Tourism and Travel Trends from India:

News and views on India's Travel and Hospitality Sector

Weekly News Related to Travel Industry in India

Places in the News
Travel and Transportation Infrastructure
Niche Tourism
Policy
Travel and Tourism Support Industries
Travel Characteristics of Indians

Places in the news

1. Agra gears up to attract more tourist traffic

Post-Taj Mahal's induction in the new list of 'Seven Wonders of the World', various state authorities as well as the tourism fraternity are planning strategies that will further boost tourist traffic to Agra. A meeting of the executive committee members of the Domestic Tour Operators of India is scheduled to be held in early August at Agra for discussing plans to promote tourism in the city. Also, a group of US travel agencies is launching the Mega City Tour Project this September, wherein US tourists will be taken on a trip to the Delhi-Jaipur-Agra golden triangle. Meanwhile, Le Passage to India, a travel agency, has announced plans to distribute badges with Taj inscribed on them to 10,000 foreign tourists next month.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is waiting for the monsoon to end, after which it will start a clay pack treatment to remove stains from the Taj's marble surface. Apart from that, the Taj National Park project, which will see a 300 acre park being built across the river Yamuna, is getting its final touches and will soon become operational for tourists confirmed S R Meena, Divisional Commissioner, Agra. He added that their top priority now was the open-air theatre scheduled to come up at Mehtab Bagh behind the Taj Mahal. The authorities are also speeding up work on the Taj Express Way project, which will connect Delhi to Agra, as the government wants it to become operational prior to the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
July 20, 2007
Source: Travel Biz Monitor

Travel and Transportation Infrastructure

Sector: Aviation

1. Asian no-frills airlines woo fliers from south India

South-East Asian airlines are getting more aggressive. Value carriers, such as Nok Air, AirAsia, Tiger Airways and Lion Air, have either started betting big on destinations in south India or are planning to do so. The airlines are not only offering low fares, but also packages such as night stays in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur to lure travellers.

“South India and south-east Asia have historical affinity. People from south India went to south-east Asia and are living there as citizens of those countries. These people keep visiting India and, hence, there is considerable air traffic on those routes. This offers huge opportunity to value or low-cost carriers from Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand,” said Kapil Kaul, CEO (Indian subcontinent and middle east) of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.

“The air traffic growth between south India and south-east Asia is higher than between north Indian cities and south-east Asian cities. The growth on these route is to the tune of 20%, which is more than the industry average, and the trend is likely to continue,” added Mr Kaul.

In its bid to have a bigger slice of the pie, Singapore-based Tiger Airways plans to link the island nation with Chennai and Kochi from October. The airline would offer a return ticket on these routes for about Rs 10,000, about 50-70% less than the normal fares. Air Asia is also planning to start services between Kuala Lumpur and Kochi and Bangalore.

Nok Air passengers get as much as 70% discounts at retail outlets in Thailand.“As the government has a very liberal air service regime with south-east Asian countries, growth is expected to accelerate sharply,” said an industry watcher.

An Indian delegation led by civil aviation secretary Ashok Chawla recently signed an MoU with Malaysia to further increase air frequency between the two countries. According to the MoU, both the nations have agreed to designate any airlines they wish to operate on the India-Malaysia route.

“The south-east Asian airlines are expanding to South Indian cities as traffic rights to Mumbai and Delhi are not available. These airlines would create a new segment as their fares are normally 15-20% less than normal fares,” said an official of an international low-cost carrier.
July 20, 2007
Source: Economic Times

2. Tiger Airways links two Indian cities with Aus

Low-fare Tiger Airways launched Thursday four new flights linking the south Indian cities of Kochi and Chennai to its Australian destinations of Darwin and Perth.

The "flight combos" through Singapore allow passengers to coordinate their flights on two legs of their journey with minimum downtime in between, the Singapore Airlines-backed carrier said.

