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

Travel and Transportation Infrastructure

Sector: Aviation

1. Jet Airways Profit Falls, Beats Estimate on Surcharge
Jet Airways (India) Ltd., the nation's biggest domestic carrier, posted a better-than-expected profit in the fourth quarter after it increased fuel surcharge and passenger traffic rose.

Net income in the quarter ended March 31 totaled 880.1 million rupees ($22 million), it said in a statement. That beat the 546 million rupee median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of six analysts. The profit declined 60 percent from a year earlier, when the Mumbai-based carrier reported a one-time gain from the sale of aircraft.

Jet's billionaire owner Naresh Goyal, who bought Sahara Airlines Ltd. in the nation's biggest aviation merger in April, needs to bolster profit to fund new plane purchases and retain its lead as competition increases with Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. Carriers in India are merging or cooperating with other airlines to stem $500 million of losses caused by overcapacity.

"Indian carriers are going to turn around now,'' said Kapil Kaul, the chief executive officer of the India unit of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, which advises airlines. ``Jet is leading the way in the mergers game as obviously it has the most at stake.''

Jet bought Sahara for 14.5 billion rupees to ease competition in a market where seven new carriers have started flying in the past four years. Jet will convert Sahara into a low-fare airline called JetLite Ltd. to compete with Deccan Aviation Ltd. and SpiceJet Ltd., India's biggest budget carriers.

Kingfisher, Deccan:
Rival Kingfisher has acquired a 26 percent stake in Deccan and the two unprofitable airlines will seek to reduce costs and cooperate on services, Chairman Vijay Mallya has said. Consolidation in India's aviation industry comes as the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation forecasts combined annual losses of $500 million this year. The mergers will lead to fewer players, allowing airlines such as Jet to increase fares. Full-year profit declined 94 percent to 279.4 million rupees, the carrier said in an e-mailed statement. That's the lowest in four years and the first decline since the company posted a loss in the year ended March 2003. Jet's sales in the fourth quarter rose 22 percent to 19.78 billion rupees after it flew more passengers in India and it expanded the overseas network, the carrier said.

Fuel Burn:
Jet raised fuel surcharge three times last year and imposed a fee on tickets to compensate for burning more fuel because of congestion at major airports such as Mumbai and New Delhi. "The impact of fuel and other surcharges fully mitigated the high costs of fuel and additional costs related to congestion during the quarter,'' the company said. Shares of Jet Airways rose 5.55 rupees, or 0.7 percent, to 808.5 rupees on the Bombay Stock Exchange. It has gained 31 percent this year. The net income in the fourth quarter is the second straight profit for the airline, which reported a loss in each of the first two quarters of the fiscal year. Full-year revenue rose 24 percent to 70.58 billion rupees. Jet Airways filled 67.1 percent of its seats in the fourth quarter, compared with 67.2 percent a year earlier. The airline carried 2.71 million passengers in the quarter, an increase of 1.5 percent. Full-year traffic rose 12.2 percent to 10.73 million, it said.

International Flights:
Jet turned around its international operations in the fourth quarter, for the first time, as it carried more passengers. The airline made a pretax profit of 31 million rupees in the past quarter, compared with a pretax loss of 443 million rupees a year earlier. "Higher seat factors on key routes and lower fuel costs led to the improved performance and the turnaround of the international operations,'' the company said in the statement. The board of Jet approved a plan to raise $400 million by selling shares to stockholders to pay for the purchase of new wide-bodied planes from Boeing Co. and Airbus SAS. The airline is in talks with banks to raise more money to purchase Sahara, Saroj Datta, executive director of the airline, said by phone. Datta denied media reports that Jet plans to bid for SpiceJet Ltd., India's second-biggest budget carrier.

