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1. Safaris & spirituality: India is a hot destination

Unlike most NRIs who would not go to India during summer, Siddharth 'Sid' Verma landed in New Delhi this month. With temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (or 100 degrees Fahrenheit), India is just too hot for holidays.

But not for Sid and his three friends from Canada who love mountain climbing and dream of scaling Himalayan peaks. As they emerged from the New Delhi airport in the morning with their heavy equipment, a tour operator's driver greeted them and led them to a gleaming eight-seater, air-conditioned, luxurious mini-van.

Protected from the heat, they drove straight out of Delhi across Punjab and up the hills. By nightfall, they were in Dharamsala. They checked into a hotel and met the tour operator whom they had contacted on the Internet. He had organized their expedition, including getting two trained mountaineers from the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) and Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF).

The guides took care of everything from route planning, equipment, porters, mules, camping and cooking. In addition to mountain climbing, Sid could have gone for rock climbing, glacier adventure tours, trekking, mountain biking, paragliding, river rafting, kayaking and even skiing. After two weeks of climbing adventures in the Himalayas, Sid and his teammates got on the mini van in the morning to motor down to New Delhi to catch a flight back home in the night- without exposing themselves to the scorching heat of the plains.

Another category of NRIs who comes to India during the summer, from May to August, is the pilgrims. These are usually more religiously inclined NRIs in the 60-plus age group.

Dhiru 'Dave' Shah, aged 65, from London, had yearned to go on 'yatra' or pilgrimage for years. After he retired and as he made plans for yatra, his son Tushar, aged 26, surfed the net and came to know that some adventure sports could be combined with the yatra. So he decided to join his father and also look after him because his father was not keeping good health.

While his father could be taking a dip in the Ganges at Haridwar, Tushar could go river rafting in nearby Rishikesh. When Dhiru went on pony or a carrycot for the hill shrines, he could trek up the mountain. As his father needed to rest after these climbs, Tushar could indulge and rough it out in other adventurous escapades.

The major Hindu pilgrimages to the mountain shrines - Vaishno Devi, Jwalamukhi, Kedarnath, Badrinath and Amarnath - happen in the summer. The temple of goddess Jwalamukhi, near Kangra in Himachal Pradesh, has flames from natural gas emitting from the mouth of the deity. The impact is awesome. No wonder Jwalamukhi is one of the most frequented 'yatras' in Himachal Pradesh.

The most famous yatras - Haridwar, Rishikesh, Badrinath and Kedarnath - are in Uttranchal. After the mandatory dip in the holy Ganges at Haridwar and Rishikesh, the devoted pilgrims head for the hills to the sources of the Ganges and the Yumuna. Later Badrinath and Kedarnath temples are visited along with many others on the way. Two-week package pilgrim tours called 'Char Dham' are offered on the Internet for all these and more.

Kashmir offers famous and tough climbs to major pilgrimages. Goddess Vaishno Devi is perhaps the most popular one with NRIs. The starting point is Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir, and the pilgrims move up to Katra, a small town 50 km away. From here, a 14-km climb is mostly attempted on foot but the old and inform use a carrycot or a pony.

The most arduous climb is to the Amarnath shrine with its massive Shiv Lingum that waxes and wanes with the moon. About 141 km from the Kashmir's capital Srinagar, Amarnath is controlled by the Indian Army due to terror threats; so prior permission is needed from the Indian government. Devotees generally make the 45-km pilgrimage on foot from Pahalgam, 96 km from Srinagar, and cover the journey in four-five days.

For the Sikhs, four major pilgrim centres are Amritsar with its Golden temple, Anandpur Sahib, Ponta Sahib and Hemkund, the last one being the most difficult climb.

The ultimate yatra is lunar landscape of Mount Kailash in Tibet, equally revered by Hindus, Jains and Buddhists. This trek is not for the faint hearted. Extensive medical checkups, physical training, yoga, top fitness and special clothing and equipment are essential for this perilous journey to high altitudes. Special permits/visas are required from India and China. It takes at least 16-18 days after the preparations. Both for the young and the middle-aged NRIs, it is the ultimate spiritual safari.

Saturday, May 12, 2007
Source: IANS via yahoo news

2. Soaring temperatures fail to dampen tourism spirit in Jaipur
Despite rising temperatures, Jaipur is witnessing an unprecedented rise in the number of foreign tourist arrivals, thanks to hospitality industry discounts.

Dressed in light cotton clothes, summer hats and carrying water, foreign tourists are braving the summer heat to enjoy the wonders of the 'Pink City'.

Most of Northern India is in the grip of a severe heat wave, with Rajasthan recording temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius in some places.

With the advent of summer, the city normally witnesses a drop in tourist arrivals, but with attractive discounts floated by the hospitality industry, the tourists are finding it hard to ignore the 'City of Palaces'.

"Its very nice, very nice, beautiful sunshine, beautiful palaces, museums, all are very good," said Gidigab, a German tourist.

The tourists are also relishing local drinks to beat the heat.

"Lots of water and lassi (a curd-based cold drink), salted lassi. It's better than any other beverage," said, Dennis, a Canadian tourist.

Tour operators have made several changes in the tour itinerary to avoid being out in the open during the day time when temperatures are their peak.

The tour starts at 7.00 a.m. and tourists return to their hotels by noon. They only step out again in the evening.

Tour operators say that proper advertising and schemes offered by foreign travel agents have made the city a year round tourist destination.

"Jaipur being the major leisure destination, means we are dependant on foreign inbound travel operators. They are now patronising Rajasthan throughout the year," said, Travel and Tour Operators Association Spokesperson Sanjay Kaushik.

With the flow of tourists in summers looking promising, travel pundits are estimating the arrival of 2.5 million tourists in 2007, compared to 1.5 million last year.

Rajasthan, home to magnificent palaces, sand dunes, wildlife, and a rich culture, has witnessed a tourism spurt with more than a million foreign and 16 million domestic tourists visiting the State a year ago.

