June - Travel News Digest

travel news digest JUNE 2012COVER STORY 3has also resulted in the increaseof travel fares reducing inboundbusiness travel from domesticand international destinations.This, in turn, has resulted incompanies rethinking hosting orparticipating in large conferencesin the city.a location to be described as an‘established’ MICE market.Chennai is a gateway toswitchover to travel to theSouthern part of Tamil Naduand Kerala. It is however, notexclusively looked at as a tourismor leisure destination. Chennaithe ICC Tech Park and the S LKirloskar Convention Centre.State of the art facilities will beembedded in the conventioncentre, which will sport open airexhibition grounds, auditoriums,a five star hotel and a familyentertainment centre.With the opening of brands likeWestin, Hyatt and Marriott,the available options have beenenhanced. Moreover, a wealth ofnatural attractions in the vicinitymakes local sightseeing, dayexcursions and conference toursvery feasible.CHENNAIM Peer Mohammed, DirectorRooms Division ,GRT Grand, ChennaiHot TrendsRecently, there has been anindustry trend towards usingthe term MICE. Other industryeducators are recommendingthe use of “Events Industry” tobe an umbrella term for the vastscope of the meeting and eventsprofession. Event managementcompanies are not only restrictedto corporate events, they alsohandle weddings and sportingevents which also largelycontribute towards MICE.The drive by the IT, Automotive,Pharmaceuticals and largescale infrastructure sector isfast changing Chennai into aviable business or even MICEdestination.with so much of opportunityavailable in this segment, the cityis fast developing with all facilitieswhich makes it a preferreddestination for MICE tourism.As a matter of fact, Chennaihoused many major internationalconferences in the last few years.Major ChallengesThe MICE market in India is stillat a nascent stage. We have not yetgot into the scale that will allowbeing a business district, it is stillnot considered a place to unwind.However other major challengesare the lack of confidence inpublic transportation due to nonstandardisation of rates and fares,maintenance of basic hygiene,poor maintenance of its heritageand the sense of insecurity for atourist while on tour.PUNESachin DidolkarDirector of SalesThe Westin Pune Koregaon ParkHot TrendsPune has a world class facilitycoming up at the InternationalConvention Centre whichcomprises the ICC Trade Tower,Major ChallengesThe potential for MICE in Puneis enormous. However, at thesame time, the industry facesnumerous challenges, of whichthe most critical is lack of properinfrastructure.• Lack of proper infrastructure• Access and connectivity• AmenitiesCHANDIGARHDeepak ManochaGeneral Manager, JW Marriott,ChandigarhHot TrendsMICE is an attractive propositionfor the hospitality and tourismsector in Chandigarh. MICEtourism has always beenconsidered lucrative by hoteliersconsidering that the revenuegenerated by this segment ismuch more than leisure travellers.Chandigarh, as a city, has growntremendously over the past fewyears with potential for even moregrowth. More and more MICEevents are happening in the cityevery year. It is well connected tovarious other cities of India andthese are the things that workin its favour. The full fledgedTNDVOICESfunctioning of the ChandigarhInternational Airport is going tofurther boost the MICE growthin the city.Major ChallengesIndia’s contribution to theMICE pie has been growingconsiderably in the past few years.However, old bottlenecks, in theform of inadequate infrastructure,support facilities and passivepromotions continue to impedethe growth in this sunshine sector.There is a need to add a wow factorto the services which we, as a hotelindustry can provide. CompaniesThe need of the hour is thatstate authorities take arealistic stock of possibilities andneeds of specific cities and then plan atime bound strategy to fill the gapsand develop complete MICEinfrastructure. Different regions havedifferent requirements, so will need todraw up individual action plans and acomprehensive strategy, in closecooperation with the stakeholders inthis sectorChander Mansharamani,Vice President, ICPB (The IndianConvention Promotion Board)don’t mind spending money foran exceptional experience, as itmust act as a motivator for theiremployees to perform better.But at the same time most MICEgroups have clearly definedbudgets that have to be kept inmind.In the long run, the Indianmarket is very dynamic and willremain so, thus contradicting pasttrends and generating businessfrom unexpected marketsegments.

travel news digest JUNE 2012INTERVIEW 4Marketing5StrategiesCanada captivates Indianswith a growth of 23.47p e r c e n t . T h e I n d i aOutbound market stood at 14.9million in 2010, with visitors toCanada increasing 18.2 percentover 2009 and a per person spendof $968 in 2010, whereas duringthe period of January to December2011, Canada welcomed 139,213Indian visitors, a rise of 9.08percent over the previous year.Canada has a diverse and uniqueset of experiences that has helpedto lure high-yield visitors amid stiffcompetition.TND spoke with the AssistantVice President, Canadian TourismCommission (CTC), in India,Tina Singh, to find out Canada’smarketing secrets…1Partnering with travel agentsThey continue to play anextremely important role in thedecision-making and bookingprocess. Pre-planned annualholidays and independent travelare fast becoming the norm.Travel agents greatly promoteCanada. CTC introduced winterholidays through select travel agentpartners for the first time, offeringa choice of itineraries with variedexperiences unique to Canada. Adirect consumer campaign beganend 2011.Annual shows organised by2 CTCCTC organises interactive andeducative sessions between buyersand sellers where seminars areheld on how to sell Canada better.1. Focus Canada India: Provides aunique opportunity for networkingand relationship building betweenCanadian travel industry partnersand key travel agents from India.2. Rendezvous Canada: Led bythe CTC Rendezvous, it hooksup international buyers withCanadian sellers of tourismproducts and services. The eventis held annually in a differentCanadian city.3. Showcase Asia: Prescheduledbusiness-to-business meetingsprovide a unique opportunityfor networking and relationshipbuilding between Canadian travelindustry partners and key travelagents from India.3Market launchSince its market launch in2009, Canada has increasedawareness about itself in majorIndian cities beyond Mumbai andNew Delhi. Bollywood megastarAkshay Kumar, joining CanadianPrime Minister, Stephen Harper,at a travel-trade lunch to acceptthe Olympic Torch generatedconsiderable media exposure.Since then, the CTC has takenIn 2010 and 2011the CTC had alarge-scale pavilionpresence at theannual OutboundTravel Mart (OTM)in Mumbai andNew Delhi. In 2011,the space wasshared with travelagents offeringspecially createdproducts and toursto customers.travel-trade partners onfamiliarisation (FAM) trips,exposing them to Canadianexperiences and attractionsacross Canada.4C a n a d a S p e c i a l i s tProgramme (CSP)With more than 90 percent ofoutbound travel being routedthrough travel agents, educatingthem on Canada is of greatimportance. The CSP Level 2was launched in July 2010. By theend of 2011 there were 3,125 activeagents, of which 640 are certified.Trade shows5 In 2010 and 2011 the CTC hada large-scale pavilion presenceat the annual Outbound TravelMart (OTM) in Mumbai andNew Delhi. In 2011, the space wasshared with travel agents offeringspecially created products andtours to customers. Agentsparticipating in similar events,were supported by the CTC.

IndiaIn this Issue : Delhi, Agra, UP, Punjab, Kashmir, Mumbai, Goa, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Nagaland, Arunachal PradeshFraport AG selling stake inDelhi AirportAccording to a report in TheEconomic Times, the world’ssecond-largest airport operator,Fraport AG, is weighing the optionof selling its 10 percent stake inDelhi airport and has decided toshut its India operations in June,signalling its lack of confidencein the government’s ability topush ahead with infrastructuredevelopment. “We had somere-assessment… (and realised)that this government doesn’t haveany spine or drive. So I personallydoubt that anything will happen inthe lifetime of UPA-II,” said MD,Fraport India, Ansgar Sickert.Rather than wait for long-discussedairport projects like the NaviMumbai and Goa internationalairports to materialise, theFrankfurt Airport developer hasdecided to focus on other emergingmarkets such as Brazil, Turkey,Vietnam, China and Portugal.“Culture and tourismgo together”According to Chief Ministerof Jammu & Kashmir, OmarAbdullah, culture and tourismare related and should beprojected in the same way andhas said that cultural activitiesshould be showcased to tourists.“We would want to share ourcultural identity, history and artwith tourists,” Omar said. He alsosuggested that open air theatresbe used to promote culturalactivities. As per a PTI report,he backed a 15 day programme totake Kashmiri culture to tourists.Nearly 4.5 lakh tourists havevisited Kashmir Valley in thelast five months. Additionally,Abdullah has emphasised onthe need to develop Kargil, thesecond most important town inLadakh, as a tourism and sportsdestination.TNDVOICESSince Srinagar gets fullybooked, people are nowopting for destinations herein Himachal Pradesh. We are hopingfor even greater inflows as theonset of the Amarnath YatraPilgrimage will discourage touristsfrom choosing to holiday in KashmirYogesh Behl,General Manager, Himachal PradeshTourism Development CorporationChoppers to connect Delhi-AgraThe Union Ministry of CivilAviation with the support of UttarPradesh Tourism Department islooking forward to connectingDelhi with cities like Agra,Mathura and Vrindavan throughchopper services.With Agra likely to get a brandnew international air terminal atDhanauli, the proposed chopperservices are expected to be a hit.Considering that there is alreadyan expressway that connects thenational capital to Agra, Mathuraand Vrindavan, Secretary,and Director General, UPTourism, Manoj Kumar Singh,said, “Chopper services willbenefit those who have less timebut more money”.“Using the expressway onecan visit Agra, Fatehpur Sikri andVrindavan in a day,” he said.UP revives night safari projectThe ambitious Night Safariwildlife project in Greater Noida,which was mooted in 2005,has now been revived by theAkhilesh Yadav government.The project has been fast-trackedand the government has decidedto develop it through the publicprivate partnership mode.The wildlife project has beenmodelled on the famous NightSafari in Singapore.Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh,Akhilesh Yadav, decided thatChief Secretary, Uttar Pradesh,Jawed Usmani, would monitorthe progress of the project toensure time-bound execution.The Greater Noida Authority hasbeen entrusted with the task ofconducting the bidding process.The nocturnal zoo project hasreceived statutory approvals fromthe Central Zoo Authority and theSupreme Court.No commercial constructionor housing projects would beallowed in the safari area, whichwould comprise of naturalsettings for animals - 40 percentfrom the Indian sub-continentand 60 percent of animals broughtfrom outside the country.AI appoints review committeeTroubled national carrierAir India (AI) has set up acommittee to review its globaloperations and find out howmany pilots are actuallyrequired to operate flights.Since the strike began on May7th, AI has sacked 101 strikingpilots and de-recognised theIndian Pilots’ Guild (IPG)which has been leading theagitation.The AI management iscontemplating dismissing300 pilots owing allegiance toIPG. The ongoing strike by thepilots, who fly internationalroutes, has led to the loss ofover R 450 crore so far.

travel news digest JUNE 2012WEST INDIA 8MTDC planningfloating hotelsThe Maharashtra TourismDevelopment Corporation(MTDC) plans to set up ‘flotels’(floating hotels) in the harbourareas of coastal cities like Mumbai,Navi Mumbai, Ratnagiri andAlibaug, on the public privatepartnership model.Long cruises from Mumbaito Cochin and Goa, using cruisevessels with over 200 rooms areThe Chairmen of the five ports- Mumbai, Kochi, Chennai,Mangalore and Mormugao -identified for the promotion ofcruise tourism by the UnionTourism Ministry, are set to meetin Goa in July to discuss ways andmeans to attract cruise ships fromalso being considered. The MTDCis also in the process of framinga ‘local cruise policy’ to facilitatethe introduction of these featuresinto the realm of regional tourism.The approximate cost of a flotelwith a seating capacity of 400persons is about R7,200 crore.Also in the offing are longcruises with ships that offer200-400 rooms.Goa to host cruise meetacross the world and to promotecruise tourism at their respectiveports, after creating a dedicatedcruise terminal for the big ships.The state government is expectingover one lakh tourists to arrivein Goa via cruise ships once thededicated terminal is operational.Mumbai sees 262 delayed flightsAccording to data released bythe Civil Aviation Ministry, theMumbai airport witnessed 262flights that were frequentlydelayed (delayed on more than20 percent of the times they wereoperated in a month) in May 2012.The figure is the third-lowest inthe past 14 months. In April lastyear, the ministry had askedthe Mumbai airport operator topublish a list of frequently delayedflights on its website so thatpassengers had the option to skipairlines with a poor punctualityrecord. The move was also aimedat disciplining airlines.“Until a few months ago, thelist had several flights that wereRupee depreciation may boostGoa tourismSince many Indians havecancelled their plans of holidayingabroad due to the fall in the valueof the rupee, the tourism sectorin Goa is upbeat as Goa is set towitness a rise in the number oftourists visiting the state.Travel operators claim thatinquiries for packages to Goa haveincreased and June is expectedto see a huge influx of tourists.Nilesh Shah, of Raj Travels said,“Tourists who were to travel tothe Far East and other cheaperforeign destinations will changetheir plans due to the risingdollar. Hotels have goodgetting delayed 100 percent of thetimes they were operated. Now,that number has come down byhalf,” said a senior Civil AviationMinistry official. Ministry datashows that flight delays at Mumbaiare worse during the monsoonmonths of June to September.occupancies and 70-75 percent ofthe rooms are occupied”.D i r e c t o r , T o u r i s m ,Government of Goa, SwapnilNaik, said, “We feel that thistime there will be an increasein tourists coming to Goa. Weobserved a growing trend towardsMonsoon Tourism in the state andoccupancy had gone up by 60-65percent during the monsoonseason last year. Even now, hoteloccupancy is almost 100 percentand this will continue for the nexttwo weeks”. Goa hosted 27 lakhtourists in the recently concludedtourism season.Destination WatchMatheran, MaharashtraHill station in Karjat TahsilDeclared an eco sensitiveregionPopular for: Mount Berry,Charlotte Lake.Don’t miss the LouisaPoint that offers a clearview of the Prabal FortGujarat Tourism getstech-savvyThe Tourism Corporation ofGujarat Limited (TCGL) will notonly provide better infrastructurefacilities to tourists coming to thestate, but has also decided to woovisitors through internet andmobile services. The departmenthas decided to have a 24x7 callcentre, a mobile applicationand GIS mapping of the touristdestinations of the state to helptourists get information aboutdestinations, facilities andhotels. It will also help visitorsin arranging taxi services andfacilitate easy online bookings.The TCGL will provide theservices through the Gujarat InfoPetro Limited.R1,200 crore for Gujarat’scoastal tourismThe Planning Commission hasapproved a R 1,200 crore grant forthe Gujarat government’s planto boost coastal tourism. Thestate government has chalkedout a project which includesdeveloping 10 beaches alongGujarat’s 1,600 km coastline.The nod for the special grantwas given at a meeting betweenDeputy Chairman, PlanningCommission, Montek SinghAhluwalia and Gujarat ChiefMinister, Narendra Modi inDelhi on June 1st. Though Gujarathas the longest coastline in thecountry, coastal tourism in thestate is underdeveloped due tolack of infrastructure available atits beaches.

