Print Edition - Travel News Digest

Volume II • Issue 13 Pages 32 www.travelnewsdigest.in 

` 50 / us $5 16-31 MAY 2013 

INDIA 04 asia 10 oceania 15 middle east 16 europe 18 americas 22 

africa 26 caribbean 29 events 30 

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 

Event Alert 

Block Your Dates 

TTF, 2013 

Kolkata: July 5, 6, 7 

Hyderabad: July 12, 13, 14 

Ahmedabad: August 16, 17, 18 

Surat: August 23, 24, 25 

Mumbai: August 30, 31, 

September 1 

Pune: September 6, 7, 8 

TTF, 2014 

Bangalore: January 3, 4, 5 

Chennai: January 10, 11, 12 

OTM, 2014 

Mumbai: February 7, 8, 9 

New Delhi: February 13, 14, 15 

Maharashtra installs 

tourist kiosks 

Kids tourism in 

Gujarat 

Kerala to get more 

Russian tourists 

Page 04 

Page 05 

BTM (Business Travel & MICE) 

co-located with OTM 

In response to the growth and diversification of the booming travel market, Fairfest 

is launching two new segments at its successful travel fairs: BTM, for business travel 

and MICE, and Outbound Village, for international destination marketers 

India is the fastest growing business travel market in the 

world. Mumbai is the business hub of India harbouring 

major commercial organisations and leading corporations 

including multi-nationals, with huge business travel and 

MICE spending. 

To cater to this niche, BTM has been launched and colocated 

with the OTM. BTM will provide guaranteed access 

to hundreds of business travel and MICE buyers from top 

companies in the region. 

BTM will focus on buyers from corporate travel planners 

with purchasing authority, business travel managers, 

meetings, incentives conventions and exhibition planners, 

film destination managers, etc. 

BTM exhibitors include national and state tourism 

organisations, convention bureaus, hotels, convention 

and exhibition venues, destination and travel management 

companies, professional event management companies, 

airlines and railroads, ground handling and logistic 

companies, and other MICE service providers. 

According to industry expert Ashwini Kakkar, 

Executive Vice Chairman, Mercury Travels, between 

1.2 million and 1.5 million Indians will travel for MICE 

purposes only. They might include people going abroad, 

or those who will attend meetings, conferences and exhibitions 

within India. These 1.2 to 1.5 million people will 

induce expenses of more than ₨5,000 crore or approximately 

$1 billion to $1.3 billion. 

Thailand Tourism 

gets new boss, 

Somsak Pureesrisak 

20th edition of 

ATM addresses key 

industry issues 

GBTA sees business travel in 

developed economies slow 

while emerging markets soar 

Emerging markets drive global business travel 

spending up 4.5% in 2011 to over $1 trillion 

Growth of Business Travel in Top 15 Markets 

20.0% 

18.0% 

16.0% 

14.0% 

12.0% 

10.0% 

8.0% 

6.0% 

4.0% 

2.0% 

0.0% 

Expected Growth (2012-2016 CAGR) in Business Travel Spend 

(BTS) and Current Level of BTS (Size of bubble) of Top 15 Markets 

India 

China 

Germany France 

United Kingdom 

United States 

Japan 

Source: GBTA Foundation, Rockport Analytics, 2012 

Czech Republic to 

promote J&K 

Tourism 

Brazil 

South Korea 

Australia 

Russia 

Spain 

Netherlands 

Canada 

Country 

(Arranged By Current BTS Level) 

APAC Key Markets: Business Travel 

% Share in Total Travel 

Country 

% Business Travel 

CHINA 27.8% 

INDIA 26.2% 

INDONESIA 20.6% 

APAC 25.5% 

Source: World Travel & Tourism Council 

Contd. on page 2... 

Mauritius aims to 

increase tourist 

arrivals from India 

Page 06 

Rajasthan to focus on 

new tourism products 

Page 07 Page 10 Page 16 & 30 

Page 18 Page 28

2 

• COVER STORY 

Contd. from page 1 

Outbound Village @ TTF 

India’s largest B2B focused travel trade show network 

TTF announced a new section: Outbound Village 

@ TTF, at Kolkata, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Surat, 

Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Chennai. 

Total Outbound Tourists from India 

Approx 14 m (100%) 

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | MAY 2013 

“The concept of BTM is 

highly innovative and will surely 

add value to the already successful 

OTM. OTOAI and OTM have 

long been supporting each other 

and look forward to extending the 

collaboration to include educative 

seminars on outbound promotions for leisure, 

business and MICE.” 

Guldeep Singh Sahni 

President, OTOAI 

(Outbound Tour Operators Association of India) 

Apart from the leading outbound markets of 

Mumbai and Delhi, the regional source markets emerging 

from these cities are also sizeable and growing fast. 

According to data from Indian government sources, 

out of the total number of approximately 14 million outbound 

tourists, the share of these cities are as follows: 

Kolkata 0.5m (3.3%), Hyderabad 0.8m (5.6%), Ahmadabad 

0.3m (2%), Bangalore 0.75m (5.5%), Chennai 1.5m 

(11%). These figures correspond to the direct outbound 

tourists from these international airports. These are 

in addition to outbound tourists from these cities flying 

via more popular international airports of Mumbai 

and Delhi. 

The Outbound Village @ TTF is designed to cater to 

international destination marketers interested in these 

very strong and growing regional markets in India, 

especially the MICE, business and leisure travel sectors. 

After all, a continent-size country like India cannot 

be fully served by marketing promotions in just one 

or two city centres. 

Exhibitors from several countries like 

Thailand, Dubai, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri 

Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Egypt, Indonesia, 

Cambodia, Mauritius, United Kingdom, Oman, Switzerland, 

Korea, Turkey, etc, have been participating in 

these cities. With the introduction of a specialised section 

branded as Outbound Village @ TTF, the international 

participants are likely to grow. 

The Outbound Tour Operators Association of India 

(OTOAI) is supporting the initiative to also promote 

and consolidate outbound activity in all parts of the 

country. 

With more than 2,100 exhibitors and 1,86,000 visitors, 

TTF is the oldest and the largest network of travel 

shows in India. It is organised by Fairfest Media Ltd. 

Major Outbound Airports in India 

Source: Bureau of Immigration, 2011 

Editorial Marketing Production Administration 

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Volume II - Issue 13 

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INDIA 

Jet Airways seals $379 million 

stake sale deal with Etihad 

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | MAY 2013 • 4 

Maharashtra installs 

tourist kiosks 

Maharashtra government has 

recently launched electronic 

kiosks at various locations 

across Mumbai and the state to 

make available relevant information 

of popular tourist locations 

to visitors. 

The machines, which are 

touch-screen, were inaugurated 

by Chief Secretary 

JK Banthia and Jagdish 

Patil, Managing Director, 

Maharashtra Tourism Development 

Corporation (MTDC). 

Banthia said that 300 such 

kiosks will soon be set up at 

various tourist destinations, 

government offices, railway 

stations and airports 

in Maharashtra. Within 

Mumbai, the kiosks will be 

put at Chhatrapati Shivaji 

Terminus railway station, 

Dadar, domestic and international 

airports, Sanjay Gandhi 

National Park etc. 

“The kiosks are touch 

screen and user friendly giving 

away all important information 

about the tourist destinations 

in English and 

Marathi. It also enables booking 

of MTDC resorts and railway 

tickets,” said an official. 

India’s Jet Airways recently 

gave the green signal to the 

sale of a 24% stake to UAE 

based Etihad Airways for 

$379 million (₨2,058 crore), the 

first foreign investment in an 

Indian airline since the country 

eased restrictions on aviation 

deals last year. 

Jet Airways said in a statement 

to the Bombay Stock 

Exchange (BSE) that it is selling 

27.3 million new shares 

to Etihad at $13.90 (₨754.73) 

a share, subject to regulatory 

and shareholder approvals. 

Mumbai-based Jet, founded 

in 1993, is one of India’s largest 

domestic airlines and its 

second-largest international 

carrier behind state-owned 

Air India. 

Jet is most likely to use Etihad’s 

cash infusion to expand 

its fleet of 100 aircraft. 

Rapidly expanding Etihad 

was set up in the UAE in 2003 

and of late has been building 

partnerships and other alliances 

across the globe as part 

of its fierce competition with 

Gulf rivals Qatar Airways and 

Dubai-based Emirates. 

Goa approves single-window 

clearance for tourism events 

The government of Goa 

recently approved a singlewindow 

clearance system for 

granting approval to tourism 

events like music festivals, 

beach weddings, craft bazaars, 

trade fairs and other tourism 

events in the state. 

Chief Minister Manohar 

Parrikar said that such tourism 

events will be given clearance 

through a single-window 

system but the organisers will 

need to obtain separate permissions 

from departments 

like excise, VAT, Goa state pollution 

control board and Goa 

coastal zone management 

authority as these are statutory 

bodies. 

The Department of Tourism 

will be the nodal department 

Tourists carrying liquor bottles 

and drinking copiously on Goa’s 

beaches will soon be a thing of 

the past. The State Tourism 

to give permission to events 

like music festivals, craft 

bazaars, night bazaars, beach 

weddings, cultural events, 

Department has recently 

directed the Indian Reserve 

Battalion (IRB), a wing of Goa 

Police, not to allow anybody to 

exhibitions and MICE (meetings, 

incentives, conferencing, 

and exhibitions) and other 

tourism-related events. 

Goa Tourism bans alcohol on beaches 

step on the beach with alcohol 

or glass bottles. 

With this new step the state 

tourism department wants 

to stop littering and nuisance 

caused to women tourists. 

“The ban has been imposed 

under the Goa Tourist Places 

(Protection and Maintenance) 

Act, which gives the right to the 

state government to ban things 

that create nuisance in the tourism 

zones. The act envisages 

protecting and maintaining the 

tourist places from deterioration 

and erosion and preserving 

the tourism potential,” Nikhil U. 

Desai, Managing Director, Goa 

Tourism Development Corporation 

(GTDC), said. 

Maharashtra to expand 

eco-tourism model to more 

wildlife sanctuaries 

In an attempt to ensure the 

long-term survival of forests 

across Maharashtra, the 

state government is to implement 

the eco-tourism model 

that has been in practice in the 

Tadoba-Andhari tiger reserve 

near Nagpur. 

The model involves relocation 

of villages from the 

core areas of the forest, creating 

tourism-dependent livelihoods 

and providing alternative 

source of fuel, such as 

cooking gas for the villagers. 

At present, villagers use firewood 

sourced from the forests. 

State Forest Secretary 

Praveen Pardeshi said that 

following the establishment 

of ‘Tiger Force’, an armed 

force for protecting the wildcats, 

regular strict anti-poaching 

patrols and other proactive 

measures, the number 

of tigers in various forests 

across the state has increased 

significantly. 

“In 2011, there were 160-170 

tigers in these areas. The number 

rose to nearly 200 early this 

year,” he said. “In the Tadoba- 

Andhari tiger reserve, only 

117 vehicles are allowed from 

the main gate of the reserve. 

The rest of the vehicles are 

allowed inside the forest from 

the villages in the buffer zone. 

These vehicles are charged 

about ₨1,000 per safari. This 

income goes to local villagers,” 

he added.

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | MAY 2013 INDIA • 5 

MPTDC adopts new 

technologies to help tourists 

Madhya Pradesh Tourism 

Development Corporation 

(MPTDC) has chosen to 

implement new modern technologies 

like quick response 

code (QRC) and near field 

communication (NFC) for 

domestic and foreign tourists 

in their own language. After 

its sanction by Chief Minister 

Shivraj Singh Chouhan, it 

has been decided to use these 

techniques at Khajuraho and 

Orchha tourist sites. 

Quick response code (QRC) 

will be placed at the entrance 

of these heritage sites. For this, 

tourists will have to install 

QR code application on their 

smart phones or iPad. After 

scanning this code, tourists 

will get detailed information 

about the tourist destination. 

Similarly, near field communication 

(NFC) is a technique 

by which information 

will be contained in a microchip 

actually powered by 

radio frequency field of the 

NFC-enabled smart phone. 

With the help of this technique, 

tourists will be able to 

obtain information about the 

heritage through digital map, 

roadmaps and other facilities. 

Gujarat to promote kids tourism 

The Gujarat Tourism Department, 

which recently bagged 

national awards for its various 

initiatives, has come up with 

an innovative idea of promoting 

‘kids tourism’. The department 

is likely to launch a new 

campaign promoting destinations 

that would be appealing 

or attractive to children. 

With summer vacations 

round the corner, a time when 

children play an important 

role in deciding the travel 

destinations, the department 

thought it would be an apt time 

to launch the campaign. 

“We want to promote what 

can be called ‘kids tourism’, featuring 

destinations that might 

be interesting or exciting to children. 

We want to educate the 

children about the attractions 

in our state,” said Vipul Mittra, 

Principal Secretary, Tourism, 

Government of Gujarat. 

Gujarat tourism has divided 

the major attractions in the 

state into eight hubs, which are 

Ahmedabad metro, Ahmedabad 

rural (north Gujarat), 

Surat (south Gujarat), Vadodara 

(central Gujarat), Rajkot, 

Junagadh and Jamnagar (Saurashtra) 

and Bhuj (Kutch). Of 

these, places like the sanctuaries, 

hill-stations and in-city 

attractions like heritage walks 

etc can be interesting to children, 

said a senior official in the 

tourism department. 

The department is stepping 

up its effort to launch a campaign 

that would include television 

commercials, newspaper 

advertisements etc, as a part of 

promoting kids’ tourism. 

The department has also 

taken up initiatives to develop 

private golf courses, and five 

memorandums of understanding 

(MOUs) have already 

been signed in this regard. 

A budget of ₨654 crore has 

been earmarked for tourism 

infrastructure. 

Madhya Pradesh allots 

₨180 crore for tourism 

development in state 

In a bid to give a major boost 

to the tourism sector in the 

state, Madhya Pradesh government 

has sanctioned ₨180 

crore for the development of 

various tourism destinations 

across the state. This amount 

has been sanctioned for 

four years. 

These funds will be utilised 

for infrastructure development 

at religious places, 

development of rural and 

heritage tourism, encouragement 

of wildlife and ecotourism 

activities, development 

of water reservoirs and 

adventure sports destination, 

As part of its strategy to project 

the state as a major tourist 

destination, Andhra Pradesh 

(AP) Tourism is stepping up 

efforts to take up major destination 

development projects 

improvement of Jain and Buddhist 

corridors in the state and 

development of new tourist 

destinations, fairs, festivals, 

air services etc. 

Of these funds, ₨30 core 

will be spent on development 

of tourist facilities under 

MICE (Meetings, incentives, 

conferences, and exhibitions) 

tourism, ₨5 Crore on development 

of Buddhist corridor 

in western Madhya Pradesh, 

₨10 crore on Jain corridor, 

₨10 crore on heritage hotels 

and ₨50 crore will be spent on 

providing eco and adventure 

tourism facilities to tourists. 

AP to develop Visakhapatnam 

as major tourism hub 

& Culture, Government 

of Andhra Pradesh said 

a global tender has been 

floated for six projects on a 

30 kilometre radius around 

Visakhapatnam, and so far 

Tourism will continue to be a 

top priority sector: Gujarat CM 

The inauguration of Gujarat 

Travel Mart (GTM) by Gujarat 

Chief Minister Narendra Modi 

underscored the importance 

given by him to the tourism 

sector. Tourism has become 

one of the major focus areas 

for the state government in the 

recent past. The State Tourism 

Department has embarked 

on several initiatives, including 

the highly successful and 

award-winning advertising 

campaign, ‘Khushboo Gujarat 

Ki’, featuring the state’s brand 

ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, 

and launching GTM in 

order to position Gujarat as a 

‘vibrant’ tourism destination 

on the global tourism map. 

“A decade ago, the state was 

nowhere on the tourism map 

of India. In 2006, my government 

decided to give top priority 

to tourism and the year 

was also declared as ‘Year of 

Tourism’. Today, tourism is an 

important sector and we shall 

continue to give it top priority 

in the coming years,” Modi 

said in his opening speech 

at the trade fair. “We need to 

improve infrastructure further 

and continuous efforts 

are being made on that front. 

We want tourism development 

in the state to be holistic,” 

Modi added. 

across the state. 

As a start, the tourism 

department has identified 

various projects on Public-Private-Partnership 

(PPP) mode in the port city 

of Visakhapatnam, which 

would comprise theme 

parks, health city, science 

city, aqua-marine park, 

international convention 

centre, etc. 

Chandana Khan, Special 

Chief Secretary, Tourism 

the response has been good. 

She confirmed these projects 

will be completed within 

three years. Apart from this, 

Andhra Pradesh Tourism 

is also planning to develop 

a 30-kilometre beach corridor 

in Visakhapatnam with 

funding from the Centre. 

Khan said the focus is 

on developing water sports 

and adventure sports infrastructure 

in destinations like 

Visakhapatnam in a big way.

6 • india 

Kerala to witness surge of Russian 

tourists with new agreement 

Pegas Touristik, one of the largest 

Russian tour operators headquartered 

in Moscow, recently 

signed an agreement with tourism 

authorities in the southern 

Indian state of Kerala to bring 

more Russian tourists to India. 

