April - Travel News Digest

Volume II • Issue 11 Pages 32 www.travelnewsdigest.in
` 50 / us $5 16-30 april 2013
Posted at NDPSO, New Delhi - 110002 on 5/6 & 20/21 of every month | Date of Publication 01/02 &15/16 every month | Postal Registration No. DL(S) - 01/3404/2012-14 | RNI No. DELENG/2011/40217
INDIA 07 Americas 10 asia 14 middle east 17 oceania 19 europe 20
africa 24 caribbean 26 events 28
India sees increased
foreign tourist flow
in early 2013
Foreign tourist arrivals in India grew
by 2.3% in the first three months of
2013, despite unfavorable incidents...
Read more... 07
Arabian Travel Market
sells out a month
before opening
The 20th Arabian Travel Market
is already completely sold out one
month before...
Read more... 18
Matthew Hayden to
promote Queensland
among Indian tourists
In a bid to tap the growing Indian
overseas traveller market, the Australian
state of Queensland has hired
legendary cricketer Matthew...
Read more... 19
Kenya Tourism Board
aiming for one lakh
Indian tourists
India Outbound: New destinations get active
With the eyes of the global travel industry now firmly focused on India, a fresh crop of countries are
joining early entrants and traditional destinations in opening tourist offices in the country, and launching
aggressive promotional campaigns in a bid to get a piece of India’s booming outbound market
Argentina
Jordan
Germany
Even with the effects of
the global economic
slowdown now being felt in
India, with the GDP growth
bottoming out at around
5-6% from the dizzy heights
of 9% a couple of years ago,
the outbound travel market
continues to hold steady.
India is now firmly
entrenched as one of the
top outbound tourism markets
in the world, with enormous
potential for growth
United States of America
Canada
in terms of visitors and
spending.
The India outbound
growth story began around
a decade ago, with aggressive
efforts by early entrants
like Singapore, Thailand,
Malaysia, Mauritius, Dubai
and Britain, followed by
China, Egypt, Turkey,
Korea, Macau, Hong Kong,
Indonesia, Sri Lanka and
South Africa, to name a few.
Now it is estimated that
Dubai’s Lama Tours leads largest
India roadshow to date
Monaco
more than 60 countries have
established tourism promotion
offices or operations in
India to tap a market which,
according to World Tourism
Organisation estimates, is
expected to reach 50 million
outbound travellers by 2020
from the current 15 million.
While many of the
National Tourism Organisations
have established their
own offices in the country,
others are making use
Philippines
Portugal
Abu Dhabi
of representations or their
embassies/cultural desks
to test the waters, before
taking the plunge.
Here we take a look at the
activities of some of the new
kids on India’s outbound
tourism block who have set
up shop in India recently,
and have been actively
promoting their destinations,
to catch up with the
early birds.
Contd. on page 2...
Visit USA holds first-ever Kolkata
media and trade presentation
Fiji
About 64,000 Indians visited Kenya
last year, and Kenya Tourism Board
(KTB) expects to achieve one lakh
inbound from India by 2015...
Read more... 24
Lama Tours, Dubai’s premier
destination management
company, led one of the
biggest delegations ever to
India from April 8-12. Dubai
hotels, resorts, airline partners
and attractions from the
UAE joined the company for
a four-city roadshow, starting
in New Delhi...
100+ travel trade members
attended Kolkata’s
maiden U.S. Travel Trade
seminar to hear about Visit
USA’s plans to tap the India
market, the simplified visa
regulations and the campaign
to showcase America’s
lesser known tourism
destinations...
Read more... 30 Read more... 28

2
COVER story
TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013
Contd. from page 1...
GNTB promotes “Germany for
Young People” theme
The German National Tourist Office (GNTO), India
is the official representative office of the German
National Tourist Board (GNTB). Opened in 2006 in
New Delhi, the GNTO facilitates and implements the
goals and strategies outlined by the GNTB to enhance
the positive image of Destination Germany.
“I encourage you all to visit my country,” said German
Ambassador Michael Steiner at a press conference
organised by GNTO last month. “Germany is
more than just cars and high tech. It is young, vibrant
Berlin. It is beautiful Bavaria. It is the country of poets
and philosophers. It is the land of ideas. It is international.
It is simply worth a trip,” he said.
Meanwhile, Romit Theophilus, Director of Sales
and Marketing, GNTO, India said, “As you are already
aware, our 2013 theme is ‘Germany for Young People’
and a lot of promotions are revolving around this.
However, the year will also see us getting more robust
in promoting MICE, a segment where we are considered
market leaders. There is an enhancement of our
cooperation with industry associations to reach out to
their membership base.
The German Fairytale route, which transports
you to the magical world of the Brothers Grimm, is
another promotion being well received in India. The
route offers culture and history, enchanting medieval
towns, castles, palaces and museums in a 600-km trail
from Hanau to Bremen.”
The German National Tourist Office, India
co-sponsored the visit to the country of the entire
class of 30 Kendriya Vidyalaya students, winners of
the ‘Germany on my Mind’ German-language competition
orgainised in February. “We are delighted to be
part of this fantastic initiative that gives an opportunity
to young children learning the language to experience
the country first hand,” said Theophilus. “These children
will on return now be our best brand ambassadors
for the destination. We would be delighted to coparticipate
on such initiatives in the future,” he added.
According to Theophilus, the five cities that stood
out as favourites with Indians were Munich, Frankfurt,
Stuttgart, Berlin and Dusseldorf. This year, Germany
is celebrating the 200th anniversary of composer
and theatre director Richard Wagner, as well
as the 150th birth anniversary of artist and architect
Henry van de Velde. The GNTB is using the anniversaries
of these world famous artists to promote Germany
around the world as a land of music, architecture
and culture.
“India has always been
an important source
market for Germany and
it’s expected we will register 1.5 million
Indian visitors by 2020. We have not just
consolidated our position in the Tier I city business and
leisure traffic, but have also made vital inroads in the
Tier II city markets.”
Romit Theophilus
Director of Sales and Marketing
German National Tourist Office, India
Philippines: More fun in
the Islands
in India as part of the DOT’s drive to attract more tourists
to the Philippines under the ‘It’s More Fun in the
Philippines’ campaign. During these promotions, the
Philippines will showcase its portfolio of tourism products
and a line-up of activities that travellers can indulge
in while visiting the country.
Recently, the Philippines DOT and the Philippines
Tourism Marketing Office, India, participated in the 11th
edition of Routes Asia 2013 held in Mumbai on March
17-19. The annual networking event for senior executives
from the aviation and tourism industry enabled
the NTO to meet and discuss business opportunities
and extension plans with their industry counterparts.
Also, as part of plans to expand into fresher markets
in India, the DOT, Philippines held a roadshow in
Kolkata, where it showcased the country’s 7,107 heavenly
islands as an extension of the ‘It’s More Fun in the
Philippines’ campaign.
Led by Raymund Glen Agustin, Head, Team India,
DOT and Susan Del Mundo, DOT-Tourism Promotions
Board, the delegation, including Arturo Boncato
Jr., Director, DOT Region XI, gave an overview of the
booming tourism industry in the Philippines. The event
brought together leading travel and tour operators of
the Philippines (Shroff Travel Care International, Blue
Horizons Travel & Tours, Inc, etc), as well as Philippines
Airlines, to interact with local travel partners and buyers
in the B2B sessions.
“We are aggressively promoting Philippines as a
choice destination for leisure as well as for business
travellers from India in coordination with the Department
of Tourism, Philippines this year,” said Komal
Seth, General Manager, Philippines Tourism Marketing
Office, India.
Philippines Tourism Marketing Office, India, has
been representing the Philippines Department of
Tourism (DOT) in the Indian market since 2007. The
Philippines is targeting a 43% growth in Indian tourist
arrivals at over 66,000 this year, and to achieve this, the
country has begun an aggressive marketing campaign.
The Philippines Tourism Marketing Office India will
roll out a series of roadshows in newer growth markets
“As part of our campaign, we are expanding our reach in newer growth areas
while keeping our focus on highlighting the fun elements in the Philippines. We
received encouraging growth in the number of visitor arrivals from India last year
and we are optimistic about achieving our target of 43% growth above last year’s arrival figures.”
Komal Seth
General Manager
Philippines Tourism Marketing Office, India
Contd. on page 3...
Editorial Marketing Production Administration
Editor & Publisher
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Editorial Director
Gazanfar Ibrahim
International Editor
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Advisor
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Dy. Chief Manager
Kavita Kalra
Project Managers
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YC Anil
Shruti Aggarwal
Assistant Managers
Pratiksha Rajapure
Shreyas Jain
Nidhi Gandhi
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Project Executives
Philomena Alex
Deepti V Murthy
Shiv Shankar Dutta
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Sujaya Salian
Media Director
June Mukherjee
Design Team
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Web Team
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Joint Managing Director
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Executive Director
– Publishing
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Accounts Manager
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Volume II - Issue 11
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TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013 cover story 3
Contd. from page 2...
U.S. targets 1 million Indian visitors
by 2015, eases visa regulations
Brand USA, the new tourism marketing entity responsible
for promoting the United States to world visitors,
organised its first-ever travel mission to India last
September .
The mission, consisting of 50 delegates representing
35 U.S. destinations and companies, visited New Delhi
and Mumbai, with an aim of meeting travel agents, airline
representatives, tour operators and the travel trade
media.
The delegation had representatives from Akquasun
Incredible Vacations LLC, Best Western INTL, Blue &
Gold Fleet, Caesars Entertainment, Choice Hotels International,
Cirque Du Soleil, Fairmont Raffles Hotels International,
Gray Line NY, Hornblower Cruises & Events,
Las Vegas Group LLC, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors
Authority, Macy’s, NYC & Company, NYC & Company
Partner (Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises), NYC &
Company Partner (Le Parker Meridien New York), NYC
& Company Partner (Madame Tussauds, New York),
NYC & Company Partner (Marriott International), NYC
& Company Partner (Empire State Building Observatory),
NYC & Company Partner (New York Water Taxi),
Papillon Group, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors
Bureau, Pier39, Premium Outlets, San Francisco Travel
Association, Universal Studios Hollywood, Vision Holidays,
Visit California , Visit Florida and Visit Orlando,
among others.
Brand USA has appointed representation firms for
the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Japan,
and South Korea and is in the process of identifying representation
in India.
Brand USA was established by the Travel Promotion
Act to spearhead the country’s first global marketing
effort to promote the U.S. as a premier travel destination,
communicate U.S. entry/exit policies and procedures,
and identify and correct misconceptions about those
policies. The Corporation for Travel Promotion is the
formal, legal name of Brand USA.
Brand USA is expected to put the U.S. on an equal
footing with the tourism efforts of other countries and
bring millions of new international visitors – and billions
of dollars – to the U.S. and create thousands of American
jobs each year.
“With President Obama recognising tourism as an
important sector of the U.S. economy, we are hopeful of
maximising our nation’s potential as a leading tourist
destination for Indian travellers,” said Caroline Beteta,
interim CEO and Chair-Elect of Brand USA. Promoting
U.S. tourism is part of U.S. President Barack Obama’s
National Export Initiative.
The U.S. Commercial Service, part of the U.S. Consulate
General, is also promoting travel and tourism with
a focus on attracting conventions as part of the MICE
(meetings, incentives, conferencing and exhibitions)
focus.
VUSACOM, the Visit USA Committee, was formed in
2011 with a focus on bringing together various players in
the travel and tourism industry, hospitality players, airliners
etc with the sole objective of promoting tourism to
the U.S. and facilitating visitors. VUSACOM, a non-profit
initiative, is supported by the U.S. commerce department.
“We are confident that
with the efforts of
VUSACOM along with
the U.S. Consulate and Commercial
Services to promote Tourism to the U.S.
we would be in a position to achieve the one million
mark by 2015 from the current 650,000+.”
Manoj Gursahni
Vice President
VUSACOM - Executive Committee, India
The initiatives VUSACOM is taking include facilitation
of visa, encouragement of group travel through holding
of MICE and events, acting as a business to business platform
for travel agents and facilitation of meetings with
different U.S. tour suppliers. India has emerged as the
12th biggest source market for inbound tourism to the
U.S. In an endeavour to move India to the top 10, the U.S.
Embassy has introduced a new visa processing system
in India, with an aim to offer maximum visas in the minimum
time possible.
Abu Dhabi getting the pulse
of the Indian market
This year Abu Dhabi, the largest of the seven emirates
that make up the UAE, set up a representation
office to serve the growing Indian market.
“This is a natural progression from the work we
have done over the past two years,” said Mubarak
Al Nuaimi, International Promotions Manager, Abu
Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu
“We have seen a good
upsurge in the number
of Indian hotel guests
staying in Abu Dhabi over the past
couple of years and are hopeful of
achieving greater numbers this year. With the
destination’s appeal, coupled with ongoing support
from media and the travel trade fraternity, we’re
sure of achieving these numbers.”
Bejan Dinshaw
Country Manager – India
Tourism and Cultural Authority, Abu Dhabi
Dhabi). “We have been getting the pulse of the Indian
market via road shows and participation in trade fairs.”
“Abu Dhabi’s rapidly expanding infrastructure,
growing tourist attractions and breathtaking landscapes
across land and sea offer a great deal for all segments
of travellers visiting from India – a country that
definitely plays an important and pivotal role in the
emirate’s booming tourism economy,” said Bejan Dinshaw,
Country Manager – India, TCA Abu Dhabi.
In January, Lama Tours, the trade partner of TCA
Abu Dhabi, led a four-city roadshow promoting Abu
Dhabi’s attractions, hotels and airline sectors in the
major Indian cities, starting from New Delhi, followed
by Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai.
Meanwhile, with massive investments in airport
facilities, airline connectivity and hotel rooms, Abu
Dhabi is positioning itself as an attractive tourism destination.
“Tourism is part of Abu Dhabi’s 2030 vision
and plan. The mandate is to create and develop a sustainable
tourism sector and position Abu Dhabi as an
attractive destination,” said Sultan Al Mutawa Al Dhaheri,
Director of Tourism Ecosystem, Abu Dhabi Tourism
and Culture Authority.
“We have invested in enhancing accessibility by
increasing Etihad’s international destinations and
in airport expansion, as well as developing different
attractions to cater to various market segments,”
he added.
Monaco lures Indians with luxury
Monaco Government Tourist and Convention
Authority plans to tie up with regional travel
agents in the four metro cities of India to enhance its
footprint, create awareness and draw more Indian
tourists to the country.
TRAC Representations Pvt Ltd is the Monaco Government
Tourist and Convention Authority’s marketing
and PR representative in India.
The Monaco tourist bureau, which has an office in
Delhi, will work with regional travel agents in Delhi,
Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata in the first phase and
extend to two more cities by 2013. Since the inception
of the Indian office in 2009 there has been 57%
increase in room nights from Indian tourists.
“Monaco is an upcoming destination on the map
of Europe and is rapidly gaining a high aspiration
point for the west-bound Indian tourist segment,”
said Rajeev Nangia, India Director, Monaco Government
Tourist and Convention Bureau.”
Along with engaging the travel trade through
workshops, seminars and FAM trips, the Monaco
Government Tourist and Convention Authority has
also introduced ‘The Passport to Monaco’ programme
in India for travel agents catering to FITs. This programme
consists of a folder of special offer coupons,
offering free entry to the Principality’s main attractions
and museums, such as the Exotic Garden, the
Oceanographic Museum and the Prince of Monaco’s
Collection of Antique Cars, as well as useful
information on the best places to eat and shop. This
programme is available for travel agents to offer clients
on a minimum of two nights’ stay in Monaco.
“Indians are
increasingly looking for
niche luxury destinations
and Monaco perfectly fits into the
category. The destination has been
successful in drawing Indian tourists with high
spending capacities, as Indians have a tendency to
spend lavish amounts when it comes to luxury
holidays. Ultra premium lifestyle brands, mega
yatchs, the Grand Prix have caught the eye of the
Indian high-end clients. We have witnessed good
growth in terms of guest nights and MICE
movement from India and are hoping for even
better numbers in the near future.”
Rajeev Nangia
India Director
Monaco Government Tourist and Convention Bureau
Contd. on page 4...

