August 2011

 


 

It’s about trust, continuity and reliability...... for 34 years we have honored the trust our clients & partners have placed in us across India and the subcontinent. We have never let anyone down and never will.

That is why we are humbled and honored to have been nominated as "India's Leading Destination Management Company".

We owe our success to all partners and to the 125 team members who toil for our guests across the Indian subcontinent. We are proud of our history and the future it gives us.

We hope to have your support through your vote.
Please vote for us at:
http://www.worldtravelawards.com/profile-29825-creative-travel

   

 

Creative News..........................click
India’s inbound and outbound travel markets are booming as the country’s economy continues to expand....

  Destination News.....................click
20% increase in tiger population....
Average stay of tourists in Nepal lengthens.....

  Hotel News...............................click
Three Oberoi hotels ranked among top 5 hotels in Asia....
Taj Safaris Pashan Garh awarded Best Eco Friendly Lodge
.....

Aviation News..........................click
Boeing 787 makes its debut India landing at New Delhi airport..... Lufthansa seeks nod to fly A380 into India.....

We at Creative Travel and our specialist brands - "Signature Tours", the luxury travel specialist and "Plan it!", the finest conference management team in India are proud to offer the best of India and her neighboring countries to the discerning traveler. With a 34 year award winning history behind us, we look forward to the opportunity to show you what true destination management is all about. To read more about us, you can download a copy of our company profile at -
http://www.travel2india.com/who-we-are.htm

We appreciate the support our partners all over the world have shown us. It is with your partnership that Creative is where it is today. For those of you with whom we have not had the pleasure of working with, all I can say is try us and see the Creative magic for yourself. Through "Creatively Yours" we hope to keep you informed on the latest news in Team Creative and the destination. We hope you find this to be useful.

 

Rajeev Kohli, Joint Managing Director

 

 

Welcome to another edition of "Creatively Yours"
the newsletter from Creative Travel India

 

Dear Industry Colleagues:

Here is another edition of the award winning "Creatively Yours".


An amazing transformation is happening in India right now. The momentum on the anti-corruption drive is gaining steam and the country is seeing peaceful protests across the nation. All for a good cause. The country is electrified with passion. We Indians after all love our Gods, our Cricket and our Politics equally.


The office is buzzing again. Requests are flowing in from all over the world and the mood in the Indian travel industry is buoyant.

 

We at Creative have some new initiative planned. In a week you will see our brand new baby, an exciting and new extension of our core competencies. Keep a watch out for that.


Through "Creatively Yours" we hope to keep you informed on the latest news in Team Creative and the destination. We hope you find this to be useful. Enjoy this issue of our award winning newsletter.

 

Have a Creative Day - Rajeev

www.travel2india.com          www.creative.travel

International Representative Offices in:
Argentina | Australia | Belgium | Brazil | Chile | France | Germany
  Mexico | Peru | Philippines | Spain | UK | USA.
Click here for full contact list

 

 

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In this Edition....

 
  • Creative News - India’s inbound and outbound travel markets are booming as the country’s economy continues to expand, Indians are taking MICE like never before

  • Guest Comment of the Month - Find out what our clients have to say about us in this section

  • Personally Experienced - Bandhavgarh National Park

  • Destination News - 20% increase in tiger population, India road show in Switzerland & France in August 2011, India receives 3.96 lakh tourists in June 2011, Average stay of tourists in Nepal lengthens.....all this and more update on hotels

  • Hotel News - Three Oberoi hotels ranked among top 5 hotels in Asia, Taj Safaris Pashan Garh awarded Best Eco Friendly Lodge, Movenpick Hotels and Resorts to open 15 hotels in India in five years , Thai Hotel Chains eye Sri Lanka’s tourist industry.....all this and more update on hotels.

  • Aviation News - Boeing 787 makes its debut India landing at New Delhi airport , Lufthansa seeks nod to fly A380 into India , Qatar Airways to start daily flights from Doha to Kolkata from July 28, 2011 .....and more

  • Indian Recipe of the month - Prawns in a Dark Sauce

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Creative News.....

