March 2015

Rajeev Kohli
Joint Managing Director

Dear Industry Colleagues

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

March marks one year since our founder and mentor, Ram Kohli passed on. It has been a strange year for his absence was indeed felt in everything we did. The company he created has his DNA in everything we do and his memory shall last forever.

On the 28th of February, the Indian National Budget was released. To say it was a disappointment for us in the Indian tourism industry would be an understatement. The industry received No additional benefits or reductions in levies. No progressive measures for tourism or hospitality at all. Infact, taxes have gone up on all services in the country, including tourism and that we expect will impact all prices by at least 2-3%. Given that the inbound industry has seen a soft year, this couldn’t have come at a worse time. The only thing tourism got in the budget was a statement that the new Visa on Arrival system would be extended to 150 countries, but that too in a phased manner. We in the industry are pushing for that to be expedited, but this is going slower than desired.

Having said this, we as a company close our financial year in March and are overall pleased with the way we did. Despite the slow demand for India across the world, we will close the year having held our last year’s performance. We owe that to the support of all our friends & partners across the world. Thank you.

As we go into our off-season we intend to take the time to create new and exciting projects as well as make adjustments to our internal processes where needed. No company can rest on its laurels and we need to ensure we are as cutting edge as ever so that we can flawlessly deliver the legendary Creative service.

We have some exciting initiatives available for you. Some are meant for travel industry professionals to come and experience India and Creative's award winning services first hand at a very special offer. Other initiatives are special offerings for you to market on to your client base. We encourage you to send through your thoughts on what you think could work for your markets, so that we can have the team customize a product set for you. We at Creative intend to aggressively push the price competitiveness of India in its shoulder period as we feel the market is turning around for us all and let's use that to gain some interaction and make up for lost business.

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.
 

Take care

www.creative.travel

Every employer always cherishes an employee who goes beyond the call of duty. We at Creative are no different. Recently on a group operation in Mumbai, two of our team members - Birbal & Vishal, thwarted a gang of thieves who tried to highjack luggage out of a van that was carrying a group’s luggage. They were following the van in a car when they saw some local goons jump into the back of the van and start unloading the luggage. In true Indian Bollywood action style, the two jumped out of the moving car and pounced on the thieves. A scuffle ensued and they got away, but with no booty and a few bruises to carry home. Our boys put their safety on the line to ensure the guests did not leave India with the wrong memories.

We felt why not recognise them with what we will now proudly call the “Creative Bravery Award” for their valour, for their service and for their exemplary behaviour. They truly have the Creative spirit. We are proud of them!

An amount of Rs 1,573.07 crore has been earmarked for the tourism ministry for 2015-16, giving it a rise of 33 per cent over last fiscal's allocation. The Union Budget 2015 has been evaluated as sensible and progressive from nation's point f view. Tourism has been the talking point during the budget speech of the Finance minister, Arun Jaitely as several major announcements such as extending the TVOA facility to 150 countries, implementation of General Sales Tax(GST) from April 2016, hike in budget allocation for Ministry of Tourism and restoration of facilities around the world heritage sites tok the centre stage. The only deterrent that industry felt was increase in service tax.
An amount of Rs 1,573.07 crore has been earmarked for the tourism ministry for 2015-16, giving it a rise of 33 per cent over last fiscal's allocation.

The government had eased Indian tourism visa regime through the expansion of VoA enabled by electronic travel authorization (ETA) and extended this facility to tourists from countries like the US, Israel, Palestine and Japan to boost tourism sector.

This hassle-free process has given a fillip to Indian tourism whose share in world tourism is a paltry 0.6 per cent of international tourist arrivals compared to 7.8 per cent in France and 6.4 per cent in the US.

Goa Tourism has recently announced its mega plans to organise three festivals which commence from March 7, 2015.The annual Shigmotsav is scheduled to start on March 7, 2015 and end on March 20, 2015.The Goa Food and Cultural Festival 2015 is scheduled from April 17-21, 2015 and the first edition of Goa Coconut and Cashew Festival 2015 is scheduled from April 29 to 3, May 2015.

