Volume IV l Issue 12

Pages 32

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01-15 may 2015

Posted at NDPSO, New Delhi - 110002 on 5/6 & 20/21 of every month | Date of Publication 01/02 &15/16 every month | Postal Registration No. DL(S) - 01/3404/2015-17 | RNI No. DELENG/2011/40217
INDIA 05 asia 12

oceania 15

middle east 16

Tourist Visa-on-Arrival scheme

renamed as e-Tourist Visa

P# 05

J&K Chief Minister wants to

develop Gulmarg as Indias Davos

europe 19

Americas 21

africa 23

caribbean 25

events 26

global 28

technology 30

responsible tourism 31

The Draft Tourism Policy 2015 released by the

Ministry of Tourism, for comments from the public
While the draft document is rather long, with lots of bells and whistles, the proposals reproduced
below appear solid and may potentially change the face of tourism in India.
It is heartening to note that many of the recommendations of this journal have been included in
the draft.
Our comments are also given in italics against each.
Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions
(MICE)

P# 10

Thailand celebrates the Songkran

Festival and New Year

P# 12

Tourism New Zealand makes new

partnerships to lure Indian travellers

P# 15

Bahrain relaxes visas rules for

business and tourism visitors

MICE Promotion Bureau with industry representation

to be set up at the Centre and replicated at the State /

Destination level.
A corpus of funds to be created by contribution from the
Government and participating industry for bidding for
large conventions. The National and State / Destination
Bureaus to pitch together for getting MICE events to the
country.
Provide a single window clearance for organising
Meetings and Conventions in India.

It is an important step in the right direction. At present,

it is a nightmare for the Convention and Exhibition
organisers. Despite paying hugely through middlemen,
they risk criminal action by authorities, on flimsy
reasons. From a high level, the Socialistic mindset that
such events are for entertainment of haves and hence
undesirable has to change.

MICE facilities to be an integral component of the concept

of Smart Cities announced by the Government.

Develop mega Convention Cities in each of the five regions
of India to cater to small and medium conventions.

Cruise
Upgrade facilities in line with those at international
P# 18

Foreign tourism in Italy is worth

34 billion Euros a year

cruise terminals and develop dedicated cruise terminals

at potential ports.

It is a step in the right direction. The absolute control of

the Government and Navy on our waterways will need
to give way to the people. Like open skies and roads,
waterways will need to be opened to passengers in
general. Socialistic controls will need to be lowered and
Privatisation encouraged.

Rationalise and simplify procedures & processes related

P# 19

Machu Picchu targets more tourists

with reconceptualisation plan

P# 21

Mobile app puts a guide to Madibas

South Africa in your pocket

P# 23

to Immigration, Customs at cruise terminals / ports.

Create recreation areas near cruise terminals, with
restaurants, shopping arcades, etc.
Create boat jetties and facilitating infrastructure to enable
river / inland cruises.
Incentivise river cruise operators to start services.
Create a template of guidelines for river cruise operators
covering safety and service aspects and encourage the
States to adapt it with suitable modifications.
Incentivise coastal and passenger cruises between the
different Indian ports.

IATA launches Standard Safety

Assessment Program

P# 28

Wildlife / Eco-tourism
Engage with the Ministry of Environment and Forests
(MoEF) / States on a policy with a controlled but visitorfriendly approach to achieve positive outcomes.
Clearly defined carrying capacity to be the basis for any
intervention.
Publish a template for development with best practices
to encourage the States / stakeholders.

These are very important steps. Private Eco-tourism

property managers with proven track records should be
encouraged to set up facilities within core areas, ending
the monopoly of the Forest Department that runs MIG/
LIG type accommodations and transport in the jungles.
The Socialist mindset of promoting mass tourism on one
hand and controlling the same through quotas and permits
on the other hand will have to give way to a rational policy
in sync with international best practices.

Railways
Cleanliness and hygienic conditions on trains, railway

stations / platforms.
Safety and security measures, including implementation
of CCTV surveillance.
Implementation of appropriate waste management
systems and bio-toilets.
De-congestion of railway stations, along the lines of
airports.
Enhancing the tourism experience by providing clean
waiting rooms & train toilets with ticket bar-coded access
Contd. on page 2
and creating better F&B experiences.

Apple watch gets its first instant

booking travel app

P# 30

Ajman Tourism discusses green

initiatives with EGBC

P# 31

2 COVER STORY

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

Contd. from page 1

Developing and sustaining special tourist trains and unique tourism products

like the mountain rails, luxury tourist trains, etc.

Examining the possibility of establishing quality budget hotels at railway
stations and in the surplus land available with Railways.
The private sector to be incentivised to operate these hotels on long-term
leases.

These are all very important steps. Like our airlines and airports follow
international standards, so must our Railways and Stations, at least for the
tourists. We should follow Eurail and Bullet train models, with a vision that the
Railways should be able to compete with airways.

Accommodation
Review of dated legislation, which have outlived their purpose.

Encourage non-traditional categories of accommodation such as Home Stays,

Tented Accommodation, Camping Sites, Timeshare Resorts, etc. along with
a classification system.
Develop a dedicated website to list all home stays, bed & breakfast units in the
country.
Encourage the States to set up Tourism Investment Promotion Boards and
establish an Investor Facilitation Cell by the Government of India to advise
and handhold investors.
Classifying hotels & resorts as infrastructure under section 80 IA / IB of the IT
Act.
Permitting & classifying the hospitality sector as a permissible infrastructure
activity for accessing tax free bonds under section 54 EC through notified financial
institutions. Including hotels of `20 crore CAPEX (without land cost) and hotels
with a star rating of 1 star & above anywhere in India, as infrastructure subsector for lending under the RBI harmonised list for infrastructure sub-sectors.
Currently hotels of `200 crore CAPEX (without land cost) and hotels with a star
rating of 3 stars & above only are classified.
Declaring all hospitality projects as industrial sector for the purposes of utility
charges & properties cesses and levy of industrial rates.

These are all important steps in the right directions. The Socialist mindset that
the hotels are an unwanted luxury must be shunned and setting up of hotels
and guesthouses should be encouraged. The existing hotels and guesthouses
should be recognised.

Enabling Framework for Investment

Implementation of GST subsuming all indirect taxes and classification of all
tourism & hospitality businesses in the lower GST slab.

Encourage States to rationalise Sales Tax on ATF.

As GST stabilises, consumption of goods and services by foreign tourists to be

treated as exports and GST paid by them refunded when they leave the country,
in line with best international practice.
Streamline and rationalise Service Tax for Tourism service providers.
Incentivise large-scale infrastructure development by ensuring availability of
a 10 year income tax holiday to mega tourism zones of a minimum 25 hectares,
promoting tourism as the principal economic activity.
These could be convention & exhibition destinations, accommodation centres,
amusement / theme parks, wellness centres, tourism sports destination, spiritual
tourism destination, tourist attractions etc. Incentivise adventure tourism
activities in India by reduction / exemption on import duties on adventure tourism
equipment & accessories and include them in the list of specified businesses
eligible for deductions u/s 80 ID of the Income Tax Act (for tour operators certified
by Ministry of Tourism).
Extension of Input Tax credit on the tourism components of travel intermediaries.
Information on areas open for investment and incentives available to be widely
disseminated through websites of the Centre, States and Indian Missions
overseas as well as by organising Investment Meets, etc.

These are all very encouraging proposals. States should be encouraged to

abolish all local taxes like Luxury Taxes etc and a harmonised system of GST
should be applied.
Forex earnings through tourism must be treated at par with SEZ and IT exports.

Goa to be the 11th city in TTF network

Dr Shyama Prasad
Mukherjee Indoor Stadium
Panjim
Goa

Goa, the latest addition in the TTF and

OTM series is Indias richest state in
India, with a per capita income that
is two and a half times that of the
national average.
Goa is a top travel market for
inbound, and has an equally strong
potential for outbound and domestic
tourism, that the TTF Goa is
committed to help you connect to.
TTF Goa (Oct 9, 10, 11) will be
organised at the plush Dr Shyama
Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium

in Panjim. Goa Tourism is supporting

the event in a big way as Host State.
Besides this, Goa Tourism has already
confirmed their participation at TTF
2015-2016 series at all locations.
Western India is undisputedly
the most lucrative tourism market
in the country, both for domestic
and outbound tourism. The addition
of TTF Goa further strengthens the
TTF and OTM portfolio in this region,
which already covered Mumbai (two
events), Ahmedabad, Surat and Pune.

Editorial

Marketing

Production

Administration

Editor & Publisher

Sanjiv Agarwal

Advisors
Abraham John
Sheila Leong
Associate Directors
Rajarshi De
Raj Kapoor Singh
R Mahesh
Tarique Ebrahim
Hema Manghnani
Nitin Telang
General Manager
Fatima DCosta
Deputy General Manager
Shruti Aggarwal
Project Managers
Kavita Kalra
Pratiksha Rajapure
Purbita Dutta
YC Anil
Shreyas Jain
Assistant Project Managers
Philomena DSouza
Deepti V Murthy
Shiv Shankar Dutta
Ramesh Chauhan
Kanika Singh

Media Director
June Mukherjee

Joint Managing Director

Rajiv Agarwal

Design Team
Dilip Manna
Mrityunjay Kumar
Ritam Maity
Suman Pramanik

Executive Director
Harsh Agarwal

Editorial Director
Gazanfar Ibrahim
Content Writer
Gopanjali Roy

Chief Technology Officer

Rudradeb Mitra
Senior Manager - Accounts & Finance
Uma Sureka

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Summer Escape in Amazing Thailand

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Thai Boxing Ambassador MC Mary Kom

(5 Times World Boxing Champion)

Ao Phai, Koh Samet, Rayong

Tourism Authority of Thailand New Delhi Office:
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INDIA

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

Tourist Visa-on-Arrival scheme

renamed as e-Tourist Visa

The Ministry of Home Affairs

has decided to change the
name of the scheme Tourist Visa-on-Arrival Electronic Travel Authorisation
to e-Tourist Visa (eTV) from
April 15, 2015. The extension
of the scheme to more countries and airports will be in
a phased manner, in order to
avoid any confusion.
Government of India had
launched Tourist Visa-onArrival enabled by Electronic
Travel Authorisation (TVoAETA) on November 27, 2014 to
44 countries at nine airports to

facilitate short duration international travellers. Since the

launch of the scheme, 1, 10,000
visas have been issued by Government under this scheme.
It has been observed
that the name of the scheme
(TVoA-ETA) is creating confusion among tourists. Tourists presumed as if the visa is
being granted on arrival, however in present system the preauthorisation of visa to foreigners is being given prior
to travel. Ministry of Home
Affairs had also received the
requests of name change from

some Indian embassies.