4 COVER story
Contd. from page 3...
Canada, land of exotic train
journeys and stunning nature
The Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC), Canada’s
national tourism marketing organisation, is
promoting the country as a four-season destination
to the travel trade in India through various marketing
initiatives, workshops, aggressive sales activities and
organised visits to experience Canada first-hand.
The CTC’s strategy in India is about building relationships
with local travel wholesalers and retailers.
Nearly 80% of its budget in 2013 is directed to trade,
business events and helping retailers sell more Canada.
As per the marketing strategy for 2013, it will be
spreading the campaign to newer growth areas of the
Tier II cities in India.
“Canada and India have long-standing bilateral relations,
built upon shared values of democracy and pluralism,
and strong people-to-people links,” Maxime
Bernier, Canada’s Minister of State for Small Business
and Tourism said at this year’s Focus Canada India
show, one of CTC’s biggest business events in India.
“In 2012, a record number of Indian travellers came to
visit Canada, and this milestone is a demonstration of
the increasingly close relationship between the two
countries.”
In February, the CTC organised a workshop and orientation
experience for its key travel agents in Mumbai’s
Trident Hotel. Present at the session were CTC’s
key provincial partners Travel Alberta, Tourism British
Columbia, Ontario Tourism along with India representatives.
The tourism board will also continue to focus
on FITs along with visa awareness in 2013.
VIA Rail Canada, which operates the national passenger
rail service on behalf of the Government of Canada,
also announced its entry into the Indian market
and introduced its exotic train journeys for Indian visitors
at a press conference in Delhi last month.
At the conference Via Rail Canada said it plans to
engage the Indian outbound market by networking
with top travel agents and conducting regular educational
workshops across cities like Delhi and Mumbai.
VIA’s marketing strategy will focus on partnering with
the CTC to promote activities and engage the industry
with familiarisation trips.
“We realise the importance of the outbound tourist
TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013
“Canada is
predominantly promoting
four provincial destinations
in India — British Columbia and Alberta
on the west, Ontario and Quebec on the
east. This time at OTM we showcased two new places
– Churchill, Manitoba, where you can play with polar
bears, and Yukon, offering the famous magical
Northern Lights with outstanding fresh nature. We
mainly use OTM to showcase our destination to the
travel fraternity and consumer. In 2013 ,other than
Mumbai and Delhi we wish to tap newer growth areas
and go to cities like Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad,
Bangalore and expand our sales network.”
Tina Singh
Assistant Vice President
Canadian Tourism Commission Representative in India
market from India. Canada recorded 162,000 tourist
visits from India in 2012. We are looking at tapping a
major chunk of our Indian visitors this year by encouraging
them to use VIA Rail as a preferred mode of travel
while visiting Canada. We plan to work on a consultative
basis with the travel trade community in India to
provide extensive product knowledge and destination
information,” Pierre Santoni, Senior Director, Domestic
and International Sales at Via Rail, said.
Argentina shifts gears in
the Indian market
Following the growing interest from Indian travellers,
Argentina Tourism is aggressively promoting
the destination in India and has hired Mumbai-based
Knack Marketing as its Indian representative to formulate
and implement its marketing strategy in the
country.
“Argentina is an exotic destination and a new
entrant into the Indian market,” said Leonardo Boto,
Fiji to focus on families
and adventure
Tourism Fiji entered the Indian market in 2010,
appointing Global Destinations, one of India’s
largest and most reputed companies in the travel and
trade industry, as its representative.
This January, Tourism Fiji conducted a multicity
roadshow in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi and
Kolkata. The delegation of 12 companies was headded
by Elizabeth Powell, Permanent Secretary for
Tourism and Public Enterprises. Fijian partners
who attended the roadshow included Fiji’s National
Carrier, Air Pacific; two inbound operators – Rosie
Holidays and Tour Managers – and eight high-end
properties: Ahura Resorts (Liku Liku and Malolo
Resorts); Castaway Island Resort; Koro Sun Resort;
Mana Island Resort and Spa; Namale Resort and Spa;
Royal Davui Island Resort; Tokoriki Island Resort
and Yasawa Island Resort and Spa.
Some 400 travel agents and tour operators
attended the roadshows across all four cities, and had
the opportunity to meet and interact with the Fijian
suppliers during the one-on-one meetings, update
their knowledge on Fiji, its resorts and the various
activities and experiences the country has to offer.
In each city, two lucky draws, each prize costing
$7,000, were held to give the Indian trade fraternity
“We want to spread
the excited energy this
place offers. One day, one
celebration and one global superstar – the
Argentinean Malbec! We welcome you to
explore and experience this fantastic country where
your heart will beat much faster.”
Medha Sampat
Director – Knack Marketing
India Representative for Argentina Tourism
Chairman of the National Institute of Tourism Promotion
(INPROTUR) – Argentina. “We are delighted
with the partnership with Knack Marketing to be able
to showcase this amazing destination and build a solid
presence in the Indian market. The outbound market
in India has been growing very rapidly. It is a pleasure
to showcase our country and welcome the Indian
traveller.”
Argentina offers numerous options to the Indian
traveller like the majestic Iguazu Falls (recently named
one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World), El
the chance to travel to Fiji and have a first-hand experience
of the destination.
Powell spoke about Fiji Tourism’s commitment
to growing the Indian market and its initiatives for
2013, the most important being the launch of the new
brand ‘Fiji Where Happiness Finds You’. The promotion
will be accompanied by fresh images, collateral
and videos highlighting the aspects that truly make
Fiji different from other competing beach destinations
in the world.
“Currently, we’re running a contest for travel
agents and tour operators, offering them free tickets
and four nights stay in Fiji. In the latter half of 2013,
we will be organising two trade familiarisations, out
of which one will be exclusively for the Fiji Matai Specialist
agents from India.
“On the consumer front, we’re currently running
an extensive all-India promo jointly with Cox &
Calafate – the progressive glacier, Ushuaia – the end of
the world, the beautiful wine regions in Mendoza, Buenos
Aires and much more.
This month, a delegation from Mendoza arrived in
New Delhi to celebrate Malbec World Day and introduce
the province to India.
The delegation consisted of the Minister of Tourism
(Mendoza) Javier Espina, representatives from
tourism / wine industry and The Grape Harvest Queen
from Mendoza.
“The outbound market in India has been growing
very rapidly and so is wine tourism. Mendoza offers
so much that will interest the Indian traveller. We lift a
glass in a special toast to celebrate this great occasion
and want you to be a part of it,” said Javier Espina.
As an emerging destination for India outbound,
one of the key focus areas is educating the travel trade.
Assistance is being provided to agents to help them
package various products that can be offered to their
clientele. Argentina is the most visited country in
South America, with a population of 40 million. Airlines
including South African Airways, Qatar, Turkish
Airlines and Emirates offer connectivity from India to
Argentina and many European carriers offer services
to Buenos Aires.
“The number of
Indian visitors to Fiji
increased by 37% from
2010 to 2012. Exit surveys show Indian
travellers spend approximately $4,000
per person on ground in Fiji for an average stay of 5 to
6 nights and indulge in various activities, such as
snorkeling and scuba diving, sky diving, shark feeding,
swimming with the dolphins, jet safaris and spas, to
name a few. While high-end honeymooners and
couples make up 80% of travellers to Fiji, in 2013 our
focus will be to grow the family and adventure segment
out of India as well. Our target markets are Mumbai,
Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Surat,
Jaipur, Hyderabad.”
Kajal Somaiya
India Representative
Tourism Fiji
Kings. We have other joint promotions with travel
agents lined up for April-May, as well as Q3 of 2014.
Apart from ad campaigns, we’re also planning a radio
promo later in the year. With a view to develop more
markets, even tier II cities, we’ve recently concluded
a Destination Fiji training in Rajkot.”
Contd. on page 5...

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013 cover story 5
Contd. from page 4...
Portugal promotes as a leisure,
historic, cultural and film
shooting-friendly destination
The India representative office of Visit Portugal conducted
a market briefing for Portuguese hoteliers
and Destination Management Companies (DMCs) during
the BTL 2013 Expo from February 27 to March 3 in
Lisbon, Portugal, with a view to spreading awareness
about the Indian travel market.
“The objective of the presentation was to help local
stakeholders understand the Indian traveller taste preferences
and requirements, and the importance of one of
the world’s fastest growing economies and outbound
markets,” the Visit Portugal India representative office
said.
Turismo de Portugal, in association with AA Globe
“Our activities
during recent months have
been to educate the retail
trade of the destination’s product offerings
and enhance the relationships between the
two countries’ private sectors. We have
conducted a multi-city roadshow and have been
extremely successful in tapping the Indian film
industry. Within just a few months of entering the
market, Portugal has gained the attention of this
multibillion dollar industry, with several upcoming
projects. Further, we do intend to activate a series of
marketing initiatives in the coming months that will
further enhance our presence and boost the number
of travellers.”
Sonalee Vaz
Managing Director, Charson Advisory
India Representative for Turismo de Portugal
Services Pvt Ltd, is also continuing to promote itself as
a unique destination for film tourism.
“Portugal is the most shooting-friendly country and
people are very happy to welcome us,” said Rengarajan
Jaiprakash, Director, AA Globe Services PVT LTD,
which helps promote film tourism in Portugal. “We
will have many projects in the near future, and we are
looking at spending over 100,000 euros per movie in
Portugal.”
Last November, Portugal held its first ever B2B workshops,
‘Portugal Experience’, in India as part of its
mandate to promote Portugal as an up-market leisure
destination. A high-ranking delegation from the Government
of Portugal travelled to New Delhi and Mumbai
led by Cecilia Meireles, Secretary of State for Tourism,
and comprising Jorge Roza de Oliveira, Ambassador of
Portugal to India; Frederico Costa, President of Turismo
de Portugal, senior government officials and the
heads of some of Portugal’s finest hoteliers and local
tour operators.
The workshops provided a platform for the Portuguese
delegation to interact and establish commercial
relationships with Indian travel agents, tour operators,
wedding planners, corporate travel agencies and India’s
film industry.
“We have always felt close to India, especially on
account of our historic connection with the state of Goa.
Our maiden marketing initiative will effectively position
Portugal as a leisure, historic and cultural destination
among Indian travellers. This particular delegation
aims to encourage the Indian travel fraternity to launch
more qualitative and diversified packages for the 2013
leisure season,” Cecilia Meireles, Secretary of State for
Tourism of Portugal, said.
“Portugal has recently entered India with a clear
focus on tapping the up-market and leisure group travellers,
while addressing niche segments such as the film
industry and honeymoon segments,” Sonalee Vaz, Managing
Director, Charson Advisory - India Representative
for Turismo de Portugal said. “As a destination, Portugal
is yet to be explored by Indian travellers. With a
unique blend offering the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic
Ocean and still within the European zone, Portugal
is fast evolving as a favourite destination for those that
seek the Mediterranean experience during the summer
season. Historic links between Portugal and India come
alive through the flavours of the cuisine.”
Contd. on page 6...

6 COVER story
TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013
Contd. from page 5...
‘Jordan remains an oasis of peace in the Middle East’
Dr Abed Al Razzaq Arabiyat, Managing Director of the Jordan Tourism Board, talks to Travel News Digest about Jordan’s
muli-faceted appeal and its upcoming plans to tap the Indian market
- Analyse past and present tourist patterns to the
country and conduct several visitor surveys at key
locations.
- Develop profiles of the short-, medium- and longterm
prospective source markets and segments within
those markets that can be attracted.
Jordan has a lot of room for expansion, especially
for more 5-star hotels and tourism projects. In Aqaba,
new hotels are currently under construction. At the
Dead Sea, new hotels, timeshares and day resorts are
coming up to cater to different types of travellers.
Family Jordan is another great potential segment
After President Obama’s visit to Petra and the introduction
of new routes such as Istanbul-Aqaba, do you expect a significant
rise in FTA in Jordan?
President Obama’s visit to Jordan and especially to
the World Wonder site Petra was of great significance
for showing Jordan remains an oasis of peace in the Middle
East. The new service provided by Turkish Airlines
will enable a wider range of tourists to go to Aqaba,
which will allow more investors to invest in Aqaba and
increase employment in the south of Jordan.
What are Jordan’s destinations that you want to project to
the world other than the already established ones like Petra,
the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba?
For many visitors, Jordan is only Petra, but when
they visit Jordan they are surprised to see that Petra,
which is indeed a Wonder of the World, is only a gateway
to what Jordan has to offer.
What surprises visitors to Jordan is the diversity of
the country within such a small space and the friendliness
and hospitality of its people. In addition is the
uniqueness of the sites. When you are after a leisure
experience, we offer you the Dead Sea, the largest natural
spa on earth; when you are seeking a spiritual experience,
we take you to the place where Jesus was baptised
at Bethany Beyond the Jordan; and when it’s history
you’re looking for, we take you back in time to the unique
World Wonder of Petra and walk you through an openair
museum throughout Jordan.
Our main branding strategy focuses on promoting
our six diversified experiences: history and culture; leisure
and wellness; fun and adventure; religion and faith;
eco and nature and MICE (Meetings, Incentive, Conferences
and Events).
How many Indians visited Jordan last year and what
numbers are you expecting in the current year?
We are very pleased with the figures from 2012 and
are hoping that 2013 will generate even more positive
numbers. Statistics showed a 5.1% increase in the number
of overnight visitors to Jordan from India in 2012.
What can be done to improve tourism exchange between
India and Jordan?
In the past, the tourism focus was on the leisure and
business sectors. The introduction of new segments
will play a fundamental role in promoting the countries,
states and provinces and what facilities they offer, and
this will improve the tourism exchange between both
countries.
How important is India as a market for Jordan Tourism?
How has this changed over the last few years?
The Indian market is an extremely important source
market to Jordan, especially during its summer vacation,
due to the moderate weather and the recreational
family facilities available.
What initiatives has Jordan undertaken in the recent past
for promoting in India, and what are the plans for the future?
Jordan has recently assigned a new full-time representation
office in India which plans to:
- Evaluate and assess the current marketing and
promotional programmes in the country, including
promotional materials, their distribution channels and
electronic marketing techniques.
Is there any particular segment/s on which you are focusing,
i.e. leisure, business MICE, adventure, film, religion,
history and culture, shopping, etc?
History and culture continues to be the number one
experience in Jordan. Being an open-air museum and
having a Wonder of the World like Petra continues to
place Jordan as one of the main destinations offering
cultural and historical experiences.
Health and wellness is also of major importance,
especially since more travellers are seeking leisure
experiences. The Dead Sea has it all – the largest
natural spa on earth offering world-class facilities
combined with the renowned properties of its curative
waters.
Travellers are increasingly interested in eco-tourism
and environmentally friendly sites and Jordan has
a number of natural reserves managed by the Royal
Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN). RSCN
offers a wide range of activities, including camping,
hiking, trekking, etc.
Travellers seeking spiritual experiences are also
choosing Jordan, as it is part of the Holy Land, and
then combine their trip with sites like Petra and the
Dead Sea.
that we are working heavily to promote in our source
markets.
Mumbai and its environs constitute the biggest outbound
market from India. What promotions/activities are planned
for the city/region in 2013 and 2014?
Below is a list of activities we have aligned for 2013 as
part of the Mumbai marketing plan to lure Indian travellers
to Jordan:
• PVR cinema promotion
• Yahoo online campaign
• Co-op promotion with travel agents in newspapers,
online etc
• Advertisements in different segment of magazines
• Trade and media FAM trips
• Jordan Academy specialist programme
• Participation in MICE travel mart
• Roadshow
• Radio jingle
• Media networking dinner
• Ongoing sales calls
• Newsletter and press release
• Social media – Facebook fanpage