The overwhelming response 

from Russian tourists to the 

state known for its backwaters, 

beaches and Ayurvedic spas is 

a key factor that resulted in the 

pact for the next season. The 

agreement also confirms the 

operation of Russian chartered 

flights to state. 

The travel industry in the 

state reacted positively to the 

decision of the Russian tour 

operators to run chartered 

flights in the next tourist season. 

Popular destinations for 

Russian tourists include the 

beaches of Kovalam, near the 

capital city of Thiruvanthapuram 

and Varkala. 

Ayurveda helps Kerala emerge 

as a major medical tourism hub 

The age old tradition of Indian 

Ayurveda is rapidly turning 

Kerala into an international 

medical tourism destination, 

attracting holidayers from 

across the world as well as 

top international celebrities to 

the state. 

When British supermodel 

Naomi Campbell came to Kerala 

last year for an Ayurvedic 

massage session at Leela Kovalam 

Beach hotel, she added 

a celebrity endorsement to 

the healing system and also 

to Kerala. 

According to Kerala Tourism 

department Italian film 

director Bernardo Bertolucci, 

well-known for his global hits 

like ‘Last Tango in Paris’ and 

‘The Last Emperor’, recently 

visited the state for Ayurvedic 

treatment of a chronic ailment. 

German TV and film actress 

Ingeborg Schoener has been 

visiting the state for the last 

eight years for Ayurveda 

Tourist arrivals in Tamil Nadu up 34% 

The number of tourist arrivals 

in Tamil Nadu increased 

by 34.1% in 2012 to 187.6 million 

from 140 million. To 

strengthen the sector further 

the government is devising a 

new tourism policy in conjunction 

with a ₨500 crore project, 

with Asian Development Bank 

treatment. Completely cured 

of her painful knee problem, 

she thanked the tourism officials 

for the fact that she had 

stopped allopathic treatments. 

“Thanks to Ayurveda, I feel 

fantastic. I make ghee at home 

and have stopped using oil to 

fry food. I do my yoga, drink 

a glass of hot water first thing 

in the morning and buy oneyear 

worth of Ayurvedic medicines,” 

a spokesperson of the 

tourism department quoted 

her as saying. 

“Ayurveda, practised in 

Kerala in its traditional and 

authentic form, has been a 

major attraction for tourists. 

We are now planning to leverage 

its healing and curative 

aspects, along with its wellness 

system, to woo tourists during 

the monsoon season,” Kerala 

Tourism Secretary Suman 

Billa said. 

“It can help Kerala become a 

365-day destination and ensure 

(ADB’s) assistance. 

P Chendur Pandian, Minister 

for Tourism in Tamil Nadu 

said that tourist arrivals in 2012 

stood at 187.6 million, including 

184.1 million domestic and 3.5 

million foreign tourists, compared 

to 140 million in 2011 and 

105.8 million in 2010. 

repeat visits by overcoming 

the element of seasonality,” 

Billa said. 

Ayurveda in Kerala recently 

took the digital route to reach 

the global audience, with Kerala 

Tourism launching two 

e-books on the Indian healing 

system. 

“The e-books on Ayurveda 

are aimed at people around the 

world, to help them learn about 

the age-old system of medicine 

so that they can come to Kerala 

and experience its health benefits,” 

said State Tourism Minister 

A.P. Anil Kumar, releasing 

the two e-books. 

Tamil Nadu comes second 

after Maharashtra in foreign 

tourist arrivals and third 

in domestic tourist arrivals, 

and is aiming to achieve the 

number one position, said the 

minister. 

The minister attributed the 

growth in the flow to aggressive 

promotion and marketing campaigns, 

creation and upgradation 

of basic amenities and 

infrastructure at tourist spots. 

“A new tourism policy is 

being formulated, which aims 

to attract more high-spending 

tourists and also investments in 

tourism and hospitality-related 

infrastructure. The policy will 

also ensure employment for 

skilled and unskilled persons, 

besides inclusive development 

for the local people,” said 

the minister. 


MoT to spend ₨3 crore for 

promotion of Himalayas 

In a bid to boost the image of 

the Himalayas as an adventure 

tourism destination, the 

Ministry of Tourism (MoT) 

of the Indian government has 

allocated ₨3 crore for the promotion 

of the region. This 

was recently announced by 

Subhash Goyal, President of 

Indian Association of Tour 

Operators (IATO) at a seminar 

on Adventure Tourism 

organised by the Confederation 

of Indian Industry (CII). 

Akshay Kumar, President 

of Adventure Tour Operators 

Association of India (ATOAI) 

thanked the MoT for realising 

the potential of the Indian 

Himalayas. 

In an effort to promote tourism 

sector in the state, a two-day 

seminar on ‘Strategy for Tourism 

Development and Capacity 

Building’ was recently held 

in Imphal. 

“We anticipate and promote 

tourism as one of the 

key sectors that can provide 

immense benefit to the 

community and stake holders 

without any major capital 

investment as compared with 

other industries. And also, 

Manipur is the gateway of the 

Southeast Asian countries,” 

With promotion of the 

Himalayas, India can emerge 

as a year round tourism destination 

because peak tourist 

season in India is from 

October to March, and from 

March to October the travel 

trade can promote the Indian 

Himalayas. 

India has 60% of the Himalayas 

encompassing six states. 

“The Indian Himalayas has 

huge potential for adventure 

tourism. The country should 

optimise existing air strips at 

various parts of hilly states 

such as Himachal Pradesh, 

Uttarakhand, etc,” Ajeet Bajaj, 

Managing Director, Snow 

Leopard Adventures, said. 

Manipur aims to revive 

its tourism sector 

Manipur Chief Minister, Ibobi 

Singh said. 

The seminar was organised 

by the Manipur Tourism 

Forum with the backing 

of the state government. The 

seminar came to a consensus 

about encouraging publicprivate 

partnership model to 

strengthen the tourism sector 

in the state. 

The growth of tourism will 

help generate employment 

opportunities for the youth 

and give a boost to the hospitality 

sector.

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | MAY 2013 INDIA • 7 

Bihar aims to develop 

hospitality sector 

With more than a million foreign 

tourists coming to Bihar, 

the state government has now 

taken steps to focus more on 

developing infrastructure 

for the hospitality sector. The 

state government recently 

commissioned several projects 

to develop tourist destinations 

under Buddhist, Jain and 

Ramayana circuits. 

According to the data of the 

State Tourism Department, 

1.09 million foreign and 22.5 

million domestic tourists visited 

the state in last year. 

“We are very happy with 

the increasing numbers of 

foreign tourists,” said Tourism 

Minister Sunil Kumar 

Pintoo. “It reflects the growing 

acceptance of Bihar on the 

world tourism map. Until a 

few years ago, not many people 

could gather strength to visit 

Bihar. However, today we are 

among the top seven states to 

have a large number of foreign 

New village-style resorts to come 

up in UP to boost tourism 

In a brand new initiative to attract 

more tourists to Uttar Pradesh, the 

state government is planning to set 

up two resorts based on rural themes 

similar to Jaipur’s famous Chokhi 

Dhani. The resorts are to come up 

on the way to Taj Mahal via Yamuna 

Expressway and are expected to be a 

unique mix of tradition with five-star 

facilities. 

The resorts, once they come up, 

will depict the culture and village life 

of UP. 

Rajasthan’s Jaipur has a similar 

kind of resort named Chokhi Dhani 

that attracts a large number of foreign 

as well as domestic tourists. 

According to the UP tourism 

department, the Chokhi Dhani 

management has shown interest in 

developing concept-villages in UP 

along national highways and near 

tourist places. 

The government said these resorts 

will be developed on a public-privatepartnership 

model, with the management 

of Chokhi Dhani or any other 

interested groups willing to promote 

UP’s tourism. 

Chiranjeevi inaugurates new 

IITTM campus 

Union Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi 

inaugurated the new campus 

of the Indian Institute of Tourism 

and Travel Management (IITTM) in 

Noida. 

The campus is spread across 10 

acres in Sector 62 of Noida and was 

constructed at an estimated cost of 

₨27.70 crore. 

IITTM is an autonomous organisation 

of the Ministry of Tourism 

offering education, training, 

research and consultancy in sustainable 

management of tourism, travel 

and other allied sectors. The institute 

has pan-India presence with centres 

in Gwalior, Nellore, Delhi, Goa and 

Bhubaneswar. 

visitors. Our government’s 

constant efforts on improving 

law and order and governance 

are now paying off. 

“We have substantially 

increased the budget of the 

Tourism Department. This 

year we will be spending 

more than ₨105 crore on the 

construction of infrastructure 

in the hospitality sector 

for the comfort of foreign and 

domestic travellers,” the minister 

added. 

Rajasthan shifting focus to 

new travel products from 

heritage and culture 

As part of the state’s strategy to 

reposition itself, Rajasthan has 

initiated a major shift in focus 

towards innovative tourism 

products like resort tourism, 

archaeological tourism, tribal 

tourism, adventure and sports 

tourism, and ecotourism, said 

Bina Kak, Minister for Tourism 

in Rajasthan while delivering 

the inaugural address at 

the sixth edition of the Great 

Indian Travel Bazaar (GITB) 

in Jaipur. 

“There is a major shift from 

the traditional focus on culture 

and heritage now as far 

as tourist offerings are concerned,” 

she said. “We are 

changing the positioning of 

Rajasthan to a multiple-interest 

destination, attractive to 

diverse tourist groups from 

India and abroad.” 

New tourism circuits are 

also on the anvil, covering 

places such as the Keoladeo 

National Park, Darrah Sanctuary, 

Sajjangarh Wildlife Sanctuary 

and Kumbhalgarh Wildlife 

Sanctuary. 

Kak said that focus is also 

on bringing top quality and 

efficiency in service delivery 

to visitors in order to increase 

the number of repeat travellers 

to the state. 

Commenting on GITB 2013, 

the minister said the B2B travel 

market has evolved into a very 

productive platform for businesses, 

as well as policymakers 

in the country ever since 

its inception.

8 • india 

Himachal tourism to organise 

wildlife tour in Shimla 

In a bid to provide more to the 

tourist itinerary in the state, 

Himachal Pradesh Tourism 

Development Corporation 

(HPTDC) has planned to organise 

wildlife tours for tourists in 

the summer season. 

For the wildlife tour, HPTDC 

will conduct safaris for tourists 

inside the Shimla Reserve Forest 

Sanctuary and Catchment 

Area in Chharabra. 

The tour, which is expected 

to cost around ₨700 per head, 

will start from the Tourist 

Information Center near Victory 

Tunnel. Special HPTDC 

mini buses will be scheduled for 

pick and drop of tourists to and 

from the Forest Reserve. 

HPTDC will also make 

arrangements for food within 

the Catchment Area. It is also 

PHD Chamber organises 

seminar on Caravan Tourism 

Progress, Harmony and Development 

(PHD) Chamber of Commerce 

and Industry recently 

conducted a seminar on ‘Caravan 

Tourism – India by Road’ in 

New Delhi. The main intention of 

the seminar was to develop and 

strengthen the marketing of Caravan 

Tourism and tourism by 

road and offer new innovative 

strategies to give a boost to tourism 

businesses and promotion of 

less visited tourism destinations. 

In addition to this, PHD aims 

to market and partner with states 

and industries in the country and 

overseas for strengthening Road 

Tourism. 

Delegates at the seminar 

emphasised that caravans are 

a unique tourism product, promoting 

family oriented tours 

even in circuits and destinations, 

which do not have adequate hotel 

known that lunch will be served 

to the tourists inside the Forest 

Reserve itself. 

“All arrangements for the 

tour have been completed, 

only an approval from the Forest 

Department is awaited,” 

said Yogesh Behl, General 

accommodation. In India, Madhya 

Pradesh is the only state that 

took the initiative to promote Caravan 

Tourism. 

“The transport system of an 

economy is essentially linked to 

the tourism of that economy. Of 

the various modes of transport 

that connect the cities and villages 

of the country, road transport 

constitutes the crucial 

link. Caravan Tourism can be 

increased in India by developing 

public-private partnerships,” 

Suman Jyoti Khaitan, President, 

PHD Chamber, said. 

Appreciating the Ministry 

of Tourism’s (MoT) initiatives 

for promotion of Road Tourism 

through developing infrastructure 

on highways, Subhash 

Goyal, President, Indian Association 

of Tour Operators (IATO) 

said “Motor Home is the need of 

Manager HPTDC. 

This charming wildlife 

tour will help tourists to catch 

a glimpse of various species 

of birds and animals at 

close quarters in the Forest 

Reserve spread over an area 

of 14 kilometers. 

the hour. In this context, Caravan 

tourism holds a vast opportunity 

for the country and the industry 

should grab this opportunity. 

With all the facilities needed by 

the people being available in caravans, 

this can become a big hit in 

the near future.” 

Also present in the seminar, 

Parvez Dewan, IAS, Secretary, 

Ministry of Tourism, Government 

of India said, “Caravan 

Tourism could attract a wide 

range of market segments including 

young people, families, senior 

citizens and also international 

tourists. Caravan is a concept 

of mobile tourism that can be a 

great help during peak tourism 

periods.” 

He also informed the audience 

about the latest directive 

released by the Ministry of Tourism 

(MoT) regarding granting 

Visa on Arrival facility for foreigners 

from 11 countries. 

Om Vijay Choudhary, Chief 

General Manager, Madhya 

Pradesh Tourism said that Caravan 

tourism is a unique product. 

He informed that MP Tourism 

has three coaches operating 

where travellers can stay and 

travel the length and breadth in 

three major circuits where they 

have launched the service. 


Bollywood Tourism launched 

– potential blockbuster 

Bollywood Tourism (BT)’s new 

itinerary launched recently has 

half and full day tours for visitors 

to peek into the elusive 

world of Bollywood. In a first 

of its kind, they have made it 

possible to comfortably watch 

live shooting and participate in 

Bollywood dance numbers. 

The new tour starts from 

South Mumbai, takes route 

through star homes in Bandra 

and Bandstand along with an 

audio guide. 

A two hour tour begins 

with a traditional welcome 

and a walk along the Bollywood 

Gallery, a wall painted 

with blockbuster movie posters. 

A professional guide introduces 

Indian cinema at the Bollywood 

star gallery. At the mini 

theatre a short film is played 

for the sample view of amazing 

VFX effects used in popular 

movies. 

The second part of the tour 

proceeds through permanent 

studio settings of a court, 

prison, hospitals and apartments 

used in many films 

and television soap operas. 

Witnessing the actual shoot 

of course is the highlight, 

before ending the tour with a 

In a bid to expand its outbound 

tourism offerings beyond 

South East Asia and Gulf, 

the Indian Railway Catering 

and Tourism Corporation 

Ltd (IRCTC), for the first time 

ever, plans to take passengers 

40-minute interactive Bollywood 

dance extravaganza. A 

peek into a star’s vanity van, 

Bollywood café and a Bollywood 

souvenir shop complete 

an introduction to the world’s 

largest entertainment industry. 

A 6-7 hour day tour also 

includes visit to a sound production 

studio. The tour can 

be conducted for a minimum 

of two persons to a group of 50. 

A 2-3 hour studio tour costs 

₨3,250 per pax for a minimum 

of two pax and ₨2,850 

per pax for a minimum four 

people travelling together 

respectively. 

Manoj Gursahani, MD, Bollywood 

Tourism stated that we 

are introducing a Bollywood 

theme night shortly. Delegates 

will be given props, makeup 

and technical direction 

to shoot and make their own 

movie. Bigger 5,000 and 10,000 

sq. ft. venues have been created 

for the purpose. The tour can 

also be customized for team 

building and gala dinners. 

Soon to be launched tour 

‘Sab Ki Sawari’ at Mumbai 

Film City studios will take visitors 

on the working sets of popular 

television serials. 

IRCTC plans to launch 

packages to Australia, Greece 

and South Africa 

tours to Australia, Greece, 

Turkey and South Africa. 

“Our profit margins are 

not as high as those of private 

operators and we are fully 

accountable for our services. 

This is why, citizens prefer our 

West Bengal to introduce tourist police 

The West Bengal Government 

is planning to introduce a special 

police force for important 

tourist destinations in the state. 

According to Krishnendu N. 

Choudhury, State Tourism 

Minister, the service would 

soon begin with popular seaside 

destinations like Digha 

and some places in Kolkata. 

“We have to promote destinations 

from hills to seaside; 

mangroves to heritage 

sites to woo more tourists. We 

have taken up a few plans and 

introducing tourist police to 

ensure safety of the travellers is 

one of them,” Choudhury said. 

The minister also emphasised 

the need for developing 

proper road infrastructure 

for connecting tourist destinations 

in the state with Kolkata. 

“We are concerned about the 

road infrastructure to tourist 

destinations in the state. Discussions 

with local people in 

a couple of regions have been 

initiated to get land for developing 

proper roads,” Choudhury 

added. 

The state government is also 

planning to publish different 

maps for religious, cultural and 

heritage tourism. 

on ‘value for money’ package 

tours to far-off destinations 

like Australia, Greece and 

South Africa this year. 

Rahul Himalian, Additional 

General Manager, 

IRCTC, said, “In the past, we 

organised tours to Singapore, 

Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka 

and Dubai. Now, we want to 

introduce economical package 

packages,” Himalian added. 

