February 2013

Rajeev Kohli
Joint Managing Director

Dear Industry Colleagues

Welcome to a new look for Creatively Yours ! We hope you like this simpler look. Do let us know what you think.

February is a very important month for us in the Indian business environment for this is when the Government of India releases its budget for the next year. Are we going to get taxed again or will we get some tax relief ? Will petroleum prices go up even more or will employees get more tax benefits? February 28th is always a nervous day for all of us, but we are keeping our fingers crossed for some good news for the Indian tourism industry.

With the end of the season approaching, we are working on some special options for industry professionals to come and visit India. Under our 2013 "Be our Guest" program, we have some exciting options at very special prices. Ask us for details. We are also working on some special low season pricing that will allow you to position the region more aggressively.

You shall see some new and exciting initiatives in the next season from Team Creative. New experiential inclusions, new circuits, new concepts... We take pride in our ability to make a trip to the Indian sub-continent something very different.

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.

www.travel2india.com
 www.creative.travel
 

Carnival is a festival which is celebrated before Lent. Traditionally during Lent there are no parties or other celebrations and people abstain themselves from rich foods such as meat, dairy products, fats, etcs. The 40 days of Lent, recalling the biblical account of the 40 days Lord Jesus spent in the wilderness. The consumption of rich food in a grand party with the involvement of the whole community leads to the origin of Carnival. This year Goa Carnival will be celebrated from 9th Feb to 12th Feb 2013. The Carnival of Panjim is the most popular compare to others that follow in Margoa, Vasco, Mapusa etc.

Though being a Christian festival, all people of Goa irrespective of any caste & creed take part in this festival. The highlight of the Carnival of Goa is to have lots of fun by indulging in singing, dancing, grand feasting, etc.

The history of the Carnival of Goa dates back to almost 500 years. The trend of celebrating the Carnival dates back to ancient Rome and Greece. The Portuguese introduced the Carnival when they established their colony in Goa. Ever since the carnival is celebrated every year and Goans takes part in it with pleasure. The Goa Carnival has carved a niche with a different charm that can only be experienced in this tiny city.

Started by the Portuguese rulers, the Carnival has carved a niche for itself with a distinctive characteristic charm that can only be experienced in this tiny coastal state of Goa. Every year, Goa Carnival comes just before Easter Sunday. In a nutshell, Goa Carnival is dominated by enjoyment and merry making where people come together and spread cheer and happiness.

The cultural blend of the Portuguese and local people created a unique Culture of Goa. So plan your holiday and be a part of the Goa Carnival.

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The Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB) will strive to engage the Indian travel trade more to increase inbound passenger traffic from India to Bhutan. As part of strengthening its engagement with the travel trade and media in India, TCB has appointed Charson Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd. as its India Representative.

Although Bhutan is a nextdoor neighbour of India, the awareness about Bhutan as a destination and its travel products is still pretty low among the travel trade in India, said Damcho Rinzin, Account Manager, Manager & Promotion, TCB, while speaking to TravelBiz Monitor. The travel trade in India does not have enough information about our destination, as much as they have about Thailand, Malaysia or Singapore. Therefore, we want to facilitate more engagement between the travel trade in Bhutan and their counterparts here in India, so that they can share knowledge about the destination, he said.

The 20th edition of South Asia’s leading B2B travel and tourism trade exhibition SATTE achieved immense success. Captains of the industry present at SATTE 2013 were unanimous in their opinion that SATTE has been a great networking and business transaction platform for the sector. The exhibition was inaugurated by Union Tourism Secretary, Parvez Dewan. 'SATTE has become an institution; a well-founded one within India and its neighboring countries,' he said in his inaugural speech. He further added that, over the last 20 years, SATTE has been promoting India’s tourism and it has evolved as a truly global exhibition in this part of the world.

