”

UNWTO calls for more and better tourism data on World Statistics Day UNWTO called on the occasion of World Statistics Day for improved investment and coordination in data collection in the tourism sector. Under the theme ‘Better Data Better Lives’, the UN World Statistics Day is celebrated to raise awareness of how official statistics help decision makers develop informed policies that impact millions of people. Improved data sources, sound statistical methods, new technologies and strengthened statistical systems enable better decisions and better lives for all. “Robust tourism statistics are vital to guide sustainable development, monitor progress, evaluate impact, promote results-focused management, and highlight strategic issues for policy objectives. UNWTO calls upon national governments to work towards building internationally comparable and reliable tourism statistics, including Tourism Satellite Accounts (TSA), in line with the UN approved guiding namely the International Recommendations, the International Recommendations for Tourism Statistics 2008 and the Tourism Satellite Account: Recommended Methodological Framework 2008,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.

IATA to launch Aviation Leadership Development Programme The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has divulged its plans of launching the Aviation Leadership Development Programme in partnership with Harvard Business Publishing (HBP). With the inaugural session in November, this will be the first IATA educational programme to be taught in real time by instructors in a virtual environment. The programme evolved out of an intensive series of needs assessment interviews by IATA and HBP with key industry stakeholders. These identified their strategic business goals, challenges and trends that would need to be addressed in the development of high potential senior managers and business leaders. What emerged was a curriculum of three modules1. Leadership and influence

2. Operational excellence 3. Global mindset and collaboration An IATA-HBP certificate is awarded upon successful completion of the programme. “Economic forecasts call for a doubling of air travel by 2032. Meeting that demand will require significant growth in the aviation workforce and the development of future leaders. The partnership of IATA and HBP has created a world-class educational opportunity for aviation professionals. And the virtually learning approach of the Aviation Leadership Development Programme will provide participants the opportunity to develop business-critical skills and interact with their peers globally while minimising travel expenses and out-ofoffice time,” said Victor de Barrena, Director, ITDI.

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Fxkart.com launches first forex booking app in India Fxkart.com, recently announced the launch of India’s first forex booking mobile app for exchange of foreign currency. With this launch, Fxkart.com seeks to change the way consumers buy or sell forex in India with the use of technology. The app is currently available on the iOS and Android Google Play store. “The new app would answer all customer queries about foreign exchange through a personalised chat option. The app is geo-located, where users can enter the city or the locality from where they want to collect the foreign exchange, and automatically the screen would display the RBI licensed money changers in and

around the locality along with the best rate. Users will have to then select the best offer and based on customer requirement they can either collect it from the store or have it home delivered,” said Abdul Hadi Shaikh, CEO, Fxkart.com. International tourists have the choice to book it even before they travel to India and can get the deal once they land at the airport. In the next update, customers would have an option to upload their documents, thus making a hassle free transaction for the customer. The biggest advantage of this app is that the customers can compare rates at transit destinations too and if the rate is better

Government of India proposes 3D panoramic Google Street View of tourism sites The Indian government has proposed plans of exploring Indian cities, tourist spots, hills and rivers by covering such locations through the Google

Street View with certain riders to facilitate a 360 degree, panoramic and street level imagery. The permission is to be granted to the internet services giant to cover most of the Indian Territory excluding sensitive locations like defence installations, nuclear sites and some other high-valued spots. A formal communication is likely to be conveyed to the Google after detailed deliberations by the top officials of the Ministries of Defence, Home, External officials and the Prime Minister’s office. Google Street View, so far, has been extensively used in the U.S., Canada and European countries with limited application in India. It has been launched in some of the tourist sites like Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Varanasi river bank, Nalanda University, Mysore Palace, Thanjavur temple Chinnaswamy stadium besides others in partnership with the Archaeological Society of India.

Amadeus helps airlines overcome schedule disruptions with first-in-class data analytics tool Amadeus announces the launch of a cutting-edge Travel Intelligence solution for airlines, Amadeus Schedule Recovery, which minimises disruptions to operations caused by external events such as bad weather or air traffic control congestion. Amadeus Schedule Recovery serves as a recommendation engine, using data analytics to help quickly and efficiently identify the most critical issues, and act upon them. This solution helps airlines make rapid choices such as whether to delay or cancel flights, swap aircraft, or reassign landing slots. Schedule Recovery reduces manual effort and improves the quality of decisions while closely controlling the strain on the airline operating costs and minimising the overall impact on passengers. The launch customer of the solution, Qantas Airways has been using Schedule Recovery to improve operational efficiencies when dealing with disruptions. “At Qantas, we take the impact of disruptions on our customers very seriously. The Amadeus solution helps reduce the number of and length of delays, whether due to excessive traffic, operational delays, or weather