One-way fares start from $65 between Kochi or Chennai to Darwin while one-way fares for Kochi or Chennai to Perth start from $78. The "combos" enable passengers to book two sectors of their travel at one time. Upon arrival in Singapore, they clear customs and immigration before checking in for the onward flight.
July 19, 2007
Source: IANS via Economic Times

3. Indo-US air route hotting up
For international airlines in India, it’s time to go looking for America. Come August, and there’ll be two new options to fly to America. While Jet Airways will inaugurate its transatlantic services on August 5, 2007 with daily flights between New York and Mumbai, Air-India is geared up to start non-stop flights to New York from Mumbai from August 1. After that, Continental Airlines plans to launch a non-stop flight between Mumbai and New York in October 2007, while Kingfisher has announced that it will fly to the US by early next year.

The hotting up of the US-India route is obviously good news for both business and leisure travelers. Says Laurent Recoura, senior country director, Continental Airlines: “The sudden surge in the number of flights or airlines flying to the US only reflects that there was and is a lot of demand not only in terms of business travelers but tourists as well. And then, there is a large successful Indian diaspora in the States.”

For some of the existing players, it’s time to add value through non-stop flights. “The demand has increased for non-stop flights because for all kind of passengers it makes sense. It saves a whole business day. That means one can attend more meeting, visit more places and of course some more shopping. For families with young kids, it makes sense because they don't have to inter-change flights or stop somewhere, same stands true for senior citizens. Thus non-stop flights have emerged out as a hassle free travel,” says Mr Recoura.

Continental already operates daily, non-stop flights between Delhi and its New York hub, Newark Liberty International Airport, since 2005. And the daily, non-stop flights between Mumbai and New York Liberty will start on October 2. American Airlines, too, runs non-stop Delhi-Chicago-Delhi flights. Says Nisha Maharaj, regional manager, American Airlines: “Later we may be looking at direct flights from other major cities such as Mumbai and Bangalore.” While Jet is not looking at non-stop transatlantic flights right away, the airlines is hoping to offer international travellers arriving in India the advantage of its large domestic network. “Our strong domestic network will give us the advantage of offering to international travelers very good connectivity in India after they arrive and for the domestic traffic, the hub at Brussels will give us the infrastructural edge to provide Indian travelers to Europe better services,” says Naresh Goyal, chairman of Jet Airways. He hopes that Jet Airways will emerge the most preferred airlines out of Asia within a few years. Meanwhile, Continental is banking on its tie-up with Kingfisher Airlines to provide an advantage to its India-bound travelers.

And its not just the US East Coast, flights to other North American destinations too are on the cards. Jet Airways will commence services from Delhi to Toronto on September 5, via Brussels where the airlines is building a major hub to connect Indian and North American cities and direct flights between Brussels and Chennai, Bangalore and Ahmedabad will eventually enable travelers to connect seamlessly from five Indian gateways to six North American airports (Newark, JFK, Chicago, Toronto, Los Angeles and San Francisco).Flights to the US West Coast, however, pose a bigger challenge to global airlines. Says Mr Recoura: “There are a lot of Indians working in the Silicon Valley and it has a potential in terms of number of travelers. But the disdavantage is that the West Coast is a dead end. Generally, no airlines are in a position to offer other connecting flights to too many destinations from the West Coast
July 15, 2007
Source: Economic Times

Sector: Railways

1. Train to build cultural chord between two Bengals

When a train chugs out of Kolkata for Dhaka in September, it will be an emotional journey on wheels that people of Bangladesh and India have waited for over four decades to make.

The much-awaited India-Bangladesh rail service is finally set to become a reality with Kolkata getting connected with its cultural counterpart, Dhaka.

"We are ready to run the Indo-Bangladesh friendship train from Kolkata to Joydebpur, 35 km from Dhaka, tentatively in September. We haven't received any specific communiqué from them," railway spokesman Deepak Jha said.

He said there were some security constraints that were currently being sorted out by the external affairs and home ministries.

According to Eastern Railway sources, the weekly train, expected to cover 345 km between Kolkata and Dhaka, will have six coaches, including one air-conditioned chair car and a pantry. Both trains will probably start from each side on Sundays. The journey will take about 12 hours and the fare will range between Rs.300 and Rs.800.

Kamral Hassain, first secretary of the Bangladesh deputy high commission here, is enthusiastic about the service. He said the Bangladesh government was keen to launch the train at the earliest.
 
"Every year almost 600,000 Bangladeshis come to India. In comparison only 80,000-90,000 Indians go to Bangladesh. After resuming the train service we expect that more people would travel between the two countries," he said. He added that Indians were more used to commuting by railways. Hence after this service begins, "we are expecting a good rush from this side to Bangladesh".