A committee of officers from Ministry of Home
Affairs, Ministry of External
Affairs and Bureau of Immigration (BoI) was formed for
formulation of new name for
the scheme. A contest was also
conducted on mygov.in inviting suggestions on the name
of the scheme.
Keeping in view the application process and purpose of
the scheme, the committee had
suggested e-Tourist Visa (eTV)
as the appropriate new name
for the scheme.

Jumeirah to start India operations

with Mumbai property by 2019
Jumeirah Group is set to open
its first property in India the
Jumeirah Mumbai hotel by 2019
and Jumeirah Goa hotel thereafter. Both the properties would be
newly built.
We have already signed a
management contract and by
2019 we plan to have our first
operational property under the
Jumeirah brand in India, said

Ramoji Film City promotes

itself as a MICE destination

Ramoji Film City provides a unique

corporate rendezvous, where the carpet beneath ones feet is over 2,000
acres, and the ceiling an unending
vastness. Ramoji Film City is 30 kms
(approx) away from Hyderabad City,
a destination that truly inspires one
to think different. A concept that is
informal yet exclusive. Ramoji Film
City promotes itself as a MICE destination and provides all requirements
to get a very different treatment, making them the most memorable one.
So, be it a conference, a corporate gettogether, a seminar, a training programme, a convention or a business
meets, the awe-inspiring Ramoji Film
City will bring the best out of it.
The main aspects to Ramoji Film
City are firstly, they cater to the
requirements of the Film World,
which includes regional, national,
Hollywood and in-house productions.

Secondly, they have tourism with

an average of 4,500+ visitors daily,
who come to see Ramoji Film City.
For these tourists there are planned
tours with PR Personnel/Guides who
conduct the guided tours. They also
have a massive food-court area with
six food & beverage outlets only for
the tourists. Last, but not the least
they also have hotels The Dolphin
Group of Hotels. The hotels, which
come under this group, are Sitara and
Tara. These hotels are situated in the
Ramoji Film City premises.
Sitara and Tara at Ramoji Film
City have numerous residential
conferences, seminars, training
programmes, product launches,
theme parties, weddings, receptions, etc. They also have additional
out location like Mughal garden, sun
fountain, majestic garden, and amphi
theatre.

Gerald Lawless, President and

Chief Executive Officer, Jumeirah Group.
Apart from this, the luxury hotel chain is also searching for potential developers and
investors in India who would
be interested in having Jumeirah as their operator along with
attractive conversion options
simultaneously.
We are keen to venture in the
Indian market as we already have
a high awareness of the Jumeirah
brand in India. Due to the proximity of India to the United Arab

Emirates (UAE), Indian travellers have known our brand

for decades. Thus, we are trying hard to debut in the Indian
market as early as possible. It is
great opportunity for us to be in
India and we believe that we will
be welcomed with open hands,
exclaimed Gerald Lawless.
The property will consist of
over 300 spacious rooms, suites
and serviced apartments, a wide
range of restaurants and bars,
extensive conference, wedding,
banqueting, meeting facilities
and a Talise Spa.

india

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

Odisha Tourism Minister discusses tourism promotion through

culture and connectivity with Dr Mahesh Sharma
The Tourism and Culture Minister of Odisha, Ashok Chandra Panda met the Minister of State with Independent
Charge for Tourism and Culture, and Civil Aviation, Dr
Mahesh Sharma to discuss
the potential for giving boost
to tourism in the state by promoting the rich cultural heritage of the state and improving
connectivity.
The Minister sought help
from Ministry of Tourism
(MoT) to set up a Tagore Cultural Complex, Odisha Dance
Museum in memory of Guru
Kelucharan Mahapatra, and
also setting up an International

Museum Day at Puri. He further requested the release of

funds worth `8 crore for eight
projects for which utilisation
certificates have already been
sent to the Union Ministry of
Tourism. Some of these important projects include development of Buddhist Circuit, Silk
Route and development of
Golden Triangle among others.
Panda said that connectivity is an important factor to
facilitate the growth of tourism to a destination. Although
Bhubaneshwar was declared
an international airport in
2013 and has a new state-ofthe-art terminal, there is no

World Bank supports Buddhist Circuit,

MoT launches Swadesh Darshan
The Union Ministry of Tourism
has proposed to develop Buddhist Circuit under its newly
launched scheme Swadesh Darshan. Places identified for development under the said circuit
are Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, Vaishali
in Bihar and Kapilavastu, Sarnath, Sravasti, Kushinagar in
Uttar Pradesh.
TND(MAY)_238.7X184.2mm_op.pdf
Earlier, the Ministry of

CM

MY

CY

CMY

Tourism, Government of India,

the Departments of Tourism of
the Governments of Bihar and
Uttar Pradesh and International
Finance Corporation (World
Bank Group) had entered into
an agreement in October 2013
to cooperate in upgrading the
quality of services and goods
provided for tourists along the
2015/4/24 6:42:41 PM
Buddhist Circuit in India. The

project has been completed. The

total cost of the project was `450
lakh.
To increase the numbers of
niche tourists interested in Buddhist Circuit, Government of
India organises International
Buddhist Conclave every alternate year as well. In 2014, it was
held in Bodh Gaya, the holiest
places for the Buddhists in India.

international flight from the

airport till date, he said. He
requested that international
carriers be allowed to operate from Bhubaneshwar Airport and as well as Air India
should also operate an international flight from there.
Dr Mahesh Sharma appreciated the efforts being made
by the State of Odisha to promote culture and tourism and
generate employment and
income for the local people.
Dr Sharma said that the
demands of the state are genuine and assured all possible
help of the Union Government
to the State of Odisha.

INDIA

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

Summer tourists get a taste of Goa at

the Food and Cultural Festival 2015

After beaches and the susegad

vibe, food is perhaps one of the
other reasons that draw tourists
to Goa. In a bid to promote the
culinary delights that the state
has to offer, along with highlighting its rich culture, Goa
Tourism organised one of its
most colorful events of the year,
Goa Food and Cultural Festival 2015 in April. The Chief
Minister of Goa Laxmikant
Parsekar inaugurated the fiveday event in the distinguished
presence of Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar, Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) Chairman Nilesh

Cabral, Panjim MLA Siddharth

Kunkolienkar, Corporation of
the City of Panaji (CCP) Mayor
Shubham Chodankar, Chief
Secretary and Secretary Tourism - Government of Goa R K
Shrivastava and Director of
Tourism Government of Goa
Ameya Abhyankar.
The annual sizzling event,
revived three years ago, drew
tourists to the state who traveled from far and wide to
savour Goa on a platter and
experience its cultural heritage.
Between 1.5 and 2 lakh tourists were estimated to experience the blend of cuisine and

entertainment at the event at the

D B Bandodkar Grounds, Campal, Panjim. More than 50 stalls
offered range of gourmet food
classics of Goa, including barbecues, pasta, oriental cuisine
and other delicacies. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisine
options were made available, as
were a bevy of luscious sweet
treats. The festival brought
together restaurateurs, hoteliers, food guides, eateries serving Goan cuisine, entertainers,
food bloggers, fashion designers, musicians, dancers as well
as huge domestic and foreign
tourists under one roof.

GABORONE

Adding one more destination

to our vast African Network
Botswana, from June 2015
www.ethiopianairlines.com

Centre grants `50 crore to Andhra

Pradesh for development of Nellore
The Minister of State with
Independent Charge for Tourism and Culture and Minister
of State for Civil Aviation, Dr
Mahesh Sharma visited the
Indian Institute of Travel &
Tourism in Nellore, Andhra
Pradesh and announced a sum
of `50 crore for the development of tourism in Nellore District over the next five years.
Dr Sharma said India is a
country known for its hospitality; and its visitor-friendly
traditions, varied life styles
and cultural heritage and
colorful fairs and festivals
hold great attraction for the
tourists.
The Minister also said that
domestic tourism is as old as
the Indian society. According to available statistics,

domestic tourism has grown

substantially during the last
one decade. Some of the recent
initiatives taken by the government to boost tourism are the
best examples of the governments dedication towards
tourism and culture, he added.
Dr Sharma commented
that the Central Government
has been giving funds for a
number of tourism related
projects in the state of Andhra
Pradesh and will continue
to provide assistance in the
future too. A sum of `10,811
lakh has been sanctioned by
the Ministry of Tourism for
13 projects during the year
2014-15 to the state of Andhra
Pradesh out of which `1,253.4
lakh was already released during the same financial year.

india

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

Delhi organises heritage walks to

promote tourism destinations
Delhi government recently
launched a series of heritage
walks to promote various tourism destinations in the national
capital. One such heritage walk
was flagged off by Delhis Tourism Minister, Jitender Singh
Tomar, at the historic Purana
Qila (Old Fort) to mark the
World Heritage Day.
The initiative is to spread
awareness about the rich heritage of the capital. Besides, heritage walks promote a healthy
habit of walking to stay fit. We
will continue similar events
and we are soon going to start
these walks in entire Delhi,

Jitender Singh Tomar said.