Addressing the Press Conference in the national capital, Shri Ameya Abhyankar, Director of Tourism, Government of Goa said, "Goa loves to celebrate the essence of life and Goa Tourism helps to bring out the best of Goa's culture, heritage, traditions, feasts, festivals and cuisine through events showcasing all these facets for the World and India. While Shigmo and Goa Food and Cultural Festival are being conducted annually and have been receiving incredible responses from tourists far and wide, the all new Coconut and Cashew Festival is another addition to the annual list of events." "Goa Tourism wants to add more and new attractions for tourists to enjoy. Being a holiday destination 365 days of the year, we have an event almost every month so that vacationers can feel the true spirit of Goa," he added.

Kerala is exploring the possibility of creating a tourism circuit in partnership with Sri Lanka and Maldives. The same was discussed by G Kamala Vardhana Rao, Secretary - Tourism, Government of Kerala, with Navin Dissanayak, Minister of Tourism and Sports, Sri Lanka, at ITB Berlin 2015. Rao said, "A travel itinerary that includes three of the most popular destinations in South Asia will certainly appeal to many tourists. We are particularly looking at visitors from China and the Far East. It will be a very interesting package that offers, on the one hand, many geographical and cultural similarities, and on the other very unique experiences in each region."

A P Anilkumar, Minister for Tourism, Government of Kerala, has agreed, in principle, to take the proposal forward after discussing with the governments of India and Sri Lanka. He will lead an official delegation to Sri Lanka next month for the same. Rao also spoke about working out details of the mutual tourism packages as part of 'Visit Kerala Year 2015'. Dissanayak assured support to the Kerala delegation during their visit.

The Indian Railway Budget 2015-16 will see a slew of initiatives intended to boost tourism, including 52 per cent more funds for Indian Railways than in 2014-15, and about US$6.5 billion for its annual plan.

Under the initiative Incredible Rail for Incredible India, Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will plan and promote tour packages for Gandhi Circuit to attract tourists to mark the occasion of 100 years of the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India. To be flagged off from April 9, the Gandhi Circuit trains would cover destinations such as Chandigarh, Ambala, Panipat, Delhi Cantt, Moradabad, Bareilly, Lucknow, Kanpur, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Porbandar, Bhavnagar and Surat. The Railway Ministry is also mooting plans to offer coaches in select trains connecting major tourist destinations to travel agencies on a revenue-sharing model. Major thrust has been given to north and north-eastern states well known for their scenic beauty and adventure tourism opportunities. A sum of US$9.3 billion has been proposed to connect Kashmir and seven sister states in the north-east.

Mumbai, March 18 (IANS) India's vibrancy, rich culture and chaos of urban life turned out to be magnets for John Madden, who has shot two of his films –"The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" and its sequel - in the country. The English director says every frame in the nation is worth capturing. Madden sat down to talk about his fascination with India. "It is so different culturally. It is colours that define Rajasthan, but it also has an energy which is so powerful," he said. Both his films are extensively shot in Jaipur and Udaipur.

"The films are more about chaos of urban life in Rajasthan and I was very affected by that. My point is that you can point your camera on anything, and you will find something interesting (in India)," added the 65-year-old, who was here to promote his movie. When Madden came to India for his new film, he says it strengthened his bond with the country. "I understood it better. I felt a stronger sense of identity with India. The country is stimulating, vibrant and astonishing to the greyer tones to the British life or western lifestyle," said the filmmaker.

The government has identified 50 circuits for development of tourism in the country, covering a mix of culture, heritage, spiritualism and ecotourism. Prominent among these are the Andaman and Nicobar Circuit, Kashmir Circuit, Desert Circuit in Rajasthan, Nature Tourism Circuit in West Bengal, and Beach and Fort Circuit (Mumbai to Goa).

While most of these circuits are categorised state-wise or on the basis of terrain, as many as seven sectors have been identified on the basis of faith. read more...

Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State for Tourism (I/C), Culture (I/C) and Civil Aviation has said that the new Tourism Policy, 2015 will be launched on the 15th of May this year. He was addressing the participants at a workshop held on the formulation of National Tourism Policy 2015. The Minister thanked the participants for bringing and sharing their wisdom on a common platform. The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi is working as the greatest Ambassador of Tourism for the country and his efforts will be taken forward rapidly by the Ministry of Tourism. read more...