Hassain said: "A team of top Bangladesh officials is coming to West Bengal for a trial run July 29. They are supposed to sit for another round of discussions here on security measures." A similar trial run was also done July 8 from Kolkata to Bangladesh, carrying a 14-member Indian delegation led by India's Additional Home Secretary A.E. Ahmed.

The intelligentsia of Kolkata is all for the train that will connect the two Bengals.

"It's a wonderful and people-friendly gesture. People from both countries will benefit culturally and it will strengthen their bonds," said noted writer Nabanita Deb Sen. The name of the train has not been finalised but it may be called Moitre Express (Friendship Express). The train will cover 122 km in the Indian side, from Kolkata to the Gede railway station, Jha said. "Indian Railways has provided the minimum infrastructure required for running the train. But later we will keep developing the facilities at Gede as there is only one terminal there," he said.

Jha pointed out that the trans-national train would have to wait for about two hours at Gede if the number of platforms were not increased. The train service between India and Bangladesh was suspended in 1965 after the India-Pakistan war. Then known as East Pakistan, Bangladesh became a free country in 1971.

The only bottleneck now seems to be security worries. Keeping in mind the increasing illegal influx from Bangladesh, the Border Security Force (BSF) will construct fencing along both sides of the track on the Indian side.

"The fencing will be extended up to the international border and there will also be patrolling in the fenced-off area," said a BSF official
Jul 18, 2007
Source: MSN India

2. MOT, Railway Ministry to host road shows in the Far East

The Ministry of Tourism (MOT) and the Railway Ministry have jointly decided to organise road shows in Japan, Korea, China, Singapore and Thailand in August-September, 2007. The road shows aim to promote the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation's (IRCTC) Buddhist train, Maha Parinirvan Special, which will be inaugurated on September 22, 2007.

The Buddhist train will cover the sacred circuit comprising Bodhgaya, Nalanda, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Lumbini (Nepal), Gonda and Agra. "We have tried to cover destinations that have a strong Buddhist presence," said Nalin Shinghal, Director - Tourism and Marketing, IRCTC. "The train will offer services such as Indian, Continental and Chinese cuisine, housekeeping, doctor on next station, mineral water and safety and security on board," he added.

For promotion of the upcoming road shows, IRCTC is looking at tie-ups with local agents. Talks are on with travel agents to help them sell regular train as well as Buddhist Train tickets. Currently, the Corporation has 8,000 agents who sell both categories of tickets.

In an effort to enhance its offerings, IRCTC is also looking to revamp its website. "Once that is done, we will be able to handle one lakh tickets per day in comparison to our erstwhile capacity of 5,700 tickets per day," offered Shinghal. The revamped website is expected to be more user-friendly, whereby hotel bookings will be direct. The Corporation's call centres catering to the Indian and East Asian markets are scheduled to start in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata today.
July 17, 2007
Source: Travel Biz Monitor

Sector: Hotels

1. Government to provide grants upto Rs one crore for hotel renovation and upgradation

The government has decided to provide grants up to Rs one crore each to selected properties so as to help overcome the shortage of hotels in India. The move comes after the tourism ministry brought the acute shortage of hotels in India to the government's notice time and again. The government has earmarked a budget of Rs 20 crore this year for providing renovation as well as refurbishment grants to properties. This is an interim arrangement that will be incorporated into the 11th five year plan, post the plan's finalisation.

Under the interim arrangement, grants will be made available for construction of new rooms in the one, two and three star categories of hotels as well for refurbishment of heritage hotels. Heritage, two and three star categories of hotels will get Rs three lakh for each room they upgrade or construct and one star hotels will be eligible for a grant of Rs two lakh per new room. While heritage properties and three star hotels can claim a maximum amount of Rs one crore, the limit for two star hotels is Rs 75 lakh and Rs 30 lakh in the case of one star properties.

However, the grant amount will be disbursed only after the construction or renovation of the property is complete and it is assessed by an inspection committee that will be set up for the pu

July 20, 2007
Source: Travel Biz Monitor

Niche Tourism

Medical
Spiritual & religious
Rural
Wine
Heritage
Adventure
Education

Nature tourism

1. Kerala to promote hydel tourism

Kerala Electricity Minister A.K. Balan has informed the state assembly that steps have begun to promote hydel tourism in god's own country.