IRCTC will also incorporate 

new destinations to the 

existing packages. For example, 

a Thailand package, 

which usually covers Bangkok 

and Pattaya in five days, 

will include Phuket as an 

additional destination and 

the number of days will be 

increased, he said.

www.otm.co.in 

INDIA’S LEADING TRAVEL SHOW 

FOCUSED ON BUSINESS TRAVEL & MICE 

2014 

MUMBAI 

India’s Biggest Travel Market 

7, 8, 9 February 

Bombay Convention & Exhibition Centre 

India is the fastest 

growing business 

travel market in the 

world. Mumbai is 

the business hub 

of India harbouring 

major commercial 

organisations, leading 

corporations including 

multi-nationals, with 

huge business travel 

and MICE spending. 

BTM will provide you 

guaranteed access to 

hundreds of business 

travel and MICE buyers 

from top companies in 

the region. 

Co-located with 

India's Biggest Travel Trade Show 

Member 

Supported by 

Official Trade Publications 

Organised by

ASIA 

Thai Tourist Court to deliver 

prompt justice to foreigners 


Thailand tourism 

gets new minister 

Thailand has taken steps to 

set up a tourist court in the 

country to make quick delivery 

of justice to foreign tourists 

who would depart from 

this country before any lawsuits 

they have filed could be 

judged by an ordinary court. 

“The so-called Tourist 

Court will handle varied criminal 

and civil lawsuits lodged 

by foreign visitors against any 

accused person in Thailand 

in relatively prompt fashion, 

compared to the existing 

courts of justice that may 

spend a longer period of time 

than the plaintiff tourists can 

wait,” said Tourism & Sports 

Minister Somsak Pureesrisak. 

“There are so many cases 

in which plaintiff tourists 

such as those who may 

have been robbed or physically 

assaulted have already 

departed from the country 

before they are eventually 

ruled in court. We’ve been 

concerned that such legal 

snags might inadvertently fail 

to serve justice or maintain 

the confidence of the tourists 

in the safety of their own 

lives and property while staying 

in our country,” the minister 

added. 

The proposed tourist court 

might not only work in the 

daytime but also in the night 

to ensure justice is served 

before the foreign plaintiffs 

return home. 

Thailand urged to explore new tourism routes 

Thailand is being advised to 

explore new tourism routes to 

connect with its neighbouring 

countries to keep up with the 

increasing demand from tourists 

visiting the region. 

The Association of Thai 

Tourism Marketing (ATTM) 

urged the government to support 

small tourism-related associations 

to help them promote 

tourism in a sustainable manner, 

said ATTM President Mingkwan 

Metmowlee. 

To celebrate its first 

anniversary, the association 

encouraged member 

operators to survey new 

tourist destinations in a bid 

to develop new products and 

services. 

Somsak Pureesrisak has been 

appointed Minister of Tourism 

and Sports in Thailand. 

He replaces the late Chumpol 

Silpa-archa, who passed away 

in January this year. 

Pureesrisak, 62, is an electrical 

engineer by training 

and holds a Master’s degree in 

development administration. 

He began his professional life 

in 1993 in the Department of 

Town and Country Planning. 

He has served as Governor of 

Suphan Buri Province in Central 

Thailand twice. He is also 

a member of the Chartthaipattana 

Party (Thai Nation Development 

Party). 

After assuming the position, 

Pureesrisak said that 

he would make visitor safety 

and security a primary focus 

of attention. 

This decision was welcomed 

by Suraphon Svetasreni, 

Governor of Tourism 

Authority of Thailand (TAT). 

“Safety and security for visitors 

is becoming an overarching 

area of importance all 

through the global travel and 

tourism industry. We constantly 

get questions about 

this matter at international 

trade shows, and are pleased 

that the minister has taken up 

this issue as a matter of priority,” 

Svetasreni said. 

“TAT is looking forward 

to implement new initiatives 

from the minister in further 

advancing the role of travel 

and tourism as the country’s 

largest service industry and 

contributor to national socioeconomic 

development,” 

he added. 

Nepal promotes Diamond 

Jubilee Celebrations of the first 

ascent to Mount Everest 

Thai Smile 

launches new 

routes to India 

Thai Smile, a low cost 

airline from Thai Airways 

International, 

recently launched two 

new routes to India. The 

twice-weekly flight will 

connect Phuket to New 

Delhi and Mumbai. 

The Tourism Authority 

of Thailand (TAT) and Thai 

Smile Airlines of Thai Airways 

organised a familiarisation 

trip for media and 

travel agents for the inaugural 

direct flight from 

Delhi. Ticket prices for 

both Indian routes start 

from ₨13,689.97 return, 

excluding taxes. 

TAT expects more than 

1.1 million Indian travellers 

to Thailand in 2013. 

With the introduction of Thai Smile, visitors 

can fly directly from New Delhi or Mumbai to 

Phuket, making it a lot more convenient for 

Indian travellers to experience Phuket and 

beyond. Thank you to our travel 

and trade partners for your constant support to 

Amazing Thailand. 

Runjuan Tongrut 

Director, TAT, New Delhi 

(Tourism Authority of Thailand) 

Last month, the Nepal Tourism 

Board (NTB) held three 

roadshows in Kolkata (West 

Bengal), Bhubaneswar (Odisha) 

and Ranchi (Jharkhand). 

The roadshows were a part 

of the campaign aimed at 

increasing awareness on 

Nepal and educating travellers, 

travel agents and 

the media on Nepal’s tourism 

products and offerings, 

which go beyond the casinos 

at Kathmandu. 

At the roadshow held at 

Hotel Hindustan International, 

Kolkata, Madan K 

Lamichane, Officer(Tourism 

Marketing & Promotion), 

Nepal Tourism Board said, 

“We are organising various 

programmes to mark the Diamond 

Jubilee Celebrations of 

the first ascent to Mt. Everest. 

The NTB will conduct familiarisation 

trips for high-level 

dignitaries to Everest Region 

and also for media persons.”

“Two years in a row” 

Thailand won Travel + Leisure Awards for 

THE WORLD’S BEST COUNTRY & THE WORLD’S BEST WEDDING DESTINATION 

Tourism Authority of Thailand New Delhi Office: 

(Areas of Responsibility: Northern and Eastern India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal), 

B - 9/1A, (GF) Vasant Vihar, New Delhi - 110057 

Tel: 91-11-41663567-69, 46741111, Fax: 91-11-41663570 | E-mail: tatdel@tat.or.th | www.facebook.com/tat.newdelhi 

Tourism Authority of Thailand Mumbai Office: 

(Areas of Responsibility: Western and Southern India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives), 

45 Free Press House, 4th Floor, 215 Free Press Journal Marg, Nariman Point Mumbai - 400021 

Tel: 91-22-22042727-28, Fax: 91-22-22042729 | E-mail: tatmumbai@tat.or.th | Website: www.tourismthailand.org 

Visit: http://www.facebook.com/TourismAuthorityofThailandIndia

12 • asIA 

Indonesia links with Muslim scholars 

to create ‘sharia tourism’ hub 


Taiwan aiming to draw 

more Muslim tourists 

Taiwan is stepping up its 

efforts to attract more Muslim 

tourists as part of its 

strategy to expand its tourism, 

the Tourism Bureau of 

Taiwan said. 

Last year, the number 

of foreign tourist arrivals 

to Taiwan reached a 

record high of 7.3 million, 

but the percentage of Muslim 

tourists remained small, 

said Eric Lin, director of 

the bureau’s International 

Affairs Division. 

Lin explained the bureau 

has been working with the 

Taipei-based Chinese Muslims 

Association over the 

past few years to create a 

Muslim-friendly environment 

that would include the 

certification of Muslim restaurants 

and hotels. 

With the focus on Muslim 

tourists, we now need to 

step up our efforts to understand 

and cater to their needs 

to make Taiwan more attractive 

to them, Lin said. 

The Indonesian government 

has joined hands with Muslim 

scholars to turn the country 

into a world hub for ‘Sharia 

tourism’ in a bid to create an 

environment and amenities 

that go in line with Islamic 

teachings. 

“Basically Sharia tourism 

is a concept involving leisure 

accompanied by religious values,” 

Firmansyah Rahmin, 

director general of destination 

Bali’s provincial administration 

is stepping up efforts 

to issue four major policies 

related to the island’s tourism 

development. 

The four major policies cover 

the development of tourist destinations, 

effective marketing, 

industry and institutions. 

I Ketut Astra, head of the 

destination development section 

at the Bali Tourism Agency, 

said the four major policies 

were in line with the national 

development plan for the tourism 

sector in Indonesia. 

In relation to destination 

development, Astra said the 

government would focus on 

tourism mapping to determine 

the best spots on the island. 

“Some plans are already on 

the table, developing the existing 

tourist sites and upgrading 

development for the Ministry 

of Tourism and Creative 

Economy (MTCE) of Indonesia, 

said. “It provides facilities 

and services closest to the values 

of Islam.” 

The MTCE recently signed 

a memorandum of understanding 

with the Indonesian 

Ulema Council to promote 

tourism in line with Islamic 

teachings. 

The agreement aims to turn 

their facilities and accessibilities,” 

Astra explained. 

Improving the management 

of tourist-related businesses 

and human resources 

to empower local communities 

was also in the plans. 

“It is also important to 

develop new destinations in 

some unexplored areas. Bali has 

the Muslim-majority country 

into an attraction to devout 

Muslim holiday-makers seeking 

to abide by their religious 

teachings. 

“Interestingly most Muslim 

travellers were not only coming 

from the Middle East but 

also Europe, Australia, Japan, 

and China,” said Riyanto 

Sofyan, chairman of the Indonesian 

Sharia Hotel and Restaurant 

Association (AHSIN). 

Bali announces four major tourism policies 

an abundant pool of natural and 

cultural attractions, although 

some of them must be developed 

more appropriately,” he added. 

In the past, people came to 

Bali to look for cultural attractions. 

“Now, many of them are 

enjoying water sports, spa facilities 

and other new attractions,” 

he said. 

Indonesia’s foreign tourist arrivals 

up by 14.5% in February 

The number of foreign tourist 

arrivals in Indonesia in February 

rose by 14.5% to 678,400 

on yearly basis, the National 

Statistic Bureau of Indonesia 

announced. 

In Bali, the centre of Indonesia’s 

tourism industry, the number 

of foreign visitor rose 13.3% 

to 237,000, said, the head of the 

bureau. 

Holidaymakers visiting 

Indonesia by February also rose 

by 3.82% to 1.29 million year on 

year, he said. 

Southeast Asia’s largest 

economy expects more foreign 

tourist to visit the country this 

year with a target of 9 million, 

higher than that of 8.04 million 

last year. 

The Indonesian government 

is trying to encourage more foreign 

holiday makers to visit the 

country by luring more Muslim 

tourists particularly from 

the Middle East, and boosting 

health tourism. 

Taiwan expands the range 

of its health tourism sector 

The Taiwan government 

wants to develop the infrastructure 

of its health care 

sector for foreign visitors 

and encourage overseas 

medical investment. 

Taiwan’s tourism industry 

heavily depends on 

the massive influx of tourists 

from China. The better 

quality of medical treatment 

in Taiwan is the predominant 

reason for the arrival 

of tourists from the Chinese 

mainland. Now it is possible 

for tourists from mainland 

China to travel to Taiwan on 

their own. Until a year ago, it 

was necessary for them to be 

a part of organised groups. 

Between the start of 

2011 and the end of 2012, 

medical tourist spending 

increased four-fold to $135 

million. Naturally the Taiwanese 

government wants 

to increase the number of 

patients receiving health 

care treatment in Taiwan. 

The new government 

plan seeks to attract medical 

organisations from other 

countries into the special 

economic zones to serve foreign 

and Taiwanese patients, 

and further improve the 

island’s high quality health 

care system.

INDIA’S 

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Kolkata 

5, 6, 7 July 

Ahmedabad 

16, 17, 18 August 

Mumbai 

30, 31, August, 1 September 

Bangalore 

3, 4, 5 January 

2013 

Hyderabad 

12, 13, 14 July 

Surat 

23, 24, 25 August 

Pune 

6, 7, 8 September 

2014 

Chennai 

10, 11, 12 January 

New Segment 

Outbound Village @ 

TTF 

Member 

Supported by Official Trade Publications Organised by 

www.ttfotm.com 

India's Biggest Travel Trade Show 

www.otm.co.in 

2014 

NOW B2B FOCUSED 

MUMBAI 

India’s Biggest Travel Market 


Bombay Convention & Exhibition Centre 

NEW DELHI 

India’s Second Biggest Travel Market 


Ashok Hotel Convention Centre 

Member 

Supported by 

Official Trade Publications 

Organised by

14 • asIA 

S Korea appoints ‘Gangnam 

Style’s’ PSY for promotional video 


Malaysia appoints new 

tourism and culture minister 

Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz 

has been named Malaysia’s 

tourism and culture minister 

with Joseph Salang Gandum as 

the deputy minister, in the new 

cabinet formation announced 

by the Prime Minister recently, 

following the 13th General 

Election on May 5. 

Mohamed Nazri was formerly 

a minister in the Prime 

Minister’s Department while 

Salang was the deputy minister 

of Information, Communications 

and Culture. 

Malaysia Inbound Tourism 

Association honorary 

secretary-general, Adam 

Kamal, said he welcomed 

the new appointments and 

that the association planned 

to invite Mohamed Nazri 

to the annual gala dinner 

next month. 

The Korea Tourism Organisation 

(KTO), a statutory body 

under the Ministry of Culture 

and Tourism of South Korea has 

hired ‘Gangnam Style’ phenomenon 

PSY in a series of TV commercials 

to promote tourism to 

the country. 

The advertisements entitled 

‘PSY’s Wiki Korea’, inspired by 

online encyclopaedia Wikipedia, 

Indian travellers flock to 

Malaysia during summer 

Malaysian tour operators doing 

business in the Indian market 

Malaysia Airlines is adding to 

its daily direct flights between 

Colombo and the Malaysian 

capital of Kuala Lumpur with 

three extra daytime flights, 

making a total of 10 weekly 

flights between the two cities. 

Malaysia Airlines’ Regional 

Senior Vice President for South 

Asia and Middle East Azahar 

Hamid said, “With the overwhelming 

response received 

from the Sri Lanka market we 

are pleased to announce our 

three additional daytime frequencies. 

With new aircraft, 

authentic South Asian inflight 

cuisine and Malaysian hospitality 

delivered by our award 

has the South Korean rap artist 

highlighting some of the country’s 

key attractions, from samgyeopsal, 

a Korean pork belly 

barbecue, and the Jeju Olle trail, 

a walking path on Jeju Island off 

the country’s southwest coast, 

to Myeongdong, South Korea’s 

famed shopping destination. 

The TV advertisements, 

along with the print media 

have reported a sharp rise in 

bookings for summer, the peak 

winning crew, as well as competitive 

pricing, we are certain 

our customers will cherish 

their travel experiences 

with us.” 

versions, will be simultaneously 

launched next month via major 

international media. 

KTO’s tourism brand and 

product department executive 

director Jeon Hyo Sik 

said, “PSY’s fans are all over 

the world regardless of age or 

region. Hopefully, our promotional 

videos will attract worldwide 

attention”. 

travel season for Indians. 

Arokia Das, Senior Manager, 

Luxury Tours Malaysia, 

said “We have witnessed 

a more than 30% year-on-year 

increase in business. Travellers 

were mainly from Mumbai, 

New Delhi and Ahmedabad.” 

“A lot of them are travelling 

from India via Singapore, 

where there is better connectivity 

and cheaper airfares,” he 

said. 

Tina Travel & Agencies’ 

Managing Director, Adam 

Kamal, shared the same view. 

“We’ve seen a 10% year-onyear 

increase in bookings, but 

it is still too early to tell how this 

season will fare as many travellers 

tend to book last minute,” 

he said. 

Malaysia Airlines increases 

Colombo-Kuala Lumpur service 

With the introduction of 

the three weekly services, 

the capacity of this route is 

increased by 40% (480 seats) in 

each direction. 

Changi Airport strengthens 

connectivity to Myanmar 

Changi Airport Group 

(CAG) in Singapore recently 

announced the arrival of a new 

carrier, Golden Myanmar Airlines, 

at Singapore Changi Airport. 

The carrier will operate 

daily services connecting Singapore 

via Yangon to Mandalay, 

the financial capital of 

Myanmar. 

The new service by Golden 

Myanmar Airlines further 

enhances Changi Airport’s 

position as a key gateway to 

the region. 

“We are delighted to welcome 

Golden Myanmar into 

Changi’s family of airlines. 

This is a significant milestone 

for us given the tremendous 

growth opportunities 

for business and leisure travel 

between Singapore and Myanmar,” 

said CAG’s Senior Vice 

President for Market Development 

Mr Lim Ching Kiat. “We 

are confident the additional 

flights will make it easier for 

people to travel between the 

two countries and we look forward 

to working closely with 

the airline to realise the growth 

potential that exists in the two 

markets,” he added . 

Bilateral trade between 

Singapore and Myanmar 

increased 8.6% last year compared 

to 2011. The starting of 

Golden Myanmar’s flights to 

Singapore comes at an appropriate 

time as Myanmar steps 

up efforts to accelerate socialeconomic 

development in the 

country. 