JetLite Turnaround:
Operations of Sahara are expected to turn profitable by October, by when all the 24 planes of the carrier will be functional, Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, Jet's chief executive officer, said in a conference call with analysts. "The turnaround of JetLite will pose a key challenge for the company's resources, both operationally and financially,'' the airline said in a statement. The acquisition of Sahara has helped Jet expand its network, get access to Sahara's fleet and workers and cut costs, Prock-Schauer said. JetLite will operate flights in India and overseas, he said. India's passenger market is set to become the world's fastest-growing, overtaking China, by 2025, according to Airbus SAS. Carriers, including Jet Airways, have ordered more than 450 planes valued at more than $30 billion to meet this demand. "With more people going for air travel, aviation will become a brighter picture than it is today,'' said Amitabh Chakraborty, analyst at Mumbai-based Religare Securities Ltd.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Source: Bloomberg.com

Sector: Roadways

Sector: Hotels

1. Marriott to triple India portfolio to 21 by '10-end
Marriott International plans to triple its hotel portfolio in India by 2010 to cash in on the growing business and leisure travel in one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

The US-based hospitality chain, which manages more than 2,800 lodging properties across the world under brands like Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, and Courtyard hopes to manage 21 properties by 2010.

Of the 15 Marriott hotels scheduled to open in India by 2010, three will be JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton in the luxury tier, one Marriott and Renaisssance and one Marriott executive apartments for extended stay travellers. Around eight Courtyard hotels will be opened as we expect this moderately-priced brand to grow faster, said Ed Fuller, president & MD, Marriott International.

“Our goal is to appeal to a wide range of travellers, both those visiting India as well as local travellers. We are excited to be part of India’s emergence as an economic and tourism leader in Asia,” Mr Fuller said.

All the new hotel properties will operate under long-term management contracts. “As a policy Marriott does not own properties and likes to enter into management contracts or franchisee agreements,” said Geoff Garside, executive vice-president of Asia Pacific. Marriott began operations in India in 1999 with the opening of the 178 room Goa Resort.

The $22-billion hotel major which plans to open an operational office in Mumbai is targeting a turnover of $150 million from its India operations. Its India portfolio now accounts for less than 10% of the total turnover.

Saturday, June 30, 2007
Source: Economic Times

Niche Tourism

Medical

Spiritual & religious

1. Deccan Aviation starts chopper service to Amarnath
Deccan Aviation Limited has been awarded a three year contract by Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) for providing helicopter services for the Amarnath yatra. The yatra is organised every year by the Jammu and Kashmir Government. Helicopter services for this year's yatra have already begun. Deccan Aviation's helicopter service to the shrine is available from Srinagar and Baltal. The flying time from Srinagar to Baltal is around 45 minutes and from Baltal to the Holy Cave around eight to ten minutes. Baltal is located on the picturesque NH1A (Srinagar - Leh National Highway). Modern Bell 407 helicopters have been deployed for this sector.

SASB has permitted 50 per cent of the seats to be made available for advance booking. Deccan Aviation has appointed two agencies - one in Delhi (Vaishno Devi Helicopter Ticketing) and the other in Srinagar (Shiraz Travels) - for the sale of tickets. Capt GR Gopinath, Executive Chairman, Deccan Aviation said, "More than 1.25 lakh devotees visited the Amarnath Shrine last year, which indicates the growing number of religious travellers in India. The trek takes anything between six to eight days as against a few hours by chopper, which would prove to be a boon to pilgrims pressed for time, or not fit enough for the trek. We also have regular charter services from Katra to Vaishno Devi."

Situated in a narrow gorge at the farther end of Lidder valley, Amarnath stands at 3,888 meters above sea level and is 141 kms from Srinagar. The trekking route to Amarnath, though extremely beautiful and captivating, is risky and difficult. Hence, many pilgrims prefer a helicopter service. Flights start at 6.30 am and continue throughout the day, subject to weather conditions. Deccan Aviation has already carried 961 passengers on the Baltal - Amarnath - Baltal sector between June 21 and 24 this year.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Source: Travel Bizmonitor

Rural
Wine
Heritage
Adventure
Education
Nature tourism
Luxury & rejuvenation ( ayurveda, spas, holistic healing, cruises, customized travel)

Others

Policy

1. Haryana Tourism opens doors to PPP
Haryana has firmed up its plans to work in collaboration with the private sector to promote tourism in a big way.

