July 2013

Rajeev Kohli
Joint Managing Director

Dear Industry Colleagues

Welcome to another edition of award winning 'Creatively Yours'.

The rains have arrived and with what vigour. A few days ago it rained more in Delhi than it had on any day in the last 10 years. The monsoon have appeared across different parts of the country, giving all relief from  our summer.  The rainy season gives some parts of our country a completely new look. From Kerala to Goa, to our hills in the East, all look very different after the rains.

We in Team Creative are also very proud to have been nominated again for two World Travel Awards for a third year running. This is a tremendous honour. With our wins in 2012 & 2011, we hope you will support us this year as well. Every vote helps count towards our success, for it is only the support from our friends and partners across the world that make us what we are today. Details on how to vote are below.

We have some exciting options for the F1 races in India this October. Do let us know if you would like  us to send these to you.

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.

www.travel2india.com
 www.creative.travel

Udaipur hailed, as the Venice of the East and the city of lakes’, is a rich and unique repository of architectural and tangible heritage of not just Rajasthan and India but also of the world.

Adding more charm to the city, comes the world’s first silver museum in Udaipur that showcases the best silver exhibits from the royal family. Silver is held sacred in traditional Hindu beliefs, which associates the beautiful white metal with the cool moon, surpassed only in importance by warm gold. The selection of unique items included in the silver gallery reflects the artistry of the silversmith and the beauty of this precious metal. Read more...

Foreign tourist arrivals to India grew by about 4.5% from 6.30 million in 2011 to 6.57 million in 2012. While this is a sharp drop from the about 9% growth that was seen in 2011 as compared to 2010, it is still twice the world average according to latest data from the Bureau of Immigration.

Incidentally, the US continued as the top source country, reaching 1 million tourists in 2012. In comparison, tourists from the UK, Sri Lanka and Malaysia came down in 2012.

The top 10 source markets remained the same. The US and the UK were followed by Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Canada, Germany, France, Japan, Australia and Malaysia. Read more...
 

Cheer spread in the tourism as well as the art and culture sector in Rajasthan when its 6 hill forts were selected to be in the UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The hills forts are – Amber, Chittorgarh, Gangron, Jaisalmer, Kumbhalgarh and Ranthambore.

These hill forts were approved in the 37th Meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Cambodia on 21 June. The selection of these forts, located in different cities, as a serial cultural property, is the first of its kind ever by UNESCO.
 Read more...

All the facilities in the trains are being modernized including water purifiers in washrooms aside from superior communication and entertainment devices. Even the dining cart, the bar and lounge will be given a new look. The spa and health club will also get major upgrades.

As for the RROW makeover, the wooden floors would be covered with exquisite carpets to minimize noise. Further, new doors will replace existing ones. Besides, the train speed will also be increased so that guests spend less time on wheels and enjoy more time at the destinations. “However, the itinerary and tariffs for the trains will remain same in 2013-14.

Nepal’s travel trade credited the rise in Chinese arrivals to increased promotions and participation at Chinese tradeshows over the last two years, which looks set to continue in the future. Read more...

US-based hospitality major Starwood Hotels & Resorts has announced the debut of its two hotel brands – Aloft and Four Points by Sheraton in Ahmedabad. The opening marks fifth Aloft hotel of the company in India, which are developed with the Urbanedge Hotels, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) of Auromatrix Holdings, an anchor partner of Starwood. Combining the two brands, Starwood has 10 operating hotels in India. It has executed deals for five more hotels which are under development. Aloft in Ahmedabad is a 176-room hotel with tariff starting from Rs 7,000. The Four Points is a 104-room hotel, converted from an existing hotel and will be Starwood's first managed Four Points by Sheraton in India.

The Vivanta by Taj -Bentota, Sri Lanka recently announced the completion of its USD 12.5 million (Rs 65 Crore) extensive renovation. “With its unparalleled natural surroundings, Sri Lanka has become one of the world’s most coveted destinations. The recent investment in Vivanta by Taj - Bentota, Sri Lanka has enhanced a resort that is widely appreciated for its Indian Ocean views, pristine beach, wide-ranging culinary offerings and Ayurveda Jiva Spa” said Manoj Mathew, General Manager.