Friday, May 11, 2007:
Source: ANI via newKerala.com

3. Asia's $110b. tourism bonanza
Tourism should bring the Asia Pacific region $110 billion in revenues over the next three years, with much of that coming from travellers in the region, according a report released Thursday.

China is expected to lead the way, gaining $36 billion in tourist dollars, according to the report from the Pacific Asia Travel Association or PATA.

American and Canadian tourists numbers to China are projected to rise by 13 per cent, while tourists from India going to China are expected to jump 15 percent.

Other destinations expected to benefit include Thailand which should reap $13 billion, Malaysia with close to $11 billion and South Korea with $7 billion, the report found. The survey is one of the latest signs that top destinations like Thailand may be turning a corner, after suffering a series of setbacks in recent years. Thailand's tourism industry, generating about 6 per cent of GDP, has suffered a series of losses from the 2004 tsunami, bird flu and SARS outbreaks and most recently the September coup that resulted in a flurry of hotel cancellations.

Last month, The Asia Travel Intentions Survey 2007 found that 9 per cent more travelers were looking at Asia as their next travel destination.

"One of the fastest growing regions in the world, Asia Pacific stimulates some 60 per cent of global tourism demand," John Koldowski, director of PATA's Strategic Intelligence Center, said in a statement. "PATA expects this momentum to continue in the medium-term with arrivals growth averaging around 6 per cent per year to 2009." Much of that growth will come from other Asia Pacific countries, with Chinese travellers helping boost the numbers in many top destinations, the report said.

Hong Kong traffic into Japan is expected to grow by 17 per cent over the forecast period, Koldowski said, while Chinese tourists to Singapore are expected to rise by 16 percent. The survey was done by PATA and the credit card company Visa International Asia Pacific.

Friday, May 11,2007
Source: www.brisbanetimes.com

4. Smaller cities fuel tourism boom
Stop press. Already 1,000 seats have been sold out. Another batch of 1,000 seats has been added. Hurry to avoid disappointment." Thus screams an ad-promo of a major tour operator of international repute in a local daily here.

The packaged tours they offer, termed euphemistically as `European Ecstasy' and `European Experiences,' showcase the countries in the European continent with attractive `cash-back' and loans with easy EMI schemes.

Till recently, these major operators confined their operations to metros such as Chennai and Bangalore, serving corporate and elite clientele only. But they can no longer remain there, as a vibrant economy and friendly policies have given a fillip to the sagging tourism industry.

The upper class and upper middle class groups living in Tier II and Tier III cities of Coimbatore, Salem, Madurai, Erode, Namakkal, Karur, Dindigul and Tirunelveli have come out to `go to places.' Hence, to ensure them a hassle-free enjoyment, the operators of international repute have started pitching their tents in Tier II cities and towns, not only to net new customers but also retain their base in this highly competitive environment. More than 10 international and many domestic operators are operating from these places.

"These Tier II cities are the most-happening zones in Tamil Nadu today," says Vishu Kaliappan, an industrialist and a tour operator in Salem region. "The preferred destinations of tourists from these places include Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Maldives and Dubai. We have registered nearly 50 per cent growth in two years," he says.

This sudden spurt has brought droves of players both at the lower end, now overcrowded, and the upper and middle ends. "The industry is growing both in terms of volume and value, with the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) naming India and China as the fastest-growing tourism centres," says S. Mahesh, Managing Director, Globe Trotters, a unit of the Discovery Holiday Makers (TN) Private Limited.

Monday, May7,2007
Source: The Hindu

5. Indian tourists may soon get to visit Antarctica

If Indian tourists are setting the rest of the world abuzz, why should they be left out of Antarctica, the icy continent with breathtaking scenery, stunning wildlife and a fragile ecosystem?

Almost against its better judgment, India will go along with other countries to allow some tourism to the South Pole — albeit heavily regulated — to introduce the world’s chattering classes to fragile ecosystems. So get set to take a unique vacation to the southernmost tip of the earth — at the bargain price of $7000, and counting!

Hosting its first meeting of the Antarctica Treaty members in Delhi this week is a big diplomatic exercise for India. Not least because India has just got formal permission to build its third station in Antarctica.

The announcement will be made at the end of the consultative meeting next week by the group from over 30 countries, but it’s a significant step for India — the third station on the Larsemann Hills is a scientific and strategic windfall.

According to satisfied members of the Indian delegation, the area where India’s third station is to be built is a unique stretch of ice-free rock around Prydz Bay on the eastern side of Antarctica, which means ships can travel all the way to the station. But a more important piece of scientific fact is, this area was once surgically attached to India, as part of the ancient Gondwanaland, before the land masses broke up and Antarctica floated away to the south of the world.

Senior members of the delegation told TOI that the Indian station was also geologically bang on top of South Pole — something that has scientists here in whoops of excitement.

Strategically, this is a big deal for India, particularly as many nations — from Chile to Norway and UK — claim territory in Antarctica. Australia, China and Russia too have research stations in the neighbourhood, hence the importance of India’s presence. India wanted a specially prized spot in the ‘‘managed area’’ and so began a diplomatic-scientific battle, taking Indian negotiators to Edinburgh and Hobart to persuade. Help arrived from the US, which backed up India’s claim and tipped the balance.

In the next couple of years, India will finalise a design for the station, including environment-friendly power and waste systems as well as being responsible for maintaining the environment and wildlife, since the Larsemann Hills is part of Antarctica’s ‘‘managed’’ or protected areas.

But tourism could make or break the icy continent. Instinctively, you want to ban tourism, as science minister Kapil Sibal initially did. But he backtracked because tourists already visit Antarctica — from 10,000 they climbed to 30,000 in the last season. So India figured it was pointless fighting the inevitable. But taking an approach that is more mature and pragmatic, India, along with other countries, will chart out the rules of the game — no bunching of ships, only 100 tourists on the continent at any time, no big tourist ships, stringent eco-standards etc.