“Singapore and Myanmar 

have enjoyed strong trade 

and economic links over the 

last few years and Singapore 

currently ranks among one 

of Myanmar’s top trade partners. 

Coupled with Changi 

Airport’s strength as a well 

connected aviation hub, it was 

not a difficult decision for us to 

make it our first international 

destination. We plan to utilise 

Singapore as an extended 

gateway into Myanmar’s leading 

commercial cities and 

we also hope to reach other 

parts of Asia from Changi 

Airport,” Aung Gyi, Golden 

Myanmar Airlines’ Managing 

Director said.

OCEANIA 

MTV to promote Sydney tourism 

Sydney is getting ready to welcome 

a new wave of next generation 

tourists on its shores. 

MTV’s online tourism arm 

is promoting the harbour city 

as one of the only five destinations 

showcased on its mtvtravelco.com 

site. 

The tie-up will feature Sydney 

as the only city in the Asia- 

Pacific region on the site for the 

next two years. 

The others cities are London, 

New York, Los Angeles 

and Berlin. 

New South Wales Tourism 

Minister George Souris said it’s 

intended to attract a new group 

of tourists to Sydney shores. 

“I am delighted that Sydney 

Direct flights to begin between 

Christchurch and Perth 

Direct flights between Christchurch 

and Perth are to begin 

this December. 

Air New Zealand and Virgin 

Australia have announced twice 

weekly services from early 

December till late April, the first 

direct service between the two 

will be showcased to a new generation 

of travellers on MTV’s 

website,” he said in a statement. 

“The Harbour City is the 

No.1 destination for international 

visitors and the 

cities in more than 20 years. The 

service is being primarily introduced 

for 21 weeks and it will 

need to prove itself financially 

viable for a longer run. 

Christchurch Airport CEO 

Jim Boult said, “Direct flights 

would save three hours flying 

partnership with MTV Travel 

Co will ensure that new audiences 

in key markets will see 

the best that Australia’s international 

city has to offer,” 

he added. 

and boost airfreight, already 

worth $475 million a year. 

“This new service is the 

result of collaborative planning 

by two airlines and two airports 

– Air New Zealand, Virgin Australia, 

Christchurch and Perth 

airports. All four of us have long 

recognised the wisdom of offering 

these flights and have now 

found timing to suit everyone,” 

he added. 

“We have been working collaboratively 

for more than a year 

to establish this new service and 

we are delighted that Western 

Australians and South Islanders 

will have this exciting travel 

opportunity. We are confident 

this will be a successful route 

and are delighted with Air New 

Zealand’s commitment to Perth. 

We look forward to welcoming 

the new service in December,” 

Perth Airport CEO Brad 

Geatches said. 

Tourism Tasmania takes visitors 

behind the scenery 

New Zealand has become the 

centre of attraction for tourists 

from various corners of 

the world with the help of the 

images provided by Peter Jackson’s 

Hobbit films, said Tour- 


Qantas signs deal to 

promote NSW tourism 

Qantas Airways has signed 

a major deal with the New 

South Wales (NSW) government 

to boost tourism in the 

state. 

The new AU$30 million 

(U.S. $31m) deal was recently 

signed at Sydney Airport by 

NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell 

and Qantas Group CEO Alan 

Joyce, and will see the two parties 

work together for a period 

of three years, promoting the 

Australian state in Qantas’ 

main international markets. 

It is the largest tourism marketing 

partnership in NSW’s 

history. 

“This partnership with 

Qantas is the cornerstone of 

our strategy to increase tourism 

to NSW, providing a boost 

to our economy and helping 

to create more jobs,” said 

O’Farrell. “We will be aggressively 

targeting big spending 

leisure and business travellers 

from overseas which will 

be a boon for our hotels, restaurants 

and retail sector.” 

Qantas Group CEO Alan 

Joyce said, “We have seen a fantastic 

and tangible response to 

work we have done with Destination 

NSW in the past and 

we think working more closely 

will result in more people visiting 

NSW and flying Qantas.” 

Hobbit helps bring 

tourists to New Zealand 

Traffic to the tourism 

organisation’s website which 

promotes travel to New 

Zealand increased significantly 

helped by the film, 

Bates added. 

In a bid to draw a diverse sector 

of tourists to the state, a 

new campaign for Tourism 

Tasmania has been launched 

highlighting the pubs, art and 

unusual attractions of Tasmania, 

rather than the natural 

wonders of the state. 

The innovative campaign, 

titled ‘Go Behind the Scenery’, 

has been launched nationally 

by JimJam Ideas with a 

60-second TV spot along with 

social and print media. 

Viewers and readers are 

directed to log on to a website, 

where there are six mini 

documentaries showing the 

best Tasmania has to offer for 

each region. 

The website also features 

30 itineraries while social 

media promotes bits and 

pieces of the island state. 

Tourism Minister Scott 

Bacon said the campaign was 

a step away from traditional 

tourism marketing. 

“In a sometimes comic 

and quirky way, the campaign 

encourages people 

who come to Tasmania 

to get to know more of our 

state, and travel beyond the 

major population centres and 

spend a few nights exploring 

those fantastic, truly 

Tasmanian experiences,” 

he said. 

ism New Zealand. 

The first released film of 

the sequel, The Hobbit: An 

Unexpected Journey helped 

increase inbound travel and 

enhanced the image of Tourism 

NZ brand, said Catherine 

Bates, General Manager Brand 

and International PR at Tourism 

New Zealand. 

Recent visitor arrival numbers 

to New Zealand were up 

13% on March 2013 as compare 

to the same period last year. 

Research in the United 

States showed that 78% of 

those came to New Zealand 

cited the film as a motivational 

factor to think about New Zealand 

as a holiday destination.

middle east 

20th edition of ATM addresses 

key industry issues 

The 20th edition of Arabian 

Travel Market (ATM), which 

ended May 10 at Dubai International 

Convention and Exhibition 

Centre, focused on the 

challenges in the region’s rapidly 

growing tourism sector, as 

well as technology and developments 

in the industry. 

In his inaugural address, 

Emirates Chairman and President 

of Dubai Civil Aviation 

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed 

Al Maktoum highlighted the 

UAE’s key developments and 

achievements in travel over the 

last 20 years and spelt out the 

future plans for the city’s tourism 

growth. 

Dubai’s ‘New Tourism 

Vision’ aims to double the number 

of annual visitors over the 

next 8 years from 10 million in 

2012 to 20 million in 2020. 

“We are confident the 

DTCM is capable of achieving 

this, given the previous accomplishments 

and positive results 

obtained,” he said. 

According to His Excellency 

Helal Saeed Almarri, Director 

General of Dubai Tourism and 

Commerce Marketing (DTCM), 

who spoke to Travel News 

Digest at the ATM, the tourism 

budget approved by UAE Vice 

President Sheikh Mohammed 

sets out ambitious plans to further 

increase tourist numbers 

and treble the economic contribution 

of tourism by 2020. 

The United Nations 

World Tourism Organisation 

(UNWTO), the body that promotes 

responsible, sustainable 

and universally accessible tourism, 

was also present at ATM 

and set out a common agenda 

for air transport and tourism. 

Google participated for 

the first time at ATM, and 

annouced the results of an 

independent study conducted 

by global market research company 

Ipsos to better understand 

the decision-making 

process of travellers in Saudi 

Arabia and the UAE. 

The study revealed that 

users in both countries are 

UNWTO calls for more cooperation 

between airlines, tourist bodies 

In order to ensure the growth 

of the global travel market, 

the tourism and aviation sectors 

must work more closely 

together, said UNWTO 

Secretary General Taleb Rifai. 

Speaking at the Ministerial 

Forum at the Arabian Travel 

Market in Dubai this month, 

Rifai said, “There were one 

tech savvy and rely on mobiles 

and videos when making travel 

decisions. 

A pivotal partner of ATM 

since its inception, Emirates 

group ended the show 

announcing a huge 34% rise in 

net profit for the financial year 

2012-13. Net profit stands at 

Dh3.1 billion ($ 845 m). 

Saudi Arabia, the neighbouring 

country of UAE, 

revealed it will relax visa rules 

to allow foreigners to visit certain 

Islamic and historical sites 

as tourists. 

Qatar also participated at 

ATM, showcasing its exclusive 

tourism products to the international 

travel trade. Abdulla 

Albader, Director of Tourism 

with Qatar Tourism Authority, 

said the country’s upcoming 

summer campaign will 

revolve around attracting families 

to the country. 

In a significant development 

for the medical tourism sector 

in Abu Dhabi, U.S.-based wellness 

specialist, DNA Health 

Corp, announced the opening 

of its first overseas flagship 

centre on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat 

Island for residents and 

visitors looking for a different 

approach to personalised 

health and wellness. 

India also participated in the 

event to showcase its rich culture, 

natural beauty, vivid festivals, 

exotic beaches and architectural 

wonders to the global 

travel trade fraternity. 

“In 2011, foreign tourist 

arrivals in India stood at 6.29 

million, compared to 5.58 million 

in 2010. India Tourism has 

set a target of increasing the 

country’s share in world tourist 

arrivals from the current 0.5% 

to 1% by 2017 and has prepared 

a multi-pronged strategy. This 

includes the development of 

world class infrastructure and 

aggressive promotional and 

marketing activities,” Vikas 

Rustagi, Regional Director 

(West Asia and Africa), India 

Tourism, said. 

billion travellers globally in 

2012, yet we still see the tourism 

and aviation industries that 

facilitate them working in parallel 

when they should be working 

together. 

“At least 50% of those one billion 

travelled by air; the growth 

of tourism and aviation are 

intrinsically linked,” he added. 

Some 25 ministers and airline 

chiefs were present at the 

forum at which the growth and 

future of the tourism industry 

worldwide were discussed. 

Rifai said the tourism and 

aviation sectors should adopt 

the Expo 2020 Dubai bid’s slogan 

‘Connecting minds, creating 

the future’ as its banner 

for building the industry in 

partnership. 


‘The future for ATM is assured’ 

Mark Walsh, Portfolio Director at Reed Travel Exhibitions, 

organisers of ATM, speaks to Travel News Digest about the 

growth of the event after 20 years and looks to what we can expect 

from the future of travel trade shows 

1. This year was the 20th edition of the Arabian Travel Market. 

How did the success of the show compare to earlier years and 

how has the show grown over the years 

Over the past two decades Arabian Travel Market has 

grown significantly, in tandem with regional tourism. Looking 

back it seems incredible that an event that started with 

just 2,000 square metres in 1994 has grown to over 22,000 

and now welcomes more than 20,000 trade visitors. 

With this year being a landmark achievement, Arabian 

Travel Market has celebrated its 20th anniversary with a 

host of events and activities designed to raise awareness of 

the growth of the show and the travel and tourism industry 

over the past two decades. 

Showcasing this was a special opening address presenting 

the key accomplishments of Dubai and the UAE over 

the last 20 years in terms of developing its travel, tourism, 

aviation and hospitality infrastructure. The seminar, entitled 

‘20 years: Now, Then and Tomorrow’ was led by keynote 

speaker H. H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, 

President, CEO and Chairman, Department of Civil Aviation, 

The Emirates Group and Dubai World. 

2. What was the overall footfall at the show this year How 

many exhibitors participated and who were the newcomers to the 

event 

Preliminary figures show 2,982 exhibitors from 94 countries 

across 22,000 sqm and 20,738 visitors. Final audited 

figures will be available at the end of May. 

Turkey had taken an additional 25% exhibition floor 

space this year, with first-time exhibitors including two 

regional tourism bodies - the Bursa Eskişehir Bilecik 

Development Agency and Dogu Karadeniz Illeri Hizmet 

ve Kalkinma Birligi. Other new international exhibitors 

include Peru, Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, the Monaco Government 

Tourism Bureau, Libya, Turismo de Portugal and 

BrandUSA. 

3. How do you see this kind of event growing in the future 

Arabian Travel Market mirrors the tourism expansion 

within the region, and will look to continue to be the one 

stop shop for all inbound and outbound tourism requirements, 

both regionally and internationally. Areas for 

inbound growth will include the increase in regional hotels 

brands exhibiting at the show, and for outbound tourism 

increased participation from Asia and The Americas tourism 

suppliers, who are targeting the affluent outbound tourist 

from the Middle East region. 

Also, an ongoing assessment of growth will be subject 

to political and economic conditions at the time but we are 

planning to expand into Hall 5 by 2015. Considering the current 

positive growth estimates for the Middle East travel 

and tourism sector, the future for ATM and Middle East 

tourism is assured. 

4. What do you see are the emerging markets for travel and 

trade exhibitions Do you see India as a potential growth market 

China, India, Africa and South America are, I would say, 

the most predominant emerging markets for travel and 

trade exhibitions, all of which we at Reed are carefully 

monitoring. 

For more coverage, please go to page 30-31

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | MAY 2013 middle east • 17 

Jordan, Turkey discuss 

closer tourism cooperation 

A Turkish delegation recently 

visited Jordan to discuss relevant 

ways to improve cooperation 

in tourism between the two 

countries. 

Jordan’s Secretary General 

of the Ministry of Tourism and 

Antiquities, Eisa Gammoh, met 

with the delegation, which represents 

Turkish travel and tourism 

Abu Dhabi advertises on Washington 

taxis to lure more visitors 

Tourism authorities in Abu 

Dhabi are expecting to welcome 

more travellers from the 

capital of the United States by 

covering 150 taxis in Washington 

DC with the emirate’s 

branding. 

Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture 

Authority (TCA) claims 

the ‘tactical taxi promotion’ 

will reach more than half 

of the city’s residents over a 

four-week period. TCA is also 

branding the weather forecast 

on Washington’s popular 

breakfast television show 

Good Morning America. 

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad 

Airways began direct daily 

flights to Washington earlier 

this month. Abu Dhabi 

Dubai Tourism to open 

new office in Brazil 

Dubai’s Department of Tourism 

and Commerce Marketing 

(DTCM) recently 

announced it will open a 

agents, and briefed them on Jordanian 

tourism attractions, as 

well as security and stability in 

the Kingdom. 

Jordan is keen to enact the 

Free Trade Agreement, which 

aims to improve trade, economic 

and tourism cooperation, Eisa 

said. 

Turkish Ambassador to 

representative office in Brazil 

as an integral part of its 

strategy to lure more visitors 

from the growing South 

Jordan Sedat Onal, who was 

present at the meeting, called 

for closer tourism cooperation 

between the two countries, 

pointing to the recently launched 

Aqaba-Istanbul direct route and 

its anticipated role in increasing 

the amount of Turkish investments 

and visitors in the Jordanian 

coastal city of Aqaba. 

is positioning the route as its 

‘capital-to-capital’ service 

between the UAE and the U.S. 

American market. 

The announcement was 

made at the World Travel 

Market Latin America in Sao 

Paulo, Brazil. 

“The opening of our first 

South American office demonstrates 

the importance we 

are placing in increasing relationships 

with the tourism 

industry of this market. The 

office will focus on promoting 

Dubai as a leisure and MICE 

destination to the whole Latin 

and South American market, 

but specifically to Brazil 

and Argentina,” said Hamad 

Mohammed Bin Mejren, 

DTCM’s Executive Director 

Business Tourism. 

Dubai-based Emirates Airline 

operates direct flights to 

both Rio de Janeiro and Sao 

Paulo and close to 40,000 Brazilians 

visited Dubai in 2012, a 

28% increase on 2011. 

Air Arabia celebrates nine years 

of operations in Saudi Arabia 

Air Arabia, the first and 

largest low-cost carrier in 

the Middle East and North 

Africa, celebrates nine years 

of successful operations in 

the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 

(KSA). 

Air Arabia launched its 

operations to KSA with regular 

services to Jeddah in 2004. 

Since then the airline has seen 

rising demand for the great 

value for money that its product 

offers. 

Currently, the budget airline 

operates over 88 weekly 

non-stop services from its 

two hubs – Sharjah in UAE, 

and Alexandria in Egypt – 

to eight destinations in Saudi 

Arabia. It has also announced 

their plans to launch non-stop 

services to Abha in Saudi Arabia 

from May 24. 

IATA honours Qatar Airways for 

high safety standards 

Qatar Airways’ impeccable 

safety standards across 

the airline’s entire operations 

have been recognised by the 

International Air Transport 

Association (IATA) on the 

10th anniversary of IATA’s 

Operational Safety Audit Program 

(IOSA). 

The safety audit is IATA’s 

stringent mandatory auditing 

program that assesses the 

operational management and 

control systems of member 

airlines worldwide and is an 

internationally recognised and 

accepted evaluation system. 

Qatar Airways Chief Executive 

Officer (CEO) Akbar Al 

Baker said the airline proudly 

became the first carrier worldwide 

to conform 100% with 

IATA’s safety audit when it 

was launched in 2003. 

Indian travel agents got to 

witness the beauty of Oman 

on a FAM trip that was 

conducted by the Ministry 

of Tourism, Sultanate of 

Oman in association with 

Oman Air. Travel agents 

from Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore 

and Chennai got firsthand 

exposure to the various 

activities that Oman offers 

and breathtaking scenery of 

the country. 

The group travelled in 

“Qatar Airways has taken 

part in IATA’s safety audit 

biennially for the past ten 

years, conforming 100% 

on every occasion, demonstrating 

our extremely high 

safety standards and highly 

effective operating systems,” 

Al Baker said. 