travel news digest JUNE 2012EAST INDIA 9Sagar Island to becometourist attractionChief Minister of West Bengal,Mamata Banerjee, has said thatthe West Bengal governmentwill undertake infrastructuraldevelopment in Sagar Islandwith a view to promote tourism.‘The Gangasagar Mela is a veryimportant festival and keepingthis in view, we will spruce upinfrastructural development hereto make it an attractive touristdestination,” Banerjee said.The government is also working ondeveloping a deep sea port in thearea. “Work is on full swing, andvery soon the island will be on therailway map. We have also donated10 acres of land here on whichOn June 2, the Odisha TourismDevelopment Corporation (OTDC)launched a Buddhist circuit tourpackage in a bid to promote thestate’s religious tourism offerings.Visitors to Puri and Bhubaneswarcan now opt for the Buddhist circuittour of Odisha spread across thethree hill-tops of Lalitgiri, Ratnagiriand Udayagiri. From Puri, the costof the entire tour will be R880, whilethe cost is R 620 from Bhubaneswar.The Bihar government will putin place infrastructure at varioustourist places in the state to boostits overall economy, Deputy ChiefMinister, Government of Bihar,Sushil Kumar Modi, said. Thegovernment has plans to build andimprove infrastructure, like roads,transportation and hospitality attourist centres and other facilitieswill be developed,’ informed theChief Minister.“Apart from developingroads and concretising jetties, aOTDC launches Buddhistcircuit toursAfter sight-seeing at Udayagiriand Ratnagiri, tourists will havethe option of dining at ToshaliRatnagiri, a property managedby Toshali Resorts International.The hotel will be fully operationalwithin four months and willhave 20 rooms, a coffee shop, aswimming pool, a health club, aspa, a library and a conferencehall with 60 pax capacity afterrenovation.Bihar to develop tourismits popular religious destinationsto generate employment for localpeople and boost the overalleconomy. Modi has clarified thatit is due to the state government’sefforts to improve the law andorder situation and tourisminfrastructure that there has beena significant increase in the inflowof the tourists, both domestic andforeigners.The Deputy Chief Ministeralso said that the state governmentwill also give various incentives totransport operators interested inrolling out luxury buses for touristson the public private partnershipmode.university and a medical collegewill also be set up. We will doeverything required to develop thetourism infrastructure of the area”’Banerjee stated.Following the negative publicity,brought on by the abductionof two Italians, the Odishagovernment has decided tolaunch as special package ofadventure cum pleasure tripsto woo tourists. Forest andEnvironment (F&E) Minister,Debi Prasad Mishra, said thatthe tourism department, withthe help of the F&E Department isnow formulating an eco tourismpolicy of which SanctuaryTourism is a part.As part of the new policy,tourists interested in visitingBhitarkanika National Parkwould be able to avail of facilitieslike natural trails, cottagesAcademy ofHospitalitySkills launchedA new hospitality finishingschool, Academy of HospitalitySkills (AHS), was launchedin Kolkata in a bid to addressthe manpower crunch in thehospitality industry in WestBengal. The first such institutionin the city, AHS will providetwo courses in the hospitalitysector, catering to graduates ofany discipline as well as tenthstandard pass outs. Accordingto a report by The EconomicTimes, AHS plans to open50 more centres in the state.Chairman, Council of Advisors,AHS, Rajiv Gujral, said thatAHS will initially focus on WestBengal and then plan to spreadout in other states.Odisha to launchsanctuary tourismand toilets, which will beimplemented by the MangroveForest Division, Rajnagar.Additionally, R1 crore will beinvested in the beautification ofthe Khandadhar Waterfall.Facilities in Saptasajya, underthe Dhenkanal Forest Division,and Rajhans, under the ChilikaWild Life Division, will beupgraded and floating jettiesprovided for tourists. Besidesofficials, the Principal Secretaryin the tourism department andPrincipal Chief Conservator ofForests (Wildlife) will overseepreparedness for the comingtourist season and ensure ahassle-free experience.In BriefGujarat Tourism has enteredinto a marketing tie-up withCox & Kings to promote thestate in India. Under the tie-up,Cox & Kings will operatetour packages for variousdestinations and circuits inGujarat for one year.The tourism potential of ruralOdisha remains untapped asalmost all Centre-sponsoredprojects are making tardyprogress. Of the eight ruraltourism projects (announcedbetween 2004-07), six are yet tosee the light of the day.Cricketer Virender Sehwagand actor Akshay Kumarare among celebrities beingconsidered by Delhi’s tourismdepartment as its first brandambassador.India recorded 3.72 lakhforeign tourist arrivals (FTAs)during May 2012, as comparedto FTAs of 3.55 lakh duringMay, 2011 and 3.32 lakh in May,2010.Air India Ltd will not beferrying Haj pilgrims to SaudiArabia from India this year.Part of the carrier’s traditionaltask will be carried out bySpiceJet Ltd. Saudi ArabianAirlines will fly nearly halfof the 125,000 Haj pilgrimschosen by the Haj Committeeof India this year.Clarks Inn Group of Hotelsrecently opened the VijayTej Clarks Inn in Patna,Bihar. Part of a mixed-usedevelopment, Vijay Tej ClarksInn is a mall-hotel and offers 22guestrooms.As part of an exerciseundertaken to finalise targetsfor key infrastructure sectors,an airline hub policy is to befinalised and the Delhi andChennai airports would beoperationalised as hubs in2013.

travel news digest JUNE 2012SOUTH INDIA 10Karnataka’s Tourism Trade ActThe Karnataka governmentis planning to come out witha Tourism Trade Act to wooinvestors and speed up investmentprocesses in the tourism sector.The draft has almost beenfinalised and the government isTNDVOICESplanning on circulating it amongindustry bodies for their feedback.Principal Secretary, TourismDepartment, Government ofKarnataka, Latha Krishna Rao,said, “We are planning to comeout with a new act to bring inThe most importantrequirement is creatingpractical facilities for touristson the beaches. They need to changetheir clothes when they go for a swim.We will introduce the ‘Beach ShackPolicy’ which will have changingrooms and toilets for them on thebeachesDilip Parulekar,Goa Tourism Ministertransparency. The act would alsogive information about various ecotourism projects and regulationsregarding the setting up of resortsin the state. We will circulate it tovarious industry bodies withina couple of days.” Rao said thestate has signed agreementsworth R36,000 crore in thetourism sector, which includes thedevelopment of theme parks, fivestarhotels, resorts and beaches.The government has alreadyidentified three acres of landin Hampi for investors to setup a heritage hotel. The state isalso planning to focus more onpromoting tourism in Tier II andIII cities to set up various facilitiesfor tourists.As part of its Vision Tamil Nadu2023 programme, the TamilNadu government is aiming at aninvestment of R10,000 crore, byNew eco tourismcentresThe draft project report onthe development of the threeproposed eco-tourism centres atKakki, Anathode and Moozhiyar,(in the district of Pathanamthitta),at an estimated cost of R2 crore,is ready for approval fromthe private and public sectors, fordeveloping tourism in the state.Tourism Minister, Governmentof Tamil Nadu, S Gokula Indira,forest department authorities.The draft would be submittedto the department authoritiesimmediately after a meeting withVana Samrakshana Samithisand representatives of the peopleliving in the fringe areas of theforest, on June 21st. The facilitiesplanned would be commissionedafter ensuring the protection andpreservation of wildlife, flora andfauna of the forests. Huts, boatingfacilities at Kakki, make-shifthuts on the tree-tops, informationcentres at select locations and saleoutlets for the forest produce areamong the schemes included inthe draft.Tamil Nadu to invest R10,000 crsaid recently that Chief Minister,Government of Tamil Nadu,Jayalalithaa, was aiming at theinvestment with an objective todevelop the industry and generateemployment opportunities.Indira pointed out efforts thatwere on to promote the East CoastRoad and some of the Southerndistricts at a cost of R500 croreunder an Asian DevelopmentBank funded scheme.Steps have also been taken topromote heritage, eco, rural andpilgrimage tourism at variousplaces.Kerala announces new tourism policyOn June 7, Kerala announced, aspart of its new tourism policy for2012-13, that it would introducefast-track clearances for tourismprojects with investments aboveR10 crore.Among other initiatives, thepolicy states that Kerala Tourismwill devise a scheme for newinvestors in tour operations,homestays, serviced villas andAyurveda centres to participatein international and nationaltourism promotional events forthe first three years. The policyalso envisages setting up a KeralaConvention Promotion Bureau,with the participation of thetourism industry, to market theregion aggressively in the MICEbusiness segment. A task forceagainst trafficking and abuse willalso be set up to address substanceabuse and child abuse intourism. The policy also includesan initiative to broad-baseResponsible Tourism throughoutthe state. Moreover, a new systemwill be introduced whereby 15percent of the total investment,subject to a maximum ceilingof R20 lakh, will be providedfor investors classified underResponsible Tourism.Kochi makes a splashThe executive committee of theVyttila Mobility Hub Society gaveits nod for a boat jetty near the hubto tap the tourism potential of theless-explored water network in thearea. Kochi’s backwaters will get amajor uplift, as the construction ofthe jetty would provide a hassle-freeride from Vyttila to Fort Kochi viaChampakkara canal, thus utilisingwater transport infrastructure as amajor revenue stream. As per theproposal, a modernised walkwaywill be constructed on the westernside of the Champakkara canal.The walkway will connect the hubwith the Kunnara Park.As the water in the area iscomparatively shallow, it can beused for water sports.