These guidelines will be imposed with an iron hand on international tour operators. Of course, tourists’ presence will have an ecological impact and experts argue that Antarctica is more fragile than the Arctic circle where humans actually live. But let them go there — and be responsible about it.

Monday, May 7,2007
Source: The Times of India

6. Kashmir hosts TAG Heuer-Kingfisher Golf tourney
The one day TAG Heuer-Kingfisher precision golf tournament was teed off here Sunday by the Tourism Minister Mohammed Dilawar Mir at the Royal Springs Golf Course.

The high profile tournament, being attended by former captain of Indian cricket team Kapil Dev and CEOs of many companies, is part of the government's pro-active campaign to woo golfers and tourists to the Kashmir Valley - a home to some of the world's best turfs and also the highest golf course in world at the famous hill resort of Gulmarg.

The tournament is being held in the Valley for the third consecutive year as around 86 golfers, most of them from outside the state, began putting on the lush green turf on the eastern bank of sprawling Dal Lake.

Priyanka Chopra, the bollywood actor, who was recently launched as the lady brand ambassador by TAG Heuer, is also expected here Sunday.

'Today's tournament is being played with the short gun start and the game would last for around three to four hours,' Renuka Keron, the marketing director for TAG Heuer India told IANS. 'Our participants are from World Presidents Organization (WPOs) and Young Presidents Organization (YPOs)

'All the participants will then join us for lunch being hosted by the state Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad at the Royal Springs Golf Course,' Keron said. Sanjay Sharma of Swarosky Crystal, Pashupati Advani, Suresh Bhojwani and Vikram Mehta are also among the putters.

TAG Heuer, a Swiss company, are one of the world's leading manufacturers of luxury watches since 1860.Tourism has started picking up in the Kashmir Valley and so far this year more than 70,000 tourists have already arrived here.

Encouragingly, the high spending foreign tourists have also now started returning to Kashmir after many European countries withdrew adverse travel advisories that had asked their citizens not to visit Kashmir.

Sunday May 6,2007
Source: IANS via Yahoo

Travel and Transportation Infrastructure

Sector: Aviation

1. Time to read fine print

This ain’t about the she’s-got-a-ticket-to-ride-but-she-don’t-care genre. Let Beatlemania and the 60s tackle that lot. Today, she better be sure of the ticket she buys before boarding that airplane.

Many a crash, drunk and sleepy pilots, technical snags and grounding episodes in the recent past now act in concert as a wake-up call for the air traveler. She must take care too by reading the fine print across available insurance covers — either from insurance companies or credit card issuers, or for that matter, the airline itself, which sadly doesn't quite cover insurance.

First, let’s zoom in on what airlines have on offer once you buy that ticket. Behind the ticket, in microscopic font, you’ll come across certain terms and conditions, which may prod you to believe that your flight insurance is well taken care of. Well, that’s just a ‘condition of carriage’, a regulation all airlines have to adhere to.

“The condition of carriage outlines the rights of a passenger, rather than his insurability,” says Hitesh Patel, executive vice-president, Kingfisher Airlines. The clause covers death if the plane crashes. That’s all. And on domestic routes, on account of death, the sum assured varies between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 8 lakh ranging from kids to adults. It's pretty much the same for international carriers. “You have to buy insurance separately. We just go by the condition of carriage,” echoes Nisha Maharaja, regional manager, Indian subcontinent, American Airlines.

Credit card companies divvy up the coverage amounts depending on the quality of card you possess. So for basic cardholders, the coverage will be far lesser than for the platinum or super-premium frat. Usually, for air accidents leading to death, the assured sums vary from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore. “We cover up to Rs 1 crore for our Platinum cardholders but only if the air ticket is purchased through the credit card. Otherwise, we cover up to Rs 40 lakh on the same,” says Amit Datta, VP-marketing, American Express. However, if you hold a free credit card, (ie if you are not paying the annual charges on it) it does not cover insurance anymore.

All that noise about death is sheer compensation. But you don’t fly to die, do you? En route point A to B, hazards abound in the garb of risks and they all need to be covered. Accidents may cause dismemberment, partial or permanent, there could be an emergency medical evacuation, flight delays and misses, loss of tickets and the list goes on. In such cases, general insurance companies toss up airline travel covers, which fan an umbrella over both life and death-both domestically and in the international circuit.

For domestic air travel, most insurance majors look into accidental death and permanent disability, emergency medical evacuation and repatriation — if the traveler dies in transit and the coffin needs to be brought to his/her hometown. Accommodation charges owing to flight delays, compensation for missed flights, loss of ticket, loss and disfiguration of baggage, besides a host of real covers are add-ons. That is, you’ve got to pay more for bundling. And if you thought food poisoning on board was covered, think again. Your best bet — sue the airline over sushi!

Foreign travel insurance covers are slightly more comprehensive. Apart from all the domestic fixtures, including the add-ons, hospitalisation, delay of checked baggage, loss of passport, legal liability during overseas travel and hijack covers dot the skyline. “

Foreign travel insurance is quite exhaustive and even includes emergency cash advance if you’ve lost your credit card,” points out a Bajaj Allianz official. In overseas travel, the risks weigh more on the medical and emergency side, and therefore, the costs show a northward skew. But stale food will continue to pale you. We recommend you sue the airline over sushi once again.

Saturday, May 12, 2007
Source: Economic Times

2. Mega carrier to fly as Air India

The mega airline resulting from the Air-India and Indian merger would operate with the Air-India brand, civil aviation minister Praful Patel said on Thursday. The merger would be completed by June 15 and the new airline would be headquartered in Mumbai, he said while speaking to mediapersons here.

The merger would result in creation of India’s largest airline. A new company, christened National Aviation Company of India Limited, has already been incorporated under the Companies Act and the two air-lines would be merged into the new company.