INDIA
India sees increased foreign
tourist flow in early 2013
Foreign tourist arrivals in India
grew by 2.3% in the first three
months of 2013, despite unfavorable
incidents that damaged
India’s image to some extent, a
senior official of the Tourism
Ministry said.
“Foreign tourist arrivals
grew by 2.3% from January to
March and the foreign exchange
earnings from tourism rose by
20.5% in rupee terms and 11.6%
in dollar terms,” said Tourism
Secretary Parvez Dewan.
Speaking at a tourismrelated
function, Tourism Minister
K Chiranjeevi reiterated
that “the growth of foreign tourists
has been positive” and dismissed
speculation that the foreign
tourists were shying away
from the country following
recent rape cases.
Chiranjeevi said the ministry
was in the process of
consultation with chief ministers
and police chiefs of all states
in a bid to set up a tourist police
force to assure the security of
foreign tourists.
“At present some states have
tourist police but we would
want more and more states to
have them,” he said.
TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013 ⋅ 7
Madhya Pradesh to set up
special security force for tourists
Indian tourism starts
new portal
In a bid to ensure transparency
in the process of granting
approvals to hotel projects and
categorisation status to functioning
hotels, the Ministry of
Tourism in India has launched
a new portal.
Hotel developers and owners
in India regularly apply
for the ministry’s approval of
new hotels and classification
of operational hotels and will
now be able to view the status
of their applications.
To view the status through
the website, applicants need
to have a login ID and password
given by the ministry.
All details of the proposal
such as date of receipt of application,
status of approval,
proposed date of the visit by
the approval committee, and
final recommendation of the
committee will be displayed on
the portal (http://tourismpmis.
nic.in).
Kerala launches seaplane
services to boost tourism
To give a major thrust to the
tourism in the state, the Kerala
government will launch its
seaplane services from April,
Kerala Tourism Minister AP
Anil Kumar said.
The amphibian aircraft
will fly at a low height below
the clouds, giving travellers a
chance to get a panoramic view.
Other states are also planning to
start seaplane services to boost
tourism.
“I am very optimistic that
this will further increase the
number of tourists to the state.
The planes will only operate
on backwaters,” State Tourism
Secretary Suman Billa said.
Kerala gets close to 1 crore
visitors every year.
“We plan to carry out the
test flight by April 15 and
regular services will start
anytime after that,” MD Kerala
Tourism Infrastructure Ltd
Anil Kumar S said.
In an initiative to ensure tourist
safety in the state, a special
security force is to be constituted
in Madhya Pradesh.
According to a press release
from Chief Minister Shivraj
Singh Chouhan, a special
force will be set up in Madhya
Pradesh for security and facility
of foreign tourists.
A proper mechanism
will be set up for collecting
information about foreign
tourists visiting the state,
ensuring their safety, said
Chouhan.
According to the official figures
the state attracted some
5.30 crore tourists in 2012.
The number of foreign tourists
visiting the state has gone
up by 20%.
Rajasthan eyes social media
platform to promote tourism
The Rajasthan government
has taken steps to use
social networking sites like
Facebook and YouTube to
attract tourists, an official
in the state tourism ministry
said.
The state government has
allocated some `50 lakh for
developing and marketing
pages on social networking
websites to popularise the
state’s tourism destinations,
the official said.
This project is part of
Rajasthan government’s
initiative to popularise the
state’s tourism destinations.
Under the project titled
‘Social Media Optimisation
for the Development
of Rajasthan Tourism’, the
government will market
its rich cultural heritage,
palaces and forts, the
official added.

8 india
Himachal road transport
to introduce luxury bus tour
TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013
Goa Kayaking conducts
training program in
association with Goa tourism
Himachal Pradesh Road Transport
Corporation (HRTC) is
to introduce a luxury Golden
Temple Express bus service,
connecting the Sikh shrines in
Dehradun, Paonta Sahib with
the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
Transport Minister GS Bali
revealed that this special Volvo
bus service is to be launched
soon. The route of the bus service
is aimed to facilitate the
religious trips of Sikh pilgrims.
The last Sikh Guru Gobind
Singh set up Ponta Sahib Guru
Dwara in Himachal Pradesh,
which attracts thousands of
devotees from across the world.
Gujarat Tourism inks MoU with Indian
Oil to promote tourism in state
The Tourism Corporation of
Gujarat Limited (TCGL) and
Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)
have signed an MoU with the
intention to promote tourism
in the state by offering special
facilities to tourists at IOC petrol
pumps.
As a result of this joint programme,
tourists will be able to
receive information on various
destinations and basic amenities
in the locality from the large
network of IOC petrol pumps in
the state. The petrol pumps will
soon be equipped with proper
infrastructure to cater to this
service.
This is the first time in the
country that such an agreement
has been entered into to
promote tourism, TGCL said in
a statement.
As part of this agreement,
TCGL will acquire land in the
areas of IOC and create basic
amenities such as toilets, food
courts, kiosks etc. These special
facilities will be created
in select tourist places and on
national highways where IOC
has its presence.
Centre okays ₨78 crore fund for
Maharashtra tourism development
In a major boost for Maharashtra
tourism, the Centre has
approved ₨78 crore in financial
assistance for enhancing tourism
infrastructure in the state.
The move came after a series of
meetings between Union Tourism
Minister K Chiranjeevi and
State Tourism Minister Chhagan
Bhujbal.
“We had submitted a comprehensive
tourism development
proposal to the Centre for
aid. Four key proposals have
been approved and the state has
received the first installment
of the aid. We will complete all
the projects in the stipulated
period,” Bhujbal said.
A senior bureaucrat in the
state revealed the Centre had
asked the state government to set
up a monitoring committee, led
by the tourism secretary and an
implementing agency to monitor
the physical and financial progress
of the project.
Goa-based kayaking club,
Goa Kayaking, conducted
two training programmes in
April, in association with Goa
Tourism Development Corporation
(GTDC) and Drishti,
the largest professionally run
lifeguard service in Goa.
Kayaking & Training Programme
2013 took place at
Vasco (Hollant Beach) from
April 1-4, while the Panaji
programme was launched
at Vainguinim beach from
April 5-8. Both programmes
were open to adults and children
above eight years who
can swim.
Nilesh Cabral, Chairman
of GTDC, said, “All the
children should participate
for Goa Kayaking’s training
programmes during their leisure
time and experience this
Olympic sport.”
Goa Tourism supports this
programme in the interest of
Goans to give them an opportunity
to learn a skill as well
as help them experience different
environments and locations
first hand and up-close,
at the same time as enjoying
this wonderful sport.
Goa Kayaking has been
conducting these training
programmes since 2009 during
the summer and Diwali
holidays. So far it has undertaken
eight such programmes.
They are conducted by highly
experienced water sports
professionals and accredited
water sports instructors.
Five-fold rise in foreign
tourists in Jharkhand
Jharkhand has recently
emerged as the preferred
destination for foreign tourists
in India. The state registered
more than 360% growth
in terms of visitors coming
from abroad between 2010
and 2011, according to the latest
report of the Union Tourism
Ministry.
The growth percentage of
Jharkhand is the highest in
comparison to other states
in the country as tourism
officials believe other destinations
have almost reached
a saturation point for the foreign
tourists. The national
average remains 8.85% during
the same period.
State tourism officials cite
the pristine forest and religious
tourism of Jharkhand as
being behind the rise in foreign
tourist numbers. “The state is
being explored by many as
a vast area of it still remains
unexplored,” an official said.

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013 india 9
Tourism minister approves funding
for beach corridor development in AP
Dr K Chiranjeevi, Union Minister
of State with Independent
Charge for Tourism has
approved Central Finance
Assistance (CFA) to the tune of
`45.88 crore for the development
of Visakhapatnam-
Bheemunipatnam beach corridor
mega circuit in Andhra
Pradesh.
The project will involve
development of tourism facilities
at Bheemunipatnam,
Erra Matti Dibbalu, Kailashgiri,
Mangamaripeta Beach,
RK Beach, Thotlakonda,
Pavuralakonda, Rushikonda,
Bhavikonda and beautification
of beach corridor circuit.
Some `3.2 crore has been
released as first installment of
the CFA as an advance for starting
the work. The state government
will provide land free of
cost for the project and also
render assistance for its timely
completion.
The Andhra Pradesh government
will also set up
a Monitoring Committee
headed by Chandana Khan,
Special Chief Secretary, Tourism
& Culture, Government of
Andhra Pradesh to monitor
physical and financial progress
of the sanctioned project and
submit the progress report to
Union Ministry of Tourism on
a quarterly basis. The Andhra
Pradesh government is to get
the work done by the Andhra
Pradesh Tourism Development
Corporation Limited and aims
to have the work started immediately
to ensure timely utilisation
of funds and to avoid escalation
of the cost.
KIOCL plans new venture into
eco-tourism sector
Karnataka based state-run
mining company Kudremukh
Iron Ore Company Ltd (KIOCL)
plans to go into the eco-tourism
sector and is to invest ₨805
crore on a new project to that
end.
“In order to utilise the existing
infrastructure created at
Kudremukh, Chikmagalur, we
are planning to enter into new
business opportunities like ecotourism,”
KIOCL Chairman
and Managing Director, Malay
Chatterjee said.
“We have already prepared
the detailed project report
and received an in-principle
nod from the Karnataka
government for the project. A
total of ₨805 crore investments
will be made in the project in
phases,” Chatterjee added.
Tourism to become backbone of
Uttarakhand’s economy: Bahuguna
Efforts are being made to build
up tourism as the backbone
of Uttarakhand’s economy,
Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna
said, laying the foundation of
infrastructure projects worth
`38 crore at Muni Ki Reti in
Rishikesh.
Among these new projects
are a three-lane pedestrian
bridge on the Ganga, a community
hall and a parking area.
Speaking on the occasion,
Bahuguna said the government
was making the best use of the
limited resources at its disposal
to set the state firmly on the path
of development.
The bridge to be built on the
river Ganga is to be completed
within one and a half years and
would add to the convenience
of tourists, pilgrims and local
people.
He said a separate authority
had been constituted for the
development of Char Dhams
and other shrines in the state.
West Bengal launches
tourism campaign in Delhi
With an aim to promote tourism
and generate more revenue
for the state, the West
Bengal government recently
launched a month-long campaign
in the national capital.
The campaign with a tagline
“Chalo Chalen Bengal
(Let’s Visit Bengal)” is an integral
part of efforts to woo more
visitors by the state government,
which has increased
budgetary support for the
tourism sector by 33% this
fiscal.
“Allocation made by the
state government for tourism
sector was `38 crore in 2011-
2012. It has been increased
to `90 crore in 2012-2013 and
`120 crore in the current financial
year 2013-2014. It clearly
shows that the budgetary support
has increased 33% by the
new state government,” said
Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury,
West Bengal Tourism
Minister who launched the
campaign.
Hoardings of the campaign
will be displayed at the airport,
key railway stations and
various bus shelters across
the city.
Heli-tourism service
launched in Bengal
Days after West Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee
signed an MoU with
state-owned Pawan Hans
Ltd to provide services of
seaplanes, helicopters and
fixed-wing planes to boost its
tourism and industrial potential,
the private Prayag Aviation,
a business unit of Prayag
Group announced the launch
of a heli-tourism service in the
state.
The ‘Kolkata Darshan’
package offers aerial views of
city landmarks such as, River
Hooghly, the Howrah Bridge,
Victoria Memorial and others
on a 10-minute ride with a
₨2,000 per head price tag.
Charter services to nearby
holiday destinations like
Digha, Chandrakona, Mandarmoni,
Sunderbans along
with easy access to significant
pilgrimage destinations like
Tarapith, Mayapur, Joyrambati
or Kamarpukur can be
availed at a price of ₨90,000
an hour, the company said in
a statement.
The state government
has also proposed that
major industrial and tourism
hubs be connected
through helicopter.

americas
Pure Michigan campaign
kicks off with $13m budget
TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013 ⋅ 10
Marijuana tourism
company launches
in Colorado
Two Denver entrepreneurs
have kick started the nation’s
first marijuana tourism company
named My 420. The company
is poised to be among
the first to take advantage of
Amendment 64, which legalised
the recreational use of
marijuana to people over the
age of 21 in Colorado.
The company will offer
tour packages in various price
ranges that involve picking
visitors up at the airport, connecting
them to a pot-friendly
hotel, setting up hash-making
demonstrations and dispensary-grow
tours, and providing
them with tickets to
cannabis-themed events and
concerts.
“If somebody flies out
here,” said James Walker, one
of the company’s owners, “we
take care of the whole adventure
for them.”
The ‘Pure Michigan’ tourism
campaign has been launched
with a highest ever budget of
$13 million.
The $13 million campaign,
partly funded by cities,
such as Grand Rapids and
destinations, such as The
Henry Ford in Dearborn, will
run until the end of June and
will include running TV ads
on some 30 networks (for a
combined showing of more
than 5,000 times a day). The
ads focus on the state’s scenic
beaches and sunrises, along
with activities such as fishing
and swimming.
“We are excited to be
back on airwaves telling
people across the country
that their perfect summer
vacation can be found right
here in Michigan,” George
Zimmermann, vice president
of Travel Michigan, said.
“With the support of our
national partners, we are
kicking off Michigan’s largest
national advertising campaign
to date and working to build
on last year’s record-breaking
year for tourism.”
Michigan.org, most visited state tourism web site
The state of Michigan’s official
travel and tourism web
site, michigan.org, is once again
the most visited state tourism
web site in the country.
The site attracted more visits
than any other state tourism
website for the sixth year in
a row, according to the independent
online measurement company
Experian Hitwise.
With nearly 1 million more
visits than the number two state
tourism website, Florida, michigan.org
received 7.1% of the overall
market share of visits to state
tourism sites.
“The michigan.org website
continues to be an incredibly popular
and effective site to showcase
Michigan’s terrific destinations
and highlight the award-winning
Pure Michigan campaign nationwide,”
said George Zimmermann,
vice president of Travel
Michigan.
California hotel offers ‘birth tourism’ packages
A hotel in California is allegedly
offering rooms to pregnant
woman from China and
other countries so that they
can give birth in the U.S.
Any child born on U.S. soil
is granted citizenship. Now, a
growing number of pregnant
Chinese women are flying to
the U.S. to secure their child
that prized U.S. birth certificate,
and Southern California
has become a hot bed of what’s
called “birth tourism.”
After giving birth and
receiving their newborn’s U.S.
birth certificates and passports,
the women and their
babies fly back to China. As
U.S. citizens, the children
can return when they will
grow older to attend school
and take advantage of other
benefits that come with U.S.
citizenship.
New Jersey tourism
hits record year in 2012
Tourism demand in New Jersey
reached a record high last
year despite Hurricane Sandy
disrupting the region and
declines in the casino industry,
according to a new tourism
study published by the
state.
“New Jersey really is coming
back,” Gov. Chris Christie
said while announcing
the results of the study at the
annual New Jersey Conference
on Tourism.
Overall the state generated
$40 billion through tourism,
setting a record. The previous
record was $39.5 billion in
2007, according to the administration,
and last year’s total
was a 2.6% increase over 2011.
“While these 2012 results
are positive and encouraging,
we are still facing the
challenges of the aftermath
of Superstorm Sandy,” Christie
said. “We must continue
to look to the future and continue
the steady progress of
rebuilding.”