The tourism department has agreed to take note of the perceptions of the private sector by giving it the leverage to have a say in policy making. A tourism policy is also being formulated for the state which would asses and moniter state tourism for revenue generation.

"The Tourism policy has reached at an advanced stage of approval and would be formulated soon. We have formed a Haryana Travel Mart on the lines of Kerala Travel Mart wherein we would be promoting everything that attracts tourists whether it falls under the government or private purview. That would generate more employment opportunities also."

Government of India has also sanctioned Rs 8 crore to Haryana for developing the districts of Panipat, Kurukshetra and Pinjore in a circuit for tourists. "The total cost of developing the tourism circuit would be around Rs 16 crore. We would also be developing integrated tourist destinations in collaboration with the private players. Tilyar, Daruheda, Hodal and Karnal would be developed as integrated tourist destinations. Besides, we are promoting golf and farm tourism as well," Ahlawat further added.

The hospitality industry has also got a leg-up in the state. About 17 hotels would be developed under the public private partnership (PPP) mode by 2010.

Manbeer Choudhary, president, Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) said, "So far only the tourist complexes owned by Haryana Tourism were being promoted but now it will be public-private synergy. Along with the 40 odd complexes of Haryana Tourism, and over 60 members of FHRAI would be included in tourism promotion. We have proposed to the state government to form a Tourism Promotion Board comprising both government officials as well private sector people. We have been assured our inputs and suggestions in policy making would be considered by the government. Further new hotels and restaurants would be developed under the public-private participation mode to boost tourism
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Source: Financial Express

2. FHRAI to release directories for taxation policies and hospitality institutes
To bring in the centralised policy of administration for the hotel and tourism industry in India, Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI) will release a series of four documents on the basis of research conducted by the Indo-American Institute at Vishakapatnam. The documents will be released at the FHRAI Convention to be held at ITC Sonar Bangla, Kolkata from October 26 to October 28. The theme of the convention this year is 'Tourism and Government - Creating prosperity together.'

The first paper deals with the taxation policies levied on the hospitality industry, including the entertainment tax, luxury tax, value added tax (VAT) and excise duties. The document informs about the application of the taxes to the hotel and restaurant segments. "Taxation on the hospitality sector seems to be increasing, but the growth of infrastructure is slow. Due to this, the imposition of the taxes seems irrelevant," said Kamal Sharma, Secretary General, FHRAI.

Tourism policies that differ across the country find a special mention in the second paper to be released by the FHRAI. The motive of the document is to provide potential investors with information vis-à-vis state policies pertaining to the tourism industry. The paper also focuses on bringing forth the importance of a centralised tourism policy to the central government.

The other papers will focus on getting skilled manpower into the hospitality industry so as to ensure that the supply will meet the growing demand. FHRAI also plans to release a directory of hospitality institutes in the country for the benefit of prospective entrants in the hospitality industry.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Source: Travel Biz Monitor

Travel and Tourism Support Industries …and much more

Service providers

1. NGO that promotes tourism in Bangalore
"Travel agents in Bangalore do not have much exposure to the tourism industry. There is not much interaction with their counterparts in other parts of the country and there is lack of knowledge about latest trends in the tourism sector today," says Badiger Devendra, President, Fellows Actively Committed to Tourism (FACT). It was to address this lacuna that a group of individuals got together a year ago to form the organisation, popularly known as FACT.

This Bangalore-based NGO rolls out inventive seminars, personality development programmes and discussions on current tourism issues for travel agents, tour operators and hoteliers across the state. FACT has 40 members, of which nine form the core group. "A travel agency needs to contact the right people for business. For this, agents need a forum to discuss various issues and get more exposure. An organisation such as FACT does just that," adds Devendra. The organisation's membership is open to anyone interested in actively promoting tourism. The membership funds and individual contributions are used for its various projects.