travel news digest JUNE 2012NORTH EAST INDIA 11Boost to tourismfacilities in GuwahatiTo boost inbound visitornumbers, the Assam TourismDevelopment Corporation(ATDC) will be developingtourism infrastructure inGuwahati. ATDC plans tointroduce two cruise circuitson the Brahmaputra River, aconvention center and a golfcourse and resort in Guwahati.Plans are also on to improveGuwahati’s Dighalipukhuri,a rectangular artificial pond.Managing Director, AssamT o u r i s m D e v e l o p m e n tCorporation, Anurag Singh,said ATDC aims to positionDighalipukhuri as an iconicstructure and will maintain it bysetting up recreation facilities andlightings at the water body.Arunachal, Sikkimsign MoUArunachal Pradesh and Sikkimhave inked a Memorandumof Understanding (MoU) forundertaking joint programmesin the tourism sector. ArunachalTourism Minister, Pema Khandu,signed the memorandum withhis Sikkim counterpart BhimDhungel in Gangtok at the end ofMay. Khandu pitched for holisticdevelopment of the tourismsector in all northeastern statesto facilitate a seamless flowof tourists. He also said thatrationalising the permit systemwould enable tourists to get awholesome experience of theregion. Further, he also advocatedDestination WatchNallamala Hills, AndhraPradeshHome to Chenchu Tribe.The rocks of the Nallamalaranges are 20,000 ft thick.Popular for: The CumbumLake, one of Asia’s oldestman-made lakes whichdates back to the 15thcentury.for a Buddhist circuit comprisingof Sikkim, Bhutan and ArunachalPradesh. Bhim Dhungel,praising Team Arunachal for itsenthusiasm to promote tourismand highlighting the potentialArunachal in the sector, endorsedthe issues raised by Khandu andagreed that both Sikkim andArunachal can work togetherfor mutual benefit.Academicians and intellectualscame together at a seminar on theoccasion of World EnvironmentDay, in Shillong. They stressedMaster plan to enhanceNortheast tourismThe ministry of Development ofNorth Eastern Region (DoNER)has taken up the initiative tohave an exclusive masterplan fortourism soon. The North EasternCouncil (NEC) has prepared acomprehensive masterplan inassociation with Tata ConsultancyServices. The recommendationsin the masterplan will beimplemented in the ongoing 12thFive Year Plan period. “We are inWith the launch of a natureconservation and eco tourismproject at Puliebadze Chahe ki, arest house on the foothills of themount Puliebadze, Jotsoma villagein the Kohima district of Nagalandreceived a major boost as a touristdestination.Nagaland Chief Minister,Neiphiu Rio, congratulated thelocal people for working hard onthe project and appreciated thethat tourism in northeast India,one of the top bio-hotspots inthe world, should be promotedin an eco-friendly, pro-poor andtouch with the Ministry of Tourismand respective state governmentson how to go about exploiting thetourism potential of the northeast.We are also looking at exploringtourism circuits in the region,”said Union DoNER Minister,Paban Singh Ghatowar. The UnionMinistry of Tourism’s data showedthat the northeast has registered agrowth of 6.9 percent in the numberof foreign tourists in recent years.Naga village gets ecotourism boosteffort they put in to successfullycomplete the task.Rio said that there were manyemployment opportunities for thepeople of the state in preservationand conservation activities andadded that remote areas have a lotof potential tourist attractions.He also suggested thatthe villagers should set up arhododendron and orchid garden,which could be a special attraction.Unanimous call for sustainable tourismsustainable manner in order tosecure the future of the peopleand the environment. Notingthat the region, with its “magicalbeauty and bewildering diversity”is a “seventh heaven” for tourists,academicians called for livingwithin “ecological limits” andcreating “satisfying lives for allwithin the means of nature”.According to researchers, “theregion has tremendous ruralresources that can contributemuch towards sustainabledevelopment if utilised properlyby the tourism industry”.In BriefFrom June 8, Jet Airways hasstarted operations on a newfour times-a-week service onthe Mumbai - Kuwait route.Minister of State forTourism, Sultan Ahmed, hasopposed the appointmentof Shankarsinh Vaghela asthe head of India TourismDevelopment Corporation(ITDC).Arvind Singh Mewar ofUdaipur’s royal family, whoruns heritage hotels chain,HRH Group of Hotels, plansto raise R150 crore to expandits capacity in the mid-marketsegment.Delhi Tourism, whichcollaborated with a privateoperator to kick-start aquazorbing at the lake at PuranaQuila last September, is all setto launch the sport at IndiaGate. Zorbing at Purana Quilaattracts more than 50 visitorson weekdays and the numbertouches 100 on weekends.The Assam government hasannounced that its plannedTV channel that will focus onsectors like tourism, education,agriculture and education,would go on air in January2013.Air India is inviting bids tolease out five of its Boeing 777aircraft. The aircraft is usedby the national carrier for itslong distance non-stop flights,mainly to the US and UK. Theleased aircraft will be replacedwith the more fuel-efficientBoeing 787 Dreamliners.The Goa state governmentwill start white water raftingin the Mhadei River insideMhadei Wildlife Sanctuary.Southern River Adventuresand Sports Private Limitedwill be managing the facility inthe wildlife sanctuary, which isa part of the Western Ghats.

AsiaIn this Issue : Israel, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Turkey, Iran, BhutanKazakhstan to woo MalaysiansKazakhstans’ Deputy Minister ofForeign Affairs, Kairat Sarybay,has said that Kazakhstanwill consider easing visarequirements for Malaysians,given the country’s aspiration tobe a global investment player.He mentioned, “Unfortunately,Kazakhstan is not well knownin Malaysia, but I am awaremore Kazakhstanis are going toMalaysia. To promote tourismbetween our countries, weshould definitely think about thevisa regime with Malaysia.However, as our President,N u r s u l t a n N a z a r b a y e v,i s t a r g e t i n g s i g n i f i c a n tdevelopments for Kazakhstanon the investment platform,we will especially be lookingat easing the visa regime forthe business community asthey are potential investors”.Sarybay said Malaysia could bea good model for Kazakhstannot only in terms of its economybut also its successfullyimplemented policies, strategicplanning, diversified agendasand multi-ethnic population.Holy Land witnessingrecord numbersA record number of people visitedIsrael for the period of January –May, 2012, the Tourism Ministryannounced. Some 1.4 millionvisitors and tourists spent time inIsrael, “Six percent more than thesame period in 2011 and four percentmore than 2010”. Tourism Minister,Stas Misezhnikov, said that the“consistent increase in incomingtourism and the new recordhighs prove that the investmentin the industry contributes toincreased income for the economyand creates tens of thousandsof new jobs”. Misezhnikov haspromoted continued investmentin the industry, saying, “Against thebackground of the ongoing globaleconomic crisis, the importance ofinvestment in engines for growthbecomes sharper and tourism is acentral player in maintaining therobust Israeli economy”.TNDVOICESDiversification is necessary forsustainable tourism.Turkey had a rich potential forthis with its history, archaeology,natural beauty, cuisine andarchitecture. Just like Italy, Spain andFrance, Turkey should add differentdimensions of its culture to its tourismErtuğrul Günay,Turkey Culture and Tourism MinisterPolimeks, a Turkish constructionfirm in Turkmenistan, has receivedauthorisation from Ashgabatauthorities to sign a deal for thesecond phase of a project to buildan Olympic City in the Turkmencapital, which will be ready before2017 and will cost $1.4 billion. TheUzbek tourists eye TurkeyUzbek tourists, who previouslypreferred to travel to Asiancountries, have this yearchosen Turkey as a preferreddestination. The streets of capitalcity Tashkent are decoratedwith advertisements promotingTurkey, and Uzbek tourismcompanies have accelerated theirwork due to a major interest inTurkey from Uzbek tourists.Companies have begun toorganise additional flights to thesouthern province of Antalya,as the previous 14 weeklyflights between Turkey andCountdown to Turkmen Olympic CityOlympic City Project is set to becompleted before the 2017 AsianIndoor and Martial Art Games.Turkmenistan will be the firstcountry in Central Asia to hostthe games. The second phaseof the project is expected to costapproximately $1.4 billion.The phase includes a closedathletics complex, a 5,000-seatcapacitywater complex, a4,000-seat-capacity indoor tenniscourt and a hotel.The construction of the OlympicCity, covering 1.5 million sq mtrs ofland, kicked off in 2010. The totalcost of the project is projected to bearound $5 billion.Tajik Air, the national flag carrierof Tajikistan, is all set to start flightoperations between Dushanbeand Islamabad from June, whilePakistan International Airlines(PIA) will also fly betweenLahore and Dushanbe, the dateof which is yet to be finalised, saida Tajikistan official. Meanwhile,after appointing HonoraryConsul Generals in Lahore andPeshawar, Tajikistan is also inthe process of starting to issuebusiness and tourist visas toPakistanis from Karachi in thenear future. Moreover, tripartiteUzbekistan were not being ableto accommodate the increase intourist flow.T u rke y ’s C u l t u r e a n dPromotion Adviser in Tashkent,Cihan Varlık, said the numberof Uzbek tourists travelling toTurkey was 68.124 in 2010; itincreased 25 percent to 85.011 in2011.He mentioned that 21,970Uzbeks travelled to Turkey lastyear during the first four months;that number increased by 25percent and reached 26,568 thisyear in the same period.Tajikistan and Pakistanstrengthen bondnegotiations between Tajikistan,Pakistan and Afghanistan aregoing on for the transit tradeagreement, and constructionof a road linking Pakistan withTajikistan through Afghanistan.Ambassador of Tajikistan toPakistan, Dr Zubaydullo NZubaydov, said that Tajikistanis in the state of rebuilding afterseven years of civil war; thepositive developments have beenprompted due to the ringing in ofpolitical and economic stabilityunder the leadership of PresidentRehmon.

travel news digest JUNE 2012SOUTH ASIA 16Lanka asks Europe to ignore bad mediaHead of Sri Lanka’s TourismDevelopment Authority,Nalaka Godahewa, is urgingEuropean businessmen toignore negative media reportsabout Sri Lanka that may losethem investment opportunities.The island is experiencing aboom in tourists and leisureindustry related-developments,three-years after governmentforces ended the decadeslong conflict with separatists.Many international chainshave invested to build hotelsand resorts across the island,while the government setsabout building infrastructureto support the tourism boom.Godahewa said while Europeanbusinessmen pass-up anopportunity to invest in SriSri LankaTussle within tourism boardThe tussle within Sri LankaTourism has reached astalemate, after the key issueof promotions, or the lack of it,caused clashes at the top. Thisled to its Chairman, Dr NalakaGodahewa, resigning from threeof the four institutions headedby him at the Sri Lanka TourismDevelopment Authority(SLTDA). Sources said thatwhile some issues pertained tothe Indian International FilmAwards 2010, other issuesincluded lack of promotionsas mandated by the SLTDA,cutting down official travelfor tourism events, and recentamalgamation plans of the fourinstitutions under one headthrough re-establishing theprevious Tourism Act.Sri Lanka, Vietnam to boost tourismSri Lanka and Vietnam areplanning to boost tourismbetween themselves, followinga visit by Vietnamese travelfirms to Colombo, which willbe followed by a familiarisationtour by Sri Lankan travelagents to Vietnam in August.“We would like to promotetwo-way tourism, both to SriLanka, Chinese and Indianinvestors have moved in to fillthe void. International hotelchains like Hong Kong-basedShangri-La, the Sheraton andFour Seasons have signed up todevelop luxury properties in SriLanka. “Ours is a virgin market.Unfortunately the Europeansare holding back,” he said.Western governments haveoften been critical of SriLanka’s human rights record,particularly the way the islandhandled the final months ofits ethnic conflict. Sri Lankahas repeatedly dismissed thiscriticism, and Godahewa saysEuropean investors should alsoignore them. In 2010, Sri Lankahad 22,000 hotel beds. By 2015, itplans to add 45,000 rooms.Lanka and to Vietnam,” Hanoi’senvoy to Colombo, Ton SinhThanh said. SaigonTourist,Hanoi Toserco and FidiTourvisited Colombo to meet localtour operators and strike uppartnerships. “Vietnam’seconomy is developing fast andmore Vietnamese will find newdestinations,” said Thanh.Bhutan reelingunder pressureAccording to a report in Reuters,tourists have long eulogisedBhutan’s un-spoilt charms,its peace and its environment,but the country, famed as the“last Shangri-La”, is no idyll.Its economy is struggling and itspends far more on imports thanit earns, banks are cracking downon cheap credit after a recent debtdrivenspending boom, and youthunemployment has surged to 9.2percent. The government is tryingto cut down on the number ofpeople living below the poverty lineto 15 percent of the population fromThe average length of stay of touristsin Nepal increased to a seven-yearhigh of 13.1 days in 2011. Traveltrade analysts have attributedthe growth to a decline in strikes,and an increased tourist interestin trekking and mountaineering.According to the Tourism Ministry,visitors coming for trekking andmountaineering in 2011 increasedits current 23 percent, according toofficial figures. Encouraging moretourists would bring in cash, butthe government will not abandonits long-standing policy of limitingvisitor numbers by accepting onlythose who pay $250 (R2 131) a day inadvance. “Bhutan will never be amass destination,” said the Head ofMarketing at the Tourism Councilof Bhutan, Chhimmy Pem. “Ourtarget will always be the high-endvisitors”.After paying for accommodation,travel, food and a guide, $65 of that$250 goes to the government.International perceptions ofIndonesia were tainted byterrorism and tsunamis. Weneed to change theseperspectives by pushing more positivenews about Indonesia and promotingtourism. We will continue to promotetourism destinations. There areapproximately 200 points of tourism in80 destinations in Indonesia. Indonesiais more than just BaliTNDVOICESMari Elka Pangestu,Indonesia Tourism MinisterTourism in Nepal scalesnew heights11.7 percent against a decline of 47.2percent in 2010. In the past, touroperators offered three-night,four-day packages in Kathmandu.However, a decline in bandhs andstrikes since 2010 has encouragedtour operators to offer eight-daytour programs.Apart from leisure activities, thetrekking routes of Mt Annapurna,Mt Qomolangma and Langtangare the major contributors toincreasing the length of stay oftourists. On average, a trekkerspends 12 days on each of thesethree routes.In BriefDragonair, Cathay Pacific’sregional subsidiary, launchedits second route to thePhilippines on May 29, whenthe airline launched a dailyconnection between its HongKong hub and Clark. Flightsare operated with the airline’sA320 aircraft.Qatar is set to issue a newtourism law in June, aimedat giving Qatar TourismAuthority more power toestablish infrastructure aheadof the 2022 Football WorldCup, scheduled to be held inDoha.Lebanon’s Tourism Ministerhas said that the crucialsummer tourism seasonwould not be badly damagedby growing domestic unrestand turmoil in neighbouringSyria, and forecast revenuesthis year of about $7 billion,similar to last year.The International Council ofTourism Partners announcedthat the Ministry of Tourismin Yemen has become its thirddestination member in theMiddle East, joining Omanand Palestine. Yemen recentlygained a new Presidentand also a new Minister ofTourism.At 634 meters height, theworld’s tallest tower has beencompleted near Asakusa, inTokyo. After a 50 second rideinside Japan’s fastest elevator,it takes visitors all the wayup to the 350 meter TokyoSky Tree Observation Deck,providing a view of Tokyo.Apparently, even Mount Fuji isvisible on a clear day.Malaysia Airlines and JapanAirlines will commence a codeshare cooperation, effectiveJuly 1, covering up to 347weekly flights of 51 sectors.Sales for this code-sharecommenceson June 12.