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013 americas 11
Security screening rules to
modify for Statue of Liberty
Security screening for visitors
to Statue of Liberty will now be
held on Ellis Island when the
site reopens this summer after
a clean up process in the aftermath
of Superstorm Sandy.
Beginning July 4, visitors
will board ferries from either
Battery Park in lower Manhattan
or Liberty State Park, N.J.,
and stop at Ellis Island for security
screening, the National Park
Service said. National Park officials
said visitors will then continue
to Liberty Island, where
they’ll go through a secondary
screening.
The New York Police
Department condemned the
plan, saying the decision to
move screening out of lower
Manhattan was done against
its recommendation.
Hotel construction boom in North Dakota
New Mexico Tourism
department seeks
budget increase
The New Mexico Tourism
Department wants the legislature
to increase its advertising
budget from $2.5 million to
$5 million.
The enhanced ad budget
would allow the department
to carry its ‘New Mexico
True’ marketing campaign
to Chicago and California and
launch a strong promotion
of the state’s fall and winter
attractions. The predominant
intention of the campaign was
to create a brand that would
help the state compete with
tourism destinations like Colorado
and Arizona.
Gov. Susana Martinez is
strongly recommending the
full increase, while the Legislative
Finance Committee budget
wants to hold the increase
to $1.5 million.
Missouri unveils new
tourism campaignwith a
focus on arts and culture
North Dakota is experiencing
a boom in hotel construction.
The state Tourism Division
said 42 hotels had been
built in the state since 2011,
adding 3,500 rooms. About
an equal number are planned
this year.
State Tourism Director
Sara Otte Coleman said not
all of the new hotels have
been built in the booming
western Oil Patch. She said
11 hotels opened east of U.S.
Highway 83 in 2012.
2012 a record year for Florida tourism
It was a bumper year for Florida’s
tourism in 2012, as an additional
2 million people visited the
state, setting the tourism industry
up for its second consecutive
record year.
Visit Florida, the state’s tourism
marketing corporation,
said a record 89.3 million visitors
came to the state in 2012, up
2.3 % from the previous year. The
number of jobs directly related
to travel also hit a record 1.03
million.
Leisure and tourism was the
fastest-growing industry in Florida
in 2012, based on job creation
figures released last month.
Missouri tourism division is
adopting a new marketing
strategy to draw more visitors
to the state.
State Tourism Director
Katie Steele Danner said
Missouri is a top 15 state for
tourism. She revealed that
Missouri has marketed itself
as being relaxed, homely, traditional
and charming, but
now it is time to think in a different
way.
The new ad campaign
that begins in April showcases
Missouri’s arts, culture,
sports, theme parks, fishing,
wineries etc.
The Division of Tourism,
part of the Department of Economic
Development, reports
tourism in Missouri brought
in $462 million for the state’s
general revenue fund in fiscal
year 2012, which was more
than the projected amount.

12 americas
TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013
Josh Glazeroff, Consul
General, U.S. Embassy, New
Delhi, talks to Travel News
Digest about the easier visa
process for travallers to
America and the bid to woo
the Indian tourist
1 It is traditionally perceived that the U.S. visa policy
is very strict/unwelcoming. Have there been
any specific changes of late?
Many applicants have expressed their surprise at how easy it is
to get a U.S. visa these days. They have heard of stories of years ago
when we had long wait times for visa appointments or when people
had to wait online to pay for their visa applications at a bank location.
We have come a long way since those days and most applicants are
pleasantly surprised to know that they can use the online system to
fill out their applications, pay and schedule appointments promptly:
www.ustraveldocs.com/in.
All across India, we have appointments available within a week.
And applicants who would like to request expedited appointments
are welcome to do so here: http://www.ustraveldocs.com/in/in-nivexpeditedappointment.asp
Also, before applicants had to plan to spend the day at the U.S.
Embassy or Consulate while waiting for their interview. With the
introduction of Offsite Facilitation Centres (OFC) to collect fingerprints
and photos, the entire process is much shorter. While applicants
are now booking two appointments on two days, they typically
spend less than 20 minutes at an OFC and about 45 minutes at the
Embassy or Consulate at the time of the visa interview.
We are always working on new and innovate ways to make our
services even more customer friendly. A particular highlight is the
interview waiver programme. In this programme, many applicants
whose visas have only recently expired can skip the visa interview
when processing their renewal application. Full details
can be found here: http://www.ustraveldocs.com/in/in-nivvisarenew.asp
2 What are the current numbers of incoming
tourists to the U.S. and what are your expectations
in the coming year/s? Which U.S. cities generate
the highest numbers of tourists from India?
About 700,000 visa applications were processed by Consular
Team India (CTI) last fiscal year.
CTI issued over 500,000 visas for tourist and business travel
last year. These visas are generally multiple-entry, 10-year
validity visas, so people are able to travel many times using
the same visa. We aim to reach 1 million Indian tourist travellers
to the U.S. by 2015.
In comparison with the same period last fiscal year, B1/B2
visa issuances have increased 12%.
3
How important is the India market? What specific
profile of Indian tourist are you targeting, if any?
India is an important and fast growing market for travel to the
United States. In 2011, we welcomed over 660,000 visitors from India
– a record. Total spending by Indians travelling to the U.S. was $4.6
billion last year, up 15% from the year before. We continue to encourage
Indian citizens to visit the United States, for tourism as well as
higher education and conducting business.
4 We saw the U.S. recently at a travel show in Delhi.
Do you have plans for tourism promotion in
Mumbai, seeing as it is the largest market of outbound
tourists from India?
In Mumbai, we have helped create the Indian chapter of the Visit
USA Committee that will play a key role in promoting the U.S. as a
top tourist destination. Key members of India’s leading travel and
tourism companies are part of the Executive Committee of Visit USA.
With the assistance of the Visit USA Committee in Mumbai, we are
hosting regular seminars and programmes for the travel and trade
community to learn more about the U.S. as a tourist destination as
well as the new visa procedures. We have received an overwhelmingly
positive response to our outreach.
We have also been instrumental in a recent MOU signing between
the Travel Agents Association of India, the Travel Agents Federation
of India, Outbound Tour Operators Association of India and
the Visit USA Committee with the aim of promoting travel and tourism
to the U.S.
5 The U.S. has only recently launched a formal tourism
body along the lines of the National Tourism
Organisation (NTO). Could you offer some details on its
structure, how it is funded and its footprint in India?
Brand USA was established by the Travel Promotion Act in 2010
to spearhead the nation’s first global marketing effort to promote the
U.S. as a premier travel destination and to communicate U.S. entry/
exit policies and procedures. This public-private entity began operations
in May 2011 with the mission of encouraging increased international
visitation to the United States and to grow America’s share
of the global travel market. While Brand USA has appointed representation
firms for the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland,
Japan, and South Korea, it is in the process of identifying
representation in India. Visit http://www.thebrandusa.com/
for further detailed information.
6 Any comment on Americans visiting
India? Do you think India is doing enough
to entice American tourists to visit India?
As of last year, more than 1 million U.S. citizens visited India.
We expect that number to continue to grow. The familial,
educational and professional ties between the people of
India and the U.S. are deep and strong. We hope to see the
same number of Indians visiting the U.S. in the months and
years ahead.

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013 americas 13
Argentina tourism gears up
to tap Indian market
With a growing interest from
Indian travellers, Argentina
Tourism is aggressively
promoting the destination
in India. To tap the Indian
market and have a constant
touch base with the Indian
travel trade, Argentina Tourism
recently appointed
Knack Marketing as its India
representative.
“The Indian outbound
market has been developing
and there is a lot of potential.
We have witnessed a tremendous
increase in Indian arrivals
to Argentina – from 3,500
in 2011 to 5,000 in 2012.
We shall participate in
trade shows, work closely
with media, conduct seminars
and trainings, and organise
FAM (Familiarisation) trips
for the travel trade to promote
the destinations,” Leonardo
Virgin America to launch daily flights
from San Jose to Los Angeles
Virgin America is expanding
its service offering flights from
San Jose to Los Angeles starting
at $49. Tickets went on sale
from February 5 for four daily
roundtrip flights from Norman
Y. Mineta San Jose International
Airport to Los Angeles
Boto, Chairman, INPROTUR,
The National Institute for the
International Airport. Service
begins from May 1.
“San Jose International Airport
is important for Silicon
Valley business travellers and
it deserves more flight options,”
said Virgin America President
and CEO David Cush. “As an
Promotion of Tourism of
Argentina, said.
United Airlines launches Windows 8 Phone app
United Airlines in America
has designed an innovative
application for Windows
8 phone users that offers relevant
and important travel
information at their fingertips.
With the help of this new
app, United customers can
now book reservations, check
in for flights, access mobile
boarding passes, monitor
flight status details and view
their MileagePlus frequent
flyer accounts.
“United’s new app takes full
advantage of the innovative
features and unique design
of the Windows Phone 8 platforms,”
said Scott Wilson,
United’s vice president of merchandising
and e commerce.
“We continue to invest in
technology that offers travellers
more options and convenience.
United’s robust website
and mobile travel tools
enable our customers to get the
information they need, buy the
products they want and choose
services they desire when and
where they want,” he added.
airline known for amenities
that keep travellers connected
and productive in the skies,
we hope our flights can offer
some healthy competition and
a better choice for the Bay’s
entrepreneurs and business
travellers.”
Peru’s domestic tourism hits
$244m over Easter holidays
Peru’s domestic tourism
generated $244 million in
revenue for the government
during the Easter holidays,
the National Chamber of
Tourism said.
Carlos Canales, the president
of the National Chamber
of Tourism, said Peruvian
northern beaches
were the most sought-after
attractions by tourists.
Close to 2 million people
travelled inside Peru during
the long weekend, according
to the agency.
Some 75% of tourists travelled
to the country’s coastal
areas, while the rest travelled
to areas where religious
ceremonies were taking
place, the agency reported.
Hawaii looking forward
to New Zealand tourists
The restoration of the Hawaiian
Airlines service between
Auckland and Honolulu is
being welcomed by the Hawaiian
island.
David Uchiyama, Vice-
President of Brand Management
for the Hawaii Tourism
Authority explained that the
increasing number of New
Zealand tourist will help to
boost the local economy.
“The connectivity between
New Zealand and Hawaii
runs really deep from a cultural
standpoint and we really
appreciate the additional connectivity
that Hawaiian Airlines
is bringing to the market.
We are the Hawaiian Islands
and there are multiple experiences
and attractions that can
be seen on all of the islands,
the culture runs through all
of the islands and I think that
it’s a nice extension of what
you have in New Zealand,”
he added.
Hawaii Tourism Authority lifts 2013
visitor forecast to 8.5 million arrivals
The Hawaii Tourism Authority
(HTA) recently announced
that it is raising its 2013 projection
for arrivals to 8.5 million
visitors and boosting the outlook
for expenditures to $15.8
billion.
“Our original projection for
2013 was 8.1 [million visitors],
but with the current trending
of all the markets, we’re now
projecting 8.5 [million visitors],”
said David Uchiyama,
HTA’s vice president for brand
management.
With the additional visitors
comes additional spending, so
the HTA also increased projected
visitor spending for the
year to $15.8 billion.

ASIA
Chinese travellers are top
spenders: UN tourism body
Chinese travellers are the
world’s biggest tourism spenders,
splurging a record $102
billion (78 billion euros) on
trips abroad in 2012, the UN
World Tourism Organisation
(UNWTO) said recently.
The number of Chinese
travellers to foreign countries
jumped from 10 million in 2000
to 83 million in 2012, the Madridbased
body said in a statement,
attributing the surge to China’s
rising disposable incomes and
an easing of travel restrictions.
“Expenditure by Chinese
tourists abroad has also
increased almost eightfold since
2000. Boosted by an appreciating
Chinese currency, Chinese
travellers spent a record $102
billion in international tourism
in 2012, a 40% jump from
2011 when it amounted to $73
Indian golfer to promote
Thailand golf tourism
The Tourism Authority of
Thailand (TAT) has hired
prominent Indian golfer Gaganjeet
Bhullar as brand ambassador
to promote golf tourism
across India.
“We are delighted to have
Gaganjeet Bhullar on board,”
Runjuan Tongrut, director of
TAT, said. “He is one of India’s
most promising golfers and we
believe he will be a huge inspiration
to golfers in India. We
believe this corporation will
bring a long-term relationship
between Thai and Indian
golfers.”
Commenting on his association
with Thailand, Bhullar
said, “I have quite often played
TAT to promote motorbike tours in India
In a bid to tap the adventure
sports segment in India,
the Tourism Authority of
Thailand (TAT) is keen to promote
guided motorbike tours
in the country. Bikes with a
capacity of over 1,000 cc, like
billion,” the UNWTO said.
China has now become “the
largest spender in international
tourism”, it added, noting that
since 2005 the country had
overtaken Germany, the United
States, Italy, Japan, France and
tournaments in Thailand and
whenever I go there, I end up
meeting people from Royal
Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC),
Bombay Presidency Golf Club
(BPGC) or Delhi Golf Club
Harley-Davidson, Ducati, and
BMW, are appropriate for
such tours.
TAT invited eight journalists
from various sports magazines
and bike tour operators
for a Familiarisation (FAM) trip
the United Kingdom in travel
expenditure.
After China, travellers from
Germany and the United States
splurged the most on foreign
trips, spending around $84 billion
each in 2012.
(DGC). I believe it is a great initiative
to popularise the game
among Indians. I look forward
to being associated with Thailand
and feel very privileged by
this gesture from TAT.”
to Thailand, covering Bangkok,
Ayutthaya, Khao Sok, Cheow
Lan Lake and Pattaya.
Sethaphan Buddhani,
Director, Tourism Authority of
Thailand (TAT), Mumbai, said
that motorbike tours are conducted
for five to seven days,
and a group of 12-15 people can
easily be accommodated. Buddhani
was speaking on the
sidelines of an event organised
by TAT on reaching one million
tourist arrivals from the Indian
market.
Apart from motorbike
tours, TAT is focusing on
attracting high-end travellers,
bird watchers, photography
and gastronomy enthusiasts.
TAT is also looking at expanding
its marketing operations to
Tier-II and III cities like Coimbatore,
Ahmedabad, Nagpur
and Ooty.
TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013 ⋅ 14
Philippines aims to attract
66,000 Indian tourists
The Philippines, a tropical
South Asian country, is aiming
for a 43% growth in Indian
tourist arrivals at over 66,000
this year, and to make it a reality,
the country has initiated
an aggressive marketing campaign,
a top government official
has said.
“In 2012, the Indian arrivals
stood at 46,000. This year
we are hoping to increase it
to 66,000 tourists. To achieve
this goal we have already
rolled out an aggressive campaign
to promote our country
as an attractive holiday
destination,” the Philippines
Department of Tourism
(DOT) Assistant Secretary,
International Tourism Promotion,
Benito C Bengzon
said.
India is one of the top 15
markets, he said, adding,
there is an ample scope to
improve this position.
“We want to place ourselves
as a fun destination
suitable for all age groups as
well as for business, meetings,
incentives, conferencing,
exhibitions (MICE) and Bollywood
tourism,” Bengzon said.
Myanmar to launch tourist
police force as industry booms
An independent tourist
police force has been constituted
in Myanmar and its
officers will start patrolling
in important tourist areas
from May, according to the
Myanmar Tourist Guide
Association.
“Training courses on protecting
and supporting the
tourist industry began two
months ago for this [tourist
police] force,” said association
spokesperson Tun Myat.
Police officers with bachelor
degrees have been selected
for the force, he said.
The 140 officers will be
assigned to tourist sites in
Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan,
Shan State and the administrative
capital Nay Pyi Taw.