The government decision on the top management of the airline is ex-pected to be finalised in the interim. It is understood that A-I chief V Thulasidas and Indian CMD V Trivedi are in the race for the top post in the merged entity. According to the Cabinet’s decision on merger of the two public sector carriers, the merged entity would be headed by a chairman and managing director (CMD) and independent profit cen-tres would report to the board headed by the CMD.

Mr Patel said the two airlines were working on the merger and deci-sions on rationalisation of operations are being finalised. In the case of operations to Kuwait alone, rationalisation would result in a saving of more than Rs 70 crore every year.

The minister said rationalisation in other markets would result in substantial savings. Both Indian and A-I operate flights to the Gulf region and South-East Asia while A-I is the only player tapping the European and American markets.

With a little over a month left to the merger to be operationalised, both carriers are now working on other details. The merged entity would sport a brand new livery, with both airlines adopting it gradu-ally, it is understood. The integration comes at a time when new air-craft ordered by both airlines are getting delivered, facilitating rapid expansion in business and phasing out of ageing aircraft.

Mr Patel said the merged entity would have to develop hubs in key regions like Europe. Jet Airways is developing Brussels as a major hub and other Indian carriers operating to key market like the US would also benefit by establishing such hubs, he added

Friday, May 11, 2007
Source: Economic Times

3. Amadeus partners with Air India to provide e-ticketing

Amadeus, a global leader in technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry, today announced the launch of electronic ticketing for Air India. Air India, India’s national air carrier, will offer the Amadeus-enabled e-ticketing service across all its domestic and international routes. Globally, Amadeus has 188 airline partners distributing e-tickets.

Mr.S.Venkat, Executive Director, Public Relations, Air India said, “Having been e-ticketing-enabled by Amadeus, ticket processing and monitoring are made faster and more efficient. Most importantly, we are now able to make more of our content available to travel agencies. This gives our passengers the benefit of greater convenience, reduced costs and time savings.”

“The travel industry in India is fast expanding and opening up many opportunities for growth. By turning to e-ticketing, it will enable Air India to keep up with industry progress by improving on both efficiency and customer service,” said Ankur Bhatia, Managing Director for Amadeus India. “With more than 51 percent of the market share in distribution, we are confident that Amadeus will provide an effective distribution channel for Air India.”

Added Damian Hickey, Vice President Airline Business Group Asia Pacific: “This is an invaluable opportunity to extend our capabilities in the dynamic Asian market and strengthen our market leadership position in the region. We are fully committed to providing Air India with tailored IT solutions to address the needs of their passengers and retail network. We will help provide distinct business benefits and cost savings for the airline.”

According to IATA, converting to e-ticketing would allow the airline industry to save up to an estimated US$3 billion a year.

Monday, May 7, 2007
Source: Moneycontrol.com

Sector: Hotels & Restaurants

1. Whitebread plans hundreds of hotels in China, India in 5 years

Whitbread Plc, operator of the Premier Travel Inn budget hotel chain, aims to have “several hundred” hotels in India and China in five years time, Chief Executive Officer Alan Parker said on 11 May.

“In our budget hotel business we’re looking at the emerging markets of India and China in particular,” Parker said today in an interview at the Global Travel and Tourism Summit in Lisbon. “The party’s just beginning and we’re going to play a pretty big role in it.” Whitbread will have “several hundred” hotels in the two countries in five years time, he said.

Whitbread’s Premier Travel Inn chain plans to have 50,000 rooms throughout the world by 2010. The Luton, England-based company has started building its first hotel in Dubai as part of a joint venture with Emirates Group, and has identified more sites in the Gulf region.

“The budget end is really going to be where the hot action is in the years ahead,” Parker said today. “The world is getting a pretty big supply of four and five-star hotels right now but what it really lacks is cheap, comfortable, good value-for-money accommodation.”

The shares fell 14 pence, or 0.7%, to 1875 pence at 11:46 a.m. in London. Whitbread’s stock has added 65 percent in the last year, giving the company a market value of 3.7 billion pounds.

Whitbread’s annual profit increased 6% to 281.8 million pounds ($557.8 million) in the year to March, as more people stayed at its hotels. Premier Travel Inn sales rose 17%. Whitbread is considering proposals from potential buyers of its David Lloyd health-club chain.

“We’re evaluating the substance” of the unsolicited offers, Parker said today. “It’s a great business and it’s never been worth more to our shareholders than it is right now.”

Friday, May 11,2007
Source: www.livemint.com

2. IRCTC picks up speed with new tourism website

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) Ltd is an oft quoted online success story among Government enterprises. The portal, with $120 million (about Rs 500 crore) in bookings in 2006, is expected to contribute 8 per cent of Indian Railways’ revenues by 2008. Taking that potential further, IRCTC has launched a tourism website, www.railtourismindia.com.

Indian rail travel packages, especially for tourists, are not widely advertised globally. This website is clearly aimed at being a marketing tool for Indian Railways to attract foreigners and non resident Indians (NRIs).

The site is co-branded with the government initiative, Incredible India. It offers tourist railway packages like the Buddhist Train, Bharat Darshan and Luxury Train. Except for the eight-day trip on the Buddhist Train, other packages are not open for booking yet.

Other tour packages are also on offer, categorised by geographical location, and include railway travel, hotels and sight seeing. The bookings, which have not opened yet, will be made through the IRCTC site.

That said, there could well be e-commerce on the new site, which has been secured for online transactions through VeriSign, apart from Master Card and Visa gateways. As for existing users of IRCTC, they can update their profiles to register for tour packages on the site. For payments through Internet banking (ICICI Bank and IDBI Bank), there will be a transaction charge of 10 per cent.

The website has been designed by the US-based web applications company BroadVision Inc. BroadVision has also designed the main IRCTC portal. On its website, the company states, “In the next phase, IRCTC’s travel portal will add other tourism and reservation touch points and expand ticket delivery services to all major cities in India.”

Going by the structure of the site, there are plans to introduce hotel and cab bookings. Despite repeated attempts, no IRCTC official was available for comment.