"There is huge potential for promotion of tourism at the Kerala State Electricity Board's various hydel project dams because of the lovely settings in which these dams are located. A society to promote hydel tourism has already been formed," said Balan.

The state's Wayanad district is set to become the hot spot for hydel tourism as it has a large number of dams in picturesque hilly areas. It is also close to Mysore and Bangalore.

Balan said that tourism would be promoted in the 28 small islands of the Banasurasagar Lake in Wayanad.

"In the last fiscal Rs.1.49 million has already been spent on hydel tourism promotion at Banasurasagar. This fiscal year, projects to keep the environment intact at the lake cottages, tents and water sports activity would begin. We aim to turn this place into a premier tourism destination," added Balan.
July 20, 2007
Source: MSN India

Luxury & rejuvenation ( ayurveda, spas, holistic healing, cruises, customized travel)

Others

1. Monsoon tourism making a splash

The monsoon, which is traditionally seen as an off-season in the tourism industry, has taken off very well this year.
Monsoon tourism, as it is known, has performed beyond the expectations of tour operators, garnering a 50 per cent increase in both in-bound and out-bound traffic. Last year, the industry saw an increase of only 15-20 per cent in monsoon tourism.

While Goa and Kerala remain the top domestic destinations, West Asia is still a favourite with travellers heading for international destinations. Over the years, the number of international tourists visiting India during the monsoon, especially from the Gulf countries, has almost doubled.

The Indian monsoon during June-September coincides with the summer vacations in the Gulf countries. Thus one can witness a steep increase in tourist inflow this monsoon,” a Thomas Cook official said.

Besides, there has been an increase in travel by the double-income-no-kids (Dink) group. These people believe in beating the rush and getting a truly relaxing holiday. “As they do not have kids, they are not bound by the school holiday cycle and during this time they get quality holidays,” adds the Thomas Cook official.

Another trend visible this monsoon is the charters coming from Spain to Jaipur. SOTC Holidays has witnessed an increase of 30 per cent in initial bookings of its monsoon packages. While the season is still on, the travel major expects the bookings to go up further. “The bookings might go up to what we call a high season, where people are ready to pay extra to go on a holiday,” said Frederick Divecha, senior vice-president, marketing, SOTC.

While Kerala, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Sikkim and Meghalaya have already started cashing in on monsoon tourism by starting special monsoon packages, Mahrashtra Tourism Development Corporation, too, has had its cash registers ringing with tourists making a beeline for Lonavla, Khandala, Malshej Ghat and Karla.

Tour operators see a surge in the number of bookings, with the marriage season also on in many parts of the country.
“With the marriage season on, a lot of travellers have done their holiday bookings for the second week of August. The destinations these newly-weds are looking at are South Africa and Mauritius for the affluent category and the Far East for the economy category,” said the Thomas Cook official.

On an average, based on the destination, the mode of travel and the accommodation chosen, a domestic holiday package would cost anywhere between Rs 12,000 and Rs 20,000 per head and an international holiday package would cost anywhere between Rs 20,000 and Rs 35,000 per head.
July 17, 2007
Source: Business Standard

Policy

1. Special sops for foreign tourists

Visitors from the SAARC and BIMSTEC countries would be charged the same rates of the entry fee to ticketed monuments as Indian citizens, Tourism and Culture Minister Ambika Soni has announced.

Addressing the MPs of the Consultative Committee attached to her ministry, she said though the debate on charging a uniform entry fee from other foreign visitors was still on, there was a strong point in continuing with the present differential rate of tickets.

The entry fee for visitors from the SAARC and BIMSTEC countries has been put on par with Indian citizens as an acknowledgement of the common heritage between India and its neighbouring countries and promotion of regional solidarity.

Giving details of plan expenditure on restoration and maintenance of monuments, Soni said the 11th Five-Year Plan (2007-12) proposals, amounting to Rs.9.33 billion, were more than three times the provisions during the earlier plan.

A substantial amount of these allocations would be spent on making monuments more attractive through programmes like Light and Sound shows at the World Heritage Sites, establishment of tourist facilities and better signage.