16 asia
Japan hopes sake tourism will
reinvigorate travel industry
TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013
Singapore Tourism
Board to organise
Art Route
Sake – an alcoholic drink synonymous
with Japanese culture
– has been slowly gaining
global popularity, and the Japan
Tourism Agency (JTA) is keen
on taking advantage of that
popularity by promoting sake
breweries to tourists who visit
the country.
The agency said the initiative
to promote ‘sake brewery
tourism’ will reinvigorate the
industry and bolster regional
economies.
JTA explained that it
will encourage sake makers
to work in cooperation
with tourism bodies and
transportation companies to
network and share information
on possible marketing
strategies.
This is all part of JTA’s
plans to attract 10 million
travellers this year, bringing
the number of tourists back
to pre-Fukushima levels.
Osaka opens tourism bureau in bid
to quadruple tourist arrivals
The Osaka prefectural and
municipal governments along
with local business organisations
have jointly launched
a tourism bureau with the
intention of quadrupling the
prefecture’s annual number
of foreign travellers by 2020.
The tourism office, which
opened recently, is financed
by a ¥750 million investment.
It is headed by Kunio Kano,
former regional director,
North Asia, Hong Kong Tourism
Board.
Declaring an initial-year
target of 2.6 million visitors
for 2013, Kano said he will
resign if he fails to meet the
goal. In 2011, the prefecture
had approximately 1.58 million
foreign visitors.
To celebrate the long ties
between the Middle Eastern
and Asian contemporary
art, the Singapore Tourism
Board will be organising
the ‘Art Route,’ an exclusive
art lunch event at Art
Dubai Beach Brasserie, Mina
A’Salam Beach.
Hosted by the key persons
of Singapore’s arts scene and
UAE-based art patron Sultan
Sooud Al Qassemi, the
‘Art Route’ will highlight the
Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC) region’s increasing
links with Southeast Asia in
the field of trade, tourism and
culture.
‘The ‘Art Route’ marks the
collaboration between major
art institutions in Singapore
and the UAE as a result
of a desire to strengthen the
understanding between the
people of both countries,”
Mohamed Hafez, Area Director
of the Singapore Tourism
Board in the Middle
East, said.
Air Astana commemorates 10th
anniversary of Kazakhstan to
China services
Hosting F1 race a good investment: PM Najib
Hosting the F1 Petronas Malaysia
Grand Prix has proved to be
a good investment, said Malaysian
Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Najib Tun Razak.
“It is a good event for us
because it puts Malaysia on the
world map,” he said after the
race at the Sepang International
Circuit (SIC).
“It shows that Malaysia can
host an international event of
this stature. We are pleased with
the support from the local and
international community. It is
a positive event for Malaysia,”
he added.
When asked about the extension
of contract to host the race
beyond 2015, he said, “We will
Tourism Malaysia promoting Malaysian GP at a Mumbai event.
seriously look into it because
we have to look into the terms.
We will make a decision when
the time comes.”
A total of 123,400 spectators
came for the three-day event,
with 88,450 turning up on the
final day.
Air Astana, Kazakhstan’s
award-winning carrier,
marked the 10th anniversary
of direct services between
Kazakhstan and China with
a major industry reception in
Beijing last month.
Air Astana operated its first
flight from Almaty to Beijing
on December 3, 2002, with
Boeing 737 aircraft initially
operating two frequencies
per week. The route currently
served by Boeing 757/767 operates
five times a week.
Since the launch of services,
Air Astana has carried
500,000 passengers and
7.5 million tons of cargo on
the route.
Air Astana currently operates
a total of 18 services a
week between Kazakhstan
and mainland China.

middle east
Tourist island under
construction in Bahrain
The Bahraini government
has kick started the Dilmunia
Island project at its al-
Muharraq province.
Mohamed Khalil al-Sayed,
chairman of the company
implementing the project,
said the project is slated to be
constructed on 125 hectares of
land at an estimated cost of $1.6
billion. Ithmaar Development
Company (IDC) is responsible
for developing the entire
project.
The project features residential
areas including 4,500
housing units, hotels, shopping
malls and recreational
facilities, as well as health care
and fitness services in a resort
environment.
“The goal of the project is to
boost the country’s chances in
world tourism,” al-Sayed said.
Dubai promotes cruise tourism
at Cruise Shipping Miami 2013
For more than a decade, Dubai’s
Department of Tourism and
Commerce Marketing (DTCM)
has been promoting the cruise
business, and recently showcased
its offerings at Cruise
Shipping Miami (CSM), the
world’s most important and
largest annual meeting for the
cruise industry, at the Miami
Beach Convention Centre, in
the U.S.
Dubai, along with 10 co-participants,
was taking part in the
event for the 13th time with a
view to meeting industry partners,
networking and starting
new business for the city.
Dubai is the home port for
five international cruise liner
operators, namely TUI Cruises,
MSC, RCCL, Costa Cruises and
AIDA, which operate regular
routes from Dubai.
“DTCM has made excellent
Dubai clocks more than 10m visitors in 2012
Dubai welcomed more than
10 million tourists for the first
time in 2012 as the country
experienced a surge in visitors.
Visitor arrivals were
enhanced by increasing numbers
of tourists from its largest
use of the opportunities afforded
by this premier event to increase
its exposure in the international
cruise arena,” said Helal
Saeed Al Marri, director general
of DTCM. “Cruise Shipping
Miami is well known for
attracting the broadest range
of industry players within the
calendar of the world’s major
source markets— a 30% rise
in tourists from Saudi Arabia
and a 54% increase in Russian
visitors.
Overall, the emirate
recorded a 9.3% rise in hotel
guests and cruise passengers
cruise conferences.
“The department has also
strived to fully utilise the opportunity
to meet with influential
cruise line executives, expert
conference speakers and executives
from CLIA and FCCA
cruise associations to promote
Dubai’s burgeoning cruise
industry,” he added.
in 2012 to 10.16 million people.
“For the first time in our
city’s history we have crossed
the 10 million threshold in
visitor numbers,” said Helal
Almarri, the director general
of Dubai’s Department of Tourism
and Commerce Marketing
(DTCM).
“This growth is due to a
number of factors, including
the city-wide destination
management strategy, our
world-class infrastructure,
our location at the crossroads
of East and West, and our unrelenting
efforts to enhance our
diverse and compelling tourism
offer,” he added.
TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013 ⋅ 17
Qatar and Oman issue joint tourist
visa to strengthen travel growth
Qatar and Oman have signed
an agreement to issue common
tourist visas for visitors
from 33 countries on
arrival at Doha International
Airport.
Under this new agreement,
visa holders can travel
from Qatar to Oman without
taking a separate visa, provided
they do not go to a third
country during the visit. The
visa is valid for one month
and can be extended for one
more.
A statement on the Ministry
of Interior (MoI) website
reads, “The State of Qatar has
signed an agreement with the
Oman Air has appointed two
international consultants —
Seabury and Oxford Economics
— to conduct a feasibility
study to start a low-cost
airline. The firms will also prepare
a blueprint to improve the
company’s revenues, profitability
and fleet expansion.
“We have in-principle
approval from the government
to start the low-cost carrier
(LCC). The government
has also approved setting up a
company for the LCC and has
asked us to submit a feasibility
study for final approval.
The budget airline will most
Sultanate of Oman to provide
a joint tourist visa. The
beneficiary is permitted to
travel freely between Qatar
and Oman during the validity
period of the visa provided
that he shall not leave
for a third country during the
period. In that case he has to
apply for a new visa again.”
Oman climbs four places
in global tourism rankings
Oman has been ranked 57th
globally in the World Economic
Forum’s (WEF) travel
and tourism competitiveness
report, climbing four notches
from 2011 when it ranked 61st.
In 2009 the sultanate was
ranked 68th.
The WEF report said
Oman has steadily climbed
the global tourism rankings
in the past few years, thanks
to the increasing numbers of
international tourist arrivals.
According to WEF,
Oman’s travel and tourism
industry was valued at an
estimated $2.11bn in 2012.
The report has projected a
5.2% average growth for the
industry over a period from
2013-22.
The industry currently
employs around 36,700 people
and employment in the
sector is expected to rise by
3.4% annually over 2013-22.
The industry’s contribution
to Oman’s GDP stood at 6.6%
in 2012, the report said.
Oman Air considers
launching budget airline
likely operate on domestic
and regional routes,” said HE
Darwish Bin Ismail Al Balushi,
Minister Responsible for
Financial Affairs and Chairman
of Oman Air’s board.
“We are keen to reduce our
losses. In this context, we have
hired Seabury consultants,
who will prepare a 10-year
network and fleet expansion
plan,” he said.
The study will show us
whether the airline will be
profitable in three years or five
years and whether we should
focus on transit or point-topoint
strategy, he added.

18
middle east
Arabian Travel Market sells
out a month before opening
The 20th Arabian Travel Market
is already completely sold
out one month before its doors
open, organiser Reed Exhibitions
said.
The show is scheduled to
take place on May 6-9, at the
Dubai World Trade Centre,
with floor space at a record
high of more than 22,000 sqm,
an increase of 6% from last
year, with 98 new companies
exhibiting.
According to Reed, the
ongoing effects of the eurozone
crisis have prompted popular
Mediterranean destinations
to target growth opportunities
in the Cooperation Council
for the Arab states of the
Massive development of holy
sites to facilitate Hajj pilgrims
In a bid to improve the facilities
for Hajj pilgrims, Saudi Arabia
has taken steps to set up 60,000
fireproof tents in Arafat at a cost
of SR 2 billion, and expand Mina
to house seven million pilgrims.
Interior Minister of Saudi
Arabia Prince Muhammad bin
Naif has instructed the Ministry
of Municipal and Rural Affairs
to conduct studies on setting up
permanent fireproof tents in
Arafat, prepare its designs and
estimate its cost.
Habib Zain Al-Abideen,
Deputy Minister of the Saudi
Ministry of Municipal and
Rural Affairs and supervisor
of the centre for development
Gulf (GCC) markets.
“With traditional Western
European markets facing tough
economic challenges, which
could cause tourism receipts
projects, said that “a high-level
committee including officials
from the Haj Ministry, Public
to decline, the relevance of
the GCC markets becomes
even more pronounced,”
Reed’s portfolio director Mark
Walsh said.
Security and Civil Defense will
meet on April 27 to discuss
the project”.
The UAE has been investing
a great deal in recent years to
strengthen its tourism sector.
As an integral part of its
economic vision for 2030,
the country is committed to
building a world-class tourism
infrastructure – from
exclusive museums to theme
parks –as well as enhancing
cultural experiences to attract
more tourists to the country.
Abu Dhabi Tourism and
Culture Authority has been
TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013
Tourism helps fuel
growth in UAE
hosting various events and
activities to promote Abu
Dhabi as a major cultural and
tourism destination.
For the United Arab Emirates,
the focus on tourismrelated
business is part of an
inclusive strategy to build a
more diversified economy.
Currently, tourism-related
sectors contribute as much
as 14% to the UAE’s economy
(an estimated Dh194 billion
in 2012).
Saudi to create 4,62,000
jobs in tourism sector
New Lebanon PM offers hope to
reinvigorate the tourism sector
With the newly appointed
Prime Minister Tamam Salam,
Lebanon’s economy, which has
been struggling with a series of
external and internal problems,
is expected to see a positive
change. If the new prime minister
brings about a balanced
cabinet and tackles the security
issues well, many things
can alter for the better. Tourism
is also expected to receive
a positive makeover with this
new beginning.
“This is a very positive
change for the Lebanese economy
and in particular to tourism,”
Pierre Achkar, the head
of the Hotels Association, said.
“The way he was elected is a
very positive sign given the
wide consensus among different
factions to name Salam.”
Achkar had repeatedly
expressed his fear about the
sharp decline in tourism, particularly
following a series of
kidnappings that led most Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC)
states to issue travel warnings
strictly barring their citizens
from visiting Lebanon.
Over the first three months
of 2013, the decline in the hotel
business stood at a massive
30% in occupancy and revenues,
Achkar noted, adding
that drawing comparisons with
2011 and 2010 would delineate
a more than 50% decline in
the sector.
“The past year and a half
were disastrous to Lebanese
tourism,” he said. “We badly
need a Cabinet that talks to
everyone, clamps down on kidnappings
and reduces political
squabbling. Lebanon can truly
save the [tourism] summer season
if the right steps are taken.”
Saudi Arabia aims to create
more than 4,62,000 jobs for
the citizens of the country
in the tourism sector in line
with its Saudisation strategy,
said Muhammad Al
Jasser, Minister of Economy
and Planning in Saudi Arabia.
‘Saudisation’ refers to
the national policy of Saudi
Arabia to encourage employment
of Saudi nationals in
the private sector.
Muhammad Al-Jasser
said domestic tourism can
provide ample employment
opportunities for citizens
in various regions of the
country.
“In addition, training
opportunities will be available
for an additional 245,000
jobseekers,” said Al-Jasser
at the opening of the sixth
Saudi Travel and Tourism
Investment Market (STTIM)
in Riyadh.
The government will
make huge investments to
boost the domestic tourism
sector and work towards
cutting down international
tourism expenses, he said.
“Saudi Arabia has natural
resources, a variety of
heritage sites, multiple
facilities and a good infrastructure
that can contribute
to the tourism sector.
This would support our
GDP and provide employment
opportunities, as well
as raise Saudisation rates,”
Al-Jasser added.