Effective March 1, 2015, the owners of Pullman Gurgaon- Sanjit Bakshi and Raunaq Kohli have tied up with Starwood Hotels and Resorts and rebranded the existing property (earlier known as Pullman Central Park Gurgaon) as Le Meridien, Gurgaon, an upper upscale hotel brand.

Apart from adding the Le Meridien signature elements to the hotel, they have renamed the all day dining restaurant to 'Latest Recipe' and revised the menu with live cooking stations. The hotel now offers Teppanyaki, a style of Japanese cuisine. A private dining room with 14 covers has been designed at the restaurant. Earlier known Citrique is now the Longitude Bar and an Italian Restaurant-La Riviera would also come up by the year end. The pool side club-I-Kandy has been redesigned and an art gallery walk through has been added near the ground floor elevator. Besides a 24 hour alcohol serving license, stunning pieces of incredible artwork have been added to make the look and feel of the property vibrant and lively. Beautiful landscaping has also been done around the hotel entry which gives a relaxed view from the rooms and the driveway to the hotel has been made two times bigger.

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts and GHV Hotel (India) recently announced the opening of Hyatt Place Pune/Hinjewadi, which is strategically located at the entrance to the fast-growing IT city of Pune, less than 85 miles (143 kilometers) from Mumbai, India. This is the third Hyatt Place hotel to open in India, following the 2012 opening of Hyatt Place Hampi in Southern India and the November 2014 opening of Hyatt Place Gurgaon/Udyog Vihar in Northern India.

"The opening of Hyatt Place Pune/Hinjewadi marks a significant milestone for the Hyatt Place brand as it continues to expand throughout India and around the world," said Pablo Graf, senior vice president of operations for Hyatt, Southwest Asia. "The Hyatt Place brand combines style, innovation and round the clock convenience to create a perfect seamless stay with every modern comfort for the multi-tasking traveler."

The first Radisson Hotel in North Goa opened at Candolim-Calanguete beach, one of the most popular resort destinations in the country. The hotel boasts of 78 well-appointed rooms and suites, flexible meeting spaces including a 2,300 square-foot pillar-less ballroom, two restaurants, 24-hour in-room dining service, a spa and gym. All rooms feature free Wi-Fi internet access for guests to keep connected.

The hotel is closely located to North Goa's tourist areas including the historic Fort Aguada, the ancient churches of Old Goa and excellent shopping centers in Panjim. The hotel is located near the NH 17 & NH 4A highways, and is less than an hour's drive from the airport and half an hour from the railway station. "Radisson Goa Candolim is our 5th hotel in Goa, a popular destination for leisure travelers from around the world and from within India. We are honored and excited to be partnering with Alcon Victor Group for our second hotel. The opening of Radisson Goa Candolim strengthens Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group's pole position as the number one international hotel operator in India by number of hotels, with over 110 hotels in operation and under development," said Raj Rana, Chief Executive Officer, Carlson Rezidor Hotels South Asia.

Tree of Life Resorts and Hotels, a four year old hospitality chain officially unveiled the Tree of Life TatSaraasa Resort and Spa, Udaipur on February 1, 2015 and the Tree of Life Jaagir Lodge, Dudhwa National Park, in Uttar Pradesh on February 17, 2015. Today, with four properties under the Tree of Life brand, the Founder-Himmat Anand expects to have over eight hotels (both owned and managed) by the year 2017.

Situated 13 km from the city centre, the Tree of Life TatSaraasa Resort & Spa, Udaipur is spread over five acres on the banks of Lake Lakhawali and surrounded by the Aravali hills. Besides 24 Luxury Lake View Rooms, the resort features an all-day dining restaurant, a bar, The Meeting Room, the Spa, Gym and a 70 feet swimming pool. read more...

WelcomHeritage Hotels has signed a new property in Kullu Valley in Manali, Himachal Pradesh under its Nature Collection. WelcomHeritage Urvashi's Retreat situated at an altitude of 6,750 feet in the Beas River Valley and offers a spectacular view of snow covered peaks, lush green valleys, mountain lakes and flowery gardens. The resort is located near the famous hanging bridge at Nehru Kund , five km on Manali-Leh National Highway.

The resort will open in two phases. In the first phase the resort will have eight rooms divided into three cottages, a dining area that serves multi-cuisine, a bar lounge and landscaped gardens. In the second phase it will have eight more rooms and will extend facilities like Gym and spa complex, an art house café, Tennis court and a Conference room.

