March 2014

Rajeev Kohli
Joint Managing Director

Dear Industry Colleagues :

This edition of  'Creatively Yours' goes colourless. The 4th of March the passing of our founder and Chairman, Ram Kohli. This came as a great shock not only to us in the family, but to the industry at large. This was a man who created much of the legacy inbound travel business that India has today. He opened new frontiers for the country and will be remembered for the passion he had where he always put India above himself.

The outpouring of support from all over the world has been overwhelming. The stories that friends have shared from all over the world are indicative of the love Ram had and the impressions he left behind wherever he went.

He has left behind a strong legacy in Creative Travel, one that will only flourish in the years to come. He will be sorely missed and nothing with fill the void he has left behind.

As we mentioned in our last edition, India is in election mode. Politics is in our DNA. We can talk about it for breakfast, lunch and dinner and some more. The election process starts on April 7 and will run through the middle of May. Although this generally causes little disruption to a travelers plans, we are keeping an eye on many closures or other issues which may require any changes in plans.

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.  

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Creative Travel won the 7th Best Exhibitor Award in the category of “Travel Organization” at the BEA Awards at ITB Berlin this year.

In cooperation with ITB Berlin a team of CBS (Cologne Business School) students bestowed the Best Exhibitor Awards (BEA) to the most impressing exhibitors at the world’s largest tourism fair, ITB Berlin. The future tourism managers of the CBS had visited some 11,000 booths at the ITB and assessed them according to numerous criteria such as creativity, originality, service quality, sustainability and special effects.

During the month of February 2014, a total of 1,980 VoAs were issued under the Visa On Arrival (VoA) Scheme as compared to 1,947 VoAs during the month of February 2013, registering a growth of 1.7 per cent. A growth of 6.8 per cent percent has been recorded in the number of tourists availing VoA during the period January-February, 2014. A total number of 3,883 VoAs have been issued in this period as compared to 3,637 VoAs during the corresponding period of 2013.

The number of VoAs issued under this scheme during February, 2014 for nationals of the eleven countries was Japan (539), New Zealand (389), Indonesia (299), the Philippines (283), Singapore (258), Finland (127), Myanmar (30), Vietnam (24), Luxembourg (18), Cambodia (10) and Laos (3).

India Tourism, along with stakeholders in the industry, will host the United States Tour Operators Association’s (USTOA) 2014 annual Out-of-Country Board of Directors Meeting from March 22-31 in Delhi. This is the second time that the Meeting will be held in India. The first was held around 20 years ago. A 48-active member USTOA delegation will be present for the Meeting in Delhi next month. The Indian travel industry, especially Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), and USTOA supplier members in India have been lobbying hard for some time now to bring the group to the country.

Every year, the USTOA Board travels to different countries for the Meeting. Talking about the significance of the Meeting, Rajeev Kohli, Joint Managing Director, Creative Travel and Vice President, IATO, said that India won the bid to host the Meeting against two other countries. “This is an exceptionally influential and powerful group in the North American travel industry. We need to ensure they (USTOA) go back with praises for our destination. Wherever the Meeting has been held earlier, USTOA delegates have been given utmost importance. In Israel, the Minister of Tourism travelled with them, while in Jordan, they were guests of the King,” he said.

In India, there are about 36 USTOA supplier members. USTOA was established in 1972 by a small group of tour operators based in California. It became the premier national organisation of professional US tour operators in 1975 with headquarters in New York. Among key objectives, USTOA aims to foster a high level of professionalism among tour operators, and protect both consumers and travel agents from financial losses in the event of active members’ insolvency, bankruptcy or cessation of business.

The Kerala government has opened to public four museums under the Muziris Heritage Project. The museums, namely Kerala History Museum, housed in the Paliam Kovilakam; Kerala Lifestyle Museum in Paliam Nalukettu; Kerala Jews Historical Museum in Paravur Synagogue; and Kerala Jews Lifestyle Museum in Chendamangalam Synagogue, are equipped with video screens, touch screens and information panels to help visitors understand the history of the region. The museums reflect the bygone era of a ‘lost city’ that played a crucial role in moulding the socio-politico culture of Kerala, as per a release. They will provide visitors an insight into the multi-layered history of the ancient port city, which mysteriously disappeared sometime after the 1st century AD.