OCEANIA
New Zealand, Taiwan urged
to resume direct flights
TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013 ⋅ 19
New app showcases NZ
attractions to tourists
New Zealand and Taiwan must
resume direct flights to further
boost their tourism sectors after
the recent proliferation in the
number of Taiwanese tourists
to New Zealand, an envoy from
the South Pacific nation said.
Stephen Payton, director of
the New Zealand Commerce
and Industry Office in Taipei,
said New Zealand registered
an unprecedented 8% year-onyear
increase in the number visitors
from Taiwan during the
Lunar New Year holiday last
month.
“We’re pleased with the
return to growth in the numbers
of Taiwanese going to New
Zealand and we are very keen to
see more,” he said.
Fiji’s national carrier unveils first
new Airbus A330-200
The arrival of Air Pacific airline’s
new A330-200 Airbus will help
Fiji expand and sustain its connections
to countries with a high
number of outbound tourists,
said Fiji President Ratu Epeli
Nailatikau.
Speaking during the arrival
of the Airbus at the Nadi International
Airport, the main international
gateway for the Republic
of Fiji, Nailatikau said the
new planes will also open Fiji’s
economy to new and emerging
markets like China, India and
the greater Asian region, and
perhaps even in Europe.
“The new planes and the
expanded routes they will soon
fly will contribute greatly to
growing Fiji’s economy and its
proud tradition of hospitality
and tourism,” he said.
“On the whole, Fiji’s tourist
arrivals, including those from
our traditional sources in Australia,
New Zealand and the
Americas, continue to reach
unprecedented levels. I have
no doubt the new aircraft will
translate into even more arrivals,
in the same way that they
will help create more jobs and
contribute significantly to sustaining
our tourism industry as
Fiji’s top foreign exchange and
revenue earner,” he added.
Tourists looking to explore
the exotic destinations of
New Zealand are now able to
convert their smartphones
and tablets into interactive
audio tour guides thanks to
a new free app.
The app takes help of the
GPS function in the device to
inform travellers about more
than 1,200 points of historical
and cultural interest as
they travel in New Zealand.
Most of the tour operators
throughout the country who
distribute the app have set up
free Wi-Fi zones at their centres
to help tourists download
the app.
Designer Hayden Braddock
said the app has been a
hit so far, with 4500 tourists
already downloading it.
“We have really tried to
make sure we’ve done all we
can to show off our beautiful
country so nothing gets
missed. The app includes the
history of each area, details
of geography and native
flora and fauna, Maori culture
and even the best things
to see and do, places to stay,
restaurants and cafes,” Braddock
said.
One of the exclusive features
of the app is that those
driving can simply listen
to local information without
having to read any text,
he said.
It can also work offline so
even in areas without internet
coverage, tourists will be
able hear relevant details of
their current location.
Tourism campaign aims to woo
Chinese residents to Queensland
Matthew Hayden to promote
Queensland among Indian tourists
In a bid to tap the growing
Indian overseas traveller market,
the Australian state of
Queensland has hired legendary
cricketer Matthew Hayden
for a new tourism campaign.
Minister for Tourism in
Queensland Jann Stuckey said
the ‘Go Beyond’ campaign will
showcase Queensland’s rainforests,
beaches and the Great Barrier
Reef, which are extremely
popular with Indian tourists.
Hayden, 41, one of Australia’s
best opening batsmen, will lead
the new campaign.
“India is a growing market
for Queensland, with the
number of Indian visitors to
Queensland rising by 3% to
31,000 in 2012,” Stuckey said.
“It is also designed to
showcase how easy it is
to go beyond Australian
international gateways to
reach Queensland destinations
such as the Gold Coast,
Whitsundays, Outback and
Tropical North Queensland,”
Stuckey added.
A new tourism campaign targeting
Australia’s Chinese
community will start this
week in an attempt to increase
Queensland’s share of the
international market.
Minister for Tourism in
Queensland Jann Stuckey
said the campaign would
attract Chinese residents
either working or studying
in Australia to holiday in
Queensland.
“Australia’s Chinese community
represents an influential
group for our tourism
industry,” Stuckey said.
“Chinese residents in
Australia are in a position to
advocate Queensland’s tourism
experiences to friends
and family, both here and in
China, following visits to the
state,” she added.
China is currently
Queensland’s second largest
and fastest growing international
market, according to
Tourism Research Australia.
“The campaign was introduced
to VIP inbound tour
operators, who are active in
the local Chinese community
at a series of events in Sydney
and Melbourne this week,”
Stuckey said.

europe
Switzerland and Austria best
country for tourists: WEF
TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013 ⋅ 20
Rural tourism in
Romania expected to
grow by 15% this year
The number of Romanians
seeking to explore rural tourism
in 2013 should grow by
15% year-on-year, while that
of foreigners coming to Romania
for this type of tourism is
expected to increase by 5% to
7%, according to the National
Association for Rural, Ecological
and Cultural Tourism
(ANTREC) in Romania.
This will happen in the
context of an overall growth of
Romania’s domestic tourism
this year, according to the
same source.
Most of the foreign tourists
who opt for accommodation
in local rural guesthouses
come from neighbouring
countries such as Hungary,
Germany, France, Israel and
also Japan.
The most popular Romanian
regions for rural tourism
are Brasov, Bucovina,
Maramures and
Marginimea Sibiului.
Switzerland, Germany, and
Austria lead the world in
terms of their travel and tourism
industry competitiveness
along with Spain and the
United Kingdom, according
to a World Economic Forum
(WEF) report.
The United States and
Singapore maintained their
positions, in sixth and 10th
places, respectively.
“Industry resilience has
been driven by the growth of
the middle class in emerging
markets, although advanced
economies too are displaying
positive momentum. Better
policies, harnessing technology
and facilitating the
movement of people over borders
will allow the industry
to capitalise on this tailwind
and support rising prosperity
into the future,” said Jennifer
Blanke, Chief Economist
and Head of the Global Competitiveness
and Benchmarking
Network at the World Economic
Forum.
The report rates Pakistan
as one of the most unfriendly
nations in the world.
UK government vows to put
end to benefit tourism
Britain has received support
from Germany, the Netherlands
and Austria to put pressure
on Brussels to allow EU
member states to limit access
to basic social benefits for foreign
nationals.
The four countries agreed
recently to send a joint letter to
the European Commission, the
EU’s executive arm, demanding
it address their shared concerns
over potential abuse of
their social security systems
by citizens of other EU member
states.
The decision by Germany
to stand by the UK, which has
been leading the campaign for
several months, shows that
London’s efforts to curb the free
movement of the bloc’s citizens
– a core EU right – are gaining
popular support.
UK officials in Brussels said
London was determined to
put an end to a phenomenon
known as ‘benefits tourism’,
where citizens from poorer
EU states move to richer ones
to take advantage of their more
generous social welfare, including
housing and healthcare
services.
“Abuse of free movement
isn’t just a UK problem and it
will take the joint efforts of all
our EU partners to tackle it,”
said Theresa May, Britain’s
home secretary, in Brussels.
Portugal minister visits London
to promote residential tourism
Portugal’s Economy Minister
Álvaro Santos Pereira recently
visited London to introduce
the government’s new strategy
to promote holiday homes in
this country, the ‘Residential
Tourism’ campaign.
“Residential Tourism
is a strategic tourist product
for Portugal, with an
across-the-board impact
on national economy and
employment – especially at
a regional and local level –
which will also contribute
towards abating seasonality
in tourism,” the minister
said in a statement.
The Portuguese government
is trying to boost
the sale of property in
Portugal to foreigners
looking for a holiday home in
the country.
France strengthens
tourist security
French Tourism Minister Sylvia
Pinel pledged to ensure
the security of travellers after
a recent case of robbery.
“Everything will be done to
find the perpetrators,” Pinel
said and stressed the determination
of the French government
to ensure the security of
tourists in France.
China’s National Tourism
Administration, which
reports directly to the government,
expressed concern after
23 tourists travelling in a group
were robbed as soon as they
arrived at Roissy Charles-de-
Gaulle airport outside Paris.

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013 europe 21
Russia kicks off the Chinese Year of Tourism
Russia recently held the opening
ceremony for the ‘Tourism
Year of China’ attended
by China President Xi Jinping
and his Russian counterpart,
Vladimir Putin.
The ‘China-Russia Tourism
Year’ programme, which
started last year with the
‘Tourism Year of Russia’
in China, intends to boost
tourism cooperation and
exchanges between the two
countries.
Earlier the two countries
held a ‘China-Russia National
Year’ and the ‘China-Russia
Year of Language’. Both countries
aim to capitalise on their
rich and diverse culture and
heritage.
“Chinese visitors to Russia
increased by 46% last year.
The number of two-way visitors
across the border reached
3.3 million. China has become
the second largest touring destination
of Russians, while
Russia has become the third
largest destination for Chinese
tourists,” Xi Jinping,
Chinese President, said.
“There’s no doubt the
‘Tourism Year of China’ will
be excellent and interesting.
It will expand the tourist
areas and help us to know each
other. It can also enhance the
relationship between the two
countries,” Vladimir Putin,
Russian President, said.
Croatia reports 3.2%
increase in tourism
revenues
Russian tourists boost
tax free sales in Finland
Tax-free sales are growing in
leaps and bounds in eastern Finland,
which is a popular shopping
destination for Russian
tourists.
The growth in tax-free retail
sales is continuing in the cities
of Imatra and Lappeenranta
in eastern Finland, which are
extremely popular with Russian
tourists. According to
Global Blue, a shopping tourism
company well-known for taxfree
shopping, the value of
tax-free sales in Imatra was
almost ¤1.8 million in February,
up by 38% from the corresponding
month last year.
In Lappeenranta, tax-free
sales in February were about
¤7.2 million, an increase of 11%
from the year before. Tax-free
retail sales in the whole of Finland
went up by 12% in February.
The leading cities for
tax-free shopping in Finland
are Lappeenranta, Helsinki and
Imatra.
Russian tourists come to Finland
on shopping trips because
of the high quality and attractive
prices of branded goods in Finnish
retail stores, and because
they can receive service in their
own language.
Belarus needs to develop military
history tourism: Minister
Croatia’s revenues from tourism
in 2012 amounted to ¤6.83
billion, 3.2% more than in
2011, the Ministry of Tourism
in Croatia said in a statement,
citing figures from the Croatian
National Bank.
After a rise in tourism revenues
in the first nine months of
2012, the positive trend continued
in the final quarter of the
year when tourism generated
¤557 million in revenues, an
increase of 2.3% over the corresponding
period of 2011.
Tourism revenues
accounted for 15.4% of GDP
last year, a slight increase in
comparison to the previous
year.
The fact that tourism revenues
continued the positive
trend despite the unfavourable
economic situation in Europe
shows that Croatia has become
a recognised tourist destination
worldwide.
“The year 2013 will be very
challenging, particularly
because of the excellent results
last year, but I expect we will
repeat the success of 2012
and that tourism revenues
will continue to rise,” Croatian
Tourism Minister Darko
Lorencin said.
Tourism Ireland launches
branded taxis in four UK
cities to boost tourism
Belarus needs to promote its
military heritage for those tourists
who are interested in history,
Minister of Sport and
Tourism in Belarus Alexander
Shamko said.
Military history tours are
trips to the city and around
the country where the famous
heroic battles of different ages
and nations took place.
Arriving in this country,
located in the heart of Europe,
one can see the Glory Mound
and Khatyn, Brest Fortress, and
Stalin’s Line, the battlefields of
World War I, the memorials
in honour of the victories over
French and the Swedes and the
memorials of the distant medieval
battles.
“Why are we not paying sufficient
attention to war sites that
are interesting for tourists and
especially for overseas tourists?
More than 400,000 tourists
visited war sites in Belarus
last year alone. We are expecting
more visitors during the upcoming
season. We have visitors
from Europe, the United States
and China. But the majority of
tourists are from the Commonwealth
of Independent States,”
said the minister.
“It is necessary to create sites
for those Belarusian and foreign
tourists who are interested in
history. Such tourism will help
promote and popularise history
as well as develop patriotic
feelings among the citizens,
preserve national traditions
and finally attract tourists,”
said the minister.
Tourism Ireland has unveiled
an exclusive fleet of branded
taxis organised by London
Taxi Advertising. The heavyweight
campaign with customised
cars will make its
mark in the four key cities
of Manchester, London,
Birmingham and Glasgow,
encouraging the urban communities
to holiday in Ireland.
The taxis showcase a picturesque
view of Ireland, comprising
endless green fields
framed by a marbled pink and
light purple sky. The taxis also
are painted in Ireland’s patriotic
green and carry the Tourism
Ireland web address,
accompanied by the name
‘The Gathering’, which refers
to the year-long cultural celebration
of all things Irish.
The entire taxi is designed
to reach the relevant audience
in targeted cities covering
significant points across
Scotland and England, raising
Ireland’s profile as a travel
destination.

22
europe
Czech tourism brings $4.55 bn
annually into state budget
Revenues from tourism in
Czech Republic brought over
$4. 55 billion annually to the
state budget in the years 2010
and 2011, according to an analysis
of consulting company
KPMG, world’s leading auditing
service provider. It is a
clear sign of improvement in
the tourism sector.
Tourism helps regional
development, in particular in
regions that are not economically
strong. Tax revenues
from tourism contribute 6.5%
to state budget revenues.
If all costs of support to
tourism are compared with
Tourism bodies are hoping
the new pope might become a
catalyst for tourism activities.
Tour operators are anticipating
an increase in demand for
travel to the Vatican so people
can catch a glimpse of the new
pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio.
He may even boost tourism
activities for his home country
Argentina.
Recently elected Pope Francis
I was born to Italian immigrant
parents, but he was
raised in Buenos Aires. There’s
no doubt Catholics will want to
travel to Rome to see the Vatican
and other holy sites, but
revenues from it for public
budgets, it can be said
that tourism pays off nearly
25 times.
beyond that, there could also
be interest in retracing the
Tourism creates more than
330,000 jobs in the Czech
Republic and contributes some
7% to its employment.
New pope could boost tourism
to Italy and Argentina
steps of Pope Francis, Jorge
Mario Bergoglio to Argentina.
National Geographic deal set
to boost Scottish tourism
TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013
Greece, Serbia to develop
joint tourism packages
Greek Tourism Minister Olga
Kefaloyianni was in the Serbian
capital Belgrade recently
to meet her Serb counterpart
Goran Petkovic in order to
develop tourism cooperation
between the two countries.
Kefaloyianni was on a
two-day visit to the Serbian
capital, in the framework
of which she also attended
the inauguration of the 35th
International Belgrade Tourist
Exhibition and visited the
Greek pavilion.
An extensive discussion
took place during Kefaloyianni’s
meeting with Petkovic
on issues concerning cooperation
between the two countries
in the sector of tourism.
“My meeting with Petkovic
took place in an extremely
good climate,” Kefaloyianni
said. “We are interested in the
sector of tourism in attracting
even more Serbian visitors, as
well as examining the possibilities
of joint investments in
the tourist sector,” she added.
Spain aims to boost
medical tourism
Scottish Tourism will soon get
a major boost following VisitScotland’s
plan to seal a deal
with National Geographic to
promote the country’s natural
beauty.
The deal between the Scottish
national tourism organisation
and National Geographic is
part of the Year of Natural Scotland
2013 celebrations and will
expose Scotland to National
Geographic’s readership and
viewership in North America
and in Europe.
The £4,00,000-campaign
will see a VisitScotland TV
advert being screened via
National Geographic’s channels
in America, UK and France,
while English and French-language
magazines, along with
the UK, U.S., France and Canada
websites will carry articles,
pictures and other information
on natural Scotland.
“It’s a delight to partner
with VisitScotland to help
share this singular country
with the world. Scotland is a
treasure and I’ve long been
shocked that its enchantments
aren’t more widely celebrated,”
Keith Bellows, editorin-chief
at National Geographic
travel media, said.
In a bid to boost Spain’s ailing
economy, authorities in
the country’s health industry
are encouraging foreigners
to come to Spain for cheaper
medical treatment.
Medical tourism is now
worth around €75 billion
worldwide, according to the
Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development
(OECD), and Spain’s
tour operators, business
leaders, private hospital, and
state health authorities are
hoping the country could
maximise its share in this
tourism market.
“Our objective is to attract
foreign patients to Malaga’s
many good private health
centres and put Malaga on
the global healthcare map,”
Dr Miguel Such, head of cardiovascular
surgery at Malaga’s
Clínico Universitario hospital
said.
“Spain’s tourism sector
has been ignoring this market
and we have been selling
sun and sea without realising
we could do much more.
Our healthcare system is well
regarded internationally, and
there is significant demand
from foreigners to use it,”
he added.
Prices for medical treatment
in Spain are around 30%
to 70% cheaper than in the UK
and for patients from the U.S.
the savings are even greater.