Oman Air has announced that it will launch services to Goa from March 29. It will also be launching services to Singapore and Dhaka this year. "The launch of these new services continues our ambitious programme of expansion and follows the highly successful December 2014 introduction to our network of services to Manila and Jakarta.

Overlooking the Arabian Sea on the western coast of India, Goa's unspoiled beaches, temples, mosques and wildlife sanctuaries, together with its Portugese-influenced Indian culture entwine to offer travellers a unique experience. Oman Air's new service, operated using spacious and comfortable Boeing 737 aircraft, will offer four flights per week between Muscat International Airport and Goa International Airport. Tickets are available for purchase and can be booked now from OMR 161.3 return per person, including taxes and charges.

Full-service carrier Vistara will expand its route network by launching services to Pune from its Delhi hub, stated a release. The booking for these flights is now open. With the addition of Pune, Vistara now operates flights to seven destinations in India including Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Goa, Hyderabad and Guhawati and Bagdogra.
read more...

Enhancing its route network on the domestic front, IndiGo is launching eight flights. This includes connecting Delhi to Lucknow, Lucknow to Patna and Patna to Kolkata and introduction of its first daily non-stop flight from Kolkata to Goa from today. Furthermore, effective March 29, 2015, IndiGo will also commence its second daily non-stop service between Delhi and Indore and fourth daily non-stop flight between Mumbai and Indore, while also introducing two new flight timings on the Mumbai-Raipur route.

Commenting on the new flight schedule, Aditya Ghosh, President, IndiGo said, "It gives me immense pleasure in announcing these new frequencies connecting the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Patna, Goa, Indore and Raipur. Having flown over 88 million passengers across the globe, we at IndiGo are determined to provide the best travel experience to all our customers. It is our constant endeavour to provide more flexibility of choice for our customers as IndiGo continues to offer them on time, hassle free and always affordable flying experience."

South African Airways (SAA) has enhanced connectivity with India as a part of its network optimisation exercise. Effective March 30, 2015, instead of a Mumbai – Johannesburg direct flight, passengers can now travel from Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram to Johannesburg via Abu Dhabi through SAA's codeshare partner Etihad Airways. SA EY codeshare will connect Abu Dhabi to Johannesburg vide SA279 and connect Johannesburg to Abu Dhabi vide SA278. The new arrangement complements SAA's Long-Term Turnaround Strategy and is expected to benefit the company, passengers and agents equally.

Cathay Pacific Airways recently announced a further expansion of its freighter network with the launch of a new service to Kolkata, India, commencing March 11, 2015. Cathay Pacific will become the only carrier providing direct freighter services between Kolkata and Hong Kong. The scheduled service will operate twice a week on a Hong Kong-New Delhi-Kolkata- Hong Kong routing. It will strengthen the airline's airfreight presence within the subcontinent, offering customers greater choice and flexibility when moving goods between South Asia and other parts of the world.

An MD-11 freighter in the Lufthansa Cargo fleet will in future keep the name "Namaste India" (Greeting to India) on flights in the carrier's global network. The aircraft with the registration D-ALCJ was named by Dr. Alexis von Hoensbroech, Board Member Products & Sales of Lufthansa Cargo, and His Excellency Shri Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati, Honourable Union Minister of Civil Aviation, during a ceremony at Indira Gandhi International Airport. In keeping with Indian tradition, a coconut was broken for the plane to be sprinkled with India's typical beverage. read more...

Ethiopian Airlines, the largest airline in Africa, is pleased to announce that it has finalized preparations to start double daily flights to Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport starting March 2015. Ethiopian has been providing reliable air service to Mumbai for over 43 years with the launch of its first flight in December 1971. The airline currently has daily flights to Mumbai and New Delhi. Both daily flights to Mumbai will be operated with the ultra-modern B787 Dreamliner aircraft, which offers passengers unparalleled on-board comfort with the largest windows in the sky, higher level of cabin air humidity greatly reducing fatigue, high ceiling, the latest in- flight entertainment system and much reduced noise. With the double daily flights to Mumbai, Ethiopian aims to provide optimal connectivity options for passengers traveling between India and its 49 destinations in Africa.