Delhi Tourism has teamed
up with Delhi Heritage Management Secretariat to create awareness about dozens of
such historical sites.
Delhi Walks and India City
Walks both showcase historical and contemporary facets
of different cities in India as
mlange of cultures. They conduct city walks and day excursions for all kinds of travellers.
Some of their many specialty
walking tours are Heritage
Walks, Local Culture, Spiritual
Walks, Gourmet Walks, Bazaar
Walks and Photography walks.

Some of the walks that

Delhi Walks organise in association with Delhi Tourism
(DTTDC) are Old Delhi Walk,
Hauz Khas Village Walk, Mehrauli Archaeological Park
Walk, Spiritual Connaught
Place Walk, and Nizamuddin
Shrine Walk.

SpiceJet launches new Spice Assurance service

SpiceJet introduces spice assurance which is a one of a kind
service that compensates for
baggage loss, flight delays &
cancellations.
This guarantee entitles to a
voucher worth `500, if the flight
is delayed between 60 119 minutes and a `1,000 voucher for a
delay beyond 120 minutes.
Here is how one can redeem
their spice assurance Voucher:

Step 1 - You will receive an

automated voucher via SMS
and mail for flights delayed by

Indias Only Global Travel Trade Newspaper

info@travelnewsdigest.in

60 or more minutes.
Step 2 - Once you are on
the payment page, select the
voucher payment option,
enter your spice assurance
voucher details and proceed
for payment.
Spice assurance is only
available for flights within
India only and is not available
for passengers travelling as
Infants.

Arunachal Pradesh to be developed as

tourism hub of NE region: Dr Mahesh Sharma
The Minister of State with
Independent Charge for Tourism and Culture and Minister of State for Civil Aviation,
Dr Mahesh Sharma was
recently on a two day visit to
the North-east, accompanied by
the Minister of State for Home
Affairs, Kiren Rijiju and senior
officials of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.
Dr Sharma held a meeting with Chief Minister of
Arunachal Pradesh, Nabam
Tuki at Itanagar, where the
Minister highlighted the importance of the Northeast especially from the view point of
tourism. The Minister said
that the Northeast has a large
unexploited potential for tourism and the Union Tourism
Ministry has designated a

special circuit for the region

under its new Swadesh Darshan scheme. The government
will help to create the necessary
infrastructure and other facilities required for promoting
tourism in the region under
this scheme.
The schemes included `50
crore for developing Bhalukpong-Bomdila-Tawang-Nafra
Valley tourism sector, 20% of
eight crore each for developing Pasighat-Jengging-Yingkiong-Tuting, Itanagar-ZiroDaporijo- Aalo-Pasighat and
Ziro-Kurung Kumey tourist circuits has already been
released to the state government, five crore each for heritage village at Pemaziling near
Mechuka and eco tourism
resort at Harupahar, Roing.

10 india

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

J&K Chief Minister leads charge to promote the state;

wants to develop Gulmarg as Indias Davos
Leading from the front, Jammu
and Kashmir Chief Minister
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,
who also holds the tourism
portfolio in the state, was on
a week-long tourism promotion blitz, covering Mumbai,
Ahmedabad and New Delhi.
Meeting with hundreds of
travel trade, media, corporate
and film personalities, Sayeed said he has a vision to promote Gulmarg as Indias Davos
where countrys top business
and policymakers can hold
annual summits. At meetings
with leading Bollywood filmmakers and actors in Mumbai,
the Chief Minister requested
them to rediscover the state as
a destination for film shoots.
Though the well known scenic attractions of Jammu and
Kashmir need no introduction
for the film industry, the Chief
Minister said that these would
now be backed by a facilitating environment by the state
government.
He called upon the leading tour and travel operators
of the country to infuse their
professional skills in designing attractive packages for
domestic and overseas travellers to visit J&K.
Gulmarg is a worldfamous tourist destination. We
have state-of-the-art cable car,
high-end hotels, skiing and
heli-skiing activities and great
road connectivity. I wish we

host an Indian Davos at Gulmarg, Sayeed added.

Unveiling his plans to reposition Jammu and Kashmir as
the countrys top tourist and
all-season destination, Sayeed sought cooperation from
all to change the course of the
state and remove the trust deficit. Emphasising upon the
steps taken to increase capacity, Mufti Sayeed said the government will take up the issue
of operating chartered flights
between Delhi and Srinagar
to check rising air fares as well
as running special trains from
Ahmedabad, Delhi, Pune and
Mumbai to Jammu to provide
alternate mode of transport to
the travellers.
Focusing on promotion
of elite leisure activities, the
Chief Minister said emphasis
is being laid on golfing, conference and corporate tourism
for which tie-ups with leading
business firms and companies

will be shortly worked out.

Haseeb
Drabu,
State
Finance and Culture Minister, who also accompanied the
Chief Minister, talked about
the importance of countering
perceptions with clear communication about the real situation as far as safety and
security were concerned, as
well as about natural calamities, like the floods. With his
strong background in business and industry (Drabu is

an economist who has earlier served as Chairman of JK

Bank, and also as Editor of
Business Standard), Drabu
wanted the travel trade to
give a push among the corporate sector to motivate them to
hold their conferences, board
meetings, and AGMs in J&K,
with golf and adventure tourism thrown in.
The various tourism projects and programmes of
the state government were

outlined by Farooq Ahmad

Shah, Managing Director,
JKTDC, and Director Tourism,
who is an old hand at tourism
in the state, with a number of
marketing and tourism infrastructure initiatives to his
credit, including the cable car,
the tulip gardens, Zaberwan
Park, renovation of the Nageen
Club, The Royal Springs Golf
Course etc.
The tourism department
is also focussing on making Jammu and Kashmir a
365-days destination, and
expanding the reach beyond
the usual hotspots of Gulmarg,
Pahalgam, Sonamarg, and Srinagar, to include other and
lesser-known destinations like
Ladakh, Patnitop, Bhaderwah,
Gurez, Dodhpathri, Kokernag,
Verinag, Yusmarg etc.
The delegation also
included stakeholders of the
travel and tourism industry
from the state.

Rajasthan hopes for boost in tourist arrivals by 2018 Centre to develop Puducherry as
Rajasthan Chief Minister
Vasundhara Raje recently
stated that the tourism arrivals in the state will see a quantum jump by 2018, with foreign
tourist arrivals going up to 2.5
million and domestic tourists
going up to 50 million over the
next three years.
By 2018, we expect the foreign tourist arrivals to reach
2.5 million from the current
1.5 million and the domestic
traffic to be around 50 million

from the present 30 million,

she said.
Looking at facilitating
investments in tourism sector, Rajasthan government

is organising a Research in
Rajasthan programme in midNovember, 2015.
The three day Research
in Rajasthan event will be
inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will
be bringing in many countries
like Singapore, Japan and England to discuss the various
investment opportunities. We
will be working together for
this investment programme,
she informed.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts to launch

Tribute Portfolio brand in India
Starwood Hotels & Resorts has
announced that they may consider introducing its recently
launched upscale brand Tribute
Portfolio in India as part of its
global expansion programme.
The companys development
teams are currently in talks
with hotel owners and developers all around the world, including India, to set up properties
under Tribute Portfolio, which
is its 10th brand and second collection of independent hotels.
During the global launch,
Starwood had said the Tribute
Portfolio would comprise of
independent hotels and resorts.

With a focus on upper upscale

hotels, it would complement
Starwoods Luxury Collection
brand, it added.
The new brand has already
added its first member, the
Royal Palm South Beach
Miami. And this will soon be

joined by new hotels in the

U.S. states of North Carolina,
South Carolina, Tennessee
and Georgia. But a global rollout is planned, with Starwood
targeting a portfolio of 10 hotels
by the end of 2015 and 100 properties by 2020.
We believe the brand (Tribute Portfolio) has great potential to grow in key markets and
exciting destinations, including India, said Starwood CEO
Adam Aron. Our development
teams are currently in talks
with hotel owners and developers all around the world,
including India, he added.

international destination of tourism

Minister of State with Independent Charge for Tourism and
Culture and Minister of State
for Civil Aviation, Dr Mahesh
Sharma said the Centre is
committed to make Puducherry an international destination of tourism.
Dr Mahesh Sharma, along
with Chief Minister N Rangasamy inaugurated the Puducherry Science Centre and Planetarium. It was developed
by National Council of Science Museums at the cost of
`5.5 crore at Kurinji Nagar,
Lawspet.
At the Central level, we
are committed to bringing up Puducherry as a top

international destination and

engage Puducherry as a partner in raising the tourism share
of the country. It is a cool and
happening place. Joining hands
with the Chief Minister, we
would like to make Puducherry
a much more happening destination in the coming days and
put this city on the world tourism map, Dr Sharma added.
On tourism development,
the Union Minister pointed
out that Indias share in world
tourism was only 0.64% and
the tourism sector brought
`1.22 lakh crore foreign revenue to the country in spite of
having an incredibly rich culture and heritage.

ASIA

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

12

Thailand celebrates the

Songkran Festival and New Year
Songkran is much alike Holi on
the face of it. The fun-filled festival is steeped in tradition as
the countrys most significant
annual celebration, marking
the start of a New Year in Thailand. Thais, always welcoming,
are more than happy to welcome
tourists into the nationwide outdoor extravaganza that has revellers soaked with water from
graceful silver bowls (the traditional way of celebrating Songkran), to water-pistols, waterguns, giant hoses and even

elephant trunks. This year many

Indian travellers have reportedly
joined in the celebrations.
Interestingly, Songkran has
Indian roots in its appearance
and in the origin of its name. The
root of the word comes from Sanskrit and means transformation or change; to be specific,
the transformation of the zodiac
signs.
Tourists however, mostly partake in street parties organised
on what is known to be Thailands biggest holiday. Soraya

Homchuen, Director, Tourism

Authority of Thailand Mumbai
stated, I think Indians enjoy
Songkran because it bears some
resemblance to Holi, which I witnessed is a very popular festival
here. Joining the local Thai people in ringing in the New Year is
also a wonderful way to experience Thainess to. Since it falls
during the summer holidays,
many Indian families are already
in Thailand and they can easily
partake in celebrations and enjoy
the Thai avatar of Holi.