conditions, leading to an overall improved experience for travellers,” said Paul Fraser, Head of Operations at Qantas. “Amadeus has developed a product that improves our efficiency and speed to ensure any delays to our services are minimised.” The solution is divided into three modules: Airport Resource Tracker, Schedule Manager and Schedule Optimiser. Pascal Clement, Head of Travel Intelligence, Amadeus said, “In today’s business, providing an excellent customer experience is essential to maintaining loyalty. One of the biggest pain points for travellers has been how airlines manage disruptions. Schedule Recovery has been designed to help airlines make quicker and more informed decisions about how to handle disruptions, regardless of their cause.” He added, “From a business perspective, operations control decisions are often difficult to measure and are kept in silos. Schedule Recovery drives a more integrated view of operations and ensures airlines can assess all aspects of the costs associated with any operations control decisions.”

they can easily book a deal and order it at the airport or at their hotel too.

Sabre appoints Anupam Bokil as Vice President of Technology, Asia Pacific

Sabre Corporation has appointed Anupam Bokil as its Vice President of Technology for Sabre Travel Network Asia Pacific. Anupam will lead the region’s combined technology teams in driving fresh innovation across the Sabre Travel Network Asia Pacific product portfolio. He will leverage the deep market knowledge acquired with Abacus and Sabre’s global development assets to deliver world class software, data, mobile and distribution solutions from within the region. “We are thrilled to have Anupam Bokil join the Sabre Asia Pacific team as our new vice president of technology. He is uniquely placed to align Sabre’s global resources with the product development opportunities we see in this region,” said Roshan Mendis, Senior Vice President, Sabre Travel Network Asia Pacific. Anupam is credited with Sabre’s implementation of mission critical support systems for a number of airlines, including Air New Zealand, WestJet, Aeromexico, Etihad Airways, US Airways, China Airlines, China Southern, Jet Airways, Korean Air, Singapore Airlines, Vietnam Airlines and Virgin Australia. Anupam will commence work over the coming months. He will also relocate to the company’s regional headquarters in January 2016.

TripAdvisor to accelerate Instant Booking roll-out after Priceline deal Following the recent signing of a major content deal with the Priceline Group, TripAdvisor expects to accelerate the global roll-out of its new Instant Booking platform. Earlier it was announced that Priceline would start supplying its hotel content to TripAdvisor Instant Booking, which allows users to make bookings from hotels and OTAs without leaving the TripAdvisor site. TripAdvisor’s Vice President of Global Sales & Operations, Brian Schmidt, said he believes this agreement would prompt an accelerated global roll-out of the platform. “We launched in the U.S. (in 2014) and we consciously took a measured approach with it, rather than launching everywhere at once. We’re flexing muscles that are pretty new to TripAdvisor, like conversion.

Previously we sent traffic off to our partners; now we need to convert it on-site. We wanted to experiment and get that right before we scaled it up,” Schmidt revealed. However the addition of Priceline’s content marks the biggest evolution of the Instant Booking tool todate. Development work has already begun to support the integration of Booking.com’s hotels, with other brands including Priceline.com and Agoda.com expected to follow. Schmidt believes this huge influx of hotel content would enable TripAdvisor to accelerate the global rollout of Instant Booking. While TripAdvisor has not placed a timescale on its Asian roll-out, Schmidt suggested that it was likely to start with English-speaking markets, such as Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong, as they are an “easier transition”.

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Euromonitor International releases 10th anniversary edition of WTM Global Trends Report 2015, focuses on India unbanked

The 10th anniversary edition of WTM Global Trends Report 2015 by Euromonitor International was launched on the inaugural day of WTM London, looking at how the travel industry is developing in a rapidly changing landscape and predicting future trends that will shape the industry. The key findings suggest: 1) a small but growing number of American companies are offering employees unlimited paid holidays; 2) UK towns outside London are increasingly looking at hi-tech strategies to attract visitors; 3) visitors to European destinations are looking beyond the mainstream, exploring alternative districts popular with local hipsters; 4) using big data and mobile technology, travel is being transformed by the introduction of personalisation; 5) as global relations improve with Iran, foreign travel companies are poised to enter the closed country; 6) technology start-ups are flourishing across Africa, boosting business travel; 7) new hotels are using crowd-sourcing and crowd-funding to open boutique properties; 8) the sharing economy takes off in China with home-grown ride-sharing and private rental companies and 9) travel for India’s unbanked population is being helped by travel companies introducing alternative payment schemes. The global overview indicates the following major points towards an uncertain time ahead: a) economic growth across the globe continues to be uncertain, with