Those who attended the meeting included Chander Kumar, N.K.S. Chauhan, Pankaj Chowdhary, Parasnath Yadav, Chandan Mitra, Barun Mukherjee and Surendra Motilal Patel.
July 18, 2007
Source: MSN India

Travel and Tourism Support Industries …and much more

Service providers

1. Pegasus to induct Indian hotels on global network

Dallas-based Pegasus Solutions is planning to add several Indian hotels on the network of Pegasus Commission Process (PCP) service by second week of August. The PCP facilitates a single consolidated hotel commission-processing check for reservations booked at more than 60,000 hotels worldwide on their individual websites or through Global Distribution Systems (GDSs). The PCP was introduced in the Indian market by Pegasus Solution through Aman Travels in 2006.

Deepak Narula, Managing Director, Aman Travels Limited, says, "PCP service reduces the cost and time spent on processing and ensures timely commission payment to travel agents. It also helps agents to access details of their transactions at any point of time on the website. Pegasus is now looking at adding Indian hotels to its network to extend benefits to international travel agents having India-bound business as well as to attract more domestic travel agents." So far, Aman Travels has bought 600 Indian agents under the PCP service which charges ten per cent of the commission as processing fees.
July 19, 2007
Source: Travel Biz Monitor

2. San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau sets up representative office in India

Witnessing the increasing Indian traffic to the US for either business or leisure, the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau (SFCVB), in partnership with San Francisco International Airport (SFO), felt it imperative to open a representation office in India. SFCVB and SFO have chosen Sartha Marketing Consultants, headed by Sheema Vohra, Director, Sartha Marketing Consultants, as their official representatives, who will be based at New Delhi in India. This makes San Francisco the first, and only, US Convention and Visitors' Bureau (CVB) and airport to have representation services in India.

The representative office will work to promote San Francisco to the Indian travel trade as a whole. Commenting on the initiative, Deborah Reinow, Vice President - Tourism, SFCVB, said, "Having representation in India will heighten the awareness of San Francisco's many attractions and the state-of-the-art facilities at SFO to further develop business and leisure travel and develop new airline service to India. We look forward to working closely with airlines and expand this growing market." The bureau is also keen to see an increase in Indian delegations arriving at San Francisco for attending Meetings Incentives Conventions Exhibitions (MICE), especially with regards to the medical, technology and finance sectors.

In 2006, 4,07,000 Indians visited the US, a 13 per cent rise from 2005, as per a Office of Tourism Industries (US) report. Also, 15.8 million tourists that visited San Francisco in 2006 spent USD 7.75 billion which is an increase of 5.3 per cent as compared to 2005.
July 16, 2007
Source: Travel Biz Monitor

3. Aarzoo.com launches monsoon packages

Tourism is the monsoon might no longer be an off-season issue as online travel portals come out with special packages designed for monsoon-friendly locations. This started with the Kerala government aggressively promoting their locales.
Lately online-travel portal Arzoo.com has launched 'Monsoon Masti', catering to about 35 locations across India under two packages 'Monsoon Weekend Breaks' and 'Monsoon Holidays'. Some of the popular locations include include higher altitude spots like Lonavala, Mahabaleshwar, Bhandardara, , Saputara, Goa which blossom with greenery and waterfalls.

From the rest of the country Nainital, Mussoorie, Shimla, Dehradun, New Delhi, Ooty, Coonoor, Bheemeshwari, Yercaud from Bangalore have also been included in the list. 'Monsoon weekend breaks' includes various destinations that are 100 to 300 kms away from Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. "These packages are designed where people can rejuvenate over the weekend and get back to face the challenges of another hectic week ahead," says Aarzoo.com head India operations Amal Purandare.

This package has various options ranging from Rs. 1,800/- for two nights and three days stay up to Rs. 14,000/- for three nights and four days stay, he added.

'Monsoon holidays' package comprises scenic destinations across India like Cochin, Kerala, Goa, Kinnaur, Thekkady and many more. The packages range from Rs. 3,300/- for two nights and three days stay to Rs. 24,000/- for seven nights and eight days stay.