“The Muziris Heritage Project is one of the biggest conservation projects in the modern history of India. It is because of this magnitude that both the Central and State governments have come together to conserve and showcase a culture of more than three millennia,” A P Anilkumar, Minister for Tourism, Government of Kerala, said. He added, “The Project gives people an opportunity to walk the same road once travelled by explorers and traders in ancient Muziris.”

The state government’s decision to revive the Muziris Heritage Project has been widely praised by countries across the world, including China, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Russia and Bangladesh. The UNESCO and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) have also backed the state government’s conservation efforts, the release adds.

Rajasthan, so far, is known as a destination for forts, havelis and sand dunes but Raje has been pushing for developing connectivity and standard infrastructure for development of other tourism activities such as birding, Ecotourism, cultural and music fests and adventure sports.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has announced its entry into the newly-built development of Aerocity with the opening of Holiday Inn New Delhi International Airport. It is the second Holiday Inn hotel in the capital and ninth in the country.

The 265-room hotel is located in close proximity to Delhi’s domestic and international airports. Located in the plush new Aerocity and within close proximity to both Delhi and Gurgaon, we are confident that the hotel will soon prove to be an ideal choice for travellers to the city.”

In India, IHG now has 19 hotels open across 10 cities in the country. Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express are IHG’s fastest growing brands in India.

Hilton Worldwide and DoubleTree by Hilton have announced the signing of a management agreement with Archer Hospitality for DoubleTree by Hilton Agra, scheduled to open this August. Hilton Worldwide and DoubleTree by Hilton today announced the signing of a management agreement with Archer Hospitality for DoubleTree by Hilton Agra, scheduled to open this August.

The 104-room hotel will also feature four dining outlets, an outdoor swimming pool, 24-hour fitness centre, a spa and salon. The conference and event space at the hotel will include a 4,700-square foot ballroom, four meeting rooms and a 24-hour business centre.

Also, Marriott is planed and targeted to do the soft launch of the hotel by the end of August - September 2014. The premise of Courtyard by Marriott Agra is a part of a mixed-used development in Taj Nagri, off the Fatehabad Road. It will be one of the first internationally-branded hotels in the upper-moderate-tier segment in the city. The world famous monument, Taj Mahal, is at a distance of 2 km from this property.

In the foothills of the Indian Himalayas, miles from anywhere, a new resort tipped to become one of the world's leading wellness retreats has finally opened to guests after an extensive planning and construction process.

To call Vana, Malsi Estate a spa would be like describing the Taj Mahal as a summerhouse. Not far from the border of Nepal, it is set on a 21-acre estate on the side of a mountain. It is a modernist palace for wellbeing, a veritable five-star ashram, with four yoga pavilions and studios, indoor and outdoor pools, more than 50 treatment rooms. The grounds include gardens of organic vegetables - used in the retreat kitchens - orchards of mango trees and evergreens laden with bunches of red, spiky lychees.

There is nothing very ashram-like about the accommodation, however. Designed by a Spanish design company, there's a touch of the mid-century modern about the interiors, a departure from the décor in most Indian hotels. Suites are smart and spacious, with high-quality fittings. Beds are large and deep, dressed with organic bedlinen; floors and furniture are all hardwood, with large balconies surrounded by trees; contemporary bathtubs are set next to picture windows to let in the green of the Sal forest.

The Resort is an important new addition to the Treehouse group, which has already made a name for itself in the management of various hospitality concepts across the country. Anuraga- A Treehouse Resort promises to transport the visitor to a grand home in interiors of Rajasthan using influences of art and culture of tribal community of the region. The hotel, which renders authentic Rajasthani architecture and construction styles, is beautifully done up with distinctive motifs across the rooms, lobby and public areas. It will have 40 rooms, 4 suites, a banquet hall, swimming pool, gardens, conference facility, spa and gym as well as restaurant and bar. The hotel is fully serviced and offers all amenities to the visitors who are frequent to Ranthambore.”