“The safety and security 

of all our passengers and staff 

is our top priority and we are 

extremely proud of our safety 

record, setting a benchmark 

across the industry,” he said. 

Oman conducts FAM trips 

for Indian travel agents 

early April and visited the cities 

of Muscat, Sur and Nizwa 

as well as the turtle reserve 

Ras Al-Jinz. They also got to 

experience camping in the 

desert at Wahiba Sands and 

up on the mountains in Eco 

Luxe tents at Jebel Shams. 

These FAMs were used as a 

platform to showcase Oman’s 

cultural and natural uniqueness 

to travel agents and to 

promote Oman as a leisure 

destination in India.

europe 

Belgium to open six more 

visa centres in India 


Czech Republic to 

promote J&K tourism 

The Czech Republic is to soon 

send its tour and travel operators 

and media representatives 

on a familiarisation trip 

to the Indian state of Jammu 

and Kashmir to encourage its 

citizens to visit the state. 

During a meeting with J&K 

Tourism Minister Ghulam 

Ahmad Mir, Ambassador of 

the Czech Republic Miloslav 

Stasak offered his complete 

support to the state government 

for promotion and showcasing 

of the abundant tourism 

potential of the state. 

The Ambassador 

appreciated the efforts of the 

state government for promoting 

tourism by creating world 

class tourist infrastructure 

besides offering adventure 

and golf tourism for high end 

tourists. 

The Ambassador also welcomed 

the state government’s 

effort to bring back peace and 

normalcy in the state and 

emphasised that Jammu and 

Kashmir State was as safe as 

other parts of the world, so 

there should be no reservations 

to any tourist to visit 

the state. 

Belgium is to expand its network 

of visa application centres 

to six new places in India, taking 

the total number to nine. 

New centres are to open in 

Chandigarh in Northern India 

and Kolkata in Eastern India, 

Chennai and Hyderabad in 

Southern India, and Ahmedabad 

and Pune in Western 

India. The existing visa application 

centres are in New Delhi, 

Mumbai and Bangalore. 

“Catering to the growing 

demand of Belgium-bound travellers 

in the region, this strategic 

ETOA and Athens 

collaborate to boost tourism 

The European Tour Operators 

Association (ETOA) and the 

city of Athens joined forces to 

strengthen tourism to the capital 

of Greece. 

On April 22nd a delegation 

of nearly 60 tour operators 

and buyers, roped in by 

ETOA, went to Athens for a 

familiarisation visit and took 

part in a workshop where 

each buyer or tour operators 

had a series of up to 32 meetings 

with relevant local suppliers, 

such as hotels and visitor 

attractions. 

Athens provided delegates 

with a familiarisation visit that 

included stops at the Benaki 

Museum, National Gardens, 

Greek Parliament and the new 

Digital Planetarium. 

“ETOA was founded by 

those companies that specialised 

in bringing clients 

from around the world into 

Europe. These people sold 

cities to their clients knowing 

that European city culture 

was unique. The European 

city of Athens stands 

proud. It has been a must-see 

destination for three millennia 

and we welcome the opportunity 

to showcase that,” Tom 

Jenkins, Executive Director of 

ETOA said. 

“The city of Athens is 

delighted to host and co-organise 

the first Travel Trade Athens 

workshop, in cooperation 

with the European Tour Operators 

Association. Our cooperation 

with ETOA, such an 

esteemed and high profile 

partner in the field of tourism 

internationally, has proven 

to be a valuable asset to the 

city’s effort to showcase Athens 

effectively and reliably to 

the international tourism professionals’ 

community,” said 

George Broulias, member of 

the Athens City Council. 

move is aimed at offering new 

services, facilities and benefits 

to visa applicants, as well as 

boost tourism, trade and investments, 

and bilateral ties with 

India,” Belgium Embassy commercial 

partner VFS Global said 

in a statement. 

Greece expects tourism revenues 

to bounce back this year 

Greek tourism revenues are 

expected to rebound this year 

to pre-crisis levels, the industry 

said recently following the 

return of political stability to the 

country. 

Visitors from Germany, Britain 

and Russia are expected to 

flock to the country. 

The Mediterranean country 

has banked its hopes on its sundrenched 

beaches and ancient 

monuments to pull the country 

out of a deep recession. Tourism 

is Greece’s biggest revenueearner, 

accounting for about 17% 

of output. 

Andreas Andreadis, head 

of Greece’s main tourism body 

SETE (Association of Greek 

Tourism Enterprises), said tourism 

revenues are seen rising by 

up to 10% this year to 11 billion 

euros on the back of an expected 

record 17 million visitors. 

Macedonia, Albania seek to 

develop Lake Ohrid tourism 

Macedonia NGO Aureola 

and Albania’s Association of 

Women with Social Needs have 

joined hands to develop tourism 

in Lake Ohrid. Lake Ohrid 

overlaps the mountainous 

border between south-western 

Macedonia and eastern Albania. 

It is one of Europe’s deepest 

and oldest lakes, preserving 

a unique aquatic ecosystem that 

is of worldwide importance, with 

more than 200 endemic species. 

By increasing the number of 

tourists to Lake Ohrid, the two 

countries hope to develop stronger 

cultural ties between residents 

on both sides of the lake’s 

borders. 

“We want to improve the 

image of the region, help create 

a strategic vision for economic 

and social development, improve 

the economy and cross-border 

co-operation,” Bajana Cheveli, 

“We are heading for a record 

year in terms of foreign tourist 

arrivals,” he said. “Our target of 

about 11 billion euros in direct 

revenues is feasible and we may 

even exceed it.” 

president of the Durres-based 

Association of Women with 

Social Needs, said. 

Nurie Zhaku, the project coordinator, 

said Macedonia and 

Albania will jointly promote 

Lake Ohrid at well-known European 

fairs. 

“Our top priority is to advertise 

at tourism fairs in London 

and Munich. We have much to 

offer and only few people abroad 

know about it,” Zhaku said. 

“Here, tourism lasts only two 

months, a short time for Lake 

Ohrid residents to live from tourism 

income. The region needs 

tourism for several months out 

of the year that will impact both 

countries’ economies and local 

economies. Only good infrastructure 

is missing, which must 

be improved,” Ruhije Sulla, president 

of Aureola NGO said.

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | MAY 2013 EUROPE • 19 

Manchester named 

best UK airport 

Manchester Airport has been 

named by travellers as the best 

in the UK, according to a survey 

by leading global travel search 

site Skyscanner. 

Fifteen of the busiest airports 

in the UK were rated in 

a study by 1,600 British flyers. 

Manchester Airport, the third 

busiest in the country welcoming 

more than 9 million passengers 

each year, hits the top spot. 

It was voted as having the best 

customer service facilities and 

shopping as well as the best 

bars and restaurants. Passengers 

of the airport also lauded 

it for being well organised and 

passenger friendly. 

London Gatwick Airport, 

Britain’s second busiest came in 

second place, with passengers 

praising its staff and large 

check-in areas. 

New resort in Portugal to attract 

upmarket tourists 

Portugal’s efforts to revamp 

its tourism industry received a 

major boost with the announcement 

of plans for a new luxury 

A new web portal has recently 

been launched with the aim of 

providing information to help 

physically challenged people 

who want to enjoy a holiday in 

the Maltese Islands. 

The website, www.accessibletourismmalta.eu, 

will be 

constantly updated with relevant 

and new information highlighting 

the various accessible 

resources that differently abled 

or elderly tourists may make use 

of to help ease the challenges of 

travelling. 

The website is an integral 

part of ‘Accessible Culture For 

All’, a project co-financed by the 

EU which aims to raise awareness 

about social tourism and 

identify ways how to help the 

tourism industry to increase 

competitiveness by targeting 

new markets. 

resort worth $121 million. 

The project on the Alentejo 

coast south of Lisbon will be 

conducted by Aman resort and 

spa, according to Espirito Santo 

Group, a conglomerate whose 

Rioforte subsidiary is developing 

the project. 

Tourism contributes almost 

9.5% of Portugal’s GDP and is 

key to the government’s efforts 

to revive growth and generate a 

current account surplus. 

Tourism Secretary Adolfo 

Mesquita Nunes said Portugal 

needed to do more to stand out 

in the competitive market. It 

is also important to show that 

Portugal has more to offer than 

its beaches. 

“We are a strong player in 

the sun and sea market, but 

we have work to do to get a 

more diverse image of Portugal 

as a tourist destination,” 

Nunes said. 

Website to promote Malta tourism 

for differently abled travellers 

Cyprus aims to attract 

tourists from the Netherlands 

The Cyprus Tourism Organisation 

(CTO) has recently 

held meetings with Dutch 

Travel Agents, tour operators 

and journalists in a bid to 

strengthen tourism from the 

Netherlands. 

CTO President Alekos 

Oroundiotis said the meeting 

was held as part of the 

strategy taken by the CTO to 

reverse the negative image created 

for Cyprus with relation 

to some recent events in the 

country’s economy. 

He said there was a very 

constructive discussion on 

how to achieve the common 

goal of increasing tourist arrivals 

from the Netherlands and 

promoting the Cyprus tourist 

product in the Dutch market. 

The CTO President said the 

Dutch tourist market is one of 

the best markets for Cyprus in 

Central Europe, noting that in 

2011, tourist arrivals from the 

Netherlands reached 45,000. 

Austria reports massive 

growth in tourist arrivals 

from Middle East 

The Austrian National Tourist 

Office (ANTO), the country’s 

national tourism organisation 

revealed that 2012 was 

the most successful year for 

Austrian tourism in the last 

20 years and the country has 

emerged as a preferred destination 

for tourists especially 

from the Middle East. 

In the last 10 years, the 

number of guests from the 

Middle East visiting Austria 

has grown exponentially 

by 664.6% and the number 

of overnights generated by 

them has grown by 519.3%. 

ANTO participated at 

the Arabian Travel Market 

(ATM) 2013, the Middle East 

region’s leading travel industry 

event. 

“Austria has grown faster 

than any other European 

country in this market. We 

are growing twice as fast as 

other popular European destinations 

like Germany or 

Switzerland. ANTO’s main 

objective is to promote the 

holiday country Austria and 

to secure and expand Austria’s 

competitiveness in 

cooperation with all Austrian 

tourism partners,” said Klaus 

Ehrenbrandtner, ANTO’s 

Regional Director for Asia & 

Middle East.

20 • EUROPE 

New pope packages 

to draw pilgrim tourists 

Rome tour operators are coming 

up with special Pope Francis-themed 

deals and packages 

to both lure tourists and cater 

to the increased demands from 

pilgrims. 

“Pope Francis is the Church’s 

The Bulgarian caretaker government 

has given the green 

new speculative asset aimed at 

drawing religious tourism,” said 

Pietro Tognazzi, adviser for several 

tour operators. 

Elected in March, Pope Francis, 

who hails from Buenos Aires, 

Argentina, has turned out to be 

light to an intergovernmental 

agreement for a checkpoint on 

a stimulator for Rome’s ailing 

economy. Tourism increased by 

10% at Easter, according to Federalberghi, 

the Italian hotels’ lobby. 

Local authorities expect thousands 

of pilgrims to flock to the 

capital as summer draws near. 

Danube River checkpost will 

connect Bulgaria and Romania 

the Danube River Bridge connecting 

Bulgaria’s Vidin to Calafat 

in Romania. 

According to a press statement 

from the Bulgarian government, 

a new checkpoint will 

be erected to facilitate tourists 

visiting both countries. A joint 

two-country authority will be 

established to run this check 

post. 

The agreement will provide 

the necessary legal basis for the 

effective management of the 

bridge and cut down the period 

of reclamation of the funds 

invested in building the bridge. 


Poland aims to boost 

medical tourism 

The Polish Medical Tourism 

Consortium, an independent 

body of Poland’s Ministry 

of Economy, is stepping 

up efforts to draw large numbers 

of medical tourists to the 

country. It is targeting potential 

patients, insurance companies, 

government health 

departments, medical tourism 

providers, business organisations 

and trade associations, 

interested in sending patients 

from Russia, Germany, Denmark, 

Sweden, Norway, UK 

and U.S. to Poland. 

The government is backing 

the Polish medical tourism 

sector with a promotional 

campaign funded by the EU. 

The Ministry of Economy in 

Poland has identified medical 

tourism as one of 15 high export 

potential sectors. 

The key advantages being 

promoted are easy access to 

high quality services at lower 

costs than in Western Europe. 

The costs of medical treatment 

in Poland can be up to 

40% lower than Germany or 

the UK, and even lower compared 

to U.S. prices. 

Spain remains top 

spot for golf tourism 

Spain continues to be the most 

preferred destination for golf 

tourism according to a recent 

survey by KPMG’s Golf Advisory 

Practice. KPMG is one of 

the largest financial services 

companies in the world. The 

lush green of Spain is the key 

attraction for golfers in this 

European country. 

With global golf holiday 

sales increasing by 9.3% in 2012 

compared to the previous year, 

there are plenty of opportunities 

to cash in from this growing 

market. 

It has been reported that 

golf-linked tourists possess 

a higher purchasing power 

and spend more than regular 

visitors. These holidaymakers 

come mainly from the UK, 

Germany, northern Europe, 

Ireland and Central Europe. 

Belarus, Lithuania to develop 

joint tourism projects 

New cycle way in Ireland’s County 

Clare to boost leisure tourism 

Ireland’s Minister of State for 

Department of Transport, 

Tourism & Sport Alan Kelly 

TD, recently opened a 4km long 

cycle way between Ennistymon 

and Lahinch in County Clare, 

Ireland. 

The Ennistymon–Lahinch 

Cycleway Project connects two 

of North Clare’s busiest towns 

and is expected to deliver a 

major boost to the county’s 

growing leisure tourism sector. 

Welcoming the official opening 

of the cycle path, Mayor 

of Clare Councillor Pat Daly 

said, “This cycle path has huge 

potential to further increase 

the numbers of leisure tourists 

visiting County Clare in recent 

years. The cycleway also serves 

as an important piece of recreational 

infrastructure for the 

people of the local community. 

“For example, the track 

will serve as a conveyor for 

many different types of user 

including pedestrians, commuter 

cyclists, leisure cyclists 

and tourist cyclists. Furthermore, 

schoolchildren will be 

able to avail of this new infrastructure 

which by virtue of 

the segregation will make the 

journey safer.” 

Belarus and Lithuania have 

stepped up efforts to develop 

joint tourism projects, Ambassador 

Extraordinary and 

Plenipotentiary of Lithuania 

to Belarus Evaldas Ignatavicius 

told the media. 

A Lithuanian delegation 

headed by the Ambassador 

was recently in Grodno 

Oblast on a visit. The Lithuanian 

guests met with senior 

officials of the Grodno Oblast 

Executive Committee to discuss 

the relevant ways for 

further cooperation. One of 

the key areas for cooperation 

between the two countries is 

tourism, predominantly the 

exchange of foreign tourists. 

The ambassador believes 

the two countries can create a 

joint product - a tourist package, 

which would allow foreign 

tourists visiting Lithuania 

to go on a trip to neighbouring 

Belarus and vice versa. This 

is especially useful for the 

Belarusian-Lithuanian frontier 

regions. 

The Ambassador emphasised 

that Lithuania has been 

doing its best to promote 

tourism. Last year Lithuania 

received almost 400,000 

Belarusian visitors.

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | MAY 2013 EUROPE • 21 

Iceland tourism sees increase 

in bus rental popularity 

Iceland tourism is witnessing 

a boom in bus rental services 

among tourists visiting the 

country. This mode of transport 

offers the unique opportunity 

for exploration of Iceland’s 

exciting hotspots and 

landmarks. 

The demand of bus rental 

services generally increases 

during the cruise ship season 

in Iceland – between April and 

August – because most tourists 

prefer to avail of this service 

to reach the port. These 

buses can hold large number 

of passengers and provide the 

scope to enjoy a customised 

travel experience. 

Bustravel, a popular bus 

rental company in Iceland, 

offers three different sized 

vehicles depending on the 

needs of the visitor. The company 

offers a mini bus (12-25 

people), a coach (40-50 people), 

and a large bus (60+ people). 

Each of its buses is equipped 

with everything needed for a 

relaxing and enjoyable travelling 

experience. 

Turkish Airlines prohibits its flight 

attendants from wearing bright lipstick 

Tourism poster from 

1930s up for auction 

An image of York which was 

used to attract American tourists 

to spend more money in 

Britain more than 80 years ago 

is going up for auction. 

The poster, which captures 

York Minster and Bootham 

Bar, was one of many distributed 

in the U.S. and British 

territories as part of a tourism 

drive backed by Winston 

Churchill to encourage more 

tourists to come to the UK. 

Photographer John Dixon- 

Scott took the picture shortly 

after the 14th century building 

had been renovated and saved 

from demolition. 

Now, the poster, along with 

50 others from the series, 

is going under the hammer 

in England after recently 

being uncovered in Boston, 

Massachusetts. 

Auctioneer Patrick Bogue 

said, “Just months before the 

stock market crash of 1929, 

the Travel Association of Britain 

and Northern Ireland was 

founded by Lord Waldorf 

Astor and Winston Churchill 

to increase the amount of 

American money spent in the 

United Kingdom by tourists. 