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013 europe 23
Britain’s rail system named Europe’s most improved
France’s tourism projects in
Puducherry to be expedited
Britain’s railways are the most
improved and well-equipped
in Europe, according to a comprehensive
comparison study
published of the rail networks
in all 27 EU (European Union)
countries.
The report looks into how
the railways in Europe have
progressed and improved
since the 1990s according to
a range of 14 different factors.
Some of these factors include
number of users, rider satisfaction,
punctuality, train
frequency.
Britain came top in four of
the factors, second and third
in another two and fourth in
three, coming top overall.
Europe’s other major rail
systems, such as those in
Germany, France and Italy,
ended up in 7th, 10th and 23rd
place, respectively.
“This report shows both the
progress that we have made in
driving forward our performance,
and the very real challenges
and opportunities that
the growth in demand poses
for us all,” said David Higgins,
the chief executive of Network
Rail, the owner and operator of
most of the rail infrastructure
in Great Britain.
A French parliamentary
group led by Senator
Francois Marc, Rapporteur
General of the Finance
Commission and president
of Friendship Group,
France, recently said that
tourism projects committed
by France in Puducherry
would certainly be expedited.
The group, which also
includes Pierre Fournier,
Consul-General, told the Minister
of State in the Prime Minister’s
Office V Narayanasamy
that the projects would be certainly
implemented.
Francois Marc and the
Consul General assured Narayanasamy
that the sand beach
project would soon become
a reality.
Czech Republic launches new public
transportation system to boost tourism
Record number of tourists visit Istanbul
Prague and other regions
of the Czech Republic have
launched a new mode of public
transport in the form of a
brand new metro train. The
train will provide tourists
the scope to travel to all the
important destinations within
the country and will also help
boost tourism.
The trains, named City-
Elefant, will provide a
super-speed commuting
system of local transport in
Prague. The city will have 84
new units of CityElefant metros
that are powered by Skoda
Vagonka engines. The trains
will be very comfortable, with
air-conditioned units that
have comfortable seats and
toilets in the compartments.
Czech Railways spokesperson,
Subova Catherine, said
that CityElefant will run on
various tracks. Out of a total
of 84 units, 71 will carry passengers
to the central region
and around Prague, and will
also pass through the Usti and
Pardubice regions. The other
13 will operate on regional
routes in the region. CityElefant
trains will cover 33,400
kilometres every day on the
Czech Republic tracks.
Almost a million people preferred
Turkey’s financial
and cultural capital Istanbul
as their holiday destination
this quarter, a record number
in the past 10 years.
According to the Istanbul
Cultural and Tourism
Directorate, at least 838,201
tourists visited Istanbul in
the first three months of
this year, a 23.8% increase
compared to the same period
last year.
The directorate welcomed
the progress made by
Istanbul in the sector of tourism
at a time of economic
recession across Europe.
The data also showed that
every two out of three tourists
who came to Turkey
between October 2012 and
March 2013 visited Istanbul.
Tourists to Azerbaijan
can now receive visa online
Azerbaijan has launched an
online visa issuing system following
a decree of the president
of Azerbaijan, the head of the-
Tourism Association of Azerbaijan
Nahid Bagirov said.
According to Bagirov, tourists
wishing to visit Azerbaijan
can obtain a visa online. Previously
tourists encountered
difficulties while obtaining
visas and they had to apply to
the embassies of Azerbaijan in
their countries.
“If a tourist living in any
German town wanted to obtain
a visa for visiting Azerbaijan,
he had to go to the Embassy
of Azerbaijan in Germany.
That created difficulties,”
Bagirov said.
Such policies were leading
to the decline of tourists visiting
Azerbaijan, he said.
“The online visa issuing system
has already been started.
This means tourists will be
able to obtain a visa online by
sending a copy of their passport
to travel companies without
visiting any embassy,”
Bagirov added.
First European
National Tourism
Observatory to
open in Greece
Greek Tourism Minister Olga
Kefaloyianni signed a cooperation
memorandum with the
secretary general of the UN’s
World Tourism Organisation
(UNWTO) Taleb Rifai for the
establishment of a National
Tourism Observatory for the
sustainable development of
tourism.
The observatory is the first
of its kind in Europe under
the patronage of UNWTO. It
will strictly monitor the consequences
that tourism products
have on the financial, social and
natural environment and will
contribute towards the development
of sustainable tourism.
“We believe the appropriate
utilisation of the National
Observatory will have a positive
impact on the competitiveness of
the country’s tourism products,”
Kefaloyianni said.
“Tourism and the environment
are interrelated concepts;
the development of tourism
depends directly on the environment.
The relationship between
tourism and the environment is
our first priority,” she added.

Africa
Kenya Tourism Board aiming
for one lakh Indian tourists
About 64,000 Indians visited
Kenya last year, and Kenya
Tourism Board (KTB) expects
to achieve one lakh inbound
from India by 2015. As part of
this bid, a few months ago KTB
launched Magical Kenya online
training programme for travel
agents in India.
KTB has made plans to target
up-market segments like
weddings and honeymooners.
According to John Chirchir,
Regional Marketing Manager,
Emerging Markets, KTB, by
targeting these segments the
Tourism Board also wants to
highlight products and destinations
beyond wildlife safaris.
TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013 ⋅ 24
Ethiopia aims to
tap India market
Ethiopia is turning its focus to
tourism from India, aiming to
tap a substantial chunk of the
13 million Indians who annually
travel abroad.
“India is a good source
is very clear in its aim that
Ethiopia should be among the
five top tourist destinations in
Africa,” Tourism Facilitation
Senior Expert at the Cultural
and Tourism Ministry Getenet
Seychelles targets Russian
tourism market
market for tourism,” Genet
Teshome, Consulate General
of Ethiopia in Mumbai, said.
“More than 13 million people
travel out of India every year.
We expect to have a good share
of this market, even one or two
percent of this is significant
for us.”
Asked how the government
plans to popularise Ethiopia as
a tourist destination in India,
Teshome said, “We are advertising
Ethiopian destinations in
India, and we have participated
in a number of tour and travel
exhibitions. This year we participated
in Pune.”
Ethiopia, the second most
populous nation in Africa, is
also planning to open tourism
boards in India to enhance
promotion.
“Our Federal Government
Yigzaw said. “India will play a
very crucial role in this process.
“By next year we plan to
establish our tourism boards in
New Delhi and Mumbai. India
is going to be a crucial factor in
development of Ethiopia as a
world-class tourism destination,”
he added.
Ethiopia and India are
among the most ancient civilisations
in the world and we
are ready to establish this connection
again through tourism
promotion, Yigzaw added.
Ethiopia is also introducing
the Ethiopian Rift Valley
as a major tourist attraction to
Indian travellers. The Ethiopian
Rift Valley, which is part
of the famous East African
Rift Valley, comprises numerous
hot springs, beautiful lakes
and a variety of wildlife.
The Seychelles Tourism
Board is targeting the Russian
market. Tourism is
important to the Seychelles
economy, and markets such
as Russia play an important
role.
The Seychelles Tourism
Board is making efforts
to create a foothold in the
region to ensure positive
growth of the industry, and
is determined to showcase
the islands’ competitive edge
in the face of ever-growing
challenges. Consequently,
the Seychelles Tourism
Board has appointed Access
Russia as its representation
company in Russia. Access
Russia will help ensure
that Seychelles remains
visible in Russia and its
surrounding regions.
Zambia’s tourism resilient
Tourism in Zambia has
showed its resilience as an
economic driver of the country,
despite various challenges
the sector is facing.
Tourism contributes significantly
to job creation not
only in Zambia but also in the
region at large.
The Zambian tourism
economy is boosted with
world-leading natural sites,
including Kafue National
Park, the second largest in
Africa and South Luangwa
National Park, which has a
high density and diversity of
wildlife.
Others attractions include
the Victoria Falls World
Heritage Site and one of the
seven Natural Wonders of
the World; Lake Kariba, the
largest man-made lake in the
world; Lake Tanganyika and
the Zambezi River, which runs
across south-central Africa.
South Africa eyes
more Indian tourists
A steady rise in the number
of Indian travellers holidaying
in South Africa
has prompted the country’s
tourism board to further
enhance engagement
with key stakeholders to
gain a larger share of tourists
from India.
“Over the years we have
witnessed a continuous
increase in Indian tourist
arrivals, making India one
of the key markets for us,”
said Hanneli Slabber, country
manager, South African
Tourism (SAT).
According to SAT, from
January to September 2012,
around 80,000 Indian tourists
went to South Africa —
an increase of 18.3% when
compared to the same period
in 2011.

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013 africa 25
Iranian tourists in Egypt
reflect warming ties
More than 50 Iranian tourists
arrived at the ancient Egyptian
city of Luxor recently as part
of a rare visit that reflects how
much ties between the two
countries have warmed since
Islamist President Mohammed
Morsi came to power last
year.
Diplomatic relations were
frozen for decades after Egypt
signed the 1979 peace treaty
with Israel, and Iran went
through the Islamic Revolution,
but Morsi has been reaching
out to Tehran since he came
to power in June 2012.
Morsi broke barriers by visiting
Tehran after his June election,
marking the first visit by
an Egyptian leader in more
than three decades. Months
later, Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad visited
Cairo to attend a conference of
Islamic nations.
There is a new bilateral
deal to promote tourism and
improve relations between the
regional heavyweights, and
the Iranian tourists arrived on
some of the first commercial
flights between the two countries
in 30 years, according to a
security official.
Their movements will be
restricted, including a ban on
visiting Egypt’s capital, following
objections from some
ultraconservative Sunni Muslims
to receiving visitors from
Shiite Iran.
The Iranian tourists will
only be allowed to visit certain
areas, such as ancient cities
and Red Sea resorts like Sharm
el-Sheikh.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister
for Arab and African
Affairs said in a news conference
in Cairo that tourists
from his country don’t have a
religious agenda and that they
are coming to Egypt to support
its economy.
“Iran has no agenda to manage
Egyptian mosques,” he
said. “Iranian and Egyptian
relations are at the best.”
Egypt seeks more Indian tourists
Egypt is looking to lure tourists
from India with a number of promotional
steps including visas on
arrival, more direct flights and
cultural exhibitions across India.
“India has a huge middle class
and upper middle class willing
to spend disposable income on
travel. We have to focus on this
audience,” Egyptian Tourism
Minister Hisham Zaazou said
in India.
Zaazou is part of the delegation
of Egyptian ministers and
business leaders led by President
Mohammed Morsi.
“We are looking at granting
visa on arrival to Indian tourists
as well as (have) more direct
flights from Delhi,” said Zaazou.
In addition, festivals that will
offer potential Indian travellers
a taste of Egypt’s culture with
food, dance, handicrafts, clothes
and leather products will begin
in major cities in the next three
to four months, Zaazou said.
Morocco ranks third friendliest
country for tourists
Morocco is the world’s
third friendlies country
for tourists, according to
the 2013 World Economic
Forum report.
Morocco ranks 71st worldwide
and 9th in the North African
and Middle East category
in terms of travel and tourism
competitiveness.
Iceland and New Zealand
topped the list of the friendliest
countries.
Apart from New Zealand
and Morocco, the top 10 list
included the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, Austria,
Senegal, Portugal, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Ireland and
Burkina Faso.
Despite the large number
of visitors, South Korea and
China, were ranked among the
least welcoming areas.
Morocco looking to
strengthen its tourism sector
Morocco is stepping up
efforts to lure more tourists
to its beaches, cities and
mountains to boost its tourism
revenue.
Morocco hasn’t had anywhere
near the catastrophic
drop in tourism experienced
by once-popular destinations
such as Egypt and
Tunisia, both of which are
going through chaotic and
at times violent post-revolutionary
phases. Still, Morocco’s
numbers are declining,
Moroccan Tourism Minister
Lahcen Haddad said.
The challenge for
Morocco will be to distinguish
itself from its more
Nigeria stepped up efforts to
assure tourists and investors
of their safety and favourable
business climate at the
World’s largest tourism expo,
ITB Berlin.
Speaking at the conference
Director General of the Nigerian
Tourism Development
Corporation (NTDC), Olusegun
Runsewe assured the visitors
of the safety and security
of lives and property across
the country and insisted that
the Federal Government was
responsible for the present
security challenges facing
the country.
unstable neighbours.
“A lot of people put
Morocco in the same basket
as the other countries
even though Morocco has
known a different road in
terms of political reform,”
the tourism minister said.
“It has required a lot of communication
to put Morocco
in a different light than
what has been reported in
some media.”
The slow growth is a
major concern for a country
where tourism is considered
a key industry. Morocco’s
tourism sector employs
some 470,000 people in this
country of 32 million.
Nigeria woos investors,
tourists at Berlin expo
According Runsewe,
‘‘There is no other country in
the world as safe as Nigeria, as
the security issue is only limited
to few states in the northern
part of the country and the
Federal Government is very
serious and proactive in handling
the situation.”
He added, ‘‘Please come
to Nigeria, your investment
is safe and your life too is
safe. No one will harm any of
you visitors and investors as
this government is very serious
about welcoming genuine
investors and visitors to
the country.”

CAribbean
Jamaica to tap domestic market
as overseas arrivals dip
TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013 ⋅ 26
Bahamas all set for
new tourism push
The tourism authority in
Bahamas is launching a
range of initiatives, including
a new digital platform and
a visit to Latin America to
boost tourism to the country.
According to Tourism
Minister Obie Wilchcombe
the digital platform will offer
visitors the option to search
for airlift, car rentals and
hotels in the Bahamas.
“It is a way to get people
to discover the islands
and get them here in the
quickest possible way,” said
Wilchcombe.
At the end of April, Bahamian
tourism officials
will travel to Brazil for the
first-ever World Tourism
Council meeting.
In the wake of recent downturn
in international tourist arrivals,
Jamaica tourism authorities
have turned their focus to
the domestic market by offering
special discounts for local
people to visit some of the
island’s most popular resorts
and attractions.
The recently launched campaign
‘Experience Jamaica’
hopes to encourage local residents
to book into hotels and
visit attractions at discounted
rates ranging from 20%- 50%.
The discounts are applicable
to Jamaican residents only.
The domestic market thrust
comes as fresh statistics from
the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB)
showed a 4.7% decline in international
visitor arrivals in January
compared with the same
period last year.
Minister: Time for St. Kitts to
modify its tourism strategy
Tourism and International
Transport Minister of Saint
Kitts and Nevis Hon. Richard
Skerritt told the stakeholders
of the industry it was time for
St. Kitts to revise its tourism
strategy.
The minister emphasised
a number of achievements St.
Kitts and Nevis has made in
the development of tourism
but also reminded that more
could be attained if all partners
worked together.
“Tourism development
and growth in St. Kitts has
been unprecedented in
importance, scale and economic
impact,” he said.
“Much has happened in the
world since 2006, including
dramatic technological
changes that have ushered
in the rise of social media.
It has forced the travel and
tourism industry to wake up
to the global competitiveness
of the industry and the need
for added value for the consumer,”
he added.
Permanent Secretary
in the Ministry of Tourism
Patricia Martin described the
consultation between various
stakeholders as a vital
part of the process of developing
a national tourism sector
strategy.
“It was felt this is an opportune
time to formulate a new
strategy that would provide
direction for tourism development
over the next five years,”
she said.
Underwater Sculpture Park
reflects Grenada’s dedication
to sustainable tourism
Antigua and Barbuda boasts most expensive
resort in the Caribbean
The Lighthouse Bay Resort in
Antigua and Barbuda is the
most expensive hotel in the
Caribbean. This finding is based
on results of a new survey conducted
by CaribbeanResorts.
net, a web portal on resorts in
the Caribbean. Rankings were
made according to each hotel’s
average rate for the most affordable
double room.
To stay in the Lighthouse
Bay, travellers had to shell out
an average of $2,490 per night.
That’s significantly more than
the second most expensive
hotel, the Amanyara resort.
Located in the Turks & Caicos
Islands in Caribbean, this
number two finisher generally
charges an average of $2,059
per night.
Three more luxury resorts
in the twin-island nation of
Antigua and Barbuda landed
in the top 10. In Antigua, the
Jumby Bay and Hermitage Bay
resorts secured their position
with average rates of $1,898 and
$1,423, respectively, per night
for the most affordable double
room. In Barbuda, the Coco
Point Lodge also came in top 10
at an average rate of $1,515.
The stunning and unique
underwater sculpture park
in the Caribbean ocean off the
west coast of Grenada models
the best practice of sustainable
tourism. The first of its kind in
the world, Grenada’s Underwater
Sculpture Park was
especially designed to act as an
artificial reef, offering an ideal
environment to explore the
intricate relationship between
art and the environment.
Recognised as one of the
‘Wonders of the World –
Earth’s Most Awesome Places’
in a special edition of National
Geographic, the park is located
just outside St. George’s in the
Molinere Bay Marine Protected
Area. Created by British
sculptor Jason deCaires
Taylor, the park has become
one of the main tourist attractions
for Grenada. The statues
are accessible to both divers
and snorkelers.
“As artificial reefs, the 105
sculptures are proving to be
highly successful in attracting
a stunning array of varied
marine life and are easing
the environmental pressure
of other reefs in the area,”
said Howard Clarke, Chairman
of Grenada Underwater
Sculpture Management,
Inc (GUSMI). “Creating artificial
reefs is not uncommon,
but using Taylor’s pieces of
artwork is a unique way of
helping out nature. It has
opened up a new world of
possibility for the diving
and snorkeling industry,”
added Clarke.