Malindo Air will commence daily direct services between Kuala Lumpur and Kochi beginning April 24 in support of Visit Malaysia Year 2014. Flights depart Kuala Lumpur at 21.10 and reach Kochi at 22.35, while return flights leave Kochi at 23.35 to arrive in Kuala Lumpur at 06.00 the next day. Chandran Rama Muthy, CEO of Malindo Air, said the new route was mounted in support of the Visit Malaysia Year 2014 project.

This is the fourth Indian destination the airline is serving after receiving approval from India’s aviation authorities. Malindo began New Delhi flights on December 30 last year and Trichy on January 2. Mumbai flights will take off on February 15. To mark its latest flight, Malindo is rolling out promotional fares from RM399 (US$120) for economy class and from RM999 for business class, all-inclusive one way.

Maldives, an archipelago of 1190 islands with a unique geography, is eyeing direct air connectivity with Delhi in order to boost tourist arrival into the country. The island nation is expected to start with a charter service from Maldives Male airport to Delhi in the next couple of months. If the response garnered is positive, Maldives will replace the charter service with direct scheduled services in due course.

Maldives aims to boost its share of tourism from the world’s fastest growing tourism source market, which is currently at a paltry 3 per cent of its total international visits. Maldives is currently only connected with Kerala, operating between Male and the state capital Trivandrum. With tourism as the backbone of its economy, Maldives hopes to diversify its tourism products and offerings all across the archipelago, which is hitherto largely concentrated in and around Male. Lirar further informed that the country is moving full swing to develop new tourism infrastructure in order to diversify its offering to international tourists and also create opportunities in the North and South of the country.

Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline, has launched Bengaluru’s maiden international flight to the Gulf, connecting India’s IT Hub with Abu Dhabi. The new route from the garden city is Jet Airways’ first international flight from Bengaluru to the Gulf.

Flight 9W 504 departed from Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru at 2030 hrs, and arrived at the Abu Dhabi International Airport at 2330 hrs (LT). On the return leg, the flight 9W 503 will depart Abu Dhabi at 1030 hrs (LT) and arrive in Bengaluru at 1620 hrs.

Furthermore, the evening departure of this flight will allow guests to make convenient and seamless connecti ons from several southern destinations on the airline’s domestic network to Abu Dhabi and beyond, via Bengaluru.

Emirates and Deutsche Lufthansa expect to start flying superjumbo jets Airbus 380 into India, after the government recently lifted a ban on the plane, as per a Wall Street Journal report by Santanu Choudhury. Executives at the airlines said they would make their decisions depending on their studies of the ability of the nation's airports to handle the A380—the world's biggest passenger jet.

The carriers are two of the biggest operators of the superjumbo jet. “We look forward to launching the Airbus A380 services in India soon as it is one of the most important intercontinental markets for Lufthansa,” said Frank Puettmann, Spokesman, Lufthansa. The Indian government on January 27 lifted an unofficial six-year ban on A380 flights, allowing airlines to start flying the aircraft to four airports in the country. Authorities previously expressed concerned that the jet's large capacity—as many 853 passengers—would put Indian airlines at a competitive disadvantage.

Strengthening its commitment to the domestic market, IndiGo, India’s largest and fastest growing low-cost and low-carbon airline, announces eight new flights connecting seven destinations, Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Srinagar, Bhubaneshwar, Guwahati and Dibrugarh. Effective March 15, 2014, IndiGo will operate new daily non-stop flights between Delhi to Dibrugarh and return via Guwahati – Kolkata & Lucknow to Srinagar via Delhi.

IndiGo, in its commitment to providing maximum connectivity from across the country on its network will be providing increased frequencies on the routes and offering greater travel options to both business and leisure passengers across these cities, and allow them to experience the hassle-free and on-time performance that IndiGo is synonymous with.

Cathay Pacific Airways has adjusted schedule of its Delhi flights to offer double daily non-stop service to Hong Kong from March 31, 2014, as per a release. The first flight from Delhi will arrive at Hong Kong International Airport at 0700 and the second flight at 0925, offering passengers seamless connections to destinations such as North America, Australia, Japan, Korea, China and the Philippines offered by Cathay Pacific and its sister airline, Dragonair. Both non-stop services are operated by Cathay Pacific’s fleet of A330 aircraft featuring the airline’s award winning Business Class seat, new Premium Economy cabin and the refreshed Economy class seat.

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....