travel news digest JUNE 2012WEST ASIA 17Visa waiver for GCC medicaltourismThe government of Thailandhas waived visa fees for GulfCooperation Council (GCC)nationals seeking medical facilities.Previously, Thailand issued awaiver on medical tourism feesfor a period of 30 days, which hasnow been extended to 90 days.To qualify for the medical visaexemption, necessary proof ofthe medical visit is mandatory.Thailand has fast become apopular medical tourist destinationand over the years, has gainedIsrael’s medical tourismI s r ae l’s P r i m e Mi n i st e r,Benjamin Netanyahu, is seekingto expand medical tourism inthe country, to the chagrin of thefinance and health ministries,who fear that this may translateinto less service for the Israelis.The ministries say local hospitalsare already overcrowded andunderstaffed, and there is notDestination WatchHue, VietnamWas the imperial capital ofthe Nguyen dynastyA UNESCO World HeritageSitePopular for: The Thiên MuPagoda- the largest pagodain Huê and the official symbolof the city; and the Imperialcityrecognition and credibility for itsmedical tourism. Thai healthcarewas ranked 47th by the WorldHealth Organisation recently. In amove to lure more tourists from theMiddle East, Bangkok is adjustingenough room in medical wards.However, medical tourism, inwhich both public and privatehospitals take part, reapsnearly NIS 500 million a yearfor Israel. An estimated 30,000patients come to Israel everyyear for treatment with cancertreatments making up 80percent of the market.Turkey is starting to draw arising number of visitors fromthe Middle East. The ArabSpring has led to an upswing intourists from the Middle Eastchoosing ‘safer’ destinations andTurkey is proving to be one of thebeneficiaries. Tourist flows fromEgypt to Turkey are estimated tohave increased by 400 percentin 2011, according to AgenceFrance-Presse.By 2023, Turkey hopes to beone of the top five global touristdestinations, and boosting itsmarket share in the Middleitself to accommodate its worldrenownedspa establishmentsand treatments, which conformto halal regulations, using organicproducts, with men and womenhaving their own private rooms.Kempinski andFairmont forayinto OmanThe Sultanate of Oman is set towelcome hotel chains Kempinskiand Fairmont. Ready to roll in acouple of years from now, thesedevelopments are part of theinitiative drive of ‘The Wave’,Oman’s first and most successfulIntegrated Tourism Community(ITC); official announcements ofthese projects will be made soon.“Kempinski is likely to open byearly 2015 and it will be the first newfive-star hotel in Muscat in the last20 years. Fairmont will follow a fewyears later. MoUs for these hotelswere signed a few years ago”, Vice-President, Sales and Marketing atThe Wave, David Stafford, told theOman Daily Observer.Turkey: Looking EastEast forms part of this plan. TheCulture & Tourism Ministryis also reaching out to the Gulfstates, and is emphasizing uponthe shared cultural and religioustraditions to attract more visitorsfrom the region.Frasers eyes Saudi, Omanopenings in pipelineSingapore-based hospitalitycompany, Fraser Suites has saidin a statement that it is on targetto add three more propertiesin Oman and Saudi Arabia bynext year. The announcementfollows the opening of its thirdMiddle East property, FraserSuites Doha, in Qatar. Accordingto the statement, Fraser SuitesMalaysia is considered oneof Jordan’s more importantmarkets in Asia, with a potentialto grow further, said ManagingDirector, Jordan Tourism Board,Dr Abed Al Razzaq Arabiyat.This is despite the fact thatMalaysians only totalled 15,977or 0.234 percent out of the 6.8million visitors to Jordan lastyear. Arabiyat said they wereintroducing a promotionalDoha was “pivotal” to the group’sexpansion in the Middle East,where it has already establishedpresence in Dubai and Bahrain.The properties currently in thepipeline are Fraser Place Suhar,Oman, and Fraser Suites Edafah,Al Riyadh and Fraser SuitesEdafah, Al Khobar in SaudiArabia.Jordan woos Malaysiantouristsprogramme called ‘Haj andUmrah +1’ package to attractMalaysians visiting SaudiArabia for the Haj and Umrahby including Jordan in theiritinerary.“Malaysia is an important marketfor us and this is strengthenedby air connectivity between thetwo countries,” said JordanianMinister of Tourism andAntiquities, Nayef Al Fayez.

EuropeIn this Issue : Bulgaria, Slovakia, Estonia, Sweden, Ireland, Macedonia, Monaco, BrusselsVampire tourism on a risePeople on three continents haveshown interest in travelling toBulgaria’s town of Sozopol, wherelocal archeologists claim to havefound a vampire skeleton.The skeleton was the one ofa buried man with an iron stickin his chest. He was buried over700 years ago and was stabbedmultiple times in the chest and thestomach, as his contemporariesfeared that he would rise fromthe dead as a vampire, NationalHistory Museum Director,Bozhidar Dimitrov, told localmedia. Bulgarian tour operatorsare saying that the interest hasbeen huge and Germans andBrits have already inquired about“vampire vacations” in Sozopol.There is an expected increase ofvisits from the US and Russiaas well, while long lines arebeing reported at the excavationsite.Favourite destinationsfor RomaniansThe preferred holiday destinationsfor Romanians in 2011 wereBulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Turkey,UK, Greece, Germany and France,according to Mediafaxnewswire. Around 4.5million Romanianstravelled to the firstten countries in theranking, with Bulgariabecoming a favoritedestination. Last year,1.5 million Romanians went toBulgaria, and 336,000 stayedjust one or two nights. Around1.1 million Romanians went onholiday in Hungary, most of whomstayed for one to three nights. Manyof the Romanians who go skiing toAustria prefer to spend the night inHungary, while some Romaniansalso fly out from the Budapestairport.Around 276,000 Romaniantourists went to Austria lastyear, 5.5 percent more thanin 2010. The UK saw 260,000holidaying Romanians lastyear. Fewer went to Greece –224,000. Germany came next, with170,000 Romanian visitors. Franceand Croatia are last in the ranking,with a bit over 100,000 and 63,000Romanian tourists respectively.TNDVOICESWith a global audience of aboutfour billion, the Olympic Gamesare the largest sporting event inthe world and we intend to maximise itstourism potential. The proximity of thegames, in London, provides TourismIreland with a wonderful opportunity toshowcase Northern Ireland and the islandof Ireland as a top holiday and businessdestinationNiall GibbonsChief Executive of Tourism IrelandSlovakia investing in tourismSlovakian government officials,as well as businesses and tourismauthorities, are suggesting severalapproaches that Slovakia could useto improve its tourism potentialand attract more people.The state government isproposing several initiatives andSpokesperson for the TransportMinistry, which has responsibilityfor tourism, Martin Kóna, told TheSlovak Spectator that the ministryplans to continue implementingvarious measures in the tourismlaw that was amended last year,as well as providing more supportfor cycling tourism, establishinga working group to focus onpreparing solutions for “creationof landscape” and restoration ofdamaged parts of the countryside,cooperating with the EnvironmentMinistry in finishing a new zoningregime for the High Tatras NationalBulgaria hopes for 600,000 RussiansBulgaria remains one of the topholiday destinations for Russians,and is expecting a 30 percent yearon year growth in the number ofRussian visitors, in 2012. Withthe arrival of the summer touristseason, the Bulgarian Consulatein Moscow is already issuing 3000 visas, daily. For the first fourmonths of 2012, Bulgaria hasgranted 11 percent more visasto Russian tourists comparedwith the same period of 2011. Atthe same time, the BulgarianConsulate is stressing that theactual increase in the number ofPark, and preparing a new law onprotection of nature.It is projected that the ministrywill focus on areas such as hiking,lakes and aqua parks, and spa andhealth tourism.Russian travellers to Bulgaria isno less than 27 percent, when theRussian holders of the Schengenvisas are also counted in. OverTourists spend Hryvnia9 million over three daysTourists spent around hryvnia(Hr) 9 million in Lviv, Ukraine,over the first days of the Euro2 0 1 2 European Fo o t b a l lChampionship. Acting Headof the Tourism Departmentof Lviv City Council, HalynaHrynyk, said, “According to ourcalculations, foreign tourists havespent around Hr 9 million in Lviv.One tourist spends EUR 110 perday. We expect that the city willearn Hr 30-40 million over themonth”. Some 60,000 tourists,including over 15,000 Germans,6,000 from Portugal, and many455 000 Russian citizens visitedBulgaria in 2011, which was anincrease of more than 20 percentyear-on-year.guests from Poland and variousregions of Ukraine, visited Lvivover first days of the Euro 2012championship.

travel news digest JUNE 2012NORTHERN EUROPE 19Estonia to launch fivemillion euro campaignNorwegian orders100 Airbus A320neoEnterprise Estonia is going tospend about five million euros,targeting tourists from Russia,Latvia and Finland. Last year, thetourism promotion campaignfocussed on Tallinn that was theEuropean Capital of Culture; thisyear’s objective is to attract foreigntourists to visit sights outsideTallinn. “Nature tourism doesnot mean that people should bearriving in camouflage suits andin Wellingtons. We want to reducethe importance of Tallinn amongforeign tourists and get tourists to,for instance, Lahemaa,” says headSweden keeps itsvisitors happyAccording to a report presented bythe Swedish Agency for Economicand Regional Growth, 90 percentof the 16.7 million foreign touristswho came to Sweden in 2011 werehappy with their stay. The studyconsisted of over 20,000 interviewsat Swedish border stations,conducted when visitors wereleaving the country. It showed thatthe majority of visitors come fromDestination WatchPatras, GreeceOne of the first cities in which theGreek Revolution began in 1821Neoclassical buildings andmansions dating from the late19th and early 20th centuriesPopular for: the Roman Odeon,the Fortress of Rio, Georgiou ISquare and the Spinney of Patrasneighbouring Norway, Denmarkand Finland, which made up 61percent of the total number ofvisitors. Ten percent of visitorscame from Germany. Out of the 14million non-business related visitsto Sweden, 40 percent stated thattheir visit was for leisure purposesand 18 percent stated that it wasthe shopping that drew them tothe country.Tour company Discover the Worldrecently launched a new tour whichwill take visitors to Iceland inside avolcano for the first time, all the wayof Enterprise Estonia’s tourismpromotion centre, Tarmo Mutso.Mutso says that while all threecountries remain important forincoming tourism, they all requiredifferent approaches.Russians are now beingoffered holidays in luxury historicmansion houses that “make themfeel like the Russian Emperor PeterI or Chaikovski”. Since, statistically,an average foreign tourists spends213 Euros in Estonia, the stateshould attract 23,400 tourists a yearto cover the cost of the five millioneuro campaign.Since it is estimated that about1.8 million foreign tourists visitedEstonia last year, this shouldn’t bea problem.Tourism Ireland has launcheda €500,000 marketing initiative,encouraging Londoners to visitIreland during the OlympicGames in July. The ‘Escape theMadness’ campaign is aimedat making Ireland the idealdestination for Londonersseeking to avoid the difficultyof travelling in the city duringt h e Ga m e s . Th e s ch e m epublicises Ireland as ‘the placeto the ground floor of the magmachamber. Using a cable car, visitorsdescend into the magma chamber,spending an hour on the bottom.Norwegian, one of the largestlow cost carriers in Europe,has firmed up its order for 100A320neo aircraft with Airbus.This follows a commitmentsigned in January. The ordermakes Norwegian a newAirbus customer and one of thebiggest A320neo customers.The new aircraft will featurea single class cabin layout,Tourism Ireland launchesOlympic campaignto get away’. More than 200large advertisements will beshown at different Tube stations,highlighting Ireland’s openspaces and lack of congestion.Volcano tourism anticipated to eruptThe rest of the tour involves a hikeover the lava fields to get to thevolcano itself, along with a volcanosafari.Discover the World has madea name for itself when it comes tovolcano tourism -it has even setup a ‘Volcano Hotline’ that allowsvolcano tourists to register theirinterest and receive a call with aproposed travel package wheneverone of Iceland’s volcanoes blows itstop. It may be a niche service, but it’searned Discover the World plentyof customers and a call sheet of over200 people.seating approximately 180passengers. The A320neo willsupport the carrier’s growth andmodernisation strategy. “Weare very pleased to be an Airbuscustomer and look forward toa close cooperation. This ordergives us an opportunity to secureand invest in the company’sfuture,” said Norwegian’s CEO,Bjørn Kjos.Finnairfinds IndiaconvenientNordic carrier Finnair sees Indiaas a strategic market not just forinbound tourism into Finland,but to also as a convenient hubfor transit to other Europeannations and North America,said Chief Executive, Finnair,Mika Vehvilainen. However, thecarrier, which currently flies toNew Delhi, has no immediateplans to look at other Indiancities or re-introduce passengeroperations to Mumbai.The airline had suspendedoperations to Mumbai someyears ago. “India offers a lot ofpotential. It is a growing andimportant market for us. But theaviation market there faces lot ofcompetition,” said Vehvilainen.