Recently, it conducted a programme with Karnataka Tourism Forum, which had panel discussions on various topics. Several new hoteliers attended the meet, making presentations to promote their properties. Devendra says that they aim to get stakeholders in tourism from other states too for interactions and to explore new business opportunities. He cited the example of Malaysia Tourism, which effectively uses such interactions to its benefit. "When Malaysia Tourism conducts road shows or participates in travel marts in India, it brings in a delegation of travel agents and hoteliers who then interact with local operators. This does not happen at the domestic level. Indian operators therefore, lack the awareness and are not able to keep the customer satisfied. FACT is also looking to sharpen the individual skills of all those working in the tourism sector. It plans to conduct training classes at various levels, right from the office boy to the CEO.''

One of their most creative projects is FACT - Bangalore. The idea is to provide all relevant information about Bangalore, on a sheet of paper, to the visitor who arrives at the airport. "This sort of information is already available on various websites and in books, but their reach is limited. Besides, one cannot get all the information in a concise format," opines Devendra. Initially, they started distributing the fact sheet at the airport but it turned out to be a very expensive exercise for the budget-constrained organisation. So then, they e-mailed the fact sheet to all tour operators and travel agents in the city, who distribute printouts to clients. They also plan to keep the fact sheet at all city bookstalls.

Destination awareness is another key initiative that FACT has taken up. For example, it has been promoting Devanahalli as a destination rather aggressively. "This was the place where Tipu Sultan was born. Tourists can visit the fort at Devanahalli and Nandi hills in the vicinity. The idea is to create awareness about destinations. Similarly, we want to promote Srirangapatnam," offers Devendra. There is also a plan to bring out an information booklet, which will have details of 30 to 40 interesting destinations. It has also been interacting with the Department of Tourism and is looking to initiate more innovative programmes in the future

Saturday, June 30, 2007
Source: Travel Biz Monitor

2. Fortis to start air ambulance service
Fortis Healthcare plans to start a domestic air ambulance service. It has placed an order for its first aircraft with the US-based Hawker Beechcraft Corporation. It has also applied for approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. The firm will also concentrate its future tertiary care facilities close to airports. Eventually, it intends to have a fleet of around four aircraft, each of which will cost around Rs two crore. Each aircraft will have patient monitors, oxygen cylinders, defibrillators, temporary pacemakers, infusion pumps and ventilators. The medical crew will comprise a cardiologist, a critical care specialist, a respiratory specialist and emergency care nurses.

"Aircraft will be equipped to transfer critical patients from anywhere within the country to any of the Fortis network hospitals. We will also transfer patients to other hospitals to increase the scope of revenue generation from this venture," said an official at Fortis Healthcare Ltd. It's also exploring the option of developing air strips inside its proposed 1,000-bed healthcare hub in Gurgaon. If it receives the necessary approval, it will replicate the model for future healthcare hubs that it intends to develop across India.

The Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre Ltd., which Fortis acquired in 2005, runs an air ambulance service in partnership with Deccan Aviation under the banner of Air Rescue One. While Air Rescue One is largely limited to the Escorts chain of hospitals, Fortis' forthcoming venture will operate as an independent air ambulance service

Friday, June 29, 2007
Source: Travel Biz Monitor

3. Kuoni may acquire adventure sports cos
Travel major Kuoni is close to acquiring two adventure sports companies, before launching an international adventure sports brand in the country. At the same time, the group is looking to pick up a majority stake in an event management company to ramp up its presence in the incentive tours and conferences market. A high-end lifestyle tourism brand is also on the anvil, senior company executives said.