"Arzoo.com also provides various packages like 'Weekend Gateways', 'Mind Body and Soul' and 'Road Less Traveled'. We have a dedicated team of travel consultants who can guide you to feel the special holiday experience that India has to offer during the monsoons," says marketing head Sameer Patil.

Arzoo.com currently specializes in handling regular travel requirements of corporate customers, including group bookings
July 19, 2007
Source: Indian Television.com

Travel ecommerce

Events

1. Travel mart from today

Indians are travelling across the world like never before. For proof, look at the statistics: industry estimates put the increase in the number of outbound tourists at 20 per cent, making it the fastest growth in the Asia-Pacific region. Four lakh tourist arrivals last year put India firmly on the world tourist map. Yet, Indian tourists account for a mere 0.3 per cent of world travellers.

However, the Indian tourist population is just about to explode. And pushing that impending boom are travel exhibitions such as the forthcoming three-day India International Travel Mart, from July 21 at Sree Kanteerva Indoor Stadium.

Participants

Tour operators from Maldives, Greece and Egypt will be participating in the mart for the first time. Among the list are Eygpt Tourism and delegation, Maldives Tourism Promotion Board, Thailand Tourism Authority and delegation, Dubai Tourism and delegation, Malaysian Airlines, Indian Airlines, Kuoni Holidays, SOTC, www.viajustgo.com, Star Cruises, Air Mauritius, Sri Lankan, Cosmos & Globus, Europe Incoming – UK, Ace Travels – Greece, Tourism Malaysia and delegation.

The tourism departments of Karnataka, Kerala, Pondicherry, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Andaman and Nicobar Island will also be participating in the mart.
The mart will feature an exclusive international section designed to cater to the demand, according to which, more than Rs. 32.2 crore will be spent by tourists embarking on overseas travel.

Various discount offers and packages will be available at the mart. Sri Lankan, for instance, has discount offers ranging from 5 per cent to 50 per cent on different routes for spot reservations at the venue.
July 20, 2007
Source: The Hindu

2. ETAA postpones convention, citing proximity with TAFI Convention

The Enterprising Travel Agents Association (ETAA) has decided to postpone its first-ever convention tentatively to December in light of the proximity of its initial dates to that of the Travel Agents Federation of India's (TAFI) annual convention. ETAA was initially slated to hold its convention in August in Medan, Indonesia (reported in the previous issue of TravelBiz Monitor), for which its President Karl Dantas recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the North Sumatera Board in Indonesia. TAFI is holding its annual convention in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia from September 6-9, 2007, which will also witness the historic presence of ETAA members in potentially big numbers and in a significant role. Earlier this year, TAFI's management committee officially approved a plan to induct retail (non-IATA members) as affiliates, which therefore brought the two organisations closer. ETAA is the only recognised retail agent association in India.

Dantas told TravelBiz Monitor, "Our proposed plan was to do the convention in August but on TAFI's request to push back the event in light of its proximity to their convention, we chose to postpone it. It may now take place in December. This is primarily to show solidarity to TAFI, as it is now inducting retail agents as TAFI affiliate members." ETAA plans to lead a delegation to WTM in November for the first time ever, as part of a concerted drive to achieve global status, as well as a considerable national presence that will see the association open chapters offices in Pune, Hyderabad, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad.

Secretary General of TAFI, Ajay Prakash added, "We welcome ETAA's decision to postpone their convention. Our associations have been working together for some time now and we want ETAA to be part of our convention. The initiative to induct ETAA members as affiliate members is currently in full swing." The exact role that ETAA members will play in TAFI's annual convention is still to be revealed by its management committee that recently met in Malaysia.
July 19, 2007
Source: Travel Biz Monitor

Research and Market reports

1. MICE travel is big business

India's tourism industry is on the cusp of an upswing; its travel and tourism market was valued at US$ 42 billion in 2005 (Euro Monitor 2006). Globally the segment of Meetings, Incentives, Conventions & Expositions, popularly called MICE, contributes to as much as 30 per cent to the overall travel volumes and India is no exception to it. Both as a MICE destination and in MICE outbound, India stands to gain hugely.

Analysing the purposes of outbound travel, we find that VFR has always held the numero uno slot. However, this may be superceded by MICE within a few years' time. In order to become globally competitive, Indian businessmen are now travelling abroad throughout the year and unlike the leisure travel which depends heavily on the season and weather, MICE travel is a year-long proposition which translates into good business for the companies associated with it. Outbound MICE can be further segregated into various categories and the sector which is coming up fast is trade fair travel constituting the 'E' of it.