rising geopolitical unrest, a potential US interest rate rise, oil price volatility and the Eurozone crisis all cause for concern; b) the International Monetary Fund predicts global GDP growth of 3.2% for 2015, with advanced economies showing an improved outlook with growth slowing in emerging markets; c) the normally strong Chinese economy has also struggled recently, facing sharp stock market falls in late summer 2015, giving rise to concerns about a hard landing; d) geopolitical events are further impacting economic performance, with conflicts affecting certain destinations in the Middle East and North Africa, Russia and Ukraine; e) nonetheless, travel continues to shine globally, with arrivals reaching over 1.1 billion in 2014, up by 4.3%. 2015 is forecast to see slightly slower growth, estimated at 3.7%; f) Expenditure is also rising, with the Asia Pacific region predicted to see the fastest growth in inbound expenditure over the next five years; g) the mobile booking channel has finally reached the mainstream, accounting for some $96 billion of travel sales globally in 2014 and h) despite a recent slowdown, outbound Chinese travellers are still on the rise, reaching over 84 million in 2014, with increasing disposable incomes favouring overseas trips.

over 66% of the population living in rural areas, with cash purchases as the only option for payments. As only 7% of India’s villages possess a bank, these rural consumers make up the majority of India’s unbanked, an estimated 500 million people in 2015, according to the Bank of India. For many of these consumers, travel and online booking of tickets may appear an unrealistic dream, but the situation is slowly changing as travel companies are reaching out to the unbanked. After impressive growth across the board in 2014, 2015 looks set to see a slight slowdown but solid increases are still expected in GDP growth, arrivals and receipts. Airlines are seeing spectacular growth in value, with Low Cost Carriers (LCCs) and online booking driving these increases. Hotels are recovering from a poor year in 2013, with budget brands enjoying significant popularity among travellers, both international and domestic. The Cash on Delivery (CoD) payment model has seen great success with online retailing, and a number of travel companies have recently established a service for ticketing. Consumers book a ticket online, often using a travel agent or internet café, and a cash payment is collected after which the ticket can be downloaded or delivered. Internet access for India’s rural population and smaller cities looks set to expand dramatically, leading to over 320 million internet users by 2019. This improved internet access, combined with a growing availability of mobile phones, is likely to result in increased mobile payments and applications for unbanked consumers. In August 2015, 11 companies were granted licences for banking transactions such as deposits and payments, but not loans. This move aims to bring mobile banking to India’s unbanked, to make purchases, including travel.

India: Travel for the unbanked

On the Indian scenario, the report comments that India remains a predominantly rural country with

Business at IMEX America achieves some new records The 5th IMEX America took place in October at Sands Expo and Convention Center at The Venetian, Las Vegas. IMEX Group Chairman Ray Bloom announced that, in every important facet, the show had achieved new records. A total of 3,100 companies representing 150 countries exhibited including 80 new booths and 56 expanded booths while the IMEX hosted buyer programme brought a record 3,000 buyers from 54 countries to the show. Over 10,600 people participated in the event. There were 66,000 business appointments of which over 57,000 were one-to-one appointments and booth presentations. The proportion of these appointments that had profiles attached online had risen to 51% enabling both buyers and exhibitors to be better prepared for their meetings. More than 40 leading buyers from the corporate sector also came for the annual Executive Meetings Forum. Ray Bloom reported that Smart Monday, powered by MPI, and supported by association partners, IAPCO, ICCA, ASAE, PCMA, HSMAI, DMAI, SITE, GBTA, GMIC and ECM, had once again grown and developed.

Ray Bloom said, “I’d like to congratulate MPI, our strategic partner and premier education provider, on the tremendous success of Smart Monday, which grows year after year. This day of high level education adds a tremendously valuable extra dimension to people’s overall

experience of the show. The daily MPI key note sessions have also featured very interesting speakers and generated a great response.” A new educational initiative, the Play Room, sponsored by Play with a Purpose, drew 350 participants on Monday and many hundreds more when it moved on to the show floor for three days. Ray Bloom commented, “We are delighted that so many industry events are coming together here using IMEX America as a hub for successful fundraising events such as the MPI Foundation Rendezvous, the CEIR Golf Classic and SITE Nite as well as education activities, social networking and industry meetings.” The new wellness initiative, ‘Be Well at IMEX’, included a meditation room and the first IMEXrun Las Vegas - Inspired by Rio de Janeiro, in advance of the Olympics. Sponsored by RioTur and Embratur and organised by Sports by TLC, the route took in a section of the famous Las Vegas Strip. Fully booked, 412 exhibitors and buyers rose early to take on the course.