“In the late 1930s the Travel 

Association hired the best 

photographers to document 

the scenes of Great Britain 

including Scotland and Northern 

Ireland.” 

Turkish Airlines has disallowed 

air hostesses from 

wearing brightly coloured 

lipstick such as red or pink. 

The move has triggered 

fierce debate with the accusation 

of trying to Islamise 

the country. 

Turkish Airlines defended 

the ban, saying in a statement 

recently that “simple makeup, 

immaculate and in pastel 

colours, is preferred for 

staff working in the service 

sector.” 

In recent months the 

airline, 49% state-owned, has 

also stopped serving alcohol 

on internal flights. 

Numerous women posted 

pictures of themselves wearing 

bright red lipstick on 

social media websites to protest 

the measure. 

Top Turkish companies’ 

workers to get UK visa easily 

The United Kingdom is set 

to ease visa restrictions for 

the employees of 500 companies, 

including many 

Turkish firms with large turnovers 

and UK-based firms 

operating in Turkey, UK 

General Consul to Istanbul 

Leigh Turner announced 

recently. 

Workers of the listed 500 

companies would get visas by 

just presenting a document that 

proved their workplace, he said. 

“This scheme will 

facilitate conducting business 

between Turkey and the 

United Kingdom further,” 

Turner added. 

Turkey’s tourism revenue jumps 

nearly 40% in first quarter 

Turkey’s tourism revenues 

improved by nearly $5 billion 

in the first quarter of the 

year, with a 38.6% increase 

on the previous year, Turkish 

Statistical Institution 

data showed. 

The tourism income rose 

thanks to tourist numbers 

increasing by 18.7%, surpassing 

5 million in total in 

three months. 

Revenues have surged 

due to a sharp increase in 

tourists as well as their individual 

average expenditure, 

which was $982 per person. 

While 72.5% of the income 

for the period was obtained 

from foreign visitors, 27.5% 

was obtained from citizens 

residing abroad.

americas 

Security top priority for 

today’s tourists: CNN survey 

Travellers across the globe are 

most concerned about safety 

and price while choosing a holiday 

destination, according to the 

findings of Global CNN Travel 

research. 

A global study of CNN consumers’ 

travel perceptions and 

behavioural trends showed that 

safety and security remains the 

prime concern when selecting 

an international travel destination, 

for more than two thirds of 

global respondents. 

• 67% say ‘safety and security’ 

matters most 

• 60% are ‘price’ driven 

• 58% are driven by ‘reputation’ 

• 55% say ‘knowledge and 

availability of information’ 

matters most 

• 54% are driven by ‘diversity 

of things to do/amenities’ 

“Destination branding has 

become one of the most competitive 

aspects of today’s tourism 

industry and these insights 

are valuable for countries looking 

to market themselves as 

the destination of choice for 

‘Colombia, Magical Realism’ 

highlights unique attractions 

Colombia’s Ministry of Commerce, 

Industry and Tourism 

recently announced a new tourism 

campaign called, ‘Colombia, 

Magical Realism’. 

The campaign intends to 

lure more visitors to the country 

and highlights the examples 

of 25 unique experiences in 

Colombia to tempt foreigners. 

Minister of Commerce, 

Industry and Tourism Sergio 

Diaz-Granados announced 

that the new international promotion 

campaign follows the 

strong growth experienced by 

the tourism sector over the past 

few years. 

“We want to show international 

visitors what it is really 

like in the country, the magic 

that people find here and 

the great work that has gone 

into infrastructure, training 

travellers,” Didier Mormesse, 

Senior Vice President, Ad Sales 

Research, Development & Audience 

Insight at CNN International, 

said. 

“That safety and security is 

significantly more important 

for respondents than the cost 

of travel, even in austere times, 

is an indicator that, in times of 

regional unrest, the pendulum 

and the development of projects 

and destinations,” said 

Diaz-Granados. 

According to the minister, 

last year more than 3 million 

foreigners visited Colombia, 

which reportedly generated 

96,000 jobs. These figures 

should increase manifold in 

2013 as the minister believes 

has swung. With reputation 

also a key factor, tourist boards 

will clearly continue to have 

a vital role to play in shaping 

international perceptions of 

their country to encourage tourism 

growth,” he added. 

Price comes second in travel 

decision making, reflecting the 

continuing impact of the economic 

crisis on consumers. 

‘Colombia, Magical Realism’ 

will help to establish Colombia 

as a world-class destination 

and draw approximately 

3.6 million international travellers 

by the end of 2013. 

“We cannot claim Colombia 

as an excellent destination 

without working to strengthen 

the sector through focused 

development. The campaign 

is accompanied by public and 

private efforts which guarantee 

the success of the destination,” 

added the minister. 

The campaign, which has 

an initial budget of $7.1 million, 

focuses on attractions in 

Colombia related to nature, 

adventure, the beach, culture 

and nautical activities as 

well as marketing Colombia 

as a business and convention 

destination. 


Colorado eyes agritourism 

to boost rural economies 

Colorado is hoping agricultural 

tourism will significantly 

boost rural economies. 

A plan recently unveiled by 

the Colorado Tourism Office 

and the Colorado Department 

of Agriculture provides 

a comprehensive three-year 

road map for the development 

of the state’s agritourism 

industry. 

Agritourism refers to any 

activity that brings people to 

a farm, including pumpkin 

picking, farmers markets, 

corn mazes, winery tours and 

farm-stay holidays. 

Many Colorado farms 

already offer these tourism 

opportunities, said Wendy 

White, a marketing specialist 

with the Department of 

Agriculture, but the plan 

now intends to increase the 

industry education and public 

awareness. 

“We wanted to provide 

the public with the information 

for all the things that are 

available to see and do in rural 

Colorado,” she said. “We want 

them to know they don’t have 

to travel far to experience 

some of these really unique 

activities.” 

The plan also suggests 

that Colorado Tourism Office 

develop a mentor programme 

to assist farmers and ranchers 

who want to get into the agritourism 

business or want to 

improve their offerings. The 

report also lays out extensive 

plans for regional and international 

roadshows to highlight 

thriving agritourism 

businesses. 

The goal is to bring more 

domestic and international 

tourists and eventually more 

money to rural farms, which 

are often neglected in favor of 

the Rocky Mountains or other 

outdoor recreational activities. 

Alabama launches civil 

rights tourism app 

Kentucky tourism revenue 

hits $12.2 billion in 2012 

Tourism brought more than 

$12.2 billion to Kentucky’s 

economy, Gov. Steve Beshear 

and tourism officials 

announced recently. 

That is a 4.4% increase 

from 2011, according to the 

Kentucky Tourism, Arts, 

and Heritage Cabinet. The 

tourism industry employed 

174,000 people in 2012, the 

survey showed, an increase of 

4,078 jobs from the previous 

year. Those jobs created $2.7 

billion in wages, an increase 

of $117 million over the previous 

year. 

“The Kentucky tourism 

industry continues to do well, 

which is good news for all of 

us,” Beshear said in a statement. 

“These figures illustrate 

the importance of tourism 

in Kentucky as well as in 

communities big and small 

across the Commonwealth.” 

In a new initiative to help travellers 

explore the past of the 

state, the Alabama Tourism 

Department has introduced 

its first app for smart phones 

designed to take tourists in a 

tour of civil rights landmarks 

across Alabama. 

State Tourism Director Lee 

Sentell said the app is for the 

Alabama Civil Rights Trail. 

He said it offers a convenient 

way for visitors to explore 

the people, places and events 

surrounding the fight for 

equal rights. 

The app includes sites in 

several cities, including Birmingham, 

Montgomery, 

Selma and Tuskegee. It also 

includes an interactive timeline 

and a calendar of events 

happening in Alabama this 

year. 

The Tourism Department 

said the app can be 

downloaded for free by visiting 

the App Store for iPhone 

users or Google Play for the 

Android market.

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | MAY 2013 americas • 23 

Space tourism endeavor 

passes important test 

Virgin Galactic’s passenger 

space plane, which is specifically 

designed to take tourists 

to the border of space, 

flew its first rocket-powered 

test flight recently, breaking 

the sound barrier at high 

altitude. 

The test now officially 

marks Virgin Galactic’s entry 

into the final phase of vehicle 

testing prior to the launching 

of commercial services from 

Spaceport America in New 

Mexico. 

“For the first time, we were 

able to prove the key components 

of the system,” said Virgin 

Galactic founder Sir Richard 

Branson in a statement. 

“Today’s supersonic success 

opens the way for rapid 

The Guatemalan Tourism 

Institute (INGUAT) will 

increase the promotion of the 

country as a destination for 

Travellers flying on Alaska 

Airlines will now get to enjoy 

new comfortable aircraft seats 

that feature a personal spaceenhancing 

design and are 

equipped with power outlets. 

The airline is to soon finalise 

a decision to enhance inflight 

entertainment system that will 

allow customers to watch movies, 

television shows and other 

programming streamed to any 

Wi-Fi-enabled device. 

The $100 million project to 

upgrade the cabins on all of 

Alaska’s Boeing 737-800, 900 

and 900ER aircraft is expected 

to be finished by the end 

of 2014. 

“Passengers have responded 

very favorably to the innovative 

and comfortable Recaro seats 

on our 737-900ERs. Two other 

features we know they want the 

expansion … with a very realistic 

goal of full space flight 

by the year’s end.” 

More than 500 people 

Guatemala relying on tourism 

to boost economy 

foreign visitors with the aim 

of boosting the economy. 

The markets of the United 

States, Canada and Mexico, 

most are power for their electronic 

devices and enhanced 

inflight entertainment,” said 

Joe Sprague, Alaska Airlines’ 

Vice President of marketing. 

“Upgrading our other next 

generation 737 aircraft with 

have already reserved seats 

and paid a deposit on the 

$200,000 ticket price for few 

minutes of suborbital flight. 

as well as El Salvador and 

Honduras, are the primary 

areas for promoting Guatemala 

as a vacation destination, 

INGUAT director Pedro 

Duchez said. 

The tourism plan for 2013 

includes developing the infrastructure 

of different tourist 

sites and strengthening the 

position of the Central American 

country’s tourism online 

since 95% of the travel bookings 

by prospective tourists 

are done via the Internet. 

Convention tourism, cruise 

ship stops, adventure tourism, 

ecotourism and sports 

are some of the market segments 

Guatemala will push to 

attract foreigners. 

Alaska Airlines upgrading its 

aircraft interior 

Recaro seats, along with adding 

seat power and an improved 

inflight entertainment system, 

will complement our awardwinning 

personal service and 

make flying more enjoyable for 

our customers.” 

NH to expand ‘Live 

Free…’ campaign 

beyond tourism 

The tourism campaign for 

New Hampshire rolled 

out a year ago is showing 

such great results it may be 

expanded to economic development 

and other areas, a 

state official said recently. 

The ‘Live Free and ….’ is a 

fill-in-the-blank play on the 

state’s longstanding ‘Live 

Free or Die’ slogan. The state 

has used many variations 

including ‘Live Free and Play,’ 

‘Live Free and Explore’ in its 

advertising, and attractions 

statewide have been incorporating 

their own twist on it. 

State Travel and Tourism 

Director Lori Harnois said 

the campaign has helped 

boost tourism spending, 

which increased to $4.4 billion 

in the last fiscal year. 

Jeff Rose, commissioner 

of the Department of 

Resources and Economic 

Development, said he plans 

to use a similar approach to 

attract new businesses to 

the state. 

U.S. Airways upgrading 

international travel 

experiences 

U.S. Airways is taking all 

the necessary steps to make 

international travel more 

comfortable and convenient 

with several in-flight 

enhancements starting this 

spring and summer. 

Beginning this May, passengers 

travelling in the 

economy cabin will receive 

complimentary headsets 

and complimentary wine 

with their main meal on 

flights to and from Europe, 

the Middle East and South 

America. Earlier this month, 

the airline also expanded 

DineFresh, its premium meal 

option paired with wine to 

select flights. DineFresh 

meals must be pre-ordered 

at least 24 hours prior 

to departure. 

In July, U.S. Airways is to 

introduce new amenity kits 

in Envoy, its international 

business class. The airline 

has teamed up with Red 

Flower, a New York-based, 

eco-friendly beauty and lifestyle 

brand, to offer passengers 

travelling in Envoy a 

soft exclusive jute-lined bag 

filled with delicately scented 

botanical products made to 

provide an instant sense of 

invigoration. 

“We’ve invested in 

improvements that will 

make international travel 

for business and leisure 

customers more comfortable 

and convenient,” said 

Andrew Nocella, U.S. Airways’ 

Senior Vice President, 

Marketing and Planning.

24 • americas 

Mexico, EU agree 

to boost tourism 

cooperation 

Mexico and the European 

Union (EU) have joined 

forces to develop cooperation 

in the tourism sector, the 

Mexican Ministry of Tourism 

said. 

“Europe represents a key 

market for the growth of 

tourism in Mexico,” Mexican 

Tourism Minister Claudia 

Ruiz Massieu said. 

The Mexican government 

is working to “consolidate a 

larger international presence 

with increased trade 

and investment flows, and 

tourism is a priority due to 

its great capacity to spur 

economic development,” the 

minister added. 

In January 2012, Mexico’s 

Tourism Ministry and 

the European Commission 

signed a joint declaration to 

strengthen tourism cooperation 

between the two sides. 

Peru, Mexico sign 

cooperation agreement 

on tourism 

Peru and Mexico recently 

signed a memorandum of 

understanding (MoU) to 

strengthen cooperation in the 

tourism sector and increase 

the flow of visitors. 

The agreement was signed 

after a meeting between Peruvian 

President Ollanta Humala 

and his Mexican counterpart 

Enrique Pena Nieto at the 

Government Palace in Lima. 

The MoU states that both 

countries will jointly work to 

increase tourist flows, mainly 

involving cultural, luxury, 

adventure, nature and sports 

tourism. 

Peru and Mexico also 

decided to endorse the implementation 

of student training 

programmes and professional 

exchanges in the tourism 

sector. 

The Peruvian Ministry of 

Foreign Trade and Tourism 

and the Mexican Secretariat 

of Tourism will supervise and 

monitor the implementation of 

the agreement. 

Los Angeles is attempting to 

reduce the number of cars on 

its roads. With over 120 miles of 

new bike ways created within 

the city of Los Angeles in the last 

two years and increased metro 

transit options, people are less 

keen on using their own cars. 

Beginning this April 22, the 

Los Angeles Tourism & Convention 

Board (LA Tourism) 

invites travellers to take part 

in this green movement with 

the launch of ‘Car Free LA,’ an 


Los Angeles Tourism 

launches ‘Car Free LA’ 

Passenger guide to safe 

pet travel released 

The Association for Airline Passenger 

Rights (AAPR) recently 

released its online publication, 

‘Passenger Guide to Pet Safe 

Travel’. 

The guide, which is published 

as part of a strategic partnership 

with TripsWithPets (TWP) provides 

airline passengers with 

information, helpful tips and 

resources intended to make petsafe 

flying more achievable. The 

eco-friendly initiative designed 

to showcase the city’s extraordinary 

car-free offerings. 

‘Car Free LA’ features a 

wide range of meticulouslydesigned 

itineraries focused 

on exploring Los Angeles’ various 

neighbourhoods on foot, 

bike and public transportation 

while popularising the city’s 

iconic attractions, vibrant music 

scene, historic architecture, arts 

and culture, diverse cuisine and 

endless entertainment. 

These self-guided itineraries 

provide visitors the required 

tools they need to navigate the 

city without relying on a car. 

In addition to saving money 

on fuel, travellers can add time 

to their vacations and explore 

a different side of Los Angeles 

they might otherwise overlook 

from behind the wheel. 

guide is being made available for 

free for all airline passengers. 

The guide includes information 

about pet-related incidents, 

pet health and immunisation 

requirements, general 

airline information, cabin and 

cargo requirements, security 

procedures, service animals for 

passengers with disabilities and 

other resources. 

“There is a lot to take into 

consideration when flying with 

pets, including varying airline 

policies, getting through 

security check-points, pet 

friendly areas at airports and 

legal requirements, to name a 

few,” said Brandon M. Macsata, 

Executive Director AAPR. “We 

hope that airline passengers 

find our new travel guide useful 

when planning trips with 

their furry friend. It is a musthave 

resource considering all of 

the little things that go into pet 

safe travel.” 

Connecticut’s 169 towns 

competing to draw tourism 

Connecticut’s 169 towns are competing 

hard with each other to 

promote tourism in the state as 

part of the state’s spring marketing 

campaign that includes tourism 

and business development 

advertising. 

Residents can vote for their 

favourite town on the state’s ‘Visit 

Connecticut’ Facebook page. Destinations, 

attractions and businesses 

also are encouraged to 

mobilise their towns to vote. 

The town that wins the most 

votes will be featured in a twominute 

video on Facebook. 

Using all the towns in Connecticut 

is seen as a way to draw 

tourists to historic and cultural 

sites, shopping and other activities 

in the towns.

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | MAY 2013 americas • 25 

Louisiana breaks state tourism 

record with over 26 million visitors 

Louisiana attracted more than 

26 million visitors in 2012, 

breaking a previous record set 

in 2003. 

Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne 

announced the new numbers 

recently at the state museum in 

Baton Rouge. 