         
 

 

  India’s inbound and outbound travel markets are booming as the country’s economy continues to expand
“India is now the fourth largest economy in the world when it comes to purchasing power, and Indians love to travel,” said Rajeev Kohli, Joint Managing Director of New Dehli-based Creative Travel and president of ASTA’s India Chapter. India is set to overtake China in 2012 as the world’s fastest-growing economy, according to recent projections from the World Bank. Click here to read more....
 
         
    Indians are taking MICE like never before
With Indian corporates opening up to outbound MICE travel in a big way, international destinations like Singapore, London, California and Germany are wooing the Indian traveler like never before. In a candid chat with Rajeev Kohli, Joint Managing Director of Creative Travel, Go Now, a leading lifestyle magazine of India, talks about how Indians are emerging as a strong source market. Click here to read more....
 

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Guest Comment of the Month.....

     
 

We at Creative track guest feedback very carefully. Each evaluation form gives us an insight on our operations and allows us to constantly refine our service delivery process. Now and then we get a few letters that brighten up our days. This is one of them :

Monday,
July 25, 2011

From - Paul Stephen
To - Creative Travel


To Creative Travel in India:


Just to say a BIG thank you for your excellent service given to the small Incentive group of 4 pax that you did for us last week. As per their email they were blown away by the choice of activities, hotels etc recommend by your professional DMC!

Look forward to doing more business in the future.

Best Regards
Paul Stephen
South Africa

 
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Personally Experienced......

         
  Been There.....Seen it.....Experienced it.....Loved it.....

Bandhavgarh National Park
by Rajeev Kohli, Joint Managing Director, Creative Travel India

Last month I visited the Bandhavgarh National Park to inspect the new Samode Safari lodge.

Bandhavgarh National Park is one of the popular national parks in India located in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh in Central India. Bandhavgarh was declared a national park in 1968 with an area of 105 km². The buffer is spread over the forest divisions of Umaria and Katni and totals 437 km². The park derives its name from the most prominent hillock of the area, which is said to be given by Hindu Lord Rama to his brother Lakshmana to keep a watch on Lanka (Sri Lanka). Hence the name Bandhavgarh (Sanskrit: Brother's Fort). This park has a large biodiversity. The density of the tiger population at Bandhavgarh is one of the highest known in India. The park has a large breeding population of Leopards, and various species of deer. Maharaja Martand Singh of Rewa captured the first white tiger in this region in 1951.

Bandhavgarh as a destination can be accessed by air either through Khajuraho from where it is a 5-6 hour drive and from Jabalpur from where it is a 3-1/2 drive. I went from Jabalpur, short 2 hours flight from Delhi. The drive from Jabalpur to Bandhavgarh was one of the best roads I have seen in rural India, Very scenic. One can also approach Bandhavgarh by train, but that is much longer of course.

The park itself is a very interesting destination. The visits are done by open top jeeps and last about three hours in the morning and the evening.

My report is about the lodge we went to see. We have had a long relationship with The Samode Group and their flagship properties Samode Palace & Samode Bagh outside Jaipur. The Samode Safari Lodge is an outstanding property in every way. The professionalism in operations and the styling in all Samode properties have been more than delightfully transplanted in their first venture into the wildlife circuit.

The rusticness and authenticity of the lodge is commendable. There is a fine blend of nature and modern elegance in every room. The property has 12 rooms, each large with a sitting room, huge bathroom and outside patios to sit on. The interiors are very warn and pleasant. The bathrooms are large with a Victorian style bathtub, a rain shower cubicle and an outdoors shower area as well.

The outdoors are grassy and woody. Pathways at night are lit by oil lamps. The swimming pool area very bright with a few large day beds scattered around.

The lodge team showed their professionalism in guest handling and the food of course lived upto what we have come to expect from Samode. Each and every one of them made us feel welcome and special. The naturalists were a great bunch to speak to and made the park visit engaging. The serving staff never made us want for anything.

Samode has a great social impact in the communities it operates in. This has always been true at the Palace outside Jaipur and that ethical behaviour has also been brought to the Safari Lodge where the resort is actively involved in local initiatives.