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Green Gate launched at Frankfurt airport The E-PORT AN initiative partners - Fraport AG, Lufthansa Group, the State of Hesse and the Rhine-Main model electro-mobility region - opened the first ‘Green Gate’ at Frankfurt Airport. At Lufthansa Gate A15, passengers can now inform themselves about the numerous electric mobility projects at Germany’s largest airport. The ‘Green Gate’ presents aircraft ground services that can be largely carried out with electric vehicles in the future. The partners present their activities using models, information panels and animations, including solar-powered passenger airstairs, electric conveyor belt vehicles, hybrid aircraft tugs and electric pallet trucks. As of now, E-PORT AN is consolidating existing electric vehicles and integrating new electrically driven developments into the aircraft servicing process. Reduction of emission and noise will improve both environmental footprint and

working conditions on the apron. Moreover, the effect of large-scale use of electric vehicles on the airport’s powergrid is also being considered. Klaus Froese, Board Member, Operations & Hub Frankfurt, Lufthansa German Airlines said, “We are pleased to present our electric mobility projects at the ‘Green Gate’. Thus, our passengers can enjoy not only the usual Lufthansa quality on their flight, but beyond that also experience a green ground service. In addition to our investment in particularly efficient and lownoise aircraft, we are also engaged in innovation on the ground. With the TaxiBot, for example, we have a worldwide unique aircraft tug with hybrid drive, which can be controlled on its way to the runway by the pilot himself. Since he pulls the plane without running engines to the takeoff runway, our ground processes will be not only quieter, but we also save fuel and protect the environment.”

Green Globe congratulates Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo for sustainable savings

Finolhu Villas offers 52 solar powered chateaux in Maldives

Green Globe congratulated Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo on its recent-recertification for the fifth year in a row. The hotel’s environmental policy is based on compliance and resource conservation. The core goals include reduction of cost and the property’s impact on the environment. The environmental task force (Green Team) in collaboration with the hotel’s Engineering Department champions sustainable environmental practices within hotel operations. Greenhouse gas emissions produced by the hotel are measured as per the Greenhouse Gas Protocol - World Resource Institute and World Business Council for Sustainable Development. The measurement takes into account the greenhouse gas emissions and further global warming effects of the property, as well as business related travel, including contrail formation of flights according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 1999. During the financial year 2014-15, the hotel reduced its total carbon footprint from 6,354 to 6,317 metric tons by improving systems that consumed less diesel and furnace oil besides reducing overall electricity consumption.

Cinnamon Lakeside’s operations chiefly focus on sustainable energy management with energy costs accounting for as much as 6.59% of the total operating costs. Energy saving measures implemented comprises installation of solar panels on the roof top, the increased use of LED bulbs in back of house areas and outside flood lamps, while laundry steam has been used to generate hot water. The hotel has generated savings of 252,170 KwH of electricity and 87,600 litres of furnace oil, which translates to over 11 million rupees in cost savings. Water emissions are regularly monitored to ensure compliance with national health and safety parameters. The property has invested `9 million on a flattrap system to further reduce the Chemical Oxygen Demand levels contained in wastewater. Flow rates of taps and showers have also been adjusted according to the Green Loop standard with all toilet fittings calibrated to ensure water saving.

Travellers can now check into Maldives’ first ever entirely solar powered five star resorts, to mitigate their carbon footprint. Finolhu Villas comprise of 52 solar-powered villas located on an exclusive island in the Indian Ocean. Designed by New York firm Yuji Yamazaki Architecture (YYA), the project was completed earlier this year. Situated on the island of Gasfinolhu, measuring just 5 hectares (12.3 acres), the development is home to up to 100 staff and a like number of visitors,

year-round. A typical villa on the resort measures a total of 168 sq m and is located a stone’s throw from the beach. The interior includes a lounge, patio, private pool, dressing room, and a minibar. Besides, there are strategically placed operable windows and wooden shade screens, which acts as a substitute for air-conditioning. The resort is also self-sufficient in electricity given the presence of 6,224 sq m of photovoltaic panels and a large battery array.

Mövenpick Resort & Spa, Tala Bay Aqaba practices sustainability Green Globe has congratulated Mövenpick Resort & Spa Tala Bay Aqaba on its recent re-certification for the fourth year running in acknowledgement of its dedication to sustainable practices. Mövenpick Resort & Spa Tala Bay Aqaba is a 5-star resort on the shores of the southern Red Sea in Jordan. Beat Peter, General Manager at Mövenpick Resort & Spa Tala Bay Aqaba said, “Our successful re-certification by Green Globe is an honour that underlines our full commitment to sustainability.” The property features the Hotel Optimizer management system designed by Green Globe’s Middle East Partner FARNEK, to record and monitor all energy and

water consumption. There are a total of 400 solar panels installed that heats the water partially in the pools and spa. Other energy saving initiatives include motion sensors which are utilised for outdoor lighting and at parking lots. Also, air conditioning units in guest rooms automatically switch off when balcony doors are open. The resort has a unique ‘backwash process’ that reuses the water of the swimming pools and Jacuzzis for irrigation. Also, native plants such as cactus are used in landscaping to minimise water usage. Furthermore, dual flush toilets and low flow aerators on faucets and showers are installed in guest rooms and public areas. While kitchens also have low flow water taps installed.