travel news digest JUNE 2012SOUTHERN EUROPE 20Slovenia investors eyeMontenegro tourismGreece – a real bargainSlovenian investors have theireyes on the famous Lipska Cave(Lipska pecina) in Cetinje. Theinvestment group says they areinterested in building the touristvalue of the cave, and nearbyCetinje, through direct investmentand marketing activities. LipskaCave, one of the largest in all offormer Yugoslavia, was once atourist gem. Accessible only viatrails and tour guides, Lipska wasdeveloped as a “show cave” back in1905. There is no confirmation asto which group of investors fromSlovenia has been announced butPytheas Limited commissioned astudy for Montenegro investmentin July, 2011. That study, ‘Investingin Montenegro, the pearl of theAdriatic’, depicts Montenegro asa logical bridge between WesternEurope and the extended Balkanregion, and said, “It is Pytheas’opinion that Montenegro couldbecome the business bridge ofEurope across the Adriatic, botha business hub and an economicgateway; an exclusive destinationfor Europeans and other nationalsthat seek to invest in a holiday, aretirement home or an investmenthome”.Tourists who still wish to visitGreece this year are in for a treat,as foreign tour operators andGreek hoteliers are loweringprices in a bid to bolster demand.L o n d o n - b a s e d O l y m p i cHolidays, one of the biggest touroperators specialising in sellingGreek package holidays, hasreduced its rates by 25 percentfor the peak season. Online hotelprices in Greece are showing aneight percent decline comparedwith June 2011, with hotel ratesin Athens falling by 22 percentyear-on-year. The head of theHellenic Association of Tourismand Travel Agencies (HATTA),Giorgos Telonis, said that thenegative publicity in world mediadistorts the country’s image as asafe destination while disputingits economic and monetarystability.TNDVOICESI am predicting an increase ofbetween five percent andeight percent in tourists. TheRussian market is developingvery well, and it might give us a rise totwenty percent in Russian tourists. Ihope that more solvent tourists willarrive this summer, because they arethe ones pushing the revenues upDelyan DobrecBulgarian Minister of Economy, Energyand TourismMacedonia eyes trade, woos GCCThe Balkan Republic of Macedoniais awaiting a huge flow oftravellers and tourists from theGulf Cooperation Council (GCC)states in the coming months,particularly from Qatar, whereits only embassy of the region islocated. In 2011, 700,000 touristsflocked to the Balkan nation, whoselocal government is supportive inbacking the hospitality sector.Though the country has onlya small number of major hotelchains, there are a large number ofbudget hotels, resorts and touristaccommodations.Considered generally as arelatively cheaper Europeantourist destination, the tiny countryis receiving tourists mainly fromwithin Europe, USA and FarEast. “We are focusing more onGood first quarter for Croatian capitalwooing tourists from the MiddleEast, in particular from the GCCstates, for whom we have so manyattractions on offer,” said Advisorto the Macedonian Agencyfor Promotion and Support ofTourism, Zhivka Cvetkoska-Andonoska. He said the interestevinced by Qatar in exploring thepossibility for making long-terminvestments in the industrial andhospitality sectors of Macedoniawould go a long way in promotingtravel to the country by visitorsfrom this region.The Secretary General of the UNWorld Tourism Organisation hassaid that Spain’s biggest growthengine, its tourism industry, willget a boost from European aidas funds trickle to the sector andboost job creation.The Spanish economy issuffering from chronically highunemployment due partly to thestrain of bad debts on its financialsector, which is now in line for upto 100 billion euros via a bailout.Croatia’s capital Zagreb had 154,535tourists with 300,013 overnightstays from January to April thisyear, a two percent increase ontourists and a 10 percent increaseon overnight stays from the sameperiod in 2011. According tostatistics released by the ZagrebTourist Board, the most visitorsarrived from Germany, followedby Italy, Austria, Bosnia andHerzegovina and Serbia. In Aprilalone there were 52,809 tourists,which was a one percent rise fromApril 2011.Spanish tourism may getlift from EU bank aidAnalysts had expressed concernover whether Spanish companiescould afford to take on temporarystaff for the summer tourismseason. Spain’s unemploymentrate is the highest in the eurozone at 24.4 percent and around50 percent among young people.Spanish tourism benefited lastyear from increased numbers ofholiday makers avoiding troublesin northern Africa, but growth thisyear has lagged.

travel news digest JUNE 2012WESTERN EUROPE 21Ski resorts hit as Swisstourism suffersThe strong franc and weak euro neighbours - France, Italy andare hurting the tourism industry Germany.The winter saw Swissin Switzerland this year. Thelatest forecast for the summerseason is a drop of 1.7 percentoverall, and 3.4 percent in inboundtourism. The two factors that aresaving the situation are strongdomestic demand, with the Swissvisiting their own country, and acontinuing strong demand fromAsia. The Economics Ministry,Seco, notes that while strongdemand from Asia’s emergingeconomies helps, they remain toosmall a share of overall tourism tomake up for significant losses fromNew cannabis rules - asuccess, claims MayorThe number of complaintsabout drugs nuisances almostquadrupled to 619 in Maastricht inMay, the first month that touristshave been banned from buyingmarijuana in the city’s cannabisDestination WatchOdense, DenmarkHome to the second-tallest towerin Europe, OdinstårnetFamous for: Saint Canute’sCathedral - (1081–1093)Popular for: ‘Odense Palace’erected by King Frederick IV, ‘TheFunen Village’ an open airmuseum, HC Andersen’s Houseand Egeskov Castlecafes. There were 101 arrests in theLimburg city on drugs charges,compared with an average of fivebefore the ban was introduced.Despite the soaring number ofcomplaints, Mayor Onno Hoesclaims that there has been a sharpdrop in the number of foreigntourists attempting to buy drugsand the rise in street dealing is‘manageable’. Some 70 percent ofthe city’s coffee shop customersused to come from abroad. Theaim of the new law is to stop drugstourism, but opponents say it willlead to an increase in street dealing.France fails toimpressTourists from the BRIC groupof emerging economies -Brazil, Russia, India and China– are underwhelmed by theshopping and hotels in France,an economy ministry study,carried out with the Frenchcentral bank, said. France is theworld’s top tourist destination,but only 50 percent of visitorsfrom the BRIC nations said theywere “very satisfied” with theirvisits - a figure that fell to just 39percent for Chinese tourists and43 percent for Indians.resorts showing a six percent dropdespite wonderful snowfall.In what it described as a world first,the city of Brussels has launcheda system that enables tourists oranyone else with a smartphone toscan tags for information at 600sites in the city. Developed by aBelgian firm, the system called‘TagTagCity’ enables visitors toscan a code on a tag. These tagsappear on the walls and windowsof museums, monuments,The Monaco Convention Bureau,which boasts around 700 eventsa year, has set itself an ambitioustarget of 230,000 overnightbusiness stays booked by theend of 2015 and has urged all itspartners to work towards thesame objective. Sandrine Camia,the Bureau’s recently-appointedHead, believes in synergy withlocal key players.“In 2011, business tourismrepresented 20 percent ofovernight stays in Monaco,totalling 157,000. Following thelatest trends we are confidentthat we will see a return to ouroutstanding 2007 performancelevels,” said Camia. “With arelatively modest budget and anew marketing slogan- ‘A small‘Suicidetourism’ to stayAssisted suicide has been legalin Switzerland since 1942, ifperformed by a non-physicianwho has no direct interestin the death. Euthanasia, or‘mercy killing’, is legal only inthe Netherlands, Luxembourg,Belgium, and the US stateof Oregon. There has been asignificant rise in terminally illforeigners - particularly fromGermany, France and Britain- travelling to Switzerlandto commit suicide in recentyears. In 2010, voters in Zurichoverwhelmingly rejectedproposed bans on ‘suicidetourism’. France may be the nextnation to adopt this policy, withGermany not that far behind.‘Smart’ tourist sitesrestaurants and shops.For those without smartphones,small devices can be purchased thatenable a user to gather informationand download this onto a computer.“Discovering Brussels is acquiringa whole new dimension,” saidTourism Minister, ChristosDoulkeridis. Brussels last year saw3.1 million visitors, an eight percentincrease on 2010.Monaco has ambitiousover-night planscountry with great potential’- thethree-year road map is reachingtargets with the introduction ofpromotions in specialist media,plus new tools and targetedactivities in the priority markets,”she added.In BriefArmenia and Latvia havesigned an agreement tocooperate in the sphere oftourism, particularly forcultural tourism.The global aviation tradegroup nearly doubled itsforecast of European airlines’losses this year to $1.1 billionand said the worldwideindustry will scrape by withwafer thin profit margins dueto high fuel prices.French Prime Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, plans to createa Ministry for Tourism afterthe legislative elections inmid-June.The quality of Swiss hotels isdeteriorating because of thecash crunch and unfavourableexchange rate in the last coupleof years. Most of these aresmall Swiss hotels with littlescope for growth. The absenceof marketing is making itworse.Irish heritage sites are worthabout 700 million euro astourist attractions, a study hasfound. Major historical sitesand monuments are worth atotal of 1.5 billion euro in totalto the economy.Statistics from VisitBritainshow that internationaltravellers made 936,000overnight stays in Manchesterlast year as overseas tourismto the area grew 15 percent.IATA has urged the EuropeanUnion to postpone itscontroversial carbon taxscheme, amid warnings itcould spark a trade war thatwould penalise Europe.Marriott Internationalannounced plans to open asecond hotel in Bucharest- the 147-room Courtyardby Marriott Bucharest. Thehotel will operate under amanagement agreement withGica Popescu Hotels SRL andis expected to open in 2014.

AfricaIn this Issue: South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, ZimbabweSouth Africa to ink newblueprint for tourismSAA announces new hubAfter recording robust growthin the tourism sector in the lastdecade, South Africa is nowready to shift gears. The country’snational tourism promotionalagency, South African Tourism(SAT), has chalked out a360-degree comprehensivetourism development plan toposition the country as a multifaceteddestination. Unveiled atINDABA 2012, which was held inMay at the Inkosi Albert LuthuliInternational Convention Centrein Durban, the plan set a target of15 million international arrivalsby 2020. The plan also focuseson sustainable development oftourism and cooperation in thetourism industry.Setting the target for 2020,Tourism Minister, South Africa,Marthinus van Schalkwyk said,“Eight years from now, in 2020,within the time frame of ourNational Tourism Sector Strategy(NTSS), we want to see 15 millioninternational arrivals, for whichwe will be spending R 218 millionin promoting our destination inAfrica over the next three years.We will ensure a significantpresence on the continent withfive offices across Africa withinfive years. By 2020, we will haveimplemented an e-visa systemthat will improve security whilealso facilitating hassle-free travel”.South African Airways (SAA)announced that effective fromAugust 16, 2012, passengerstravelling from London to CapeTown will fly via the airline’s hubin Johannesburg – OR TamboInternational Airport. SAAcurrently has two daily servicesbetween London Heathrowand Johannesburg, and will beincreasing its capacity on theseflights by 13 percent through the useof larger aircraft to accommodatepassengers on this route. SAA alsooffers up to 38 flights daily betweenCape Town and Johannesburg.Said Cape Town Tourism CEO,Mariette Du Toit-Helmbold, “Thisis disappointing news for CapeTown’s tourism industry and wefear it could affect tourism arrivalsfrom the UK and the rest of Europenegatively. Whilst SAA’s growthstrategy’s emphasis on expansionof routes into Africa and newmarkets like South America andAustralasia is encouraging, theissue of direct air access to CapeTown is again highlighted. Airlinesmust make economic sense.”Travelport acquiresGalileo Southern AfricaTravelport has announced theconclusion of an agreement withSouth African Airways (SAA) toacquire Galileo Southern Africa.The new, entity will be knownas Travelport Southern Africa.A new five-year full contentagreement has also been signedand will provide all Travelportconnectedtravel agents with fullaccess to SAA’s full publishedfares and inventory. ManagingDirector for Travelport Africa,Mark Meehan, said, “This is alsoa long-term investment decisionand builds on the recentlyexpanded distributor networkwe have established across muchof Africa with Johannesburg as akey regional hub”.SAA celebrates round trip anniversarySouth African Airways (SAA)is celebrating the first year ofits popular round-trip nonstopservice between New York andJohannesburg, which launched onMay 1, 2011. Johannesburg allowspassengers throughout the regionto spend nearly a full day on thecontinent before catching theirflight back to the US.The round-trip nonstop servicehas reduced the overall traveltime in each direction by over 90minutes. “South African Airlines isvery pleased that the enhancementof our schedule between New Yorkand Johannesburg has receivedsuch an overwhelming responsefrom our customers,” saidExecutive Vice President, NorthAmerica for SAA, Todd Neuman.“We’ve seen a 25 percent growthin passengers, both business andleisure travellers,” he added.Destination WatchDjenné, MaliWorld Heritage SiteHome to the ruins of Jenné-Jéno which dates back toabout 300 BCD i s t i n c t i v e a d o b earchitecturePopular for: ‘The GreatMosque’-the largest mudbrickbuilding in the world,the tomb of Tapama Djenepoand the Grand MarcheATA’s 37th Annual World CongressThe Africa Travel Association(ATA), the travel industry tradeassociation promoting tourismto Africa, held its 37th AnnualCongress in Victoria Falls,Zimbabwe, from May 18 – 22.More than 500 delegates fromgovernment, business and thenon-profit sectors gathered at theATA event.The theme, ‘Africa Tourism:Partnering for the Future’,focused on how tourism, withgrowth rates in emergingmarkets outperforming moreestablished destinations, is oneof the most promising industrieson the African continent fordevelopment. South AfricanAirways served as PresentingSponsor and Official CongressCarrier and Arik Air served asOfficial Media Carrier.“Our 37th Congress has beena real success with significantoutcomes that will have a positiveimpact on the tourism industryin Zimbabwe and across Africa,”said ATA Executive Director,Edward Bergman. “Now morethan ever, the tourism industryhas a greater ability to affect livesand contribute to positive growthand development and ATA ispleased to be at the heart of thisprocess”.