This was embarrassingly my first visit to Bandhavgarh but most certainly not my last. I would have absolutely no hesitation in selling it to guests from any country. In my opinion one of the best properties there for sure.

Ask us for more details about the Samode Safari Lodge and how we can build it into our programs.
 
     
 
 


Click here for more pictures....

 
 
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Destination News.....

         
      India  
         
 

  20% increase in tiger population
India registered a 20 per cent increase in tiger population last year, says a report, ‘Status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India-2010,' released here on Thursday by Jagdish Kishwan, Additional Director-General (Wildlife), Ministry of Environment and Forests. Click here to read more.....
 
     
 
 
   

India receives 3.96 lakh tourists in June 2011
India received 3.96 lakh Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) during June 2011, as compared to FTAs of 3.70 lakh in June 2010 and 3.52 lakh in June 2009. There has been a growth of 7.2 per cent in June 2011 over June 2010, as compared to a growth of 4.9 per cent registered in June 2010 over June 2009.

 
     
 
 
   

Goa International Travel Mart to be held from October 21-23, 2011
The second edition of the Goa International Travel Mart (GITM) organised jointly by Department of Tourism, Government of Goa and Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) will be held at the Grand Hyatt in Bambolim from October 21-23, 2011. The theme for the Mart this year is ‘Unearth the Hidden Treasures of Goa.’ The organisers of the event have planned an aggressive marketing strategy to attract over 2500 trade visitors to GITM 2011, of which 450 will be hosted buyers.

 
     
 
 
   

Visa-on-Arrival scheme most availed by Filipinos in May
Tourists from the Philippines were the largest group tourists who availed the Visa-on-Arrival scheme to visit India in May this year, followed by the Japanese. A total number of 865 VoA’s were issued in May, 2011, out of which 206 tourists from the Philippines and 177 from Japan availed the facility, according to Tourism Ministry data. However, only one tourist from Laos and four each from Luxembourg and Myanmar availed the VoA facility. Tourists from Singapore (149), Indonesia (122), New Zealand (121), Finland (57), Cambodia (18) and Vietnam (6) also availed the VoA facility.

 
     
 
 
 

  Nepal  
         
   

Digital map, GPS tracking to help tourists in Nepal
Nepal GPS Solution (NepGS) has developed a digital map, placing maps of eight popular tourist destinations in the Global Positioning System (GPS). Pokhara, Bhaktapur, Dhankuta, Janakpur, Palpa, Ilam and a trekking route to Shyarpu Lake in the Rukum district are included in the map. Software developers have introduced programs which tourists can use to find details of tourist hubs, trekking routes, location of hotels, restaurants and other places on their mobile phone or a GPS device.

 
         
 

  Average stay of tourists in Nepal lengthens
Kathmandu: The average length of stay of tourists in Nepal has increased to a six-year high of 12.67 days in 2010-11, according to the recently released Economic Survey 2011. Talking about the possible reasons for this increment, travel trade people argue that it is due to a shift in the purpose of visit from traditional cultural tours to adventure and pilgrimage. Besides, more visitors have started going to various destinations located outside the Kathmandu Valley with the start of the peace process in Nepal. With the increment in the stay of tourists, their daily spending has increased. The Economic Survey shows that daily spending of tourists has increased to US$ 46.73 in 2011as compared to US$ 36.88 last year. The number of tourists visiting Nepal for pilgrimage tours has gone up considerably during the fiscal year 201/11. The country witnessed a rise of 16.81 per cent in the number of visitors coming to the country for the purpose pilgrimage tours in the current fiscal year as compared to 10.4 percent in the last fiscal year.
 
         
      Sri Lanka  
         
 

 

Wildlife parks to be closed for elephant census
Fifteen wildlife parks in Sri Lanka will be closed for the public on 11, 12 and 13 August to carry out an island wide elephant survey, Visitors will not be allowed in the parks, because the field staff will be involved in the elephant survey. The parks that will be closed for the census are Yala, Lunugamwehera, Bundala, Wilpattu, Udawalawe, Minneriya, Kawudulla, Wasgamuwa, Somawathiya, Maduru Oya, Gal Oya, Lahugala-Kithulana, Kumana and Angammedilla.