With the country going global, the importance of visiting trade fairs has become imperative. Renowned events like ITMA and CeBIT have become synonymous with showcasing latest technological developments. Moreover, they provide a global networking platform which can hardly be obtained in any other way. In fact, India is being chosen as the partner country in reputed fairs like Hannover Messe and Frankfurt Book Fair, which bears testimony to its growing economic clout.

Vying to woo
Incentive travel has always been popular with the Indian business community. Keeping a close watch on this vibrant fraternity, many destinations across the globe are vying with each other to woo the corporate traveller - be it for an incentive trip or to hold a conference abroad. Countries are even offering world class facilities at a discounted price. As proven by the hosting of Zee Cine Awards 2006 in Swami Vivekananda International Convention Centre in Mauritius or the IIFA 2007 awards in Yorkshire, there is hardly any doubt about the way Indians are constantly being lured in this regard.

The scenario is also fairly exciting back home. India gets close to 0.96 per cent share of the world's meetings which although miniscule, has ample room for growth. According to ICCA (International Congress & Convention Association), India can capture a chunk of the Asian MICE share, since 69 per cent of MICE meetings prefer city hotels and 21 per cent prefer resorts. Fortunately, India has an abundance of both. Countries like Singapore and Malaysia have grown exponentially in the MICE market and India has the potential to emulate them.

The biggest annual exhibition of the country, India International Trade Fair where over four million visitors flock in a matter of 14 days with over 7,500 corporate participants is the largest multi-product expo in Asia. The number of international exhibitions is increasing by the day. CPhI, the world's largest pharmaceutical ingredients fair debuted in India in 2006. This year from December 4-7, Hannover Messe is also to be held in India. These are indeed a case in point to prove India's growing eminence in the MICE segment.

In the domestic incentive travel market, states like Kerala, Karnataka and Maharastra are in the forefront. Their USP lies in offering a subtle mix of business with pleasure in the form of pre and post event tours, state-of-the art facilities for the corporates, etc. However several other states have also realised the huge potential that this sector holds and are taking rapid strides to come up with their unique products. This healthy competition should raise the bar for the industry at large.

Although problems like infrastructure bottlenecks refuse to subside, reasons for hoping for a brighter tomorrow are also in plenty. Backed by the conviction of major players and laudable initiatives of the government, the sector is poised to shape the future of travel.
July 16, 2007
Source: Express Travel world

Human Resources & Training

1. St. Andrew's College inducts B.Sc. - Hospitality Studies to its list of courses

With the increasing need for professionally-trained people in the travel and hospitality industry, colleges are also trying their best to promote industry oriented courses to make it a win-win situation for students as well as the industry. On the occasion of its silver jubilee, St. Andrew's College, Bandra, Mumbai, has acquired permission from the University of Mumbai and the state government to start admissions for the three year degree course in B.Sc. (Hospitality Studies).

On speaking more about the addition of the course, Lavy D'Costa, Training & Placement Officer, St.Andrew's College, said, "We wanted to provide students with adequate exposure in the field of hospitality and this course's induction allows us to precisely do that." The college has also come up with a new building for the course. As far as training and placement is concerned, D'Costa informed, "The college is in talks with quite a few hotels; the Taj Group being one of them, for a tie-up that would provide students a chance to intern as well as secure trainee level positions after graduation at the five star hotels. For training the students, we are going to invite chefs and other managers from the industry to impart the best possible knowledge."

The annual fee, as laid down by the Mumbai University will be Rs 43, 500. Till now about 44 students have obtained the entrance form for the course. The college is targeting about 16 to 20 students for this year, but the aim is to admit 60 students from the next academic year. The B.Sc. (Hospitality Studies) curriculum includes subjects like food production, F& B service, accounts, human resources, catering, tourism development management and hospitality marketing. St. Andrew's Institute of Management Studies (AIMS), is intending to start more professional courses like retail management, event management, travel & tourism studies and human resource management from the next academic year.
July 20, 2007
Source: Travel Biz Monitor

Travel Characteristics of Indians