Expects 1 min visitor arrivals during five-day Goa Carnival next month. The Government of Goa will come out with a comprehensive Master Plan and Tourism Policy to take tourism development in the state beyond beaches. The new Master Plan and Tourism Policy for the state will be ready by April, 2013. On the sidelines of the announcement of the schedule for this year’s Goa Carnival, slated to be held from February 9-13. According to the Minister, the proposed Master Plan will try to address issues related with accommodation, connectivity, etc., in order to stimulate tourism growth. He said that since revenue generation from mining has dwindled due to court orders, tourism is a major focus area for the state government for sustainable development.

He said that the Goa Tourism Department is keen on developing new destinations, including mega theme parks, as part of the Master Plan. He informed that major theme park operators in the region like Disneyland, Sentosa Island Singapore, and Genting Island Malaysia have approached the state government and evinced interest to set up theme parks in the state.

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This international standard allows an organization to plan, implement, operate, maintain and update a food safety management system proposed at providing products that according to their intended use are safe to consumers. It also ensures obedience with the statutory and regulatory authorities and helps effectively communicate along the food chain from farm to folk.

“Since the launch in August 2011, Grand Hyatt Goa has won many awards and certifications and continues to be the preferred resort not only as a holiday destination but also a preferred dining venue in Goa," said Stefan Radstrom, General Manager, Grand Hyatt Goa.

The Leela Palace New Delhi received five awards by TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Hotel Awards 2013, including The Top Big & Luxury Hotel in Asia and Top Big, Service and Luxury Hotel in India. The awards were conferred at a by-invitation soiree in the presence of major players from the hospitality and travel industry. The hotel was honoured with Centre of Excellence Certification in 2012 for the feedback and ranking on TripAdvisor. Commenting on the recognition, Tamir Kobrin, General Manager, The Leela Palace New Delhi, said, “Digital evolution highly impacts the decisions of discerning.

Hilton Hotels & Resorts recently opened Hilton Shillim Estate Retreat & Spa, its first leisure property in India.

Operated by Hilton Worldwide and owned by Writer Lifestyle Pvt. Ltd., the retreat offers 99 villas. The property features ecologically designed all-villa accommodation with butler service, extensive dining options, one of the largest wine cellars in India and among the largest and most comprehensive spa facilities in Asia that encompasses 70 acres and offers more than 150 treatments.

“Hilton Shillim Estate Retreat & Spa is an exceptional addition to our fast growing portfolio in India. Given the facilities and services on offer, we expect the property to become the favorite gateway for guests travelling on leisure in the region. We now operate 11 hotels in the country and, at the current pace of rapid growth, we hope to increase our portfolio to 50 hotels in the next five years," said Martin Rinck, President, Asia Pacific, Hilton Worldwide.

Hoteliers of Indian origin, who independently own over 8,000 properties in America valued at around USD 54 billion, are now keen on investing in various sectors in India, including hospitality, healthcare and education. "Hospitality is where our members see the biggest value when making investments in India. For us, it will be very easy to replicate the business model that we have followed successfully in America for so many years. There is a huge requirement of rooms in India and the budget hotel model that we are looking at is different from the ones already there in India. For us budget properties mean quality hotels that are safe, secure and clean and the opportunity in India, specially smaller cities, is huge," Alkesh Patel, Chairman, Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) of America, was quoted as saying in a report in The Economic Times.

Bengaluru-based Eastwood Hospitality, a travel, tourism and hotel management consultancy, will establish a luxury eco-hotel in the Kabini Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka later this month. Matthew Joseph, CEO and Director of Marketing, Eastwood Hospitality, said, “The 30-cottage property will be spread across 25 acres and we expect ten cottages to be ready by December 2013, which is when we will have a soft launch. The property will target the high-end luxury segment.'

From April this year, Eastwood Hospitality will start promoting packages to South America. The company has tied up with a South American DMC for these packages. Joseph said, “Our target will be the luxury traveller who is experienced and wants a new and different destination. The highlight of the packages to South America will be the Amazon river cruise. Additionally, we will promote these packages to our ‘Women on the Horizon’ segment, which caters to female travellers."

Joseph added that last year, there was an increase in demand by Indian travellers for niche products. He said, “We have observed that.