 

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Hotel News.....

         
 

  India  
         
 

 

 

Three Oberoi hotels ranked among top 5 hotels in Asia
Three Oberoi hotels have been ranked first, third and fourth in Asia by the Travel + Leisure Magazine in their World’s Best Awards 2011 Reader’s Poll. The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur; The Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur and The Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra have been ranked first, third and fourth respectively. The three hotels have been ranked amongst the fifteen best in the world. They have been ranked fifth, eighth and fourteenth respectively in the world. The Oberoi, Mumbai and The Oberoi, New Delhi have also been ranked amongst the top city hotels in Asia. The ranking is the result of a Readers’ Poll conducted by the magazine. The readers rate their experiences and evaluate hotels across the world on the following characteristics – rooms and facilities, location, service, restaurants and food, and value.

 

 

         
 

 

Taj Safaris Pashan Garh awarded Best Eco Friendly Lodge
Taj Safaris Pashan Garh lodge, a cluster of stone cottages atop a small hill, was recently awarded the Eco-tourism award 2010 -11 for Best Eco Friendly Lodge/Resort by the Madhya Pradesh Eco-tourism Development Board.
The hotel topped various parameters like minimum land used for construction, the eco friendly design, the fact that no trees were cut during construction and the promoting rain water harvesting via an artificial lake. Pashan Garh, located in the Panna National Park, was the last of the Taj Safari Lodges to open. Close to both the world-renowned temples of Khajuraho (World Heritage Site) and Panna National Park, the lodge offers guests an opportunity to explore ancient temples and admire the rich wildlife of the region.

 
         
 
 

Movenpick Hotels and Resorts to open 15 hotels in India in five years
Swiss hospitality chain Movenpick Hotels and Resorts plans to open 15 hotels in the coming five years in India. The company has identified 12 new locations, including Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Goa and Mumbai, to expand its presence. With its first hotel, Movenpick Hotels & Spa Bangalore, coming up in Bengaluru in October 2011, it will also set up a five-star hotel-cum-ayurveda spa at Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh in 2013.

 
     
 
 
 

Fortune hotel opens in Delhi
Fortune Park Boulevard has opened in Chattarpur, New Delhi. This is the ITC subsidiary chain’s first property in the capital, although there are two Fortune hotels in Gurgaon and one in Noida, in the NCR area. The new hotel has 34 rooms, some with private mini-garden sit-ins. Surrounded by lush green lawns and water bodies, the Fortune Park Boulevard targets the MICE segment as well. The hotel is 24 km from international airport and 20 from the domestic one. It is in the vicinity of the famed Chattarpur temple and the Qutab Minar

 
         
 
 

Hotel Sheraton opens in Bengaluru
Starwood Hotels and Resorts this week opened a new Sheraton hotel in Bangalore. Located in the neighbourhood of Malleswaram, the Hotel forms a part of the expansive Brigade Gateway lifestyle enclave comprising of the World Trade Centre office tower, the massive Orion Mall and Multiplex. The hotel offers 230 guest rooms and suites which combine classic and contemporary designs in a comfortable setting.

 
     

 

 
      Nepal  
         
 

 

Tigerland Safari Resort
Tigerland Safari Resort lies on the edge of Nepal's premier Chitwan National Park, a world heritage site. The resort has managed to create a truly wonderful sanctuary amidst lush green jungle foliage where 32 individually air conditioned deluxe villas built on stilts and using sustainable natural materials blend perfectly with nature. The fully air conditioned guest rooms are tastefully decorated and have parquet floors. The thatched roofs of the villas merge beautifully with the jungle ambience as they are made from the abundant Siru grass. The resort is on course to begin operations from October 2011.

 
         
      Sri Lanka  
         
 

 

Thai Hotel Chains eye Sri Lanka’s tourist industry
The rapidly growing Sri Lankan tourist industry has become a focal point for foreign hoteliers to invest in Sri Lanka.  Thailand’s two main hotel chains are the new prospective investors to invest in the Sri Lankan hotel industry. These Thai hotel chains include Minor International, popularly known as MINT and Centara Hotels and Resorts.