Myanmar expects more

visitors this year
Myanmar received 3.05 million
tourists in 2014, with an expectation to attract five million
tourists in 2015.
During the first four months
of this year, over a million tourists entered the country, said
Myo Win Nyunt, Director of the
Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.
According to official statistics, the 2014 figure was up
49.5% from 2.04 million in 2013.
The country earned over USD
900 million in 2013 and 2014,
and is expected to earn over
USD 1 billion this year.
Myanmar also targets to
bring in over 7.5 million tourists
in 2020. Myanmars tourism
master plan has 21 projects that
are critically important to help
the country grow its tourism
at an impressive pace through
to 2020.
Tourism Promotion and
International Relations Department Director, Daw Khin Than
Win, said that 12 projects identified in the master plan are
being undertaken by Ministry

of Hotels and Tourism in cooperation with development

partners.
A project for tourism development in the Bagan region in
conjunction with the Japan
International
Cooperation
Agency and another focusing
on Mawlamyine and Kyaikhto regions in cooperation with
Asian Development Bank are

among the ongoing tasks that

will run for the next two or
three years, he added.
Myanmars Tourism Master Plan (2013 to 2020) was
released in 2013 covering six
strategic programmes, as well
as 38 priority projects up until
2020. Asian Development Bank
is backing the plan with loans
and grants to fund the projects.

Tourism Malaysia launches guide

book for cycle tourists
Tourism Malaysia launched
the book Discover Malaysia
by Bicycle Guidebook in collaboration with 32 local travel
agencies, offers tourists guidelines to choose among 74 interesting cycling tour packages
to explore Malaysias natural
environment.
Tourism and Culture Ministrys Deputy Secretary-General
(Tourism) Datuk Rashidi Hasbullah who launched the handbook said it is available at tourist
information centres of Tourism
Malaysia (TIC), Malaysia Tourism Centre (MaTIC) and Tourism Malaysia offices nationwide
for free.
Last year, a total of 4,072
cycling tour packages worth
RM725,612.07
were
sold
nationwide.

Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk

Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib, who
was present at the ceremony,
informed that the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) was in
the midst of creating a Kuala

Lumpur cycling master plan,

with the facilities provided.
He said with the KL Car Free
Morning program launched
last year, the cycling trend is
gaining momentum in the city.

Japan increases free Wi-Fi

spots to lure tourists
In order to help tourists from
overseas get the most out of
their trip to Japan, free Wi-Fi
spots and Wi-Fi services that
are only available to tourists
from overseas are spreading
rapidly in Japan.
Among many Wi-Fi services, the 0000FLETSPOTAL is drawing attention
because it has about 50,000
Wi-Fi spots in the NTT East
area, all of which use highspeed and high-quality optical fibre. It fully covers eastern Japan from Hokkaido to
Tohoku and Kanto regions, so
service is available in Tokyo
as well as other major tourist
areas such as Sapporo, Yokohama, Yamanashi and Nikko.
Japan
Connected-free

Wi-Fi also makes it easy to

find a Wi-Fi spot in major cities and around stations. More
and more local governments
and businesses are joining
and the number of Wi-Fi spots
is expected to increase even
more in the future.
It is convenient and easy
to use. One can get a Wi-Fi
card at tourist attractions and
make full use of free Wi-Fi for
14 days. Japan Connected-free
Wi-Fi is available on Google
Play and the App Store.

Sri Lanka tourist arrivals up by

18%, focuses on cruise tourism

In Sri Lanka tourist arrivals

have increased by 18% in the
month of March to 157,051 and
cumulative as at end of first
quarter to 478,838 with a growth
of 13.6%.
The cruise travel business popularly known as the
floating marine resorts of the
world that attracts the most
wealthy, globally has doubled
in business for Sri Lanka with
14 cruise liners calling the country in 2012/13, registering visitor arrivals of 19,615 cruise travellers while in 2013/2014 Sri
Lanka attracted 22 cruise liners
into Sri Lanka with visitor numbers going up to 27,317 while this
year the numbers have spiked
to 40 cruise liner arrivals and
overall visitors expected to be
50,000+, which is a sizeable market to focus on said Bhashwara
Senanka Gunarathn, the Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism who

met the core committee of the

SLITO working group on cruise
tourism headed by veteran, Bernie Dole. On the other hand, the
whale watching business is
worth globally over two billion
dollars as per research specialist
Erick Hoyt and only in just half
a decade it has doubled in business for countries in the coastline that have this attraction.
SriLankan Airlines under a
new business model will make
a turn around and start earning
profits from the 2017/18 financial year, said its Chairman,
Ajith Dias. He said that under
this program all sectors of the
airline would be reviewed and
loss making sectors would be re
looked at closely. This program
would also look at adopting a
new professional business culture that would work to a common agenda leading towards
profits.

asia 13

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

Bhutan Journeys appoints Global Destinations

as their representative in India
Bhutan Journeys has appointed
Global Destinations as their Sales
and Marketing Representative in
India.
Bhutan Journeys is an official
tour operator of Bhutan licensed
under the Tourism Council of
Bhutan, 2014. Bhutan Journeys
is also a member of the Guides
Association of Bhutan and member of the Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators of Bhutan.
Pranav Kapadia, Founder,
Global Destinations said, It
feels incredible to be part of the
whole changing travel experience where Indian travellers are
waking up to new destinations
and in turn these beautiful, mysterious, exotic destinations are
investing in the Indian market.
We are very happy to be given the
opportunity to promote Bhutan

amongst the India trade fraternity and indirectly to the discerning Indian traveller.
Sonam Chophyel, Managing Director stated, We are very
happy to start working together
with Global Destinations in order
to develop the Indian market

and to show the local Indian

tour operators what Bhutan has
to offer. Bhutan Journeys is a
dynamic company with over 20
years of experience in the tourism industry. We are looking forward to welcome Indian travellers in Bhutan with our services.

SilkAir launches new look for cabin crew

SilkAir launched a new collection of uniforms for its over
500 cabin crew, embracing
a chic new style that embodies its professional image
and demonstrates the airlines ongoing commitment to
ensuring the brand remains
relevant for the times. Rolling

out on all flights on April 15,

2015, the new one-piece uniform comes in two variations,
aqua-blue for junior crew and
a plum-red version for senior
crew.
Leslie Thng, Chief Executive, SilkAir said, The
SilkAir cabin crew are our

ambassadors, and their uniforms a representation of the

SilkAir brand and the warm
service that differentiates our
airline. After 11 years with the
current style, this uniform
change marks a milestone for
us as we present a look that
further aligns with our role
as the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, providing
connectivity to 48 leisure and
business destinations in the
Asia-Pacific region. The new
design captures exactly what
our brand stands for today a
blend of style and sophistication with a touch of modernity
consistent with the changing
times. It symbolises our goal
of making every point of our
customers experiences onboard an absolute Joy to Fly.

Jet Airways, Bangkok Airways sign

new code share agreement
Jet Airways has continued to
expand in Southeast Asia, by
signing a new code share partnership with Bangkok Airways.
Jet and Bangkok Airways will
jointly market and sell each others flights between Mumbai
and Bangkok, under this new
arrangement.
Raj Sivakumar, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways
stated, Established as the

second largest economy in

Southeast Asia, Thailand has
seen exponential growth in trade
and tourism, attracting travellers
from across the world including
India. These code share flights
will offer wider and convenient
travel options to our esteemed
guests travelling between India
and Bangkok for business and
leisure. This new partnership
reinforces our commitment

towards developing a robust network across regions.

Peter Wiesner, Bangkok Airways Senior Vice President Network Management said,
The code share services will
allow customers to have better
frequency to connect to Bangkok. We believe this partnership
will offer a unique advantage for
Jet Airways passengers who
will enjoy our unparalleled services which include: free lounge
access, in-flight meal and many
more. I am confident that this
will also strengthen Bangkok
Airways extensive code share
scheme of 17 code share partners
including Jet Airways.
The partnership with Bangkok Airways comes just a week
after Jet expanded its code
share agreements with two
other Southeast Asian carriers,
Garuda Indonesia and Vietnam
Airlines.

Singapore Airlines to operate

special charity flight for
Community Chest beneficiaries
Singapore Airlines (SIA) will
be organising a special charity flight for some 300 beneficiaries of Community Chest
on the worlds largest aircraft,
the Airbus A380, as part of the
Airlines SG50 activities.
A first for SIA, the three
hour charity flight will be
operated on May 29, 2015. Beneficiaries will include children
with special needs, adults with
disabilities, as well as disadvantaged elderly and families,
many of whom have never had
the opportunity to take a flight.
SIAs partners helping to make
the flight possible include Airbus, Changi Airport Group,
SATS and Shell Aviation.
Singapore Airlines CEO,
Goh Choon Phong said, We
and our supporting partners
are thrilled to be able to share
with the beneficiaries the
excitement of flying. We hope

to provide them a unique and

memorable experience that
they will cherish forever. At
the same time we are doing our
part to give back to the community during Singapores
50th birthday year while raising awareness for the many
worthwhile programmes that
Community Chest supports.
Community Chest Managing Director, Ng Ling Ling
said, Flying for the first time
is a wonderful experience. It
is extra special for those who
have had to face many challenges in their lives. For these
beneficiaries, it is not just a
simple flight it is the confidence that anything is possible. We are grateful to SIA
for extending this opportunity to beneficiaries of Community Chest, and inspiring
them to look beyond their
challenges.