Green Gateway Leisure Ltd, the hospitality division of Thiruvananthapuram-based travel giant, ATE Group, has tied up with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide to open a five-star resort at Bekal in Kerala. The property is scheduled to be operational by end of 2013. The resort will be developed by ATE Group and managed by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide under the brand 'Westin Hotels & Resorts'. ATE Group is one of the six companies that has permission to set up a five-star resort at Bekal, as per the development plan of Bekal Resorts Development Corporation Ltd. This information was revealed by Zaheer EN, Executive Director, ATE Group.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation and Chartered Hampi Hotels Pvt Ltd recently opened Hyatt Place Hampi in Karnataka with 115-guest rooms. More than 20 additional Hyatt Place hotels have been previously announced throughout the country, including Hyatt Place hotels in Nagpur and Pune.

Hyatt Place Hampi joins ten hotels currently open under various Hyatt brands in the country, including Park Hyatt Hyderabad and Park Hyatt Chennai, both of which opened earlier this year.

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According to International Air Transport Association (IATA), in 2012, domestic air traffic in India shrank 2.1 per cent below the 2011 levels. IATA in its latest report on the full-year traffic results for 2012 said that weak economic growth was exacerbated by increasing operational costs, insufficient infrastructure, high taxes and onerous regulation. Capacity growth fell to 0.3 per cent (from 16.2 per cent in 2011) and the average load factor for the year was 72.9 per cent.

The growth in capacity (number of aircraft seats offered) in Indian domestic sector fell drastically to 0.3 per cent from 16.2 per cent in 2011, while average load factor (filling up of seats on offer) was 72.9 per cent, IATA said. However, the global domestic air travel markets expanded four per cent. China registered 9.5 per cent growth and Brazil 8.6 per cent, in contrast to 2.1 per cent contraction in India, the study showed.

Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) has reportedly held talks with GoAir and SpiceJet for a stake purchase, as per a ET report. However, Ryosei Nomura, Spokesperson, ANA, told the newspaper, "We do not offer comments on such media queries." A detailed questionnaire seeking details of ANA's interest in the two Indian carriers remained unanswered. Repeated calls and an e-mail query to Jeh Wadia, Managing Director of GoAir, elicited no response.

The Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) has fixed a User Development Fee (UDF) for Kolkata airport, as per a PTI report. Domestic passengers would have to pay Rs 400 per ticket as UDF, while those flying to foreign destinations would have to shell out Rs 1,000 more when they travel from February 16, 2013 according to the order of AERA.

The UDF would rise further to Rs 424 for domestic and Rs 1,060 for international travel with effect from April 1, 2014, while it would be Rs 449 and Rs 1,124 from April 1, 2015.

UDF is being charged at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) completing the project that was inaugurated by Pranab Mukherjee, President of India last Sunday.

The regulatory body also fixed the charges for services like landing, navigation and parking charges and fuel throughput, which the airlines would have to bear

Singapore Airlines and SilkAir have announced special fares on flights from 11 cities in India to eight popular destinations in Australia and New Zealand (NZ) at all-inclusive return Economy Class fares starting from Rs 56,000 and Rs 63,000 (per person) respectively. The offers are valid for travel from any of the 11 cities in India that Singapore Airlines and SilkAir operate  Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram and Visakhapatnam  with a Singapore stopover permitted one way.

The fares are only applicable for a minimum of two persons travelling together and return must be completed within three months from commencement of travel, , as per The Indian Express report. Tickets can be booked from February 1-28, 2013 for travel from February 10

Air India re-introduced its international flights between Kolkata and Dhaka from February 7, 2013 an official of the national carrier said yesterday, as per an IANS report. "We are reinstating the air service between Kolkata and Dhaka. It will be a regular and full-fledged service," an Air India spokesperson said. Earlier, Air India Express, a sister concern of Air India, had been operating low-cost flights between the two cities, but the service was suspended early last year due to "operational reasons".

He added, "With the introduction of the three additional flights on the Mumbai-Hong Kong route, we hope to strengthen our focus as a network carrier.

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