 

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Aviation News......

         
      Domestic  
         
 
 

Boeing 787 makes its debut India landing at New Delhi airport
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner made its debut India landing at Terminal 3 of the New Delhi International Airport, on 14th July while on a test flight from Tokyo. Air India is one of the early customers and has ordered 27 787s while Jet Airways has ordered 10. The 787 offers the potential to enhance customer revenues due to its reduction in maintenance costs and 20 per cent lower fuel burn compared to other aircraft of similar size.

 
         
 
 

Jet Airways to operate an additional 10 integrated check-in counters for International Guests at Indira Gandhi International Airport
In an effort to ensure additional convenience for its guests travelling internationally, Jet Airways has started operating an additional 10 integrated check-in counters at island M of the new terminal 3 at Indira Gandhi International Airport. The additional 10 check-in counters are for the airlines’ international flights as listed below and guests are requested to enter the Departure terminal from Gate No. 7 of the Terminal 3 (IGI).

 
         
 
 

SpiceJet starts Pune - Jaipur flight via Ahmedabad from 1st June
SpiceJet has announced a new flight between Pune and Jaipur from 1st June. As there are no flights that connect the two cities, this will be the first flight from Pune to Jaipur via Ahmedabad.

 
         
      International  
         
 
 

Qatar Airways to start daily flights from Doha to Kolkata from July 28, 2011
In a bid to introduce their services to the travel trade community in the Eastern part of India and ensure their support, the airline organised a pre-launch presentation in Kolkata recently. The carrier had announced its plans to launch operations to new destinations, including Kolkata, at ITB Berlin held in March, this year. 

 
         
 
 

IndiGo to start international operations by September 8, 2011
Completing five years of operations in August 2011, Interglobe Aviation’s Low Cost Carrier, IndiGo, is set to begin operating flights to Bangkok, Singapore and Dubai from September, 2011. The flights will be operated from New Delhi and Mumbai. There are also plans to start operations to Muscat.

 
         
 
 

Garuda may launch Chennai – Jakarta service by year end
Indonesian national airline Garuda’s may start operating on the Chennai-Jakarta route by this year end. They plan to connect the cities of Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi.

 
         
 
 

Delta to start non-stop daily flight from Mumbai to Atlanta
Delta Air Lines will start a new non-stop daily flight between Mumbai and Atlanta from November 1 this year. It will replace Delta’s current non-stop flight from Mumbai to New York’s JFK. The flight will depart from Mumbai at 1.05 a.m. and reach Atlanta at 8.30 am. The flight will depart from Atlanta at 7.15 p.m. and reach Mumbai at 10.35 pm the next day

 
         

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Indian Recipe of the month......

 

 

     
 

  Prawns in a Dark Sauce
This is a great tomato-based Indian dish from one of Madhur Jaffrey's books. Serve with rice and steamed vegetables or fried potatoes. Click here to read the recipe....
 
 

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Newsletters Archive.....

     
  Click here to visit the 'Creatively Yours' Newsletter Archive.....  

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Contact Us......

     
  Creative Travel Pvt. Ltd.
Creative Plaza, Nanakpura, Moti Bagh, New Delhi 110021. India.
Tel: 24679192, 26872257-58-59, 26114281     Fax: +91-11-26885886 / 26889764     Email: creative@travel2india.com
USA Fax: +1-646-349-1614       Europe Fax : +44-20-7681-1242      Website: www.travel2india.com; www.creative.travel

24 Hours International Emergency Contact Number : +91 - 99 11 266 277
(prefix a "0" before the number if dialing from outside
New Delhi but from within India
)
 

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Contact Us......

 
  You may contact us or any of our regional sales team nearest to you.  
 

Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay & Uruguay
for all travel products

Argentina
Rosina Gomes De Freitas

Avant Garde Deluxe
argentina@creative.travel
rosina@avantgardeluxe.com.br

Brazil
Mr. Sidney Alonso
Mr. Walter Soares
Avant Garde Deluxe
R. Gabriele D'Annunzio, 1409 #101
Sao Paulo - SP - 04619-005
Brazil
Phone: +55 11 8111-2221
Email: brazil@creative.travel
          salonso@avantgardedeluxe.com
      
   wsoares@avantgardedeluxe.com.br

Australia

Charlie Ridout
Jonathan Milburn

Randall marketing
Suite 404, 161 Walker Street,
North Sydney NSW 2060, Australia
Telephone: +61 2 9929 2829
Fax: +612 2 9929 6683
Email: australia@creative.travel
          sales@randallmarketing.com.au








 

Chile
for all travel products


Claudia Pastén
Creative Travel / Agunsa Chile
Av. Andrés Bello 2687, Piso 15
Edificio del Pacífico
Casilla 2511, Santiago
Tel : (56-2) 4602700
Email: chile@creative.travel









 



Europe
for all travel products


Hanna Manuel
Assert Management
Mereldreef 101, B-3140 Keerbergen
BELGIUM
Telephone: +32 15 230 547
Facsimile: +32 15 230 549
Email: hannamanuel@creative.travel
          SalesMarketingEurope@skynet.be


 

France
for all travel products


Davina Bulot
Charlotte Fontaine

Himalaya Representation & Consulting
38 Rue De Berri
75008 Paris
Tel/Fax: + 33 (0) 1 45 19 08 28
Mobile: + 33 (0) 6 64 89 20 40
Email: paris@creative.travel
          davina@himalaya-collection.com
          charlotte@himalaya-collection.com

Mexico
for all travel products


Mauricio Gonzalez Liceaga
Presidente CWW Mexico
Luz Savinon 9-301
Col. Del Valle
Mexico DF 03100
Tel: +52 55 3330 5100
Mobile: +52 155 1474 9009
Email:
mauricio_gonzalez@connect-worldwide.com

 

 
 
 

Peru
for all travel products

Patricia Lùcar de Hende
Creative Travel / Agunsa Peru
Agencias Universales Peru S.A.
Av. Nestor Gambeta 5502, Las 200
Millas, Callao
Tel: (51-1) 619-0300
Email: peru@creative.travel

Philippines
for all travel products

Marilen Dinglasan
Mobile: + 63 -9178430367
Email: manila@creative.travel
          manila@travel2india.com
          marilen_ding@yahoo.com


 

Russia
for all travel products

Ilona Magirovskaya
Margarita Shinkarevskaya

Travel Communication Center
Kuznetskiy Most, 7
105064 Moscow, Russia
Tel.: + 7 916 234 6994
Email: russia@creative.travel
          tcc@travelcomcenter.ru


 

Spain & Portugal
for all travel products

Diana Alvarez
Lourdes Porredon

Bitacors's Tourism Services
Mov.: +34 676365062
Email: Diana - madrid@creative.travel
          Lourdes - barcelona@creative.travel





 

UK
Incentive & Meetings specialist


Susan Scales
Ms. Mercedes Conde-Nieto

GMC Marketing
Global House
152 Motspur Park
London KT3 6PF, Surrey
UK
Telephone: +44-208-949-1234
Fax: +44-208-949-3456
Email: susanscales@creative.travel
          susan@gmc.uk.com
          sales@gmc.uk.com

UK
for all travel products


Sandra Leach
Ahsley Hale
Creative Travel
The Old Church 89B
Quicks Road
Wimbledon, London
SW19 1EX
Tel: +44 (0) 20 8545 2617
Fax: +44 (0) 20 8545 2604
Email: london@creative.travel

          sandra@sandraleach.co.uk
         
joanne@sandraleach.co.uk

     

USA

Janine Cifelli
Janine Cifelli Representation
1232 Fox Hollow Drive
Toms River, NJ 08755
Toll Free: (800) 719-6422
Phone: (732) 473-9982
Fax: (732) 473-9986
E-mail: usa@creative.travel
           jc@janinecifelli.com
             ac@janinecifelli.com

   

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