Speaking to ET, Kuoni Destinations Management CEO Rolf Schafroth said India is one of the most profitable destinations for the Kuoni Group worldwide. “We would like to strengthen our position by offering newer experiences to inbound tourists,” he said. The foray into adventure tourism and hardselling India as major destination for incentive tours and travels is a step in that direction, he added. High-end lifestyle tourism is another niche that the company would tap in major way.

Given the fragmented nature of adventure sports market in India, the company is in talks with two companies—one which specialises in organising safari tours and another which focuses on mountaineering, treking and river rafting. “Adventure sports would be an extension of our leisure business,” Mr Schafroth said. Kuoni India will be organising Festcamps in 2008 that would promote little know destinations and festivals. Tented infrastructure would be put in place to offer on site accommodation. To start with the company plans to market fairs in Bateshwar near Agra, Kolayat near Bikaner, Baneswar near Dungarpur and Balota near Jodhpur to international tourists.

Kuoni globally has re-structured its business with three strategic business divisions (SBD)—Style, Smart and Destinations—moving away from its country-based approach. The Style SBD would focus on brand and service related products, Smart SBD would deal with mass-market value offerings while the Destinations SBD would take care of local land arrangements. Mr Schafroth has just taken charge of the Destinations vertical globally, while also being part of the five-member Group Executive Board of Kuoni.

Thursday, June 28, 2007
Source: Economic Times

Travel ecommerce

Events

1. A new formula to boost tourism
Come October 2009, Delhi may well become a new pitstop for motor sport lovers from around the globe — more specifically the die-hard Formula1 enthusiasts, some of whom are typically known to travel thousands of miles every year to catch live motoring action up close and personal, smell the burning rubber on the tracks and pep up their favourite teams.

The multiplier effect of thousands visiting the country has the potential to give a fillip to country’s travel and tourism industries. “What excites me most is that hosting of Formula 1 events can help showcase Destination India to a much younger tourist profile,” observes Kuoni Destination Management India COO Himmat Anand.

Marketers point out that any Formula 1 event gives the destination lot of attention globally. “This can be used effectively as a branding exercise not only for the country, but also by various products, services and corporates associated with the event,” points out a senior executive from Malaysia Tourism, talking from experience of hosting the event over the last eight years.

The last F1 race at Malaysia’s Sepang tracks attracted 1,00,000 tourists, out of which as many as 2,500 were from India. In the Malaysian F1 Grand Prix, four-day tour packages start off at Rs 27,000 per person with accommodation at a star-category hotel in Kuala Lumpur with breakfast, two-day circuit tickets, and airfares.

Organisers of the Malaysian races point out that the biggest spillover effect of hosting the event has been on shopping. Malaysia also created shopping festivals around the event, with malls in and around the circuit doing brisk business. Singapore, another favourite destination with many Indian tourists, is slated to host the races from 2008 onwards.

“If Formula 1 takes off, this may well kick-off sports tourism in the country,” says Carlson Hotels executive vice president (South Asia) KB Kachru.

Hoteliers point out that the demand for hotel rooms for events such as these would be more for mid-market segment, especially in the three- and four-star categories. Accor Group’s head of development, Uttam Dave, feels that by 2009 there would be some ease in availability of hotel rooms in the national capital region, with 1,500 to 2,000 more rooms joining the existing inventory.

As per industry estimates, Delhi and its suburbs need at least 5,000 more rooms to meet the requirements for the Commonwealth Games in 2010. Currently, 27 hotel projects are underway in the NCR with average room inventory of 200 rooms each.

But will having three Formula 1 events in close geographical proximity of each other—Malaysia, Shanghai and Delhi— raise fears of cannibalisation of tourists among the hosts? Tourism Malaysia director P Manoharan does not think so. “It will on the whole increase the long-haul tourist traffic into the region from countries such as UK, Spain and Germany, who have a sizeable number of F1 enthusiasts,” he said.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Source: Economic Times

2. Vietnam woos Indian tourists in a big way
Vietnam, ranked among the top 10 countries expected to see the strongest tourism growth in the next decade, is keen to get more and more Indian visitors.