While the site is a good idea, it all depends on how well the tours are organised, feels a railway watcher. It depends significantly on whether IRCTC or Indian Railways will take care of the on-ground implementation. The customer care number is being handled by IRCTC, but further details are awaited.

Friday, May 11, 2007
Source: agencyfaqs!

3. Hilton Hotels making room for expansion with DLF
Pursuing a three-pronged development strategy for India, the US-based Hilton Hotels is looking at ten-fold increase in the number of hotel properties. The hospitality major is also planning to increase its room inventory three over five years.

Disclosing the roll-out of 10 hotel properties as part of the first phase of the 75-hotels development JV with real estate group DLF, Ian Carter, CEO, international operations, Hilton Hotels, told ET that the sites included Delhi, Mysore, Bhubaneswar, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Goa and Kolkata.

While the mid-market brand, Hilton Garden Inn, would come up at Saket and Rohini in Delhi, other locations identified for the brand include sites at Mysore, Bhubaneshwar and Hyderbadad. Homewood Suites, the long-stay brand in Hilton’s portfolio, would debut at Kolkata, Bhubaneswar and Hyderabad. The Group’s flagship five-star brand, Hilton, would come up at Bangalore as part of an airport complex while the 300-room Goa property would be an extension of a convention centre.

Hilton has eight hotel properties with 1,500 rooms in the country, being managed by the Oberoi Group under the Trident-Hilton brand. Mr Carter said that the 74-26 JV between DLF and the Hilton Group, announced last year, has identified 20 sites for hotel projects across the country. Plans are afoot to have 75 properties in place over the next seven years. Hilton Group’s investment in the JV is $143 million.

The Hilton Garden Inn property at Saket would be the first one to roll out in the first half of 2008 while the other nine properties would take up to three years to get operational, he added. In all, the ten sites would house around 2,000 rooms.

Over the next five years, the group is expected to grow its room inventory from 1,500 to 5,000, spread across 80 properties. Explaining the group’s India strategy, Mr Carter said the three-pronged strategy of development in the country would help faster and more focussed roll-out of the Hilton brand in India. The group has an ongoing 15-year franchisee agreement with the Oberoi Group for the Trident-Hilton brand in India for eight properties “We will continue to take the Trident-Hilton brand to other locations in the country,” said Mr Carter. A Trident-Hilton property with 440 rooms at Mumbai is currently under development. As per the arrangement, the Oberoi group would manage the Trident-Hilton properties while Hilton would offer international sales and marketing support to the chain.

All the other Hilton properties in India would be managed and run by the group through a management contract agreement. These include the 75-hotel properties to be developed through the JV with the DLF Group.

The agreement with the DLF Group is exclusive for three brands in the Hilton portfolio — Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites. “We would continue to work with independent hotel developers for bringing in other brands in our portfolio,” said Mr Carter. Hilton has in all nine brands in its portfolio. It is also exploring opportunities to bring into the country two of its premium luxury brands, Conrad and Waldor-Astoria. “India is an important market for Hilton and the mid-market is where we see tremendous growth opportunities, especially in city centres, suburbs and the secondary cities,” said Mr Carter

Thursday, May 10, 2007
Source: Economic Times

4. Asian Hotels to raise Rs 180 cr via preference issue
Asian Hotels is raising Rs 180 crore through non-convertible redeemable preference shares to facilitate a three-way split between its three promoters. This alternative funding route follows the government’s decision to treat convertible preference shares as equity and include it as FDI.

On April 30, 2007, the department of economic affairs had said, among other things, that foreign investment through optionally convertible preference shares would be considered as debt requiring compliance with the guidelines on external commercial borrowings.

Asian Hotels, promoted in 1980 by NRIs RK Jatia, the late CL Gupta and RS Saraf first set up a hotel in Delhi about 20 years ago under the franchisee of a subsidiary of Hyatt Regency International. Currently, Asian Hotels runs the Hyatt Hotel in Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata — promoted by Sushil Gupta, Shiv Jatia and Umesh Saraf.

While the properties are doing well, the promoters felt their individual business interests were being compromised and growth was being affected. Therefore, the need to divide the property came up, sources said. The Jatias are understood to be promoting Four Seasons and Sarafs run the Unison Hotel chain. While the demerger has been approved, it is still unclear which promoter gets which property.

The Asian Hotels had recently approved the demerger of the company resulting in the division and the creation of two new companies (approximately Rs 9.12 crore issued equity in each company) —Vardhman Hotels and Chillwinds Hotels.

In a statement to the BSE last month, the company had said the three hotels —the Delhi Hyatt with about 508 rooms and suites with an operating lease for BCCI lounge in Kolkata; the Kolkata Hyatt with 235 rooms and suites and the convention centre and hotels and cash liquidity of about Rs 462 crore; and the Mumbai Hyatt comprising 401 rooms and suites with its investments and development options in Bangalore were being demerged.

SS Kothari Mehta, appointed by the board, stated the three undertakings would be broadly equal in their economic earning power and the value of the land and building of the Hyatt Regency, Delhi unit, has been assessed at Rs 857 crore. In January this year, Asian Hotels started the restructuring and demerger of the company into three separate undertakings

Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Source: Economic Times

5. Deccan Odyssey to woo domestic tourists

Maharashtra government has said it is ready with plans to attract domestic tourists to board Deccan Odyssey, the luxury train which takes the travellers through various facets of tourist attractions of Maharashtra and Goa in seven days.

As part of Maharashtra's new tourism policy the state is ready to woo domestic as well as foreign tourists to board the 'Palace on Wheels', Suresh Shetty, Maharashtra minister for Tourism, said.

"There are a number of Indians who will be able to afford a tour on the most beautiful train in this part of the world," he said.

The 21-coach luxury train, introduced in 2004, has carried mainly tourists from Europe, USA and far east in the past, he told the media on the sidelines of a fashion show organised on board the train last evening.

He said a narrow-gauge luxury train with "well-done interiors although not as grand as the Odyssey" will run along the Nagpur-Nagbid-Tadoba route shortly.