travel news digest JUNE 2012AFRICA 23Friendly Planet Travel’s SafariOwing to the lack of non-directflights, the visitor arrivals havedropped on some of the coremarkets. We are working evenharder to sustain tourism growth, todefend our core markets, and to tap intothe potential of new tourism marketsTNDVOICESElsia Grandcourt ,Chief Executive, Seychelles Tourism BoardSAT to host Module IIIof ‘Learn South Africa’South African Tourism (SAT)will be hosting Module III of itstraining workshop ‘Learn SouthAfrica’ for its travel partners fromJune 12 through July 28, 2012.The workshop will cover 33cities and South African Tourismwill conduct two sessions (threehours each) of the workshop ineach city in order to accommodatea larger number of travel tradeprofessionals.‘Learn South Africa’ aimsto train travel professionals topromote, plan and organiseholidays in South Africa,customised to client requirements.According to Country Head– India, South African Tourism,Hanneli Slabber, ‘Learn SouthAfrica’ will provide in-depthknowledge about the destinationand the module will includetopics like - why sell South Africa;reasons to visit South Africa; howto check the quality of hotels andoperators and visa applications,etc.According to Friendly PlanetTravel, the days of a rich safariadventure costing $5,000 are over.Friendly Planet has introduced aneight-day Kenya Safari Express for$2,199, without cutting corners.The Kenya Safari Express includesround-trip airfare from New York’sJFK airport on Turkish Airlines;accommodations at deluxe hotelsand superior safari lodges; gameviewingdrives with experiencedgame spotters with a guaranteedwindow seat and access to apop-up roof hatch; a boat safari onLake Naivasha; comprehensivesightseeing tours in Nairobi byTanzania, Uganda and Kenya haveintroduced an uniform visa feestructure, with the aim of boostingthe region’s revenue and marketingthe region as a single destination.“Each of the three countries isnow charging $50. However thisis not the end of it, since we arestill negotiating on other measuresaimed at marketing the regionas a single destination,” saidIn celebration of the 150thanniversary of the EmancipationP r o cl a m at i o n , C h r i st i a npilgrimage tour operator,Journeys Unlimited and faithbasedAfrican-Americanlifestyle magazine, The PositiveCommunity, are partnering topresent the Ghana Heritage Tour.Taking place from November 9through 19, 2012, the nine day tourof Ghana introduces travellersto the country’s culture andChristian history, as well asGhana’s modern and ancientways of life.The educational tour includesa visit to Cape Coast Castle,dubbed ‘the door of no return’,from which untold numbers ofAfrican slaves were shipped tothe United States, South Americaand Caribbean.local, English-speaking guides; alltransfers and land transportation;many meals, and more.“This is a miracle of tourismpackaging,” says President ofFriendly Planet Travel, PeggyGoldman. “Many travellersthought experiencing a safari inAfrica would have to remain adream because the cost was justtoo outrageous”.“Now, our Kenya Wildlife SafariExpress gives them an opportunitythat has never been offered before,and might never be offered again.This lion-sized deal is bound to sellout quickly,” she said.Harmonised visa feesTanzania’s Deputy Ministerof Natural Resources andTourism, Lazaro Nyalandu.Chairman of the Associationof Uganda Tour Operators,Bonafice Byamukama, saidthat although negotiations for asingle visa continue, the commonground being maintained isthat the region should be marketedas a single destination.Showcasing Ghana’sheritage through tours“The Ghana Heritage Touris an important trip for allAmericans to take. Ghanaianhistory and American historyare inextricably linked,” saidJourneys Unlimited President,Nick Mancino.“The experience can beenriching to American visitorson many levels. In addition tolearning about Ghana’s past,travellers will marvel at thiscountry’s splendid culture andnatural beauty today”.In BriefAccording to the latestMasterCard Global DestinationCities Index, Johannesburgwill be the second most visiteddestination city in Africa,with a projected 2.5 millioninternational visitors expectedto enter the city in 2012.Cape Town’s Table Bay Hotel,Pastry Chef Anita Van Tonder,and Nigiro Tea Merchants havecome together to introduce atea and pastry menu. Privatetea pairing sessions canbe organised for guests inconjunction with MingweiTsai, a tea connoisseur fromNigiro.Somalia could give its EasternAfrica neighbours a runfor their money in tourismbusiness if its internal conflictand piracy problems arecontained, a UN report onregional sustainable tourismshows. The report says thecountry has the largest coastalbelt in Africa, architecturalheritage and beautiful pristinebeaches that are great fortourism.This year’s African CulturalFestival, which commencedin 2005, and is held annuallyto showcase Africa’s richcultural heritage will featurecountries like Nigeria, SouthAfrica, Guinea, The Gambiaand Senegal among othersin Caracas, Venezuela inNovember.American actor Robert DeNiro says that the centralAfrican country of Gabon hasgood potential as a tourismdestination and that theremight be an opportunity for aresort development. Besidesacting, De Niro is involved inNobu Hospitality, a companythat develops hotels, resortsand residences around theworld.

AmericasIn this issue : Canada, New York, San Francisco, Nebraska, Brazil, Buenos AiresCanada leaves UNtourism groupCanada has chosen to formallyremove itself from the UnitedNation World Tourism Body(UNWTO) over its latest choiceof ambassadors.With a lineup of ambassadorsranging from Drew Barrymore toDavid Beckham, it seems that thelatest pick has pushed Canada overthe edge. President of Zimbabwe,Robert Mugabe, was honouredas a “leader for tourism” by theUNWTO, along with his politicalally, Zambian President, MichaelSata. Over his 25 year presidentialterm, Mugabe has been accusedof election rigging, controlling themedia, terrorising opposition andengineering hunger and ethniccleansing.Today, Mugabe is bannedfrom traveling throughout theEU and the United States. TheTourism Review reported that“The Canadian Foreign Minister,John Baird, said that the UNWTOspraise for Sata and Mugabe fortheir role in tourism at VictoriaFalls was the ‘last straw’ inCanadian participation at theUN body.BP oil spill cleared; tourists backThe US Gulf Coast is a hotdestination two years after themassive British Petroleum (BP)oil spill made the region a touristdead zone. The petroleum gianthas pumped more than $150million into promotions to helpthe region recover.New Orleans, where more thanfour million barrels of oil gushedinto the Gulf of Mexico, has seen afrenzy of tourism efforts. A chunkof the $15 million BP initially sentto Louisiana in 2010 fundedemergency advertising to quellmisperceptions that New Orleanswas laden with oil.Since then, BP has sent morethan $150 million to Florida,L ouisiana, Alabama andMississippi to aid tourism, andwill shell out close to $30 millionmore by the end of 2013. Another$82 million was committed forseafood marketing and testing,BP Spokesman, Craig Savage said.It is not clear whether statesmost affected by the oil spill stilllag behind others as tourismimproves nationally.TNDVOICESNot losing tourists is verygood in an unfavourablescenario. Brazil received morethan 5.4 million international visitorsin 2011, up 5.3 percent from 2010. Thefigures show that intensifying tourismpromotion in neighboring countrieswas the right thing to doGastao VieiraBrazil Tourism Minister“I Love NY!”New York is dusting off its40-year-old “I Love NY” iconin a $2 million tourism pushaimed at vacationers in thestate, in neighboring states andin Canada. Governor, AndrewCuomo, announced the TVcampaign in early June, thatmarked the return of the “I LoveNY” logo with a heart in placeof the word ‘love’. The summertourism commercials will runin upstate markets as well asin Cleveland, Philadelphia,To r o nt o, Mo nt r e a l a n dConnecticut and print ads willbe carried on all NYC taxis.Record-breaking yearexpected in SFOTourism in San Franciscogenerates more than $8 billion ayear and the projections for 2012are looking even better.During a typicals u m m e r, s e ve nmillion to eightmillion people visitthe city. This year,with the Golden GateBridge’s 75th anniversary,the US Open and the America’sCup World Series, the summeris anything but typical. The SanFrancisco Travel Associationsays hotel occupancy numberswon’t be in for a couple months,but they’re expected toskyrocket mid-Ju n e o nwa r d s .T o u r n a m e n tofficials expect220,000 visitorsat the US Open.Last year, tournamentattendees spent $21 million onfood and nearly $7 million onrecreation, including golf.Hotel rates near pre-recession levelsHotel rates for business travellersin North America surged 9.3percent in April, coming withinthree percentage points of the peakpre-recession rates in fall 2008,according to Pegasus Solutions.For leisure travellers, ratesincreased 7.3 percent in April butremained below pre-recessionpeaks by double-digit percentagepoints, the company said.STR Global, which tracks supplyand demand in the hotel industry,reported that the overall averagehotel rate in the US, at the end ofApril was $105.71 — a five percentincrease compared with the sameperiod in 2011.The Pegasus report predictsthat rate increases will continue inthe months ahead.Heritage tourism helpingNebraska’s economyA report commissioned by theNebraska State Historical Societyand Nebraska Department ofEconomic Development showsthat heritage tourism has anoutsized economic impact on thestate. It contributes $196 millionannually to the state’s economyand supports more than 3,000jobs. Nebraska has three millionvisitors a year to heritage tourismsites, with 38.5 percent of thosevisitors coming from out ofstate. Heritage tourism visitorsgenerate $16.4 million in state andlocal tax revenues.

travel news digest JUNE 2012SOUTH AMERICA 25Travel to Cuba easierDespite lying just 90 miles southof Florida in the Caribbean Sea,Cuba has been mostly off-limits toAmerican travellers since beingput under an economic embargo50 years ago. That began to changelast year when President BarackObama’s administration resumedissuing “people-to-people”licenses intended to promotemore contact between Americansand Cubans and make it easierfor ordinary US citizens to visitthe island, as long as they go witha licensed operator. Cuba is a hotdestination for Americans whoare unsure how long the peopleto-peoplelicenses will remainavailable.Pluna Airline CEO warnsof ‘collapse’Brazil’s slowing growth andArgentina’s trade and currencyrestrictions are dragging downthe profits of some of the region’sairlines. In Uruguay, the nationalairline, Pluna, is resisting a $30million government bailout offer,saying that unless politiciansprovide more protection fromunfair competition, “everything weDestination WatchVillarrica, Paraguayn Founded by Spanish CaptainRuy Diaz de Melgarejo in 1570n Famous for: arms andammunition from the ChacoWarn Popular for: Monument ofManuel Ortiz Guerrero and theYkuapyta parkbuilt will collapse”. That warningcame in a letter that CEO of Pluna,Matias Campiani, sent to Plunaemployees. Campiani, who askedhis workers to stay optimistic,work hard and “don’t forget tosmile for our passengers,” blamedUruguay’s neighbors, competitorsand politicians for his company’sdifficulties.Gay tourismboom inBuenos AiresOver the past years, BuenosAires has prevailed as LatinAmerica’s greatest gay travelcapital and lesbians and gayscomprise as much as 15 to 20percent of visitors. The cityendeavours to ensure that gaytourism is formally recognisedwith its huge collection of gaybars, restaurants and tangohalls. There are also gay-runrestaurants, gay-only B&B’s, anear gay-only beach, and hotelsthat publicise as “gay-friendly”.The Brazilian government has approved a request from Ghana tofinance the Tamale International Airport project. Upgrading theTamale Airport is estimated to cost $173.2 million. If discussionsare finalised, a Brazilian company, Queiroz Galvao, will handlethe construction, which is to be financed by Brazil’s national EXIMbank BNDES.The Government of Braziland the United NationsEnvironment Programme(UNEP) launched the GreenPassport initiative in Rio deJaneiro in the beginning ofJune. The Green Passportcampaign is aimed at bringingabout behavioural changes intravellers’ attitude towards theenvironment. The ‘passport’ isactually a physical passportstyledocument packed withadvice and tips on how to makeJust a few short years ago a hottopic of conversation amongwell-heeled Brazilians wastheir rough treatment at USconsulates. Now US presidentBarack Obama has thrown outa big welcome mat, promisingto slash the amount of time ittakes Brazilians to get touristvisas. Brazilian citizens areon the move like never before.Last year more Braziliansvisited the US than Frenchand spent more there than theGermans. Obama is not theonly one looking to get a sliceof this action. Governmentsare scrambling to get theirdestinations into BrazilianBRAZILBrazil to finance Ghana airportGreen passport initiativea holiday more sustainable.Ecuador, Costa Rica, France’soverseas territories andSouth Africa have alreadytaken this initiative and about100,000 Green Passportswere distributed to visitorsduring the 2010 FIFA WorldCup in South Africa. TheGreen Passport initiative waslaunched in Rio keeping inmind future events like the 2014FIFA Football World Cup andthe 2016 Olympic Games.US, among others, wooing Braziltravel brochures. At the TravelWeek in São Paulo, hundreds offoreign destinations paid €7,500to sell their wares to Braziliantour operators. Notably absentfrom the event was any Irishpresence. Tourism Ireland, thebody responsible for promotingIrish tourism abroad, saysit is a question of money. Itsresources have been cut backat a time when it is trying torecover the two million visitorslost as a result of the globaldownturn. Tourism Irelanddecided it was much more likelyto recover these losses from itsfour main markets – the UK,US, Germany and France.In BriefLow-cost airline VivaColombiaentered Colombia’s growingcommercial airline sector withdeals as low as $29 each way.The airline is the second localairline to dub itself “low-cost”.The carrier begins with threeAirbus A-320s, each able toseat 180 passengers. It will flyfive domestic routes.The Chilean ForeignInvestment Committee, underthe Ministry of Economy,Development and Tourism,has announced foreigninvestment projects in theinfrastructure sector worthup to $14 billion. Theseprojects include the retenderof the Arturo Merino BenítezInternational Airport, work onfive hospitals, and the buildingof The Transandino CentralRailway (Aconcagua BioceanicCorridor).President of Uruguay, JoséMujica appointed Armeniandescent, Deputy Minister ofTourism, Lilian Keshishyan, asthe new Minister of Tourismand Sport.Visit California has launcheda premium edition of itsFun Spots promotion tocelebrate the enhancementsopening this summer atsome of the Golden State’sattractions. Save on admissionat California theme parks,zoos, aquariums, museumsas well as boat and trainrides through downloadingdiscount coupons at www.visitcalifornia.com.Tourists spent US$1.3 billionin Costa Rica, 15 percent morethan 2011. San Jose, Costa Rica,ranks sixth in disbursementof money for tourists. The firstplace is Mexico, the secondBuenos Aires, the third SaoPaulo, the fourth Lima, and thefifth Bogota.