"We now want to pitch ourselves hard in India especially as it represents one-sixth of the population. It is obviously a huge tourist market for us," says Do Minh Tuan, deputy director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

"We have a master plan on tourism in place. So, obviously we need to run more promotion campaigns to boost our image in the international market," said Tuan.

One major reason for the Indian modest arrivals, officials say, has been the absence of direct flights between the two countries. Last year, just over 5,500 Indians visited Vietnam, which is famous for its ancient architecture, stunning landscapes, pristine beaches and historic relics.

Vietnam Airlines and Indian Airlines have announced sharply reduced round-trip tickets on the New Delhi-Bangkok-Hanoi route to lure more Indian tourists.

"I would imagine that if direct flights were started, there is bound to be increased volumes of tourists. Also, more tourism campaigns are in order as many Indians still believe that Vietnam is a war-ravaged country, which is not the case," exclaims India's consul general Jitendra Nath Misra.

Last year, Vietnam had nearly 3.6 million foreign tourist arrivals. It expects to get four million tourists this year. Topping the list were tourists from China followed by South Korea, the US, Japan and Taiwan.

"We did a survey and found that many Indian tourists preferred the West and countries like Malaysia and Singapore in the region as preferred holiday destinations," says Nguyen Quy Phuong of VNAT.

Some Indian tourists feel that the high prices of air travel and hotel accommodation are factors that make Vietnam's tourism industry less competitive compared to other regional countries.

"A round trip to Delhi and Hanoi with a stopover in Singapore or Bangkok costs nearly $440. With that money, many Indians can go to Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok and have surplus for shopping and sightseeing too.

"Also not many Vietnamese people are conversant in English, and that is an impediment," says a leading tourist operator in New Delhi.

As Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dzung sets off next week on his maiden visit to India, promoting tourism will be on top of his agenda, especially with India's rising profile.

"We have great potential to develop tourism. This is one area which both countries need to bolster," said Dzung.

Vietnam hopes to get at least 5.5-6 million foreign visitors and 25-26 million domestic ones by 2010, to take its total tourism revenues to $4-4.5 billion

Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Source: IANS via Economic Times

3. Singapore woos Indian tourists
It’s destination Singapore now. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) recently launched “India specific” promotional campaigns to attract Indians looking to visit Singapore. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is working closely with Tourism Malaysia to promote tourism in the two cities, Kiran Bhandari, Area Director, Southern India, Sri Lanka and Maldives, STB, said.

India has found a place within the STBs top five global travel markets. “We attach great importance to the Indian market and more so for South India because of its proximity and historical ties with Singapore, Mr. Bhandari said.

He added that India ranked fourth in the number of tourists visiting Singapore. Indonesia topped the list, with China coming in second and Australia third. The tourist traffic to Singapore was all set to go up with increased air connectivity between Chennai and Singapore and due to the Indian population’s high disposable incomes, Mr. Bhandari explained.

“We are ready to work closely with the Tamil film industry. There are quite a few exotic locales where Kollywood can look to shoot,” he said. Mr. Bhandari, an Indian national who studied in Singapore before returning to Chennai, promises a “rewarding experience for the whole family”. The Singapore Visitors Centre is located at Isphani Centre.

Monday, June 25, 2007
Source: The Hindu

Research and Market reports

1. India expects 20% rise in UAE tourists
India expects to receive 20% more tourists from the UAE this year and hopes the ongoing promotion drive in the region will boost the country’s image as a travel destination.

Last year, 149,568 people from Arab countries visited India, an increase of 18% from 2005, said Kamal Lochan Das, regional director of India Tourism for West Asia and Africa.

“We had about 55,000 visitors from the UAE in 2006. This year we are expecting 20% more from this country,” he said, adding that arrivals from other countries in the region also look optimistic.