Dardenne said the numbers 

clearly indicate that the 

state’s tourism sector is gaining 

momentum. The numbers were 

released on an annual study by 

the University of New Orleans 

Hospitality Research Centre. 

The study said 26.6 million 

people visited Louisiana in 2012, 

spending $10.7 billion compared 

to the 25.5 million people who 

visited in 2011 and spent $10 

billion. 

In 2003, the first year of the 

study, 26.2 million visitors came 

to Louisiana and spent $9.4 

billion. 

Dardenne said the increase 

in visitors last year resulted in 

the creation of 8,000 new tourism 

jobs and generated $665 million 

in state tax revenue. 

Wisconsin launches new tourism campaign 

Utah launches new $3.1 

million tourism campaign 

The Utah Office of Tourism 

is launching a $3.1 million 

regional television advertising 

campaign to promote the 

state’s five national parks. 

The spring and summer 

advertising campaign, 

dubbed the ‘Mighty Five’, 

will include commercials 

aired in Los Angeles, Denver, 

Phoenix, Portland, San Francisco 

and Seattle, as well as a 

social media campaign. Also 

large digital billboards will 

appear on the sides of buildings 

in Denver, San Francisco 

and Los Angeles. 

“Utah’s five stunning 

national parks contribute to 

Utah’s economy in a meaningful 

way by creating muchneeded 

jobs and impacting 

local economies in surrounding 

areas,” Gov. Gary Herbert 

said in a statement announcing 

the new effort to draw 

additional tourists to the state. 

The Utah Office of Tourism 

indicated that even during the 

recent economic downturn 

visits to the state’s five national 

parks increased steadily. 

Wisconsin Tourism has 

released its new television 

advertising campaign, ‘C’mon 

in. It’s easy.’ 

The new 30-second ad features 

‘Airplane!’ actor Robert 

Hays playing a puzzled fisherman 

and was directed by Hollywood 

veteran David Zucker. 

The promotional advert will 

begin airing in May 2013. 

Wisconsin Tourism revealed 

that the state’s tourism industry 

generated U.S. $16 billion in 

sales during 2011. 

Governor Scott Walker has 

proposed to increase funding 

to promote tourism by 1.4% over 

the next two years, injecting a 

further U.S. $500,000 into the 

local economy. 

“Wisconsin has got 

unbelievable attractions… we 

are proud to show them off,” 

Gov Walker said. 

Missouri unveils new tourism 

campaign to draw more visitors 

Nevada adopts new 

advertising slogan 

The state of Nevada is getting 

re-branded with the slogan 

‘Nevada: A world within. A 

state apart.’ Governor Brian 

Sandoval said “I think it’s 

awesome and it has captured 

the essence of Nevada. 

business-friendly environment, 

natural beauty, and 

unique personality. 

The campaign conceived 

by Y&R advertising agency 

comes as Nevada prepares 

to celebrate its 150th year of 

Missouri’s 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. 

The wide open spaces, Lake 

Tahoe, Red Rock, everything 

that we’re proud of as 

Nevadans.” 

“Tourists will come here 

and see all the many things 

that they can do,” Sandoval 

said. “They can have these 

authentic experiences that 

they cannot get anywhere 

else in the world.” 

The branding emphasises 

Nevada’s diverse culture, 

statehood in 2014. 

The television ad campaign 

kicked off April 15 in 

Nevada’s core tourism markets 

— Los Angeles, San 

Francisco and Phoenix. 

State tourism director 

Claudia Vecchio said 

the umbrella message will 

appear on state agency brochures 

and literature. More 

than 52 million people 

visited Nevada last year.

Africa 

Booze, bikinis are welcome 

in Egypt: Tourism minister 

Egypt is open to visitors who 

drink alcohol and wear bikinis, 

Tourism Minister Hisham 

Zaazou has said, as the country 

aims to boost tourist arrivals. 

Zaazou said the government 

had ‘optimistic goals’ for the 

tourism sector and dismissed 

the comments from radical 

Salafi Muslim groups who 

demanded a ban on alcohol and 

women wearing swimsuits. 

Tourism is a strong pillar of 

the Egyptian economy but has 

suffered a setback since a popular 

uprising toppled President 

Hosni Mubarak in 2011. 

“Bikinis are welcome in 

Egypt and booze is still being 

served,” Zaazou said during a 

visit to the United Arab Emirates 

(UAE). 

“We had talks with these 

Salafi groups and now they 

understand the importance of 

the tourism sector, but still you 

have some individuals who are 

not from the leadership saying 

these things,” added the 

minister. 

Islamist President Mohamed 

Morsi’s government hiked 

taxes on alcohol in December 

last year but backed down 

after the move was criticised 

by the tourism sector and 

by liberals. 

Egypt resumes hot air balloon 

rides after two months 

Egypt resumed hot air balloon 

sightseeing in the ancient 

city of Luxor recently, weeks 

after an accident led authorities 

to halt the flights. 

Mohammed Ibrahim 

Sherif, head of the civil 

aviation authority, said the 

first hot air balloon was 

launched in the southern 

city after safety measures 

required by his office were 

implemented. He said five out 

of seven companies have been 

allowed to resume the flights. 

Luxor governor Ezzat 

Saad, who boarded the first 

balloon with several British, 

Australian and Arab tourists, 

said he was pleased with the 

resumption, and considers 

the activity “one of the most 

important touristic aspects 

of the city.” 

Authorities suspended 

flights after 19 tourists were 

killed on February 26 when 

their balloon caught fire and 

crashed in a sugar cane field. 

One British tourist survived, 

along with the balloon’s pilot. 

Both were injured. 

The disaster occurred 

as the balloon was landing. 

Initial investigations suggested 

the fire broke out when 

a landing cable tore a fuel tube 

used to fire the burner that 

heats the balloon’s air. 

Egypt signs tourism agreement 

with Iraqi Kurdistan 

Egypt’s Minister of Tourism 

Hisham Zaazou has signed an 

agreement with his Iraqi counterpart 

Dilshad Shahab in Iraq’s 

Kurdistan to enhance tourism 

cooperation. 

In the first official Egyptian 

visit to Kurdistan, Zaazou 

invited his counterpart to visit 

Egypt to discuss the matter 

further. 

In Kurdistan Zaazou discussed 

several issues that aim 

at cancelling the entry-visa and 

increasing flight connections 

between Iraq and Egypt in order 

to boost tourism. 


Egypt opens 

alcohol-free hotel 

The Egyptian Tourism 

Authority recently celebrated 

the opening of an alcohol-free 

hotel at the popular beach 

resort of Hurghada – a move 

they believe will lure conservative 

Muslim tourists to a 

region popular with foreign 

and local visitors. 

Le Roi Hotel is one of the 

first dry hotels to open on 

Egypt’s Red Sea coast. 

Many do worry such hotels 

could deter foreign tourists, 

whose numbers dropped 

sharply after the uprising 

that ousted Hosni Mubarak 

in 2011. 

Liberals, on the other hand, 

voice concerns that Islamists 

who came to power in 2012 

A new umbrella body for 

all tourism associations in 

Namibia to be called Federation 

of Namibian Tourism 

Association (Fenata) has been 

established with properly 

defined objectives that include 

lobbying government and acting 

as the voice of the tourism 

industry. 

The association will be 

were seeking to limit personal 

freedoms and impose conservative 

ideology. 

However, Yasser Kamal, 

the owner of the hotel, dismissed 

any such assumptions. 

“The idea of launching a 

hotel without alcohol is not to 

adhere to any particular movement 

but rather to provide a 

new kind of tourism,” he said. 

A YouTube video showed 

hotel managers celebrating 

the launch by lining up bottles 

of alcohol outside the building 

before pouring out their contents 

and smashing them. 

The hotel, which has 134 

rooms and 35 suites, has allocated 

the top floor and a swimming 

pool to women only. 

New tourism umbrella body 

established in Namibia 

chaired by Ruddie Putter. 

The new committee members 

will serve a two-year 

term, while the two additional 

members Roswitha Lowe and 

Almut Kronsbein will only 

serve one-year terms each. 

The newly established 

body, which will operate as a 

voluntary association, recently 

adopted a new constitution.

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21 SHIPS. 270 DESTINATIONS. 77 COUNTRIES. 6 CONTINENTS.

28 • africa 

Mauritius aims to increase 

tourist arrivals from India 

Mauritius is mulling increasing 

the number of flights from 

India with the intention to 

tap the growing tourist traffic 

from the country. Mauritius 

has witnessed a boom in 

The Tunisian National Tourist 

Office (TNTO) has recently 

launched its first-ever tourism 

ad campaign to lure tourists 

from the UK and Europe. 

Aimed at bringing more visitors 

from the UK and continental 

Europe, the innovative new 

ad campaign showcases the 

variety that Tunisia has to offer 

travellers. 

The ad, broadcast over 

diverse range of channels, will 

portray all that is truly enthralling 

about Tunisia, including 

the country’s history, ancient 

archaeology, white-sandy 

beaches and world class luxury 

hotels. 

Tourism numbers so far this 

year show March witnessed 

an increase of more than 1% 

of arrivals from the UK, and 

first quarter numbers show 

a 20% gain for Q1 compared 

to 2012. 

“We are very excited about 

tourist arrivals from India in 

recent years. In 2012, as many 

as 55,197 Indian tourists visited 

Mauritius, a significant 

improvement from the previous 

year’s figures. 

the launch of this Europeanwide 

campaign and I feel confident 

about its potential impact 

on consumers. Initial feedback 

is promising and encouraging. 

Since tourism started in Tunisia 

in the early 1960s, the destination 

has managed to overcome 

all sorts of crises. Tourism 

“One more flight would be 

added in December 2013 from 

Mumbai. Mauritius has an 

approval to operate 14 flights 

in a week. We currently have 

seven flights in a month and 

would increase the number 

as footfall from India is on the 

rise,” Vijaye Haulder, Deputy 

Director, Mauritius Tourism 

Promotion Authority (MTPA), 

said. 

“We expect a 10% growth in 

tourist arrivals by conducting 

road shows in India in 2013,” 

Haulder added. 

Mauritius Tourism Promotion 

Authority (MTPA) 

recently conducted a roadshow 

in Bangalore. The board aims to 

target 1 lakh tourists from India 

in the coming months. 

Tunisia kick-starts first big tourism campaign 

figures for 2013 are looking 

strong and we hope that with 

the aid of our campaign and 

our partners’ commitment, we 

can look forward to welcoming 

more visitors from the UK and 

the rest of Europe,” Wahida 

Jaiet, TNTO director, UK & 

Ireland, said. 

Rwanda Development Board 

prepares Musanze cave for tourists 

The Rwanda Development 

Board’s (RDB) Tourism and 

Conservation Department is 

to transform a famous cave 

in Musanze district into a 

tourism site. 

This was recently announced 

by Rica Rwigamba, the head of 

Rwanda Tourism and Conservation 

Department while on 

a tour at the site together with 

tour operators to assess the 

progress. 

“We have been planning 

this for a while. Our target 

is to increase tourism products; 

caves are part of products 

attracting tourists. We want 

to discuss with tour operators 

to help us let tourists know 

about our new products,” said 

Rwigamba, adding that within 

a month, they will announce 

the price of touring the cave 

after the consultations with tour 

operators. 

Rwigamba also urged local 

leaders to help in conservation 

of the cave by preventing 

people from dumping wastes 

or anything that can pollute 

the cave. 


Foreign visitor numbers 

up 10% in South Africa 

Foreign tourist arrivals to 

South Africa grew by 10.2% 

year-on-year to almost 9.2 

million in 2012, more than 

double the global average of 

around 4%, President Jacob 

Zuma announced recently. 

“In 1993, South Africa 

received a mere 3.4 million 

foreign visitors,” Zuma said. 

“By 2012, the figure had grown 

300% to 13.5 million visitors, 

of which 9.2 million were 

tourists.” 

Zuma further emphasised 

the “country’s phenomenal 

tourism growth was evidence 

that we are successfully 

setting ourselves apart in a 

competitive marketplace. It 

indicates that South Africa’s 

reputation as a friendly, welcoming, 

inspiring and unique 

tourism destination continues 

to grow.” 

Zuma also thanked the 

South African citizens for 

being warm and welcoming 

to foreign visitors. “In 

addition to the beauty of our 

country and its outstanding 

facilities, it is because 

South Africans treat visitors 

warmly and hospitably that 

we see such positive results,” 

he said. 

South Africa tourism 

looks beyond the safari 

South Africa is stepping up 

efforts to become one of the 

world’s top 20 tourism destinations 

by 2020, the country’s 

Minister of Tourism 

Marthinus van Schalkwyk 

said recently. 

Business and leisure 

tourism is a major focus for 

the South African government, 

Van Schalkwyk said. 

“It is by the fastest growing 

segment in our economy — 

9.6% — and we intend that to 

be in the double digits soon,” 

he added. 

To reach that goal, he 

explained, the country will 

have to show both business 

and leisure travellers that 

the country has much more 

to offer than just the safaris 

for which it is famous. 

“We have to transform 

South Africa from a safari 

destination,” Van Schalkwyk 

said. This means focusing 

on business tourism and 

emerging markets among 

other strategies, he added.

CAribbean 

Bermuda tourism launches 

online booking tool 

The Bermuda Department of 

Tourism has kick-started the 

first phase of a booking engine 

tool on the destination’s official 

website, GoToBermuda.com, 

to provide visitors with a more 

efficient and comprehensive 

trip-planning and purchasing 

experience. 

The new system significantly 

improves the process of 

finding and booking accommodation. 

Consumers at any stage 

of the travel planning process 

may search and choose based 

on location or type of desired 

property, including cottages, 

hotels, inns and bed and breakfasts, 

suites and apartments. 

When completely ready to 

book or purchase, visitors can 

easily find the booking application 

on any page throughout 

the site, which also provides 

the best available rate at no 

additional fee. 

According to Minister of 

Tourism Development and 

Transport Shawn Crockwell, 

the goal of the new web tool is 

not only to improve the visitor 

experience but to increase sales 

and lend support to hotels and 

attractions. 

“We believe this new tool 

makes planning a trip to 

U.S. Virgin Islands to tap 

Scandinavian market 

Denmark and the wider Scandinavian 

market will continue to 

be a predominant tourism market 

for the United States Virgin 

Islands (USVI). 

USVI Tourism Commissioner 

Beverly Nicholson-Doty, 

who was recently in Denmark 

on an official visit, said the Scandinavian 

countries generate 

more than 16,900 annual visitor 

arrivals to the territory. She said 

the prospects for growing the 

market were encouraging. 

Nicholson-Doty, who also 

is chairman of the Caribbean 

Tourism Organisation, met with 

leading trade and media houses 

in Denmark. 

“It’s been busy here in Denmark; 

[we’re] solidifying our 

historical ties as we seek to 

Bermuda easier than ever and 

will help lead the consumer 

more effectively from the planning 

to the booking stage,” he 

said. “We believe our visitors 

can spend less time worrying 

about the planning process 

and more time looking forward 

to the great vacation that 

awaits them.” 

increase our arrivals from the 

Danish and the wider Scandinavian 

market,” Nicholson- 

Doty said. 

Trinidad’s Tourism Minister suggests 

regional forum on tourism 

Trinidad and Tobago Tourism 

Minister Stephen Cadiz 

suggested recently that the 

Caribbean’s political leadership 

should hold a regional 

forum on tourism. 

Cadiz, speaking at the conclusion 

of the 14th Annual 

Caribbean Conference on Sustainable 

Tourism Development, 

said the tourism industry 

in the Caribbean needed 

full support from the regions’ 

government. 

“There are islands in the 

Caribbean whose economies 

depend 100% on tourism,” 

he said. “And yet still, 

where is the support from the 

leadership” 

Beverly Nicholson-Doty, 

the Tourism Commissioner 

of the United States Virgin 

Islands and Chairman of the 

Caribbean Tourism Organization, 

said that the issue of tourism 

needed to be higher on the 

list of regional priorities. 

Nevis’ first quarter tourism earnings for 2013 show positive growth 

Tourism revenue for Nevis at 

the end of the first two months 

of 2013, witnessed an increase 

of 13% over the corresponding 

period for 2012 and a 39% 

increase over that of 2011. This 

was announced by the Deputy 

Premier and Minister of Tourism 

in the Nevis Island Administration 

(NIA) Mark Brantley. 

“Hotel revenues improved 

15.7% island-wide for the first 

two months of 2013, compared 

with the same period for 2012 

and are up a dramatic 49.3% compared 

with 2011. The revenue for 

guest houses increased by 61.4% 

for the same period in 2013 compared 

with 2012,” Brantley said 

detailing the figures further. 

The Tourism Minister 

described the growth in tourism 

as positive and encouraging. 

“I find this positive growth 

truly encouraging and tourism 

stakeholders can rest assured 

that every support will be given 

to ensure that tourism in Nevis 

continues to trend in the right 

direction,” he said. 


Dominican Republic sees 

surge in tourism from Russia 

The Dominican Republic’s 

tourism sector is witnessing 

significant growth from Russia, 

according to Radhames 

Martínez Aponte, Deputy 

Minister of Tourism in the 

country. 

The minister said the country 

saw a massive arrival of 

Russian tourists last year, 

with a total of around 164,000 

in 2012. 

That growth remains 

robust thus far in 2013, with 

Russia overtaking Germany 

in fourth place among global 

source markets to the Dominican 

Republic. 