"The state has a good budget of about Rs 15 crore this year for tourism and it will be used for promoting Maharashtra as an attractive tourist destination," Shetty added.

The new tourism policy unveiled in November last year is aimed at promoting "Maharashtra Unlimited" and initiatives have already been undertaken in this direction.

The Forest Department was working on an "eco-tourism policy." "The state is also working on a policy to encourage entrepreneurs to invest in tourism. They will be provided tax rebates, single-window clearances and other such benefits," the minister added.

Monday, May 7,2007
Source: PTI via Economic Times

Medical Tourism

Religious Tourism

Rural Tourism

1. Villages all set to peg the dollar

Malana village is high and grassy. A hamlet perched high up in the Himalayan ranges of Himachal Pradesh, with a largely cannabis-growing economy, need not qualify for a tourism initiative.

But villages like Malana and other rural clusters are being promoted by the ministry of tourism to collar that dollar from visiting foreign tourists. So far, the tourism ministry has identified 105 villages, and pumped in Rs 50 lakh worth of infrastructure and Rs 20 lakh for additional capacity building per hamlet.

Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh is a case in point. Village Nauli was the chosen ground where foreign tourists could come and stay with villagers in their hearths. A group of 10-12 odd-jobbers were roped in for the purpose by divisional tourism officer Rakesh Kapur in 2005.

Next, feedback was taken from tourists on their stay and the positive vibes resulted in six more locations across Kullu district falling under the rural tourism map — Malana, Outer Siraj, Chowai, Khanag, Paneu and Shangar. “We provide the local populace with training, logistics and developed maps to cater to the tourism surge,” claims Kapur, now AC, Kullu district.

Well, the hills, including Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, may be alive with the sound of the rural folk conjuring up ethnic magic for visitors. But the plains are cashing in too. As the room crunch looms, states such as Rajasthan, Orissa, Karnataka and Kerala are fast realising the potential of rural tourism.

Villages in these states are increasingly providing home-stay options to visitors, mostly foreign and the scattered upwardly mobile domestic tourists. Cox & Kings executive director Arup Sen is ebullient.

“Rural tourism in India attracts about 80% foreigners and the rest comprises domestic tourists. In many ways, it’s a double-edged sword, wherein the local economy benefits through income, and visitors get reasonable stay in a rural setting, soaking in the true flavour of the place,” points out Mr Sen.

Even in terms of a positioning plank, tourism from the villages is carving out its niche. “Rural tourism is a differentiated product, apt for foreigners who have visited India more than once and want to experience something new,” says Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) president Subhash Goyal. Furthermore, on an average, analysts claim it’s at least 40-65% cheaper to lodge in a village homestead.

Although rural tourism has enormous potential in a country steeped in its traditions, critics such as Himmat Anand of inbound operator Sita Travels demur that much remains to be done to this effect.

“Sita Travels alone accounts for 1.5 lakh inbound tourists, yet the share of rural tourism among them is dismal. India has to go a long way in providing adequate infrastructure and proper promotional props to pep this sector up,” he adds. Nonetheless, amid the din of criticism, the 105 villages under the scheme still look invitingly refreshing, both in terms of cost and concept

Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Source: Economic Times

Holistic Healing Service Providers

Travel characteristics of Indians

1. Indian tourists in London spend more than Japanese

For the first time last year, Indian tourists in London spent more than Japanese tourists. Underlining the increasing spending power of India's middleclass, the city also saw the number of Indian tourists go up from 130,000 in 2003 to 212,000 in 2006.

Figures from Visit London, a website that promotes and markets the city, showed that tourists from India spent 139 million pounds last year - up from 107 million pounds a year earlier and 78 million pounds in 2003.

Compared to this, some 230,000 Japanese nationals visited London last year, spending a total of 123 million pounds.

US tourists remain the largest visitors to London and account for 16 per cent of all overseas visitors to London. There were 2.4 million US tourist visits last year worth 1.5 billion pounds, the Guardian reported

Monday, May7, 2007
Source: Economic Times

Investment related

Travel and Tourism Support Industries …and much more

Policy Related

1. UP to lure Arab world to ‘greener pastures’
After promoting the Buddhist circuit to woo international tourists, the Uttar Pradesh government has now picked up a novel theme —  ‘Chasing the Monsoons’ — to invite tourists from the Arab countries.

This is part of the Indian Tourism Ministry’s ‘Incredible India’ campaign that was launched as Integrated International Media Campaign in Arabian Travel Market Convention concluded in Dubai on May 7. The media campaign was launched to promote India as a must-see tourist destination and focuses on both generic and niche areas to convert the country into a destination all year long.

In this campaign, Uttar Pradesh has invited tourists from Arab countries to UP to enjoy lush green environment and its unique circuits during the monsoon season.

Principal secretary (Tourism) Om Prakash, after returning from Arabian Travel Market Convention in Dubai said, “We have been taking various initiatives in the tourism sector with the sole objective of attracting more tourists. Infrastructural facilities in the country are being augmented in a well-planned manner. With an open-sky policy providing better air connectivity, the aviation system has been radically liberalised,” he said.

In order to overcome the shortage in accommodation, efforts are on to build more hotel rooms in the next four years under the new state hotel policy, he added. The new ‘Bed and Breakfast’ scheme has been launched to cater to the requirements of more tourists. Besides infrastructure, the major destination for all tourists is Taj Mahal. In the Buddhist circuit, we plan to develop, Shrawasti, Kapilvastu and Kushinagar. There are also plans to develop Barsana, Vrindavan and Govardhan. The Department has also firmed up plans to develop the Mahabharata circuit around Hastinapur and all known places like Baghpat and Bijnore.

Keeping in mind Muslim tourists, importance has been given to the Sufi Circuit. The circuit includes Fatehpur Sikri, Rampur, Badaun, Bareilly, Lucknow, Kakori, Deva Sharif (Barabanki), Bahraich, Kichocha Sharif, Kade Shah - Kada (Kaushambi), Allahabad, Kantit Sharif (Mirzapur). All these places have shrines (mazars) or birthplaces of famous Sufi saints. These places are being developed by the department, added the principal secretary.