There are an estimated 100,000 rooms in star-category hotels in the country. According to projections, India will need at least 100,000 additional hotel rooms in five years. The tourism sector contributes about 6% to the country’s gross domestic product.

Das said there is an increase of 16.2% in foreign exchange earnings in the first three months of 2007 compared with the corresponding period in 2006.

The country has set a target of 10 million foreign visitor arrivals by 2010.

“India is a round-the-year destination with varied attractions to cater to all interests and age groups,” Das said.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Source: Livemint.com

Human Resources & Training

1. Kerala has best tourism board; Bengaluru most preferred city
Kerala was adjudged as having the best State Tourism Board in India by the 'CNBC Awaaz Travel Awards' committee from among contenders like Rajasthan, Kashmir, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

At a glittering ceremony here last night, winners in 18 categories and their sub-categories were felicitated by Minister for Tourism and Culture Ambika Soni.

The awards were based on research by the Nielsen Company, the country's leading research organisation, which identified the most preferred tourism brands and desitinations in India.

The award for the best state went to Karnataka while Bengaluru was adjudged the best city. For adventure sports Goa and Shimla were the prize winners.

Health and rejuvenation award went to Shimla while relgious tourism award went to Haridwar. Thekkady in Kerala got the award for wild life and nature while Shimla and Goa got awards for Mountain/Hill development and Beach/Backwaters respectively..

The best international destination proved to be Singapore while the best business hotel went to Taj Palace Hotel.

Taj Mahal Hotel bagged the best lesiure hotel while the most preffered tour operator awards went to SOTC and Cox and Kings. The best historical monument went to the Taj Mahal, Agra.

''The CNBC Awaaz through the travel awards endevours to set industry benchmarks by identifying the most preferred brands and destinations in the country, using an organised research mechanism helping consumers in decision making,'' said a source from CNBC here.

With increasing competition and proliferation of tourist destinations, infrastructure, tourism and promotion boards, with hundreds of travel and other allied services chasing the consumer, it becomes important to establish benchmarks that can help consumers and industry, the source added..

The awards are a collaborative effort of CNBC Awaz with Prozone Liberty International.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Source: UNI via NewKerala.com

Travel Characteristics of Indians

1. Indians holidaying abroad set to double
Number of Indians holidaying abroad is set to double, thanks to the cheaper air travel, affordable holiday options and rising incomes.

Leading business and market intelligence provider Euromonitor International has projected that the number of tourists travelling from India will be more than double by 2011, with number set to touch the 16.3 million mark.

This rise in the number of Indians travelling abroad is being driven by "rising disposable incomes, more affordable holiday options and the growth of low cost carriers", it said.

Euromonitor also said the leading tour operators such as Kuoni Travel and Thomas Cook are preparing to take advantage of this boom in the Indian travel market in view of the swelling number of outbound Indians.

"The boom in budget airlines is driving the outbound travel," Euromonitor said.

"Indian tourists now have more choice and options for travel outside the country, thanks to the continued growth in low cost carriers. At times, it is even for cheaper to travel to other countries in South East Asia than to other regions within India," says Clement Wong, Euromonitor's Travel and Tourism Account Manager.

Air Deccan, the first low cost carrier to operate in India, is currently the most prominent in the market. However, SpiceJet and GoAir have also jumped into the fray and the number of players looks set to rise, Euromonitor said.

With departures by air accounting for more than 98 per cent of all departures from India, the air travel market is "clearly on a high", Euromonitor said.

The sales for low cost airlines grew by 115 per cent in India last year, "storming ahead" of the industry average growth of 19.5 per cent, it said.

Singapore is currently benefiting from the bulk of Indian outbound tourism but as the foreign travel becomes more and more affordable many Indian holidaymakers will be ready to fly beyond, it said.

The US is predicted to be the most preferred destination for Indian travellers in days to come and is set to receive 10.2 per cent of outbound tourists from India by 2011.

Thursday, June 28, 2007
Source: PTI via Economic Times