Air Astana launches new

service from Astana to Paris
Air Astana launched a new
three-times a week service
from Astana to Paris. The service originates in Almaty, with
no change of aircraft in Astana,
and is operated using a Boeing
757 configured with 16 business
and 150 economy class seats.
The flight time from Astana to
Paris is seven hours five minutes. The service, which features Air Astanas new Economy Sleeper product, operates
on Wednesdays, Fridays and
Saturdays. Passengers to and

from Paris have the opportunity to choose the economy

sleeper class, benefited by
three seats in a separate cabin
and a mattress and pillow for a
comfortable trip.
The new service to Paris is
a major step in developing Air
Astanas European network
and serves to strengthen economic, diplomatic, cultural
and tourism links between
France and Kazakhstan,
said Peter Foster, President of
Air Astana.

14 asIA

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

Thailand prepares for Golf Expo 2015

Thailand Golf Expo 2015
invites golf tour operators,
MICE agents and golfers from
India to an exhibition that will
play meeting ground for golfers and the entire supply chain
that makes word-class golfing
possible.
Thailand has gained ground
as top golfing destination in
Asia and in fact globally, owing
to the fact that it boasts over
250 stunning, world-class golf
courses and golf resorts besides
favourable weather yearround, competitive green fees
and interesting terrain. Phuket
alone welcomes over 200,000
golfing enthusiasts per year,
contributing more than THB
one to two billion of revenue to
the island. Initially, key markets
for golf in Thailand were Japan,
Taiwan, Korea, Singapore,
Malaysia and Europe but today
India features prominently as a
source for golf-focussed travel
to Thailand.

With the aim of boosting

tourist numbers to Thailand,
the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has teamed up with
NCC Exhibition Organiser Co
Ltd (NEO), for the expo, which
promises to be a one-stop-shop
for golf products, services and
destinations under. TAT will be
inviting over 200 regional traders to the show, aiming to position it to be the biggest exhibition for golfers in Asia.

Soraya Homchuen, Director, TAT Mumbai stated,

Indian Golfers, travel agents
and MICE operators attending
the show will have the opportunity to forge new connections
with Thailands premier golf
courses, golf clubs, golf hotels
& resorts, local ground handing
agents specialising in golf tourism, golfing schools and driving ranges. Over 70,000 visitors are expected at the show.

Singapore Changi Airport to attract

more flights by cutting airlines fees
The Changi Airport Group
(CAG) has announced several reductions and rebates to
aeronautical fees at Singapore
Changi Airport, which will
benefit airlines, ground handling agents and passengers.
From July, CAG will reduce
the transfer and transit passenger service charge from
the current SD 9 to SD 3. Franchise fees for ground handlers
will be reduced by 20%.
CAGs CEO, Lee Seow
Hiang commented, Changi
Airports success is very
much dependant on the contributions of our airport
partners, including airlines
and ground handlers. The
range of measures we have
announced is a demonstration of CAGs continued commitment and support to our
partners, as we work with
them to achieve success and
growth of their operations at
Changi Airport. At the same

time, we hope to spur the continual pursuit of high service

standards at the airport.
Online shopping portal
iShopChangi, is now available only to passengers
who are departing, will be
extended to arriving passengers by the year end. Travellers arriving at Changi Airport will be able to shop even
before they land and their
items will be packed and
ready for collection at designated counters by the time
they arrive. Travellers need
not pay the 7 per cent goods
and services tax as it will be
absorbed by retailers.
Changi Airport Group
spokesman Robin Goh said,
To serve customers better, we will also be looking
at reducing the order cutoff from 24 hours to 18 hours
before flight departure, giving
shoppers a longer window to
finalise their purchases.

Vietnam taps natural resources to drive tourism

While summer remains the
peak for tourism, Vietnams
state and local officials are
working to shoulder the busier
months with increased tourism
at other times of the year. The
region is like Mother Nature at
her best, said a representative
from the Ministry of Culture,
Sports and Tourism, the government agency responsible for
marketing the state as a tourism
destination.
Tourism revenue in the
region continued to rise to
record highs last year. It is
also the home to the beautiful
beaches of Lang Co, Non Nuoc
and Cua Dai, and the ever so

popular caves in Quang Binh

province.
There is the old quarter in
Hoi An, My Son Sanctuary and
Hue imperial city along with
thousands of square ha of lakes,
rivers and bays that hold great
potential at tourist destinations
ripe for future tourism growth.
Thua Thien-Hue province
alone boasts a pristine coastline

that stretches nearly 200 kms

and a hospitality industry that
meet with the highest of international standards. We get visitors from all over the world said
Nguyen Ngoc Thien, Secretary
of the Thua Thien-Hue Provincial Party Committee, and those
visitors come and travel through
the countryside and say that the
views are better and more beautiful than any place they have
travelled to.
Thien said the province has
set in motion policies that will
give priority to develop tourism
in the region and has adopted a
resolution to promote local tourism development through 2020.

Macau Tourism organises FAM

trip for key Indian travel agents
Macau Government Tourist
Office (MGTO) in India is keen
to work closely with the travel
trade to curate and develop
enriching itineraries to Macau
supporting the interests of the
Indian travellers. With this
objective, a familiarisation trip
was organised recently for 11
key Indian travel agents from
all over India to experience the
vibrant city of Macau.
To further enhance the
experience, a day trip to the
Chimelong Resort at Zhuhai,
China was also included in the
itinerary, where the agents visited the Ocean Kingdom and
the famous Circus Show along
with a site inspection of three
prominent hotels.
The objective of this trip was
to showcase various family oriented and other varied activities that an Indian travel can
indulge while in Macau.
A special evening was

arranged to witness the famous

show, The House of Dancing
Water. The agents also experienced the walking tour to
Senado Square, the skyline of
Macau from the Macau Tower,
the calm and serene Coloane
and the Taipa islands.
Macau has plenty to offer
throughout the year. For those
planning a visit this summer Macau is a well-loved allencompassing summer holiday
destination. Mega shopping

malls are just a stones throw

away from characterful small
shops along narrow alleys,
whereas its authentic local
snacks and world-heritage
sites bring out the allure of this
charming little place and its
Portuguese flavours. Macau
offers multicultural experience where one can see beautiful urban space with charming Portuguese and Chinese
buildings and their enchanting stories.

No Visa required to enter Philippines

Indians with AJACSSUK visa
travelling to Philippines can
now enter from any entry port
including major international
airport and secondary international hubs as well as in sea
ports by passengers on board
cruise ships / vessels.
Philippines has Visa Free
entry for Indians who have
the AJACSSUK visa (Australia, Japan, Canada, Singapore,
the U.S. and UK visa). Indian
nationals who have valid AJACSSUK visa can enter Philippines without a visa for 14 days.
Earlier this policy was only
applicable to Indian Nationals
arriving at the Ninoy Aquino
International Airport or Clark
International Airport.
On this SanJeet, Tourism
Attache, Philippines Tourism
Marketing Office India said,
India is the 13th largest source

market for Philippines foreign

tourist arrivals and the potential for growth is tremendous.
India is expected to be one of
the top 10 largest source markets by 2016 targeting 100,000
arrivals with the visa relaxation and new tourism promotion activities.
The Department of Philippines recorded a growth of
17.14% in 2014 in arrivals of
Indians over 2013. Over 61,000
Indians visited the Philippines
in 2014. It is expected that this
number will rise to around
75,000 in 2015.
In 2015, Philippines is all
set to become the ultimate destination for Indian travellers.
The launch of Department of
Tourisms Visit the Philippines
Year 2015 is an invitation for all
to experience Its More Fun in
the Philippines.

OCEANIA

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

15

Tourism New Zealand partners with Singapore

Airlines & Auckland Airport to lure Indian travellers
Tourism New Zealand has
declared its joint venture partnership with Singapore Airlines and Auckland Airport to
increase high value New Zealand travel out of India. The
special promotional fares of the
campaign will be applicable for
the travel period of May to October 2015 and the booking validity is till May 15, 2015.
Steven Dixon, Regional
Manager South and South
East Asia, Tourism New Zealand said, We have recently

seen a surge in Indian visitors

to New Zealand during the ICC
Cricket World Cup 2015. The
mega sporting event was the
ideal platform for us to showcase New Zealand to aspiring
travellers from India. The partnership with Singapore Airlines
aims to further increase the rise
of interest among Indian travellers to visit New Zealand.
Through this campaign,
the collaboration between the
three parties lays foundation
to deliver 50,000 arrivals from

India on the India Auckland route. The campaign will

focus on travel from the cities of
Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad,
Vishakhapatnam, Hyderabad,
Coimbatore,
Kochi
and
Trivandrum.
For the year ending February 2015, New Zealands visitor
arrivals from India were 39,168,
an increase of 24.6% on the previous year. Of these, 18,464 were
holiday arrivals, a 26% increase
on the previous year.

Sydney named as Australias top

tourist destination

Queensland Tourism Minister

keen for more promotion of
Gold Coast ecotourism industry

Sydney the oldest, biggest and

most beautiful of all Australian cities, lies amid a seductive
intermingling of land and sea.
Sydney is the countrys undisputed tourism capital, growing international and domestic
visitor numbers at more than
twice the rate of most other
destinations.
Almost 32.5 million people visited the NSW capital in
2013-14, up 3.3 million or 11.4%,
on the previous 12 months.
One can glide along the glittering harbour on a ferry and
see the white sails of the Opera
House gleaming in the sunshine, and admire the graceful arch of the Harbour Bridge.
Visitors can explore Sydneys fabled history in the narrow cobbled laneways and historic buildings of the Rocks,

Kate Jones, the Queensland

Tourism Minister said that
nature-based attractions in
the Gold Coast hinterland
needed to be promoted more
heavily and she wants to
expand and improve the Gold
Coasts ecotourism industry.
She said there had been
a big growth in Tasmanias
tourist numbers since that
state launched an ecotourism
product.
In my opinion we could
be doing better in Queensland
and I have set it as a goal for
myself as the Tourism Minister in Queensland that we
actually get a product on the

at the citys excellent museums, and the rock paintings

of the Gadigal aboriginal people who once thrived on this
land. Sydney still fizzes with
the adventurous spirit of its
settlers. Visitors can climb

the harbour bridge, surf the

green-barrel breaks at Sydneys golden beaches, or fly
over the city on a scenic tour.
And national parks surround
the city providing appealing
day trip possibilities.

ground this term, stated Kate

Jones.
Quite clearly when you
look at the beautiful hinterland of the Gold Coast
that seems like a very good
opportunity. I know that the
OReilly family are already
in discussions with the State
Government about some of
the opportunities they see.
The clear message I want to
give is when it comes to ecotourism I want to work very
closely with the industry and
also the Environment Minister to ensure we finally get a
product here open to market
on the Gold Coast, she added.