2013
Kolkata
5, 6, 7 July
Ahmedabad
16, 17, 18 August
Mumbai
30, 31, August, 1 September
Hyderabad
12, 13, 14 July
Surat
23, 24, 25 August
Pune
6, 7, 8 September
India's Biggest Travel Trade Show
2014
NOW B2B FOCUSED
MUMBAI
India’s Biggest Travel Market
7, 8, 9 February
Bombay Convention & Exhibition Centre
NEW DELHI
India’s Second Biggest Travel Market
13, 14, 15 February
Ashok Hotel Convention Centre

EVENTS
TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013 ⋅ 28
Visit USA holds first-ever Kolkata
media and trade presentation
100+ travel trade members attend Kolkata’s maiden
U.S. Travel Trade seminar to hear about Visit USA’s
plans to tap the India market, the simplified visa regulations
and the campaign to showcase America’s lesser
known tourism destinations .
With a mission to achieve one million outbound
Indian tourists by 2015, Visit USA Committee
(VUSACOM) continued its promotional
drive in India on Friday, with a first-of-its-kind event in
Kolkata, sponsored and organised by Fairfest Media, who
run India’s leading and largest network of B2B focused
travel trade shows OTM and TTF, and supported by the
Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI).
Held at the city’s Kenilworth Hotel, the interactive
event had officials from the U.S. Consulate and the VUSA-
COM executive committee, and some travel trade members
operating in the U.S., presenting their plans, initiatives
and objectives for promoting tourism to the U.S., and
detailing the new visa regulations that significantly ease
the application process for tourists from India.
Speakers at the event included Richard Craig, Principal
Commercial Officer at the Consulate General of the
U.S. in Kolkata; Gregory Simkiss, Vice Consul at the Consulate
General of the U.S. in Kolkata; Bharat Patil, member
of VUSACOM Executive Committee and G Ibrahim,
Joint Managing Director of Fairfest Media.
The event was part of an ongoing campaign by VUSA-
COM to spread awareness about the various destinations
and attractions in the U.S., and the simplified visa regulations
for travel to the United States, following earlier
presentations at trade events, including the recent OTM
in Delhi.
Gregory Simkiss presented a detailed slideshow of the
simplified visa regulations that clearly instructed tour
organisers and travel agents the new requirements and
streamlined process for visa applications to the U.S. “It
has become much easier to apply for a visa to the U.S.,”
he said.
Tourists are now given a 10-year multiple-entry visa,
for which they can have a same-day interview. Simkiss’
presentation detailed the documents required when making
the application, timings of the process, and places
where the applications can be made, as well as what is
looked for while deciding on the credibility and genuineness
of the traveller. In an in-depth Q&A session with the
floor, Consular Section Chief Wendy Kennedy answered
individual questions regarding visa applications, their
approval and rejection, in an extensive interactive discussion
with the participants.
The difference between an approval and a rejection
of an application does not depend on a piece of paper, or
a written invitation from a relative in the U.S. , Kennedy
stressed. What is important is to show a type of lifestyle
and convincing economic and personal stability through
an authentic interaction with Consular officials. “Having
a ton of documents does not make your case more convincing,”
she said.
This session was noted to be particularly enlightening
for the travel trade fraternity, who expressed satisfaction
at the attention to their concerns regarding the visa
process, and pleasure at the clarification of the application
stages.
As well as highlighting the simplified visa application
process, VUSACOM is keen to target the growing
Indian market through a series of promotional drives and
roadshows throughout the country that show the lesser
known attractions of the United States.
Some 66 million tourists visited the U.S. in 2011, said
Principal Commercial Officer at the U.S. Consulate General
in Kolkata Richard Craig up 6% over 2001, with an
expected increase of a further 4.3% over the next four
years. India is hoped to be a major part of that boost.
Appealing to the Indian traveller’s taste for travel and
discovery of varied destinations is top of the U.S.’s campaign
to target the lucrative Indian outbound market.
While there are known tourism icons in the United
States, he said, there are also the lesser known places that
are just as incredible, and it is the mission of VUSACOM
to spread awareness of these places in the Indian market.
Bharat Patil, member of VUSACOM Executive
Committee, echoed Craig’s words about the need to spread
information about the other parts of the U.S. between the
‘obvious’ places like New York, and Washington DC on
the East Coast, or Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco
on the West Coast.
He also highlighted the campaigns to change the
thinking that a vacation to the States is an expensive
option and highlighted the various options of alternative
holidays available in the country, from a golfing break
and mountain biking holiday to a discounted shopping
spree on Madison Avenue or the various bed-and-breakfast
options.
Patil also spoke about the recently formed Brand USA,
part of a White House directive to promote tourism to the
country, and its upcoming drive to tap the Indian market.
“Indians are big travellers,” said Patil. “There is a big
push for the Indian market with initiatives of Brand USA
showcasing all over the country.
“Brand USA will be hitting this country big time,” he
said.
Participants, delegates, travel trade fraternity members
and the media expressed great satisfaction at the success
of the event, commenting on the impressive turnout
and the attention of the speakers.
“We are now working in close collaboration with
VUSACOM for promoting the U.S. in India,” said G Ibrahim
of Fairfest Media. “We are giving them a platform,
starting with the visa presentation at OTM at Delhi in
February, followed by this Kolkata initiative, and with
plans for more such collaborative efforts, dovetailing with
our tradeshows.”

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013 events 29
What they said
“We had a very good interaction with everyone and
we hope more people will consider visiting the U.S. in
the future. Visitors can come for leisure, for business
and for many other things. We would also like to
collaborate with the U.S. commercial services and VUSACOM to
attract tourists to the United States.”
Gregory D. Simkiss
Vice Consul, Consulate General of the United States, Kolkata
“The United States has
so many great places to
offer. We want to make
sure the travel industry
has a chance to know about those
places. This is the first time we have
had the pleasure of working with
Fairfest and we would certainly like to
explore opportunities for further
collaboration with Fairfest and Visit USA.”
Richard Craig
Principal Commercial Officer
Consulate General of the United States, Kolkata
“The Indian market is a big market for the U.S. and
the per-person spend by Indian visitors is also very
high. Our partnership with OTM for this event is
really great. OTM and TTF have a national network
with a wide reach. Tying up with OTM has given us the opportunity
to go to all those cities that OTM covers. VUSACOM’s association
with OTM will be beneficial for both.”
Bharat Patil
Member, VUSACOM-Executive Committee
“It is very nice that Calcutta had an opportunity to
directly interact with the U.S. travel body. It is really
encouraging for us. The best thing about today’s
seminar was definitely the enlightenment on visas. I am happy
about the fact that the U.S. has come to see us.”
Aparna Chaturvedi Basumallik
Chairperson, Eastern Region, Travel Agents Association of India
“We have seen an
unprecedented growth in
recent times, with both
business and leisure
segments growing steadily. Today’s
event was very interesting. The
question and answer session was quite
enlightening. The personal interaction
with the people of travel trade was also useful.”
J.T. Ramnani
Managing Director
Vensimal World Travel Agents Private Limited
“Today’s seminar was
very informative for us. I
would definitely look
forward to more such sessions. Visa
procedure changes very frequently. The
application process, the kind of
documentation required, the interview
– the entire process is not very simple.
More such informative seminars about visa
procedures would be helpful.”
Sanjay Kumar
Director, Travelaid
“We had
a good
platform
to showcase our
various products in
front of the U.S. travel
body. One of our
objectives is also to
look to new markets.
Although we are based in Bombay, other
markets like Kolkata and Delhi are
extremely important for us in terms of
their growth potential. It was fabulous to
interact and network with many members
from the travel trade.”
Saugat Nandy
Director, Western India,
Starwood Hotels and Resorts
“It has been
extremely
helpful for
us. We had
many queries and after
the visa presentation we
got to know about lot of
things. It opens up
America as a destination for us. We
gathered much relevant information about
travelling to the U.S. Nowadays many
young people are keen on visiting the U.S.
and that is a big change.”
Sshashank Arora
CEO, South Wind
“This is
the first
event of
its kind and it
generated a lot of
interest. The seminar
witnessed a fantastic
turnout. Experience of
the visa session was quite exciting and
travel agents gained much information
from it. It provokes them to think and
helps them to make new itineraries.”
Kiran Arora
Business Development Manager, (East)
Globus & Cosmos

30 events
Dubai’s Lama Tours leads
largest India roadshow to date
Lama Tours, Dubai’s premier
destination management company,
led one of the biggest delegations
ever to India from April
8-12. Dubai hotels, resorts, airline
partners and attractions
from the UAE joined the company
for a four-city roadshow,
starting in New Delhi, followed
by Chennai, Bangalore and
Mumbai, where they interacted
with more than 1,800 travel
professionals at the high networking
events.
This was the largest delegation
to India in terms of seller
participation since the company
ran its first India roadshow
almost 11 years ago. The
event was attended by prominent
media members, travel
agents, holiday planners, wedding
planners and event organisers
at all four cities.
“Indians’ passion to travel
continues to grow year after
year,” Kulwant Singh, managing
director of Lama Tours
said. “Even India’s economic
slowdown and the rupee further
depreciating against the
U.S. dollar did not stop Indian
tourists travelling to Dubai last
year. The Indian market has
always been very important
and continues to be a potential
for Lama in both leisure and
MICE businesses,” he added.
“The Indian wedding business
is a rapidly growing
market and Dubai is a premier
wedding destination for
the Indian diaspora. We concluded
a few wedding events
last year and we have several
more confirmed for this year,”
Singh added.
TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | april 2013
Malbec World Day
celebrated in New Delhi
A delegation from the Argentine
province of Mendoza,
including the Minister of Tourism
(Mendoza) Javier Espina,
visited New Delhi on April 15
to celebrate Malbec World Day.
Guests at the event, held at
the Oberoi Hotel, New Delhi,
were treated to fabulous wine
and a sizzling tango show.
Malbec World Day is an
international celebration dedicated
entirely to the famous
Malbec grape, which is used
in making red wine.
Mendoza is Argentina’s
wine capital and the birthplace
of Malbec. Every year
Mendoza receives a huge number
of tourists who come to
enjoy the wines among other
attractions.
Indian Tourism Ministry proposes
wider Visa-on Arrival scheme
India’s Tourism Ministry has
said it intends to widen the
scope of the Visa-on-Arrival
scheme to include more international
airports and countries.
Following the increase
of foreign interest in travel to
India, the government said it
aims to increase the scheme
from the current four international
airports and 11
countries.
The issue was discussed at
the recent Great Indian Travel
Bazaar (GITB) in Jaipur, which
was opened by Rajasthan
Tourism Minister Bina Kak
on April 14.
“The phenomenal growth of
the tourism sector has resulted
in making a significant contribution
to the growth of GDP
in different countries. It has,
in other words, become a key
driver of national economies,”
Kak said.
This year’s event also saw a
higher number of B2B meetings
between exhibitors and foreign
tour operators from across 56
countries, which translated
into negotiations and business
arrangements across the tourism
industry.
The Indian Heritage Hotel
Association (IHHA), the Hotel
and Restaurant Association
of Rajasthan (HRAR) and the
Rajasthan Association of Tour
Operators also offered major
support to GITB.
Sabah Fest 2013
to be held in May
Sabah Fest, the much awaited
cultural extravaganza, returns
in 2013 with another spectacular
show highlighting Sabah’s
diverse people, cultures and
traditions.
Manoharan Periasamy,
Director, Tourism Malaysia
said, “Sabah Fest presents
a wonderful blend of cultural
and natural heritage that
is richly embedded in folklore.
It precedes the statewide
Harvest Festival celebration
and is a superbly entertaining
cultural extravaganza that
incorporates dance, music,
fashion, food and more.”
Experts: India’s hospitality industry
heading for 40% online revenue increase
The Indian hospitality industry
is set to increase its online
revenue by 40%, according
to experts at a recent conference
by Ideas and Travel-
Click at The Hyatt Regency in
Mumbai.
Topics covered by the conference
included mobile distribution,
social media and pricing
strategies in sessions that
comprised panel discussions
and keynote speakers from
leading firms, such as Google,
Tnooz and TripAdvisor.
“The Indian market is getting
more mature with more
foreign brands coming in. At
the same time Indian brands
are also becoming more
global,” Sivaprasad Gangadharan,
Regional Director, Subcontinent
Sales for Ideas, said.
“We have a large number
of hotels in India and the subcontinent
that consult us. The
only gap we foresee is one of
knowledge in this fast increasing
world of e-commerce. As
a responsible partner, we
will do our bit to bridge the
knowledge gap,” Joy Ghosh,
Regional Director India &
Subcontinent at TravelClick,
said.
Some 100 attendees, predominantly
sales and revenue
professionals, along with
managers from large chain
hotels including Taj Hotels,
Oberoi, Leela, ITC, Marriott,
Starwood, Sun N Sand, Lalit,
Concept Hospitality and many
more, took part in the event.
Chiranjeevi inaugurates UNWTO
conference in Hyderabad
Union Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi
inaugurated the United
Nations World Tourism Organisation
(UNWTO) Conference
on sustainable tourism development
in Hyderabad on April 12.
Speaking on the occasion,
the minister said that in the
coming years, the Asia and
Pacific regions, with their vast
range of destinations and products,
can certainly achieve
higher growth in tourism by
developing synergy in promoting
tourism products and destinations
jointly.
“Intra-regional and interregional
cooperation hold the
key to the growth of this sector,”
he said. “Further, the tourism
industry, with its established
contributions towards
economic growth, employment
generation and social integration,
will have to be made
sustainable for drawing the
benefits over a longer period of
time,” he added.
In his opening address,
Taleb Rifai, Secretary General,
UNWTO, referred to
Hyderabad as “the city of
smiles”. The year 2012 was a
historical one that saw 1,035
million people crossing international
borders, he said. While
the tourism sector in the world
saw a growth of 4%, the Asian
region witnessed a growth of 7%
and accounted for 25% of world
traffic.
The inaugural function was
attended by some 100 international
delegates from 24 member
countries, stakeholders
from the travel and hospitality
industry, senior officials from
the central and state governments
and representatives from
the media.
Malaysia aims to
draw 9,000 tourists
for Borneo Jazz Fest
The Borneo Jazz Festival, previously
known as the Miri International
Jazz Festival, is making a
comeback in 2013. The jazz extravaganza
will be offering fans a
diverse range of jazz styles, as well
as other musical genres, from May
10-11 at the city of Miri in northern
Sarawak, Malaysia and this year
hopes to attract at least 9,000 local
and foreign festival-goers.
Borneo Jazz 2013, organised
by Sarawak Tourism Board, aims
to be the leading tourism-driven
music festival in the region. By
assembling regionally and internationally
recognised jazz musicians,
the musical event aims
to draw visitors to Miri and the
northern region of Sarawak for a
fun-filled and entertaining experience,
while at the same time showcasing
Miri as a cosmopolitan city
with a relaxing lifestyle.

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