The Russian boom is a 

result of stepped-up efforts in 

tourism promotion, the minister 

said, as the Dominican 

Republic looks to new source 

markets. 

“Right now, the Russian 

market is in expansion,” 

he said. Overall, the Dominican 

Republic’s tourism industry 

saw overall growth of 

around 4.95% in 2012. 

Tirun Travel Marketing celebrates 

20 years of association with 

Royal Caribbean International 

Tirun Travel Marketing, synonymous 

with the concept of 

cruise vacations for Indian travellers, 

has been making waves in 

the industry for the last 20 years 

as the exclusive representative of 

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. in 

the country. 

The company pioneered and 

continues to promote cruise 

travel among Indian travellers 

and offers an exciting portfolio 

of three leading cruise brands 

- Royal Caribbean International, 

Celebrity Cruises and 

Azamara Club Cruises that are 

India’s gateway to 34 spectacular 

cruise ships, sailing to 460 

destinations. 

Royal Caribbean International, 

a Norwegian and American 

cruise line brand based in 

Miami, operates the world’s 

largest floating cities that are 

brimming with activities for 

every age including Broadwayinspired 

shows, the Dream- 

Works experience and soon 

to be added first-at-sea innovations, 

like sky-diving, bumper 

cars and more. The cruise 

line that already enjoys dominance 

in Alaska, Europe and 

the Caribbean, has now added 

another feather to its cap by 

deploying the largest cruise ship 

in Asia this year - Mariner of the 

Seas. 

Stretching more than a 

thousand feet in length, Mariner 

of the Seas, the largest and 

most innovative cruise ship to 

be based in Asia can carry 3114 

guests on double occupancy. 

Tirun Travel Marketing 

said “In the past one year, Royal 

Caribbean International’s guest 

capacity in Asia has witnessed 

a threefold increase and our 

regional cruise offering has been 

augmented with two Voyager 

Class ships. We are pleased to 

bring more opportunities closer 

to home for Indian travellers”. 

The Chief Executive of Tirun 

Travel Marketing, MS. Ratna 

Chadha has been instrumental 

in bringing exclusive cruise holidays 

experiences to the Indian 

travellers. She has revolutionised 

the concept of cruise vacations 

in India over the past two 

decades. 

MS. Chadha has over 35 

years of experience within the 

travel industry, having worked 

with various leading travel 

brands during her career.

EVENTS 

Brand USA: ‘We’re sending 

a more welcoming message’ 

Brand USA’s ad campaign is 

all about promoting the U.S. 

as a sensory experience, Jay 

Gray, Vice President of Global 

Partnership Development told 

Travel News Digest. “There’s 

less of the chest-pounding ‘red, 

white and blue’ about this campaign,” 

Gray said. “We are 

sending a more welcoming 

message.” 

The campaign, which features 

lesser known destinations 

and tells of the sensory 

experiences of the country – the 

imposing beauty of a California 

Redwood tree, the clack of the 

ball on a baseball bat – has had 

a great initial response. “In the 

UK, Canada and Japan, we have 

seen an increase in tourism of 12 

to 14%,” Gray said. Brand USA 

is looking to replicate that success 

in emerging markets. The 

largest-ever delegation from the 

U.S. heads to India in September 

and the group is to invest 

heavily in trade fairs beyond 

Mumbai and Delhi. “India is a 

huge potential market for us. 

Our forecast for 2013 is to hit 

800,000 visitors from India and 

to top 1 million by 2017.” 

Dubai aims to be ‘world’s ultimate family destination’ 

Dubai is to market itself as 

‘the world’s ultimate family 

destination’. 

According to His Excellency 

Helal Saeed Almarri, Director 

General of DTCM, the tourism 

budget approved by UAE Vice 

President Sheikh Mohammed 

aims to increase tourist numbers 

and treble the economic 

contribution of tourism by 2020. 

Attracting more families 

will be a major part of that 

drive, Almarri said, with plans 

to expand parks and places of 

family entertainment, as well 

as ensure hotels are geared up 

for families. One of Dubai’s key 

markets is India, whose visitors 

often travel in families. “India 

is our number two source market,” 

Almarri said. “In 2012, 

we received 764,000 visitors 

from India, an 8.8% increase 

from 2011. It is a growing market 

and we have to make sure 

we are competing with other 

destinations.” 

Sharjah looks towards Indian market 

Other emirates in the United 

Arab Emirates are following 

the lead of Dubai in looking to 

the Indian market as a potential 

growth market for tourism. 

“Dubai has brought us a lot of 

Indian tourists,” said Khalid 

Jasim Al Midfa, director general 

of Commerce and Tourism 

Development Authority for 

Sharjah, the third largest emirate 

of the UAE. “While originally 

most Indians came here to 

work, now things are changing 

and they are coming for tourism. 

We are seeing a different 

Bahrain pushes culture, business and family tourism 

The Kingdom of Bahrain has 

laid out its extensive tourism 

plans for 2013 that include 

promotion of its cultural sites, 

marketing itself as a ‘twin destination’ 

along with Oman 

and Dubai, pushing nature 

tourism, and business travel. 

While the short-term focus is 

for the GCC region, Dr Heba 

Aziz, Tourism Sector Advisor 

to the Ministry of Culture 

in the Kingdom of Bahrain, 

told Travel News Digest, 

the Kingdom also hopes to target 

the luxury market of India. 

“Our strategy has been ‘small 

is beautiful’, but now we are 

looking to twin up with Oman 

category of Indian, so we know 

there is potential,” he said, adding, 

“India is a very interesting 

market for us.” 

Al Midfa told Travel News 

Digest the tourism strategy 

includes roadshows to India 

and heavily promoting sectors 

most relevant to the Indian 

market. 

“Indians like culture, heritage 

and family tourism,” he 

said. Al Midfa also credited the 

new cruise liners coming into 

Sharjah for the boost in tourism 

to the region. 

and Dubai,” said Aziz. “We 

will also try to target the luxury 

market of India. Wedding 

parties could be a big market 

for Bahrain,” she added. 

The focus for 2013 is on cultural 

heritage, Aziz said. “Our 

culture assets are our most 

valuable tourism assets,” she 

said, drawing attention to the 

recently opened National Theatre. 

Tourism was boosted last 

year as the capital Manama was 

named Arab City of Culture. 


Egypt taps in on 

India’s love of culture 

Egypt is counting on the 

Indian traveller’s love of culture 

to boost inbound tourism 

in the upcoming year. 

“Indians are greatly interested 

in culture and Egypt is culture-oriented,” 

said Elhamy 

ElZayat, Chairman of the 

Egyptian Tourism Federation 

(ETF). “Indian tourists 

offer more to our country in 

terms of employment, as they 

often will hire guides etc, and 

they are also higher spenders 

than Europeans, who mostly 

head to the beaches.” 

India is a growing market for 

Egypt, ElZayat added, with 

great potential and said it is 

important for Air India to 

begin flights into the country. 

Air traffic is incredibly important 

for growing the number of 

tourists, he said. 

Talking about the country’s 

plan to expand into 

the Indian market, ElZayat 

said they were looking at 

possible cities and events to 

target their promotional 

campaigns. Moreover, he 

seemed confident in Egypt’s 

tourism potential this year. 

“We will surpass 13 million 

inbound tourists this year,” 

he said. 

Sri Lanka: India market 

is growing for us 

India is an important market 

for Sri Lanka, the country’s 

Deputy Minister of Economic 

Development Muhammed 

Hizbullah told Travel News 

Digest, while outlining some 

of the country’s plans to boost 

tourism from the neighbouring 

state. 

“The Indian market is 

our second largest market,” 

he said in an interview with 

Travel News Digest. “There 

are many flights between 

India and Sri Lanka, it is relatively 

cheap for Indians to visit 

and they are familiar with the 

environment.” 

Sri Lanka surpassed its 

2012 inbound tourism target 

of 1 million, hitting 1.1 million 

visitors last year, he said, 

and aims to reach 2.5 million 

inbound travellers in the next 

three years. The opening of a 

second international airport 

in the south of the country has 

greatly helped boost tourism 

figures, the minister said. 

He also said there are 

plans to expand further into 

the Indian market with roadshows 

and participation in 

trade events. 

As well as pushing the traditional 

beaches and greenery 

in the country, the tourism 

campaign for the remainder of 

2013 aims to specifically promote 

sports tourism and family 

holidays, Hizbullah said.

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | MAY 2013 EvEnts • 31 

Maldives looking to increase 

Indian tourists by 10,000 

The Maldives is reaping 

great rewards from its 

recent marketing efforts, 

Mohammed Adam, acting 

managing director for Maldives 

Marketing and PR told 

Travel News Digest from the 

Arabian Travel Market. 

Reports show that March 

saw a 30% growth in tourism 

for the islands compared to the 

same month last year. 

Figures from India are also 

on the increase, Adam said, 

with 30,000 Indians visiting 

the islands last year and 

hopes these figures will further 

increase with the commencement 

of direct flights to 

the islands from Chennai and 

Mumbai. 

“India is one of our leading 

markets,” Adam said. “This 

year we are aiming for 40,000 

visitors from India. 

“The islands have been promoting 

FAM trips to the region 

and have taken part in several 

international trade events, all 

of which have boosted numbers,” 

Adam said. 

“We are looking to renew 

New tourism minister aims 

‘to open Libya to the world’ 

Libya is launching its new tourism 

drive with the fervor and 

energy of a country awakening 

from the darkness. 

“For more than 40 years, we 

have been closed,” said Libyan 

Tourism Minister Ikram Bash 

Imam speaking to Travel News 

Digest from the country’s pavilion 

at the Arabian Travel Market 

(ATM). “Now it is time to 

change the image of Libya and 

to show the real face of the country… 

We want to open Libya to 

the world.” 

Imam’s ministry is the first 

since the revolution. Short-term 

plans for the country include 

major infrastructure overhauls 

and a rebuilding of the 

ministry itself. 

Investment will be made in 

maintenance of the cultural 

and historical sites, Imam said. 

these marketing efforts,” added 

Adam, “and will be focusing 

on the OTM in Mumbai 

and Delhi.” 

“Our vision is to have selected 

cultural tourism,” she said, as 

well as to promote the country’s 

2,000kms of beaches, heritage 

buildings and its location in the 

Sahara desert. “In a very short 

time, we will have [tourism] 

offices all over the world,” she 

added. “People want to know 

what Libya is.” 

Yemen sees the good times ahead 

Yemen has put the bad times 

behind it and is looking forward 

to more tourism growth in 2013. 

“While 2011 was a bad year 

for us, we will successfully 

emerge,” Yaseen Al-Eshawee, 

marketing officer for Yemen 

Tourism told Travel News 

Digest at the Arabian Travel 

Market. “We are taking part in 

major trade events this year and 

hope also to expand into the 

Kazakhstan hopes 

Expo 2017, eased 

visa rules will 

boost tourism 

Being named as hosts of Expo 

2017 is expected to boost international 

visitors to Kazakhstan 

and spread awareness of 

the country around the world, 

said Deputy Chairperson of 

Kazakhstan Tourism Mukhit 

Saimassayev. 

The country has launched 

some major tourism and infrastructure 

projects in preparation 

for the international 

India market to make our presence 

bigger,” he said. “The India 

exhibition, including construction 

at the natural resort of 

Burabai and in the capital city 

of Astana. 

“More people are coming 

to Kazakhstan from India and 

market is huge,” he added. “We 

would want just a small part of 

it.” 

The country is focusing its 

promotional efforts on four 

major sectors: nature, eco-tourism, 

adventure and historical, 

Al-Eshawee said and dispelled 

any security concerns travellers 

may have. “Yemen is a very 

safe and very friendly country,” 

he said. 

we are hoping more people will 

come from all over the world,” 

Mukhit told Travel News Digest. 

“We are also looking to ease visa 

regulations, that will increase 

tourism,” he said. 

Mauritius pushing weddings 

and MICE in India 

India is the main focus in the 

stratgey for diversification of 

the tourism industry of Mauritius, 

Devendra Babooa, 

Research & Development 

Manager at the Mauritius 

Tourism Promotion Authority, 

told Travel News Digest. 

“While there is a lot of focus 

on the Middle East,” he said, 

“we are looking to increase 

capacity in a big way from 

Mumbai of up to 100,000 a 

year.” 

He added that the island 

is in touch with Emirates 

in discussions on 

Kenya is ‘home away from 

home’ for Indians 

Due to its large Indian population, 

Kenya feels like a home 

away from home for Indian 

tourists. So said Wausi Walya, 

PR and corporate communications 

manager for the Kenya 

Tourism Board. “India has 

grown as a market for us,” 

she told Travel News Digest 

from the colourful pavilion at 

ATM.“Indians like to travel as 

families and see the real African 

wildlife, and this is what Kenya 

has to offer,” she said. 

India is Kenya’s fifth biggest 

market, with yet more potential 

Kenya is hoping to tap. 

“In 2011, inbound from 

India grew 4.7%,” said Walya. 

“In 2012, we had 60,000 Indian 

visitors. It is a growing market 

and we are looking to invest in 

promoting in India, with roadshows 

and more trade fairs.” 

The incoming government 

has placed a priority on tourism 

as a key economic driver, 

Walya added, meaning budgets 

will be increased for infrastructure 

and tourism promotion. 

Direct flights from Delhi have 

been instrumental in boosting 

figures, she added. 

Germany – much more 

than high-tech and cars 

Germany is focusing on promoting 

itself as a young and fun 

destination and a place with 

‘heart’. “There has always been 

a concept of Germany as a place 

for business,” said Gregor Gosciniak, 

head of marketing for 

Cologne Tourism Board, “but 

we are not just about high-tech 

and cars. Little is known about 

the green beauty and the country 

as an enjoyment destination,” 

he said. “We are changing 

the image of Germany.” India is 

a growing market for tourism, 

Gosciniak said, adding that it 

was expecting growth in terms 

of inbound visitors from India. 

“India is a future market,” 

he said. 

how to increase air traffic 

from India. 

The target sectors for the 

industry will be weddings and 

MICE, he said. 

“We are doing everything 

to reach wedding planners 

and organisers so they can sell 

Mauritius for weddings and 

business,” he said. 

Germany’s tourism boards 

run frequent workshops in 

India, Gosciniak said, and 

spoke about the country’s policy 

of an ‘India pool’. “We pool 

funds for promotion in India,” 

he explained. “We go to spread 

awareness and introduce ourselves 

to the industry. We also 

invite Indian travel agents to 

Germany a lot.”

Read more . 19 

India’s Only Global 

Travel Trade Publication 

NOW 

ONLINE 

www.travelnewsdigest.in 

Volume I • Issue 1 Pages 32 www.travelnewsdigest.in 

` 50 / US $5 16-30 APRIL 2013 

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 

India Outbound: New destinations get active 

With th 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 

Germany 

Philippines 

Posted at NDPSO, New Delhi - 10002 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/20 1/40217 

Foreign tourist arrivals in India grew 

by 2.3% in the first three months of 

2013, despite unfavorable incidents .. 


Arabian Travel Market 

se ls out a month 

before opening 

United States of America 

Monaco 

Abu Dhabi 

Fiji 

Argentina 

Portugal 

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 trave ler market, the Australian 

state of Queensland has hired 

legendary cricketer Ma thew . 

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 . 


Jordan Canada 

E 

ven with th effects of in terms of visitors and more than 60 countries have of representations or their 

the global economic spending. 

established tourism promotion 

offices or operations in to test the waters, before 

embassies/cultural desks 

slowdown now being felt in The India outbound 

India, with the GDP growth growth story began around India to tap a market which, taking the plunge. 

bo toming out at around a decade ago, with aggressive 

efforts by early entrants Organisation estimates, is activities of some of the new 

according to World Tourism Here we take a look at the 

5-6% from the dizzy heights 

of 9% a couple of years ago, like Singapore, Thailand, expected to reach 50 mi lion kids on India’s outbound 

the outbound travel market Malaysia, Mauritius, Dubai outbound trave lers by 2020 tourism block who have set 

continues to hold steady. and Britain, followed by from the current 15 mi lion. up shop in India recently, 

India is now firmly China, Egypt, Turkey, While many of the and have been actively 

entrenched as one of the Korea, Macau, Hong Kong, National Tourism Organisations 

have established their tions, to catch up with the 

promoting their destina- 

top outbound tourism markets 

in the world, with enor- 

South Africa, to name a few. own offices in the coun- 

early birds. 

Indonesia, Sri Lanka and 

mous potential for growth Now it is estimated that try, others are making use 

Dubai’s Lama Tours leads largest 

India roadshow to date 

UAE joined the company for 

a four-city roadshow, start- 

Lama Tours, Dubai’s premier 

destination management 

company, led one of the 

biggest delegations ever to 

India from April 8-12. Dubai ing in New Delhi... 

hotels, resorts, airline partners 

and attractions from the 

Visit USA holds first-ever Kolkata 

media and trade presentation 

100+ travel trade members 

a tended Kolkata’s 

maiden U.S. Travel Trade 

seminar to hear about Visit 

USA’s plans to tap the India destinations . 

Contd. on page 2 . 

market, the simplified visa 

regulations and the campaign 

to showcase America’s 

lesser known tourism 

Read more . 30 Read more . 28

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