Destination NSW partners with STA Travel,

Lastminute.com to boost tourist arrivals
In order to drive visitation to
the Australian state, Destination New South Wales has
announced partnerships with
two leading travel retailers. In
a bid to promote Sydney and
regional NSW to youth travellers in key markets including Singapore, Japan, Germany, New Zealand, the U.S.
and UK, a two-year MoU has
been signed between the NTO

and STA Travel.

John Constable, CEO of
STA Travel Group said, This
new two-year MoU cements
and builds on the work we
have been doing together
over the past two years. NSW
is one of our top global destinations for young travellers
who flock to work, travel and
experience this corner of the
world.

Lastminute.com.aus team
of bloggers are currently participating in nine different
NSW food and wine experiences in a joint campaign,
Wine and Dine, in which
they share their unique
experiences on the retailers
website.
Destination NSWs CEO,
Sandra Chipchase, said the
partnerships were aligned
to two areas of focus for the
state. Youth tourism is a rapidly growing market and one
we have targeted for visitor
growth in NSW. Last year we
achieved a new record, with
over a million young people
travelling to NSW in the year
ending June 2014. We have got
very tight targets and KPIs all
focused on achieving the governments goal of doubling
overnight visitor expenditure
by 2020, so we work with our
partners on increasing that
incremental business year on
year towards that goal, Chipchase commented.

Qantas commemorates 80 years

of international services

Qantas recently celebrated its

80 years of operating international flights. On 17 April,
1935, Qantas operated Australias first international passenger flight from Brisbane to Singapore, carrying two paying
customers on a DH86 aircraft.
Eight decades later Qantas
passengers enjoy an international network that services
every continent, spanning a
network of more than 250 destinations in over 60 countries.
Qantas Group Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce said
Qantas had helped shape the
global aviation industry, driving higher standards in safety,
technology, product and
service.
Qantas has led many
innovations that have seen
air travel become safer, more

comfortable and more efficient

than ever before, stated Joyce.
Over the past eight
decades, Qantas has invented
business class travel, operated the first dual hemisphere
round-the-world service and
flown the longest non-stop
commercial route with the
worlds largest aircraft.
Our people built Qantas
international into the iconic,
global airline it is today. And
its our people who are taking Qantas forward into the
future, added Joyce.

middle east

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

Amitabh Bachchan visits Egypt to

inaugurate India by the Nile festival
Indian superstar Amitabh
Bachchan was recently on a
three-day visit to Egypts capital Cairo city. During his visit,
he inaugurated the third edition of the India by the Nile
festival. The 18-day India by
the Nile festival is considered
to be the biggest foreign fair in
Egypt.
It is my fourth visit to this
wonderful country. Every
time I come to Egypt I feel as
though I come home. There is a
lot of similarity between India
and Egypt in terms of culture,
ancient history, tolerance,
warmth and friendliness of the
people, said Bachchan during
a press conference in Cairo.
Egypts Tourism Ministry
has set itself to increase the figure in the next couple of years
to attract the ever-increasing number of Indians travelling abroad by making an
elaborate plan of attractive
holiday packages, vegetarian food and advertising the

country through Bollywood

and regional cinema.
Ismail Hamid, the Egyptian
Tourism Counsellor to India
said global events like the International Development Economic Conference in SharmEl-Shaikh as well as the India
by the Nile Festival organised in
Cairo will boost Egypts image

as a safe destination.
We believe that India could
be a very promising market for
us. Though the percentage of
Indian travellers to Egypt is
low, the numbers are growing
thanks to the interest of Indians to travel abroad and the
countrys emerging economy,
stated Hamid.

16

Tourist arrivals in
Oman rise by 12%
Tourist arrivals in Oman
reached 390,000 until the end
of February 2015, a rise of 12%
compared to the same period
in 2014.
According to the report of
the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI),
non-Omani Gulf residents
topped the list in the month
of February, reaching 54,000
visitors, accounting for 28.1%
of the total visitors, followed
by Indian visitors at 18,396
comprising 9.5%, German visitors at 17,976, and 14,888 Britons accounting for 9.3% and
7.7% respectively.
The number of visitors
departing was 834,000 until
the end of February, a rise of
13.6% compared with the same
period last year. Departing
Omani visitors accounted for
64.7% of the total outbound
tourists during the month of
February.
The number of hotel guests

during the month of February amounted to 120,708

compared to 109,358 during
the same period of 2014, an
increase of 10.4%.
Oman is also one of the
best dive destinations with
a spectacular underwater world teeming with life.
Located on the Tropic of Cancer and defined by three seas
- the Arabian Gulf, the Sea of
Oman and the Arabian Sea
Oman boasts an abundance
of live coral, and a rich and
astonishing variety of marine
life which attracts a lot of
travellers.

Jordan Tourism concentrates on MICE

industry for more tourist inflow
Jordans MICE industry has
come of age, and knowing the
particular demands of the
highly recognised meetings
and incentive market it strives
to exceed expectations.
Jordan provides the best preconditions for any events and
conferences by offering continuous enhancements to different domains such as in communications, construction, finance,
health, transportation, and educational services in the region.
Further Jordan offers broad
variety of attractions, a pleasant climate, natural scenery, and

other highlights such as magnificent and worldwide famous

Petra.
It is a county rich with
places, sceneries & venues that
are perfect for all types of MICE
especially places in Amman,
Jerash, Dead Sea, Petra and
Aqaba whether outdoor or
indoor.
Jordan provides state-of-theart infrastructure with international hospitality offerings
to cater to the MICE segment.
They have the biggest convention centre - King Hussein Bin
Talal Convention Centre which

is managed by Hilton. The centre has a capacity to cater to

5,000 persons in theatre style
seating.
India is a huge potential
market for us. And we are optimistic about tourist numbers
increasing year-on-year for Jordan from the India market. Jordan is visa friendly for Indians.
We would like to see more of
business meetings happening
here because this is a growing
sector in India, and Jordan has
a lot of potential, said Nayef Al
Fayez, Minister of Tourism and
Antiquities.

Irans historic bathhouses to turn

into tourist attractions

Saudi Arabia plans

big tourism project

Irans historic bathhouses,

known as hammams in Persian, where patrons are rinsed
and massaged beneath graceful archways and tiled walls,
may soon disappear as interest in them diminishes. But
business has declined as modern conveniences now allow
showers and baths in most
homes across the Islamic
Republic. The few that remain,
mostly in old neighbourhoods,
largely draw day labourers and
travellers.
Nowadays, there are only
three or four public bathhouses
in Tehran, stated Mahdi Sajjadi, Head of the Tehran bathhouse owners association.
Now, bathhouse owners like
Gholam Ali Amirian, 70, who
has spent four decades working in a hammam that is some

Saudi Tourism authorities are

set to develop a key project on
a two million sq metre area of
land in Al-Ahsa region of the
kingdom. The project includes
a commercial mall, hotel, tourism, recreational and marketing services.
Al-Ahsa will witness
several tourism projects,
investment opportunities in
Al-Uqair beach, as well as
sophisticated tourist events,
along with the establishment of co-operative societies
related to tourism with relevant government agencies,
stated Abdulateef Al Afaleq,
the Chairman of the National
Tourism Committee at the
Council of Saudi Chambers
(CSC).
According to a Human
Resources Development Fund

850 years old, fear the institution will dissipate like the
steam from its heated pool.
Some 35 years ago, before the
revolution, we had lots of customers. Five people worked
here and we had over 50 customers a day. But now we have

three customers a day on average, informed Amirian.

Sajjadi suggests that the
government could turn the
bathhouses into tourist attractions by offering low-interest
loans to owners to renovate
their aging interiors.

(HRDF), Saudi Arabias tourism sector is expected to create more than 400,000 jobs
in the next five years. HRDF,
in coordination with the Ministry of Labour and the Saudi
Commission for Tourism and
Antiquities (SCTA), is working to assess the needs of the
sector, and train Saudi nationals to fill in the void.
While discussing the
national tourism resources,
and its challenges and prospects, HRDF Deputy Executive Director Abdulkarim
Al-Nujaidi said that the fund
along with SCTA and Ministry
of Labour is currently working on 56 schemes to increase
the number of Saudi nationals in the sector. Most of these
projects have been launched
already.