He said people from the Arab countries like fresh and lush green places as they come from places with dry weather.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Source: Hindustan Times

2. Haryana, Himachal to jointly promote tourism

The governments of Himachal Pradesh and Haryana on Tuesday agreed to jointly promote tourism. As part of understanding, all the agencies involved in promotion of tourism in the two states would distribute brochure of the other state, book tourists and prepare packages covering both the states, Haryana Tourism Minister Kiran Chaudhary told reporters.

Chaudhary on Tuesday held a meeting with Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on helping each other in promoting tourism in their respective states.

Tuesday, May8, 2007
Source: Press Trust of India

3. Number of foreign tourists to India shows increase
The number of foreign tourists visiting the country till April this year has shown an increase from that for the same period last year. While 15,52,057 foreign tourists arrived in the country in 2006, this year the number was 17,55,565, an official release said on Tuesday.

Similarly, the foreign exchange earned this year through tourist arrivals also increased from Rs 9,919 crore last year to Rs 11,443 crore this time, it said. The maximum number of 51,4453 tourists came to the country in the month of January this year. Last year, the corresponding figure of 44,4260 visitors arrived in the country.

However, the percentage change in the arrival of foreign tourists from the year 2005-06 to that in 2006-07 dropped from 14.4 per cent to 13.1 per cent. The foreign exchange earnings also dropped from 16.3 per cent to 15.4 per cent, the release added.

Tuesday, May8, 2007
Source: Press Trust of India

Service Providers

1. Net gives travel agents the ticket to ride again

No business has been more impacted by the internet than the travel agent’s. His commissions have been decimated and many travel agents have folded up. Many have sold out.

Last one year has seen many small and medium scale travel agencies being acquired by bigger players. Thomas Cook acquired TCI (Travel Corporation of India). Kuoni Destination Management (which earlier in 2000 acquired SITA travels) acquired Distant Frontiers, a Delhi-based travel agency (with annual turnover of Rs 30 crore).

“Consolidation will continue happening in the industry; that too at a faster pace. But, there is definitely a place for everyone,” Kuoni COO Himmat Anand says.

But, entrepreneurs always see opportunity in diversity and clutch of travel agents have learnt to live with the threat of the internet. Some tour operators have simply increased the number of services that they offer to their customers. Others have shifted to niches that big companies don’t yet occupy. A few have invested in technology and are moving to the internet to become more efficient.

Shift in business model

From doing just the ticketing bit travel agents have become tour operators offering myriad services. Now from providing you with the hotel accommodation (which is quite a task in India owing to the shortage of hotels) to arrangement for traveller’s passport, visa, and travel insurance the agent does it all.

“Travel agent today even arranges for a SIM card for the globetrotters,” says Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) president CV Prasad. Agrees makemytrip.com’s CEO Deep Kalra, ”The brick and mortar will not die away but will find their niches. Air tickets for example might not remain their main selling products; it will change to specialist holidays etc.”

Two years ago, a travel agent earned a commission of 9% on a single ticket. Now, this has dipped to 5% and within the next two years, it is bound to be zero as e-tickets become mandatory by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). So travel agents are now charging a ‘management fee’ or ‘service charge’ to render the full range of their services. “This is the way it happens in the US,” points out a tour operator.

Specialisation is the key

But management fee cannot change revenues drastically. Some operators have moved to niches like adventure tourism, spiritual tourism or even only-women tourism. From adventure tourism packages to homestay accommodation in the hills, from golf and spa to wildlife tour packages.

Specialisation is the buzz word for entrepreneurs in the travel space. A new breed of travel agents specialising in niche tourism have set an example for others. An interesting example is that of Major DN Dass who started his travel agency ‘Tiger Travel Services’ specialising in golf packages, both inbound (i.e tourists coming to India) as well as outbound (i.e. tourists going out of India).

Though he started with inbound golf packages, today owing to skyrocketing hotel prices, his focus is on outbound golf packages. Also his agency focuses on Indo-China tourism. Women who want to travel alone don’t trust travel agents. Sumitra Senapaty, a travel writer noticed this and started WOW (Women on Wanderlust) around two years back. Her forte — only women trips (please leave your kids behind) to exciting places round the world.

Women love travelling — and this was Sumitra’s business opportunity. She is one-man office. WOW outsources most of its needs such as travel insurance to Tata AIG, Visa to an agency called Jet Save and so on. Explaining the concept of WOW, Ms Senapaty says,”WOW is a travel agency catering to a niche market and not to the masses. I am like a travel agent who is not into pure ticketing but selling packages for women.”

IT as a tool

Most operators have also realised that much of the ease of travel planning would require investments in technology and have decided to do exactly that. IT is both a challenge and a tool for travel agents today, say industry analysts.
Small travel operators are using internet as a marketing tool, whereas medium-sized operators are setting shop online, competing with big brands of the online space.

For instance Delhi-based Joy Travels which was started around 23 years ago graduated to the online space four years back with joy-travel.com. Now it is planning to launch a new website for real time booking of hotel rooms worldwide. Investment in the portal would be to the tune of Rs 8 crore.

The travel agency has an annual turnover of Rs 20 crore. “While owing to the competition in the field, small agents are shutting shops, medium-scale travel agents are investing in technology to survive,” says Joy Travels executive director Nidhi Batra. However, the differentiating factor remains that while travel portals have huge ad spends creating a brand name, tour operators starting portals to add to their revenues and survive in the hostile market do not have marketing budgets.

Smart tour operators are starting more than one website. “Tour operators have more than one website to lure customers. It is a strong marketing medium,” says Stic Travels chairman Subhash Goyal. Stic itself has around five websites which has helped the travel agency in getting customers from far flung and unheard places such as Timbuktu and Trinidad and Tobago.