Each of the 160 rooms offers views of the ocean or the landscaped gardens with private sit-outs or terraces. The look and feel of the rooms was inspired by the adjacent beaches and the rich colors and heritage of the Bentota region. In addition, Vivanta by Taj - Bentota, Sri Lanka has over 6500 square feet of indoor and outdoor space for meetings and conferences.

The group has announced the addition of properties in Agra, Ajmer and Bekal. Crystal Sarovar Premiere in Agra will open with 160 rooms in 2014, while Sarovar Portico in Ajmer will be operations with 60 rooms by 2015. The Sarovar property in Bekal, Kerala will be ready to receive guests by 2014 with 48 rooms.

“The Sarovar group is continuing its expansion spree, adding three more properties in its portfolio, to reach its target of 100 hotels,” said Anil Madhok, Managing Director of Sarovar Hotels & Resorts.
 

Lemon Tree Hotels announced the acquisition of the erstwhile 130-room Clarion Hotel in Whitefield, Bengaluru. Fleur Hotels, the JV partnership between Lemon Tree Hotels and Dutch pension fund manager APG acquired the hotel in an all-cash deal for Rs. 64 crore. Another Rs. 11 crore is proposed to be spent on renovating the hotel and rebranding it as the Lemon Tree Hotel, Whitefield, and Bengaluru. Lemon Tree already owns and operates two hotels in Bengaluru.

Air India has confirmed plans to fly direct to Australia. The national carrier will launch daily flights from New Delhi to both Sydney and Melbourne later this year, using its 256-seat, two-class Boeing 787 Dreamliner. News of the new service was welcomed by Australian authorities. Read more...

Starting October 4, 2013; Dragonair will operate an extra service between Kolkata and Hong Kong. The additional service will be the fifth weekly service on this route. Flight KA 169 will depart from Kolkata at 00:10 hrs and arrive in Hong Kong at 06:00 hrs and on the return leg, Flight 168 will depart Hong Kong at 20:50 hrs and arrive in Kolkata at 23:15 hrs. With this additional service, Dragonair will then operate on Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday for flights departing from Kolkata and Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday for flights departing from Hong Kong. Currently, Dragonair and its sister airline Cathay Pacific operates 42 passenger flights a week between Hong Kong and six Indian cities – Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata.

Already a tourist hotspot, Rajasthan has got more reasons to cheer after the Central government gave nod to four low-budget airports, which will come up at Ajmer, Kota, Alwar and Bhilwara.

The Union government on Friday decided to set up 51 new low-cost airports with an aim to give a boost to the civil aviation sector and increase air connectivity to various destinations. Read more...

Jet Airways and European carriers Air France and Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) have entered into a code share agreement to provide seamless connectivity to passengers for destinations in India and Europe. As per the agreement, Air France (AF) and KLM can place their own codes (AF) and (KL) on Jet Airways domestic flights for providing connectivity to three major Indian cities beyond Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai. Air France-KLM have 27 weekly long-haul flights between Europe and India, while Jet Airways operates to 72 places in India and abroad including Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Bangkok, Brussels, Dubai, Hong Kong, Jeddah, London, New York (Newark), Singapore and Toronto.

GoAir will move its operations from Terminal 1B to Terminal 1A at the Chattrapati Shivaji International Airport.

The move will come into effect from 1 July 2013. A dedicated aisle of check-in counters at Terminal 1A will be available for GoAir passengers, while the airline will also move its ticketing office to the new premise. Read more...

Jet Airways has announced the enhancement of a second daily frequency from India to Singapore. This service effective August 1, 2013 will complement the night flight currently in operation on the Chennai-Singapore route. This second service at noon offers travellers a flight out of Chennai providing seamless connections at Singapore to Australia, New Zealand and to Pacific destinations beyond. The new Jet Airways service, flight 9W 22 will depart Chennai daily at 1200 hrs and arrive Singapore at 1850 hrs (Local Time). On the return, flight 9W 21 will depart Singapore at 2020 hrs (LT) and arrive in Chennai at 2215 hrs (LT). Jet Airways presently operates two flights out of Delhi and one flight each from Mumbai and Chennai.