18 middle east

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

Bahrain relaxes visas rules for business and tourism visitors

The government of Bahrain has announced a second
phase of visa updates, which
will allow business visitors
and tourists to spend longer
periods of time in the country.
In October 2014, a new
visa policy was implemented,
allowing nationals from over
100 countries to obtain a visa
either online ahead of travel,
via the Bahrain governments
eVisa website (www.evisa.
gov.bh), or on arrival. Data
from October 2014 to February 2015 show that more than
1,400 visitors from the 32 new

countries eligible for visa on

arrival and more than 2,300
visitors from the 36 new countries eligible for e-Visas benefited from the new policies.
Under the latest developments, both business visitors and tourists will now be
able to spend longer periods
of time in the Gulf kingdom,
as the new policy dictates that
business visas will be valid for
a month and are multi-entry,
whilst visitor visas are valid
for three months and are also
multi-entry.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Isa Al

Emirates upgrades Economy

Class and childrens headsets
Emirates is further enhancing
the entertainment experience
for Economy Class travellers
with the launch of new, redesigned headsets for its awardwinning ice entertainment system in Economy Class.
From the end of June, all
Emirates A380 aircraft will
be equipped with new headsets, with plans to roll out the
headsets on the Boeing 777 fleet
later in the year. These headsets have been totally redesigned with a view to improving sound quality, reduction of
ambient cabin noise and overall comfort.
Emirates economy class
headsets are amongst the best
in class for commercial airlines, and we have always
recognised that sound quality
is vitally important in creating
an enjoyable entertainment
experience. This new design
will lift the audio quality to a
new level, and now customers

can completely immerse themselves in the broad variety of

entertainment choices offered
onboard, said Patrick Brannelly Divisional Vice President, Customer Experience
(IFE & Connectivity).
Not to be left behind, young
travellers on Emirates will also

receive new headsets on which

they can enjoy up to 75 channels of dedicated childrens
entertainment from up to 2,000
channels overall. These fun
and colourful new headsets
will also have larger speakers
for a more comfortable fit and
much improved sound quality.

New Eurowings set to take off

with cheap deals
Short and long-haul routes
can now be booked with new
Eurowings to fly from 25 October 2015 onwards. Eurowings
intercontinental flights depart
from Cologne/Bonn Airport.
The cheapest tickets on the longhaul routes are already on offer
from EUR 99.99 per route. The
first flights will take off to the
Caribbean, Dubai and Thailand.
The new Eurowings is building on the successful Germanwings concept, which is positioned as an innovative quality
low-cost airline and low-cost
brand in Germany and Europe.
Under the umbrella of the
Eurowings sales brand, the
range of European and domestic routes will be expanded with
intercontinental city and holiday destinations. From the winter flight plan 2015 / 16 onwards,
the new route network will
include Dubai, the Thai cities of

Bangkok and Phuket, as well as

the Caribbean destinations of
Varadero and Punta Cana.
Our new Eurowings strategy is to strengthen our position in point-to-point traffic,
stated Karl Ulrich Garnadt,
CEO of Lufthansa German Airlines and member of the Executive Board of Lufthansa AG.
The new Eurowings will tackle
on long-haul routes with a new

brand launch, affordable ticket

prices and an attractive route
network. Our customers rightly
expect a high standard of quality from us. With Germanwings,
we have demonstrated that we
can successfully connect low
prices with good quality. We will
continue to fulfil this aim in the
expanded route network of the
new Eurowings as well, Garnadt added.

Khalifa, Assistant Undersecretary for the General Directorate of Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs at
Bahrains Ministry of Interior
said, We are pleased that the
data shows that a significant
number of people are already
benefiting from a greater ease
of access into Bahrain, supporting the business and tourism sectors in the Kingdom...
The second phase of updates
will lead to further benefits
for visitors, with increased
flexibility and expanded
eligibility.

Qatar Executive targets

Asian business jet market
Qatar Executive Qatar Airways business jet division is
growing its international footprint by targeting corporations
and the fast-growing number
of high-net-worth individuals
in Asia, reinforcing its strategy to tap into global growth
markets.
Asia,predominantly
China, is widely regarded
as one of the fastest growing
markets for business jet services today. Driven by robust
economic growth and increasing corporate profits, the use
of business jets as a tool to
enhance productivity and to
support and facilitate corporate international growth is
gradually increasing.
Qatar Airways Group
Chief Executive H.E. Akbar
Al Baker said, We see great
potential in Asia for our charter services among business
travellers and private individuals alike.
As Asian corporations
continue to expand their
businesses, they are looking
for the most convenient and

efficient means of travel to spur

their international corporate
growth. The Qatar Executive
fleet of ultra and long-range
business jets hence provide
them with a key transportation means and also greater
flexibility in meeting their
regional and global business
travel needs, no matter how
complex they are.
To meet the requirements
of the new target market, Qatar
Executive has adjusted its inflight experience to match the
taste of the Asian executive
and private traveller.
Executive Vice President
of Qatar Executive, David
Edwards said, The Asian
travelling elite expects nothing less than the best aircraft
in terms of range, performance
and technology, combined
with luxurious cabin design
and refined personalised service. At Qatar Executive we
offer all of this and the customer response towards our
product has been extremely
positive since we started operating in the region.

Mvenpick plans to open Dubai

Media City hotel in 2017
Mvenpick Hotels & Resorts
has revealed plans to open its
first property in Dubai Media
City (DMC) in 2017 a move
that capitalises on the vibrant
business districts fast-paced
expansion.
The 251-key Mvenpick
Hotel Dubai Media City will
stand adjacent to the AED
4.5 billion (USD 1.23 billion)
innovation hub announced
by the Dubai Government last
year a new centre for communications and technology
facilities that spans an area
the size of two football pitches
across DMC, Dubai Internet
City and Knowledge Village.
Dubai Media City is
already home to more than
2,000 businesses according
to Tecom and attracts thousands more workers and

visitors on a daily basis. The

cutting-edge innovation hub
will significantly expand
the districts population and
Mvenpick Hotel Dubai
Media City will be well placed
to cater to this community
and beyond, said Andreas
Mattmller, Chief Operating
Officer, Mvenpick Hotels
& Resorts, Middle East and
Asia.
Mvenpick Hotels &
Resorts DMC debut with
Mvenpick Hotel Dubai
Media City will take the
upscale hospitality specialists Dubai portfolio to
eight properties by 2017. The
company recently unveiled
plans to open the 246-key
Mvenpick Hotel Apartments Downtown Dubai in
the same year.

europe

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

19

Foreign tourism in Italy is worth

34 billion Euros a year
Foreign tourism in Italy is worth
34 billion Euros a year, and it
keeps growing, with an average
increase of one billion per year.
Moreover, Italians started travelling abroad again. These are
some of the incoming and outgoing trends of 2014, according
to Bank of Italy, published in a
report focusing on tourism and
the upcoming Expo.
Between
January
and

December 2014, 34.154 million

Euros were spent by international tourists in Italy, outnumbering 33.064 million Euros in
2013. Italian tourists spent 21.7
million Euros abroad in 2014
and 20.309 million Euros in the
previous year.
These are the first data about
2014 presented and commented
at the 15th conference Italy and
International Tourism: Trends

and Results for Incoming and

Outgoing in 2014, organised by
Ciset, Universit Ca Foscari, in
cooperation with the Bank of
Italy. After presenting the big
picture of the tourist balance
in 2014, during the first session
the speakers talked about the
economic impact of tourism
in the regional context and the
importance of analysing tourist
expenses.

Inbound tourism increases

rapidly in Sweden
With foreign tourists expected
to spend a total of 115 billion kronor (13.3 billion) this year, tourism in Sweden is increasing
rapidly.
The forecast comes from
tourism industry trade association Visita which hosted a conference recently. The Visita figures indicated that the number
of overnight stays at Swedish
hotels during the summer will
increase by half a million.
A forecast predicts the
organisation that the number of overnight stays at Swedish hotels during the summer
will increase by half a million,
of which 175,000 will be foreign

guests. During the three summer months hotels are expected

to turnover some 6.3 billion

kronor - an increase of 300 million kronor on the corresponding period of 2013.

Poland attracts visitors with sports and culture

Poland presents itself in a

sporty way this year with new
offers for bikers and water
sports lovers. A true highlight is the new bike path,
Green Velo, which stretches
over the distance of almost
2,000 kms and leads through
eastern parts of the country,
said Rafal Szmytke, President of the Polish Tourist
Organisation.
Another attraction is the
freshly re-opened Elblag
Canal that has been redeveloped within the last two years

and is once again accessible to

tourist vessel, houseboats and
sail boats.
Additionally, the spotlight
is on Wroclaw the metropolis at the river Oder which
will introduce itself as the
European Capital of Culture
2016. Over 500 big events are
planned for this occasion
and according to Wroclaws
Mayor Rafal Dutkiewiczthe
city awaits visitors around
the world.
We want to show Wroclaw as a European city with

an extraordinary history, he
stated. He aims to double the
number of national and international visitors in 2016 from
currently around three million to six million.
According to preliminary
calculations, around 16.4 million guests from abroad visited Poland last year. This
marks a growth of four percent compared to 2013, in
which 15.8 million guests
from abroad visited Poland
and stayed for at least one
night.

Russian Tourism launches open competition

to design a new logo for Russia
As the Rubles devaluation
sparks hopes of a boom in
domestic and international
interest in vacationing in Russia, Russias Federal Tourism
Ministry launched an open
competition to design a new
logo for Russia.
Competitors, who must
be legal residents of Russia,
needed to submit an original
design and slogan to the Tourism Ministry. Participants can
then vote for their favourite
designs, although the final
decision will be made by
experts selected by the Tourism Ministry. Winners will
be announced by July 15. The
winning image and text will
be used in Internet, print and
television advertising, as well
as on souvenirs.

The competition comes as

Moscow crosses its fingers
that Russians will begin to
turn away from French chateaus and Turkish beaches
and vacation at home. Russian tour operators polled by
The Moscow Times earlier
this year said they expected
an up to 30% rise in domestic tourism as the weak Ruble
exchange rate makes travel
abroad more expensive.