CaribbeanIn this Issue : St Kitts & Nevis, Barbados, Montserrat, Jamaica200 percent increase inyacht arrivals in St KittsIn the first three months of 2012,figures from the St ChristopherAir and Sea Ports Authority(SCASPA) reported that 267yachts dropped anchor in StKitts; a triple-digit increase inyacht arrivals and a double-digitincrease in passengers aboardAir service betweenNevis to MontserratAirlift from Nevis will be bolsteredwith daily flights to and fromAntigua with Fly MontserratAirlines. The scheduled startDestination WatchOranjestad, Aruban Named after King Willemvan Oranje-Nassau In Home to Fort Zoutman, thetax-free harbour and theWillem III Towern Popular for the Soul BeachMusic Festivaln Activities: Horseback rides,safari rides, windsurfing,snorkelingof flights between Nevis andMontserrat by Fly Montserrat hasbeen welcomed by the MontserratTourism Board (MTB). Theinaugural flight took place onJune 4. Director of Fly Montserrat,Captain Nigel Harris, duringthe ceremony held at the NevisAirport ahead of the inauguralflight, said that the 20 minuteflight would give visitors ampletime to explore and enjoy whatMontserrat has to offer.jazz vacationsin JamaicaJamaica’s ‘village of eightrivers’ swayed to the soundsof jazz by local stars andinternationally renownedartists at the Ocho Rios JazzFestival. It celebrated its 22ndanniversary during June9 – 17, with over 30 eventsaround the island fromNegril to Kingston. This isreckoned to be Jamaica’scomplete jazz vacation fortourists and locals alike,which each year attracts wellover 10,000 people.yachts compared to the sameperiod last year.Minister of Tourism andInternational Transport, SenatorRichard Skerritt, recently saidthat the yachting landscape inSt Kitts and Nevis will changedramatically over the next fewyears. Establishment of theprivate jet terminal, togetherwith the ongoing constructionof world-class marina facilitiesat Christophe Harbour, and afurther expansion of the PortZante Marina, coupled with themodernisation of yacht entry andclearance administration are inthe pipeline.New iPhonetravel app inBarbadosA daily travel blog, UncommonCaribbean, has launched a newUncommon Barbados appfor iPhones. This app aims tohelp travellers maximise theirBarbados travel experiences.An Internet connectionis not required to accessUncommon Barbados content,which means that travellerscan use it without racking upinternational roaming charges.Uncommon Barbados contentencompasses a tightly curatedcollection of activities, hoteloptions, suggested restaurants,drinks, and more.2012 policy includesstorm guaranteeThe measure that would haverequired persons in possessionof Anguillian passports to obtainvisas to enter French SaintMartin has been put on hold byFrench authorities. A sevenstrongdelegation, includingGovernor, Alistair Harrison;Chief Minister, Hubert Hughesand Minister of Home Affairs,Walcott Richardson, travelled toWith the launch of its 2012 travelinterruption policy, StarwoodHotels and Resorts has reassuredCaribbean group and leisuretravellers the guarantee of afull refund or a complimentaryguestroom upgrade on their nextvisit, within one calendar year, inthe event of a storm. In addition,in-house guests will not bepenalised for an early departurein the event of a storm, and anyunused portion of a deposit will berefunded. Area Director, Sales andMarketing, Caribbean StarwoodHotels and Resorts, Jim Curtis,commented that experts arepredicting a slower season than inthe past years.Visa requirement forAnguillians put on holdMarigot to hold discussions withofficials of the French Prefecture.The delegation was assured by theFrench authorities that the matterwould be raised at a higher level inParis.The government of Anguillasaid it was pleased with thedecision and is ready to continuediscussions to bring this issue to asatisfactory conclusion.Vogeler praises CubaGeneral Director for the Americas of the World Tourism Organisation(WTO), Carlos Vogeler, said Cuba now is in the third position as theCaribbean country that receives more tourists per year, trailing theDominican Republic and Puerto Rico. He also said that Cuba wasimproving its tourist industry, which shows in the increasing numberof arrivals each year.

travel news digest JUNE 2012CARIBBEAN 27Jamaica confidentabout mergerMi n i st e r o f To u r i s m a n dEntertainment, Jamaica, DrWykeham McNeill, has said heis confident the Air Jamaica andCaribbean Airlines Ltd (CAL)merger will be a success. McNeillis hopeful that it will lead to thegrowth of CAL.He said, “CAL took over AirJamaica after a lot of discussionsand we were happy that the AirJamaica brand was retained.TNDVOICESBy taking over Air Jamaica,CAL immediately doubled itspassengers and became thedominant airline in the region”.“There has been a cutting ofsome of the routes that Air Jamaicaused to fly, but I have been toldthat these decisions are due toeconomic reasons. In any case,we are not against this becausewe want Caribbean Airlines tosucceed,” he reiterated.We are extremely happy toannounce the start-up of ourservice from Gatwick to PiarcoInternational Airport. We arestrategically well positioned to becomethe preferred airline for all customersflying between London and theCaribbean with seamless connections toSouth AmericaRobert CorbieCaribbean Airlines Chief Executive OfficerSt Kitts-Nevis adopts GSTC newcriteria for destinationsThe twin-island nation of St Kittsand Nevis, which is relatively newto tourism, is among the earlyadopters of the Global SustainableTourism, Council’s (GSTC)new criteria for destinations.The others are Fjord Norway;Teton County, Wyoming andMt Huangshan, China. St Kittsand Nevis has seen exponentialgrowth in cruise visitors overthe last few years and thegovernment is eager to make surethat this development happenssustainably and with thepreservation of the local cultureand environment in mind.Executive Director, GSTC, ErikaBelize amongworld’s bestdestinationsBelize ranks among the world’sbest destinations in 2012,according to the readers ofTravel and Leisure magazine.The editors of the Travel andLeisure magazine have justreleased to the Belize TourismBoard that this August, Belizewill be featured in: Travel andLeisure magazine, the officialwebsite TravelandLeisure.com, and in the iPad editionof the publication. Minister ofTourism and Culture, ManuelHeredia Jr, said, “It is always anhonour to see and know thatour beautiful Belize continuesto be recognised worldwide forall it has to offer”.Harms, said, “After many monthsof hard work, developing thesecriteria, we are excited to see themimplemented. Once the GSTCGreen Globe has announcedcertification of The RosalieBay Resort on Dominica, forits impact on the environmentby using renewable energyand implementing eco friendlypractices.It has become the only GreenGlobe certified property onthe island. Rosalie Bay Resort,which is the first wind turbineon Dominica and one of thelargest in the Leeward Islands,actively contributes to protectingpublishes its revised criteria,the destination will have theopportunity to apply for formalrecognition”.Green Globecertifies Rosalie BayResortendangered sea turtles on theisland by providing a protectednesting ground.Owner of the Resort, BeverlyDeikel, said, “We are excited tobe Green Globe certified and tobring this distinction toDominica. Seeing our dreambecome a reality is veryf ulfilling, and receivinginternational recognition for ourenvironmental and communityachievements makes us veryproud”.Saint Lucia embraces travel agent communityThe Saint Lucia Tourist Boardhas wrapped up a ‘Grand Fam’involving scores of US based travelpartners to ensure that arrivalsto the island grow from year toyear. The US is the island’s largestsource market, accounting for 40percent of arrivals. From May 31to June 4, seventy travel agentshad the opportunity to visit theisland’s resorts to get a firsthandexperience of what Saint Lucia hasto offer. Tourism Director, LouisLewis, said, “We endeavour to doall that is possible to nurture andsustain this symbiotic relationshipwith travel agents. With increasingcompetition, it is critical thatwe remember to show ourappreciation and to do all we can toensure we remain in the fore frontof these travel influencers minds”.

OceaniaIn this Issue: Fiji, Mitiaro Island, Solomon Islands, Australia, Cook IslandsGrowth in traffic promptsHertz NZ to expandRebranding for Fiji AirwaysT o h e l p a c c o m m o d a t eQueenstown Airports’ stronggrowth in passenger traffic andsubsequent new opportunities forcar rental in the region, Hertz NewZealand has opened a new servicecentre based at the airport. HertzNew Zealand Country Manager,Mark Righton, said, “This newfacility will enable us to be evenmore efficient in meeting the needsof the growing number of leisureand business customers. We havetimed the opening to coincide withthe start of the 2012 ski season, thepeak period every year for tourismin the Queenstown region”.A l l H e r t z o p e r a t i o n sand administration acrossthe Wakatipu Basin will becontrolled from the new site.CEO of Queenstown Airport,Scott Paterson, welcomed theexpansion by Hertz, whichcoincides with a 29 percentincrease in flights to the airportthis winter, compared with lastyear.Air Pacific, Fiji’s national airlinesays it will revert to using its oldname, Fiji Airways, which wasdiscontinued in 1970. Accordingto Chief Executive, Dave Pflieger ,the name Air Pacific was not easilyrecognised and rarely associatedwith Fiji. The change is part ofhis turnaround strategy for thecarrier.”Returning to Fiji Airwayswill better reflect our role as Fiji’snational carrier, and also assist Fijiby growing tourism and interestin the nation,” Pflieger said. TheFijian Government owns just overhalf of Air Pacific. The remaindershares are held mostly by Qantas,and then by Air New Zealand andthe governments of Kiribati, Tonga,Samoa and Nauru.First homestays openon Mitiaro IslandInitiated by Temu Okotai ofCook Islands Tours and theMitiaro community with thefull support of Cook IslandsTourism, one of the Cook Islands’most remote sister islands,Mitiarohas, opened the first ofits homestay accommodationoptions. Hosted by local Mitiarofamilies, the island now featuresthree homestay kikau huts. Aforty-five minute flight fromthe capital Rarotonga, the newhomestay development is theonly accommodation option onDestination WatchMorovo Lagoon,Solomon Islandsn World Heritage Siten Largest lagoon in theworldn Popular for underwatersea volcanoesn Activities: Scuba diving,trekking to Mt. Mariu (887m)and sea kayakingthe island. Seven more huts anda two-bedroom family unit of thefull Mitiaro Homestay Project areexpected to open within the nextthree years.A workshop is being held in theSolomon Islands to help mediumand smaller sized accomodationoperators get up to speed withtheir online presence so thatoperators can create websitesfor visitors to book online. TheSolomon Islands Visitors Bureausays 12 accomodation operatorsare in the process of gettingwebsites up and running. Thesites will then also be channelledin with other travel websites likeexpedia and wotif. Marketing‘India 2020 Strategic Plan’The Australia Tourism Exchange(ATE) saw Tourism Australiaunveil a new strategy aimed attapping into the future tourismpotential of India, developed byTourism Australia in consultationwith industry and governmentstakeholders. With the ‘India 2020Strategic Plan’, Australia is seekingto secure a greater share of the 50million Indians expected to traveloverseas by 2020.Unveiled by Minister forTourism, Government of Australia,Martin Ferguson, the planidentifies the main opportunitiesand sets out the approach requiredto build Australia’s appeal and toManager at the Bureau, FredaUnusi, says, compared towin future market share. Themajor cities of Delhi and Mumbaiand middle class travellers withinthem will be Tourism Australia’sprimary consumer marketingand distribution targets. India iscurrently Australia’s tenth mostvaluable inbound tourism market,with 148,000 visitors spendingAUD 867 million in 2011.Small tourism operators to receiveweb advantageother South Pacific countries,accomodation operators in theSolomon Islands have virtually noonline presence and are missingout on business as a result. “Justlooking at our other countries inthe region, like Fiji or Vanuatu -they are all up there; we’re sortof lagging behind. And one of thethings we think is affecting this isour very little presence online.”Unusi says the websites should beup and running in three monthstime.In BriefThe latest phase of TourismAustralia’s global marketingcampaign, ‘There’s nothing likeAustralia’, has been launched.Tourism Australia will spendapproximately A$180 millionover the next three years rollingout the evolving campaign in itskey international markets andin Australia.Auckland InternationalAirport, which is targetingAsian arrivals to stoke growthover the next decade, startingJuly, will cut the averageinternational passenger fee andlift domestic charges as a part oftheir new pricing schedule.The Solomon Islands TourismYear 2012 has been launched.The theme is ‘TourismDevelopment in Harmonywith Nature and Culture’. Thegovernment has also put inplace a five year tourism actionplan - from 2011-15.Cook Islands has seen anincrease in visitor figures forApril 2012 with huge numberof Asian tourists coming to theisland. The number of Asianscoming to Rarotonga in April isup by 40 percent compared tothe same month last year.