Pointing out another interesting trend Mr Kalra says, “With the advent of online travel smaller agents have access to some of the best deals in the market and they are using the online travel sites to grow. Interestingly, online travel web sites have helped spurn a new breed of travel agents living in remote cities who can now get cheap deals on the internet.”

The projected technology spend for Indiatimes travel for 2007 is Rs 15 crore. Travelguru’s technology spend in 2007 is estimated at $3 million. However, in this hi-tech world the technology spend of brick and mortar agents is also conspicuous — from being nil around five years back, to being about around 30%-40% of the annual revenue. Technology can be internet, mobile, sophisticated reservation system etc.

Subscribing to GDS (Global Distribution System) services offered by players such as Amadeus, Worldspan, Abacus, Galileo etc has also helped offline tour operators in booking tickets with ease getting the best available option on a sector. By adapting many operators today feel that they indeed can survive even if they aren’t very big.

The strong point of small agents is the personalised service and customised packages that they can offer, unlike big operators which have fixed itineraries and serve mainly corporate clients with deep pockets. And so the neighbourhood travel agent continues to survive and is making money too along with the big players and travel portals.

Friday, May11, 2007
Source: Indiatimes.com

2. Doing it with style
A 24-hour lifestyle channel may not have sounded a viable proposition a decade ago, but things have changed over the past few years

Consider this: A self-professed foodie, a celebrity editor, measures the length and breadth of the country to “discover what makes the Indian mouth water” as he strides into kitchens to sample some of the finest food and drinks. Wee bit haughtily, he debunks prevailing food myths and heaps sarcasm over an “atrocious” mix of food and culture, the evidences of which he finds during his trips.

Ten years ago, this sort of a concept may not have worked for a lazy Sunday afternoon programming on any English general entertainment channel. Today, it’s a big ticket, big-concept draw on a channel dedicated exclusively to travel, cuisine, relationships, luxury, auto- mobiles, health, fitness, fashion, electronic gadgets, design and interiors.

Apparently, the lifestyle genre is the ‘in’ thing on Indian television today. In other words, targeting a narrow, niche audience, even if they comprise just the crème de la crème of India, looks like one of the most tempting propositions for broadcasters today. The reach of such programming has almost doubled between October 2004 to December 2006, if a TAM media report is anything to go by.

Small wonder that today, channels like Discovery Travel and Living (DTL) and NDTV’s soon-to-be-launched lifestyle offering, make no bones of the fact that they are targeting only the upper echelons of the society; who have deep pockets and can think of travelling to Europe or China to sample some of the exotic dishes that their celebrity host tucks into with such élan. DTL’s contention is that advertisers will buy the right audience no matter how small a segment it comprises.

The biggest advertisers on lifestyle television are cellular and Internet service providers, handset makers, hair care and cosmetics manufacturers, besides travel and tourism operators, not to forget, sundry soft drink manufacturers and FMCG players. Major brands you will find on such channels are L’Oreal India, Paras Pharmaceuticals, Nokia, Henkel Spic, Samsung India Electronics, Nestle India and PepsiCo—that are among the biggest advertisers in the audiovisual media.

Statistically, DTL has a reach of 28 million and it is pretty much happy with the show. “We realise we are a niche channel,” says Aditya Tripathi, CEO of Discovery Lifestyle, “and frankly, we’d be happy even with nine million viewers, who are willing to pay Rs 40 a month rather than the 28 million who will only pay Rs 5.”

For the record, the channel targets SEC A, B, “well-heeled, high networth viewers”, in the age bracket of 15 and above in the top six metropolitan cities. These are people who subscribe to magazines such as India Today Travel Plus, Outlook Traveller, Business Traveller, Inside Outside, Cosmopolitan and Elle and believe in revving up their life with all the good things that money can buy.

On the other hand, there are a couple of channels—Zoom and Zee Trendz for instance—that are also part of the lifestyle genre and which also excel at delivering a select, fashion-conscious audience to their advertisers.“If Mercedes Benz wants to advertise its new SL-Class (meaning “Sport Light”, or in German, Sport Leicht) sports car, it won’t advertise on Sony or SAB TV. It will come to us, as we can provide the advertiser the audience it is seeking,” explains Tripathi. And, by all accounts, this is not a bad gameplan at all. According to Rahul Johri, senior vice-president, advertising and sales, Discovery, “365 days of the year we have a 95% full inventory as far as ad space goes.”

Believe it or not, reality programming is a big draw on lifestyle TV. Ask content creators at Miditech, who specialise in precisely this kind of programming for proof. Till about 3 years ago, Miditech focused almost entirely on documentaries and factual programming building a reputation in these genres with shows like ‘Living on the Edge’ which won the Green Oscar in 1996 and ‘Wheels’ - a weekly auto show on the lines of ‘Top Gear’. ‘The Great Escape’, ‘Off the Beaten Path’ and ‘The Real India Travel Show’ made Miditech the largest producer of travel content in India. Smeeta Chakravarty, CEO, NDTV Lifestyle (that’s set for launch by early July this year) explains their offering will be “more aspiration in nature, with a thrust on health and wellness.”

But is all this worth it? “On an average, DTL spends close to $300,000 to $1 million for every hour of programming that it beams to 70-80 countries,” informs Johri. Since, the content is international and the exchange rate skewed, distribution takes a big bite of the cost. Yet, the channel makes more than it spends in India, inform sources.

According to Nikhil Alva, CEO of Miditech, “One hour of content can cost anything between Rs 3-16 lakh. A big-ticket show can cost Rs 25 crores.Throw in a couple of Bollywood stars and the cost can simply treble beyond your budget.”
At present, money for all channels comes from advertising rather than subscription. “The ratio is 60:40 in favour of advertising,” says Tripathi of Discovery Lifestyle and it’s growing. “Our advertising revenue grew more than 100% in 2006 (over 2005) and we expect nearly the same growth this year,” he adds.

Thursday, May 10, 2007
Source: The Financial Express