travel news digest JUNE 2012OCEANIA 29Australian ski seasonopens earlyEarly snowfall means the officialski season in Australia hasopened a week early. PerisherSki Resort in New South Wales’Snowy Mountains is set to opena week ahead of the officialski season, following heavysnowfall, low temperatures andcontinuing snow. 30 cm of snowwas recorded in the area. PerisherChief Executive, Peter Brulisauer,said proceeds from the weekendwill be donated to local charities.Other Australian ski fields are alsogearing up for a great start to theski season.Virgin Lounge opens at GoldCoast AirportVirgin Australia has opened its680sqm passenger lounge at thesouthern end of the Gold Coastairport’s domestic terminal.The two- level lounge featuresan entry level reception areaand offers facilities like a buffetput together by celebrity LukeMangan, for business travellers.Virgin Australia GeneralManager, Alison Chalmer, saidthe expansion represented asignificant investment by thecompany.Gold Coast Airport ChiefOperating Officer, Paul Donovan,said the new lounge was a strongboost for tourism in the regionand a sign of Virgin’s confidencein the market.Passenger numbers haveonly just started to turn aroundfor the Gold Coast Airport after atough year hit by natural disastersin Queensland, Japan and NewZealand and a high Australiandollar.SUBSCRIPTION IS FREE TO QUALIFIED READERS ONLY PLEASE FILL THE FORM BELOW TO BE CONSIDERED FOR FREE SUBSCRIPTIONTND RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SELECT THE QUALIFIED READERS ON THE BASIS OF A PREDETERMINED CRITERIONINCOMPLETE FORMS CANNOT BE PROCESSEDYes!I want to be considered for FREE SUBSCRIPTION for a Year ( 12 Issues)LimitedFREESUBSCRIPTIONOFFER !For Qualified ReadersPARTICULARS (Please attach Business Card*)FULL NAME (MR/MS/MRS/DR) :OCCUPATION:DESIGNATION:COMPANY NAME:COUNTRY:FULL ADDRESS:EMAIL:MOBILE:TEL:SIGNATURE:(*) mandatoryREGULAR USERS MAY AVAIL PAID SUBSCRIPTION AT A DISCOUNTYes ! I want to Subscribe Cost per copy 50 /-1 YEARYOUSAVE( 12 ISSUES ) REGULAR 600 /- OFFER 500 /- 100 /-SEND TO:FAIRFEST MEDIA LTD216 A/1 GAUTAM NAGAR, GULMOHAR PARK,NEW DELHI 110049Tel: (91) (11) 2686 6874FOR SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES:Brahmdatt Upadhyay- +91 9910394493e-mail : brahmdatt@fairfest.comFULL NAME (MR/MS/MRS/DR) :FULL ADDRESS:AMOUNTCHEQUE NO./DD NO. / CASHDATEDAll cheques/ DD payable to Fairfest Media LtdTERMS & CONDITIONS: This is a limited period offer | Rates & offer valid in Delhi/NCR only | Allow 5-6 weeks for processing of your subscription | Orders once placed will not be terminatedor transferred | Replacements will be made upon receipt of the damaged copy within one week of delivery.

EventsIn this issue : Thailand Travel Mart, IAMAI Travel & Tourism Summit, World Travel Awards, Flower Carpet 2012Thailand Travel Mart Plus 2012Istanbul ShoppingFestival off to agood startThe third edition of theIstanbul Shopping Festival 2012commenced on June 8th and isscheduled to run till June 29th.The 21-day festival will offerdiscounted items, extendedhours and a range of events invenues around the city.T r a d i t i o n a l t o u r i s tdestinations such as the GrandBazaar and Egyptian SpiceMarket will host concerts, streetfestivals and fashion shows,emulating the Dubai ShoppingFestival.The organisers hope thatthe festival will grow in size toattract over 1.5 million tourists toIstanbul annually over thenext four years, helping thegovernment hit its target of 10million tourists a year by 2015.Over 473 buyers from 60 countriesmet 381 sellers at Thailand’s largesttravel and tourism B2B exhibition,Thailand Travel Mart Plus (TTM+)2012 at the IMPACT ExhibitionCenter in Bangkok. The themewas ‘Customise your experiencein Thailand’ to encourage touroperators to offer their customers,both group travellers and freeindependent travellers, theopportunity to enjoy itinerariesthat are tailored to their specificinterests when visiting Thailand.“This year, Tourism Authority ofThailand (TAT) has refocussedour strategies to attract a greaternumber of niche-market visitorsseeking holidays and experiencesmore in tune with their personalpreferences and lifestyles. Four ofThe World Travel Awards 2012will take place in Nairobi onSeptember 26, with importantdecision-makers in the region’stravel and tourism sectorthe key niche markets that offerconsiderable potential are golf,weddings & honeymoons, ecotourism and health & wellness.The weddings and honeymoonscategory alone offers tremendousopportunities for Thai tourismoperators – at present, India,Korea, Japan, France, USA andthe United Arab Emirates (UAE)are rapidly-growing sourcemarkets for those who want to getmarried or celebrate their unionin Thailand,” said Governor, TAT,Suraphon Svetasreni.TAT’s support in intraregionaltravel was reinforcedwith the participation of severalNTOs from the Greater MekongSubregion including Bhutan,China’s Yunnan and GuangxiKenya to host WTAscheduled to attend. The awardsrecognise excellence in travel andtourism, and aim to encourageworld class competition thatpromotes innovation, therebyensuring that travellers aroundthe world receive exceptionalvalue. Kenya is honored to hostWTA Africa and the IndianOcean gala for the first time thisyear. The event will be co-hostedalongside the Africa HotelInvestment Forum (AHIF), a twodayconference (September 25-26)that will showcase the hospitalityinvestment potential of Africa’sfastest-growing nations.provinces, Cambodia, Lao PDR,Myanmar and Vietnam at TTM+2012.To achieve effective results,TAT is going to initiate the ‘DISCOBlueprint’ for the organisation tofollow.‘DISCO Blueprint’D is for Digital MarketingI is Image BuildingS is SustainableC is Crystallisation & CrisisManagementO is Organisation ManagementTourismfestival in J&KBhaderwah, in Jammu & Kashmir,is prepared to kick off a four-daytourism-cum-cultural festivalfrom June 24 to attract domesticand foreign tourists. Variousgovernment departments andprivate stakeholders are expectedto set up stalls at the venue toprovide first hand informationregarding government schemesand various products to thepublic. Sports such as paragliding,river crossing, rappelling andtree climbing will be conductedby the Jawahar Institute ofMountaineering.Flower Carpet 2012From August 15 - 19, Brussels will honour Africa at its FlowerCarpet 2012. The flower tapestry of showcases patterns recallingdesigns from the tribes of Ethiopia, Congo, Nigeria, Botswana, andCameroun. It will be held in the Grand-Place, which will be adornedwith thousands of ‘flamingo flowers’ from South America.

travel news digest JUNE 2012EVENTS 31IAMAI: 4th Travel & Tourism SummitIAMAI organised its 4thTravel & Tourism Summit onJune 8th at Hotel Shangri-La,New Delhi. The conference wasa successful conglomeration ofgurus of the travel and tourismindustry. The day long sessionsaddressed various issues andchallenges being faced by sectorslike aviation, technology, hotels,destination marketing, OTAs andNon-OTAs, amongst others.Plenary SessionsThe Summit comprised of fivePlenary Sessions:n Technology as the businessenhancern Hotel Booking – choosing theright online partnern Showing the world to Indians(Outbound)n Developing India as aDestination (Inbound andDomestic)n Airlines & OTAs: BuildingSustainable PartnershipThe esteemed panelists ofevery session gave insightfuland informative analyses on thecurrent travel scenario. Theyhighlighted ground realitiesand the need to comprehendthe opportunities in the Indiantourism industry. The open hoursfor Q&A made the sessions moremeaningful and lively.Managing Director, TravelocityIndia & Chairman, DigitalCommerce Committee, IAMAI,Himanshu Singh, pointed out,“The total travel market is around$800 billion and the online shareis growing rapidly. Payment andlogistics still pose a challenge andthe success parameter for businessis about cracking these problems.These problems that we are facingtoday have to be countered by allplayers of the industry together,and this will help the market growexponentially”. As per IAMAI‘Internet Economy Watch’ data,e-ticketing continues to growwith irctc.com recording 5.56million bookings in April 2012as compared to 2.26 millionbookings in April 2011. Airlinesrecorded 1.92 million bookingsin April 2012, as compared to 1.01million bookings in April 2011. Thedata for online travel is based onabsolute numbers captured fromnine websites.Speakers at the SummitAs per the recent reportreleased by Internet andMobile Association of India(IAMAI) while e-ticketingcontinues to grow with irctc.com recording 5.56 millionbookings in April, 2012 ascompared to 2.26 millionbookings in April 2011, airlinesrecorded 1.92 million bookingsin April 2012, as compared to1.01 million bookings in April2011.were all of the view that while, atpresent, group travel is the key togrowth, the future will be morefocused on the individual traveller.As Vice Pesident, Programming& Operations, Fox International,Swati Moha, said, ”While grouptravel is in vogue, there is a hugespurt in customised individualtravel interests. People are lookingfor less explored destinationsthan before and with internetpenetration on the rise, theindustry is set for robust growth”.Vice President, Marketing-Fox International, DebarpitaBanerjee, said, “In order to makefruitful experiments, it is veryimportant to keep your ears toground level and keep it relevant.It is very important today, to keepinnovating so that we can enable atraveller enjoy a lot while travellingand make it the most memorablejourney”.Globally the travel & tourismmarket is pegged at about US$800 billion but the online marketshare has not reached its optimalpoint. With internet users inIndia at around 121 million, thefocus is now to create a solutionfor travellers to plan travelonline. ”An innovative marketingstrategy coupled with valueadditions will sway travellers tobook hotels and tickets online”,said Regional Director, RevenueManagement, India, Bangladeshand Nepal, Starwood Hotels &Resorts, Devdutta Banerjee. Headded, “Online is the platform forgrowth. Integration of logisticsand services is necessary to fuelfurther growth”.‘Ancillary Revenue’ has agreat potential, pointed out GM,Revenue Management & Pricing,Air India, Alok Singh. He alsofocussed on how important it isto make convergence possiblebetween Distributions, CRM& Research. The Summit alsoaddressed issues related totechnology and payments as abusiness enhancer. With manytechnology outlets available, it isimportant to use them in a strategicmanner and explore new ways ofmarketing, packaging, qualityof services and robust paymentsystem in the travel industry.Speaking about the same, CEO,Quadlabs, Gaurav Chiripal, said,“The customer is king. And withtechnology, if we include socialconnect, it can really help ourbusiness grow. Global strategy inevery aspect is very important tofocus”.A Great Networking PlatformChairman – STIC Travel Group, Subash Goyal: “It is a highly usefulplatform where you get to meet all the industry related people at thesame time. Besides networking, such summits give one an opportunityto learn, share views and clear doubts during the Question hour sessions.The topics chosen for day long sessions are very relevant. We need toaddress these issues and find solutions to various challenges we arefacing. The organisers need to be applauded for having taken efforts tochoose good speakers “.Vice President, Sarovar Hotels, Sajid Mahmood: “Such summitsprovide an excellent opportunity to exchange views and share practicesin industries. A good learning opportunity at all levels”.President & Chief Operating Officer, Cleartrip, Samyukth Sridharan:“Today, the discerning customer looks for a good booking experience,comprehensive offering and competitive pricing. I feel collectively thegoal of both, the airline and the OTA, should be to marry these benefits.We should offer a platform to customers that boasts of a seamlessbooking interface, numerous payment options, and the convenience ofproducts and services. These should be delivered efficiently and withoutunnecessary costs flowing through the process. Needless to say, choice,unquestionably favors the consumer”.

Posted at NDPSO, New Delhi - 110002 on 5/6 & 20/21 of every month.Date of Publication 01/02 &15/16 every monthPostal Registration No. DL(S) - 01/3404/2012-14RNI No. DELENG/2011/40217WORLD’S LEADING OUTBOUND-FOCUSEDTRAVEL TRADESHOWS NETWORKSAN FRANCISCOSeptember 27-30, 2012Concourse Exhibition CenterNEW DELHIFebruary 14 - 16, 2013Pragati MaidanMUMBAIFebruary 8 - 10, 2013Mumbai Exhibition CenterGet 25% OFF on the OTM SF price, if you book within July May 15th, ORGet OTM SF FREE when you sign up now for OTM Mumbai + DelhiStrategically located in San Francisco, the 2012 OneWorld Travel Mart (OTM), will deliver a focused, open B2B marketplace connectingdestinations and travel suppliers with US tour operators, meeting planners, travel agents and travel media!Support for the inaugural OneWorld Travel Mart continues to grow daily, with dozens of exhibitors committed, representing such diversedestinations as USA, Canada, Aruba, Botswana, China, Fiji, Peru, Chile, United Kingdom, Norway, Ecuador, Russia, Greece, Egypt, India,Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, Turkey, Vietnam, Dubai, Malta, Israel, Jamaica, Korea, Mexico, Nepal and Thailand.Make plans now to exhibit and attend this special event! Contact us at info@OneWorldTravelMart.com to learn about existing exhibitordiscounts, booth pricing and sponsorship opportunities.** Limited time conditional offerProduced byManaged byFairfest IncorporatedJ2L Events LLC10 South 3rd Street, 3rd Floor, San Jose, CA 95113 Tel: + 1 888.705.6576PO Box 1766 Westminster, MD 21157 Tel: +1 888.705.6576E-mail: info@oneworldtravelmart.com, otm@fairfest.com URL: www.oneworldtravelmart.com, www.ttfotm.com