A solo travellers
guide to St. Moritz
Over 150 years ago, Engadin St.
Moritz was already a popular
summer destination for travellers from across the world.
The Alpine valley attracts
cricketers, artists, surfers,
golfers, vintage car owners
and enthusiasts for international events that take place in
the Engadin Valley. St. Moritz
and the Engadin offer an ideal
setting for adventure activities and sports during the
summer months. With gently sloping hills draped with
lush Alpine meadows, high
mountain valleys, mighty glaciers, glistening lakes, there
are several activities that can
be partaken by families, solo
women travellers and adrenaline enthusiasts.
St. Moritz is not just a destination for the rich and famous
but hosts many solo travellers here for hiking, camping
and budget travel. The string
of lakes scattered along the
wide valley from Maloja to
St. Moritz provides perhaps
the most defining image of the
Engadin.
One can discover picturesque side valleys on horseback, following mule trails

through aromatic coniferous

forests and across flower-filled
alpine meadows. Engadin St.
Moritz offers a wide range of
idyllic bridle paths and professionally managed riding stables for experienced equestrians with or without their own
horse, as well as for less proficient riders or guests who simply want to explore the valley
from a different perspective.
The superb condition
on idyllic Lake Silvaplana
at 1,800 metres is no more a
secret among windsurfing,
sailing and kite surfing fanatics. Although participation in
the Engadin Wind Surf Marathon is open to everyone, the
crme-de-la-crme of surfers
also gathers here. One can also
hire a boat on Lake Silvaplana
or Lake Sils or crossing Lake
Sils with Europes highest regular ship service.

20 EUROPE

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

FEST Travel, Turkey appoints Global Destinations

as their representative in India
FEST Travel has appointed
Global Destinations as their
Sales and Marketing Representative in India.
FEST Travel is a member
of the Association of Travel
Agencies of Turkey (TURSAB),
American Society of Travel
Agencies (ASTA), International
Social Tourism Organisation
(ISTO), Pacific Asia Travel
Association (PATA) and works
under the supervision of both
TURSAB and the Ministry of
Tourism in Turkey.
FEST Travel is Turkeys
number one specialist in Cultural Tours, both inbound
and outbound. As an international operator, FEST travel
provides services to cultural
organisations, tour operators,
travel agencies, travel shops,
trade unions, NGOs, group
organisers and companies as

well as individuals.
Pranav Kapadia, Founder,
Global Destinations stated,
We are extremely delighted to
add FEST Travel to our portfolio and promote Turkey, one of
the top 10 popular travel destinations from India.
Zekeriya S Sen, General
Manager, FEST Travel said,

India has always been one

of our top outbound destinations. We have explored more
than 16 different destinations
within India from Ladakh to
Nagaland and Orissa to Karnataka. We are tremendously
excited to now welcome Indian
travellers and experience our
country.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines launches its first

short animation film Bluey The Movie
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
presents its first short animation film for children
about Bluey, the tough little KLM plane. Bluey The
Movie is shown on the special KLM You Tube channel
and will be shown onboard
all intercontinental KLM
flights from June onwards.
Bluey The Movie is the first
in a series of animation films
about the little aircraft. In the
first film, Bluey, his father
and his friend Windy have
a fun and exciting adventure
at the annual Zundert flower
parade.
KLM wants to ensure its
younger passengers have a
pleasant and comfortable
journey. Bluey was launched
last November especially
for young children travelling with KLM. Since then,
this little plane has become

extremely popular with our

younger travellers. Several
Bluey products are available, ranging from key cords,
trolleys and card games, to a
fun Bluey meal box for children on international flights.
Children who are travelling
unaccompanied by an adult
can also use the newly renovated KLM Junior Jet Lounge
at Schiphol. The play area in
Lounge 2 at Schiphol is also
being revamped to ensure
Bluey becomes part of the
scene here.

Air India and Adria Airways enter into code share agreement
Air India (AI) and Adria Airways (JP), the national airline of
Slovenia have entered into a free
flow code share agreement.
Under this code share
arrangement, Adria Airways
would code share as a marketing carrier on Air India operated flights on the Delhi-Frankfurt vv sectors and Air India
would code share as a marketing carrier on Adria Airways
operated flights on the Frankfurt-Ljubljana vv sectors.

The code share offers exciting

opportunities to the esteemed
customers to travel seamlessly

between India and Slovenia.

The code share will also facilitate in the promotion of trade

Oceania Cruises announces new culinary

discovery tours for European voyages
Building on its leadership
position as the cruise line
for epicureans, Oceania
Cruises announced a significant expansion to its popular Culinary Discovery Tour
series. The newest Culinary
Discovery Tours will debut in
Barcelona, Marseille, Antibes
(France), Catania (Italy)
and Iraklion (Heraklion,
Greece) during select sailings aboard Marina and Riviera this spring and summer
as the ships cruise throughout Europe.
Exclusive
to
Oceania
Cruises, the Culinary Discovery Tours provide guests with
epicurean interests a unique

opportunity to interact with

well-known regional culinary
experts while exploring local
food markets, restaurants,
vineyards, farms and cooking schools. During the entire
tour, guests are accompanied
by a chef instructor from The
Culinary Centre, Oceania
Cruises hands-on cooking
school. All tours begin with
an orientation about the local
cuisine and many conclude
with a destination-inspired
cooking class or tasting in The
Culinary Centre.
Culinary traditions are
at the heart of many cultures
around the world, and with
our Culinary Discovery Tours

we are able to provide guests

with the unique opportunity
to share firsthand in those traditions, explained Executive
Chef Kathryn Kelly, Director of Culinary Enrichment
for Oceania Cruises. On our
new tours, guests spend time
in the kitchen with local culinary experts and renowned
chefs learning about regional
ingredients and cooking customs that have influenced
European cuisine for centuries. Our goal is for guests to
walk away with new culinary
skills, satisfied taste buds and
a deeper appreciation for the
vibrant culinary traditions
found in Europe.

and tourism between the two

countries. Indians will now take
the opportunity to visit the beautiful and scenic country of Slovenia and likewise, it will open
up the window of opportunity
for Slovenians to visit Incredible India.
With the commencement of
this code share arrangement,
Air India has added Ljubljana to
its growing code share network
and Air India has become first
Indian carrier to offer services

to Slovenia.
The Adria Airways network
links Ljubljana with 20 cities
throughout Europe and offers
excellent connections to South
East Europe. Adria Airways
offers more than 140 scheduled
flights each week to Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen,
Frankfurt, Istanbul, Moscow,
Munich, Paris, London, Manchester, Podgorica, Prague, Pristina, Sarajevo, Skopje, Tirana,
Vienna, Warsaw and Zurich.

Air France announces irresistible

summer fares to Paris

Air France is offering irresistible special fares from Mumbai

to Paris this summer. From
world-class art to windswept
sandy beaches and lavender-hued fields, watch medieval history comes alive along
the cobblestoned lanes and
bell-ringing gothic cathedral. A single trip to France
holds promises of a lifetime of
memories.
Air France a truly leader
in global transportation and a
member of the Sky Team alliance is offering all its Indian
customers a special discount
to visit this dream destination.

The airline was offering

special return fares starting at an unbelievable price
of INR 35,000 all inclusive in
economy class for bookings
made from April 27, 2015 till
April 30, 2015. Special fare is
only valid on flights AF 5109
& AF 5108. This offer is valid
for tickets issued in India
and travel outbound from
Mumbai from May 19, 2015
until August 31, 2015.
To avail this offer, customers can choose to book tickets
online at www.airfrance.in,
contact the Air France Sales &
Service Centre at 1800 1800 033.

americas

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

21

Machu Picchu aims to attract more

tourists with reconceptualisation plan
An
extravagant
master
plan for Machu Picchu was
approved recently that calls
for a dramatic reconceptualisation of the Inca Citadel,
backed by a proposed USD 43.7
million makeover of its tourist
infrastructure.
A striking feature of the
2015-2019 plan is how it frames
and deals with the problem of
the increasing waves of visitors who have flocked to the

iconic ruins since the 2007 designation of Machu Picchu as a

New Wonder of the World.
According
to
figures
released by the Ministry of
Culture, last year Machu Picchu received 1,079,426 visitors, not including the 200plus trekkers who entered the
sanctuary each day from the
Inca Trail.
The
reconceptualisation plan wants to change

the experience for visitors

to a more holistic view of the
citadel. Machu Picchu will
become more than the peak,
the mountains, the clouds,
and the structure of the temple in the clouds. The site is
a patrimonial network that
unfolds across the mountain
and is symbiotically integrated
with it. Therefore, the plan is
to experience a larger picture,
the entire mountain.

Colombian capital to host major

global events through 2017

Invest in Bogota recently

announced that the city will
host numerous key industry
events in 2015 through 2017, further establishing Colombia and
its capital as a world-class destination for business. Colombia ranks third among Latin
American countries in hosting events, with Bogota being
the main contributor, according to the most recent report
from the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA).
Sandra Garca, Bureau
Director for Greater Bogota

Convention said, Our presence

in these global events demonstrates the relevance countries
in this region have undertaken.
In particular Bogota has been
ranked as one of the strongest
options in the areas of tourism
and investment.
Among the major events
that the Colombian capital will
host in 2015 is the Pan-American Congress of Ophthalmology, scheduled for August 5
to 8. The event is estimated to
attract 3,000 participants and
approximate economic impact
of USD 4,200,000. Bogota will

also host the 5th United Cities and Local Governments

(UCLG) World Congress in
2016, a significant opportunity
to demonstrate to the world
that Bogota is a city with longterm strategic vision. Another
meeting of great importance
to Bogota and its surroundings is the Annual Meeting of
Latin American Dermatologists, which is confirmed for
May 25 to 29, 2017. The event
is estimated to attract 3,500
participants and approximate economic impact of
USD 5,250,000.

Canadas Cold War Museum is the new

unique underground tourist attraction
As Cold War fears gripped
the Canadian public in
the 1960s, the government
secretly constructed a massive underground bunker
in the event of nuclear warfare. Once shrouded in mystery, this unique historical
site is now home to the Diefenbunker: Canadas Cold
War Museum. The Diefenbunker was commissioned
by the then Prime Minister,
John Diefenbaker in 1958,
is a four-story, 300 rooms,
100,000 square foot underground bunker, and was
meant to house 535 Canadian
government officials and military officers in the event of a
nuclear war.
There were a number of
exhibits, specialty tours and a
new artist in residence at the

Canadas Cold War Museum.

The range of programming
that we have is quite innovative. We try to offer something for our diverse audience, said Megan Lafrenire,
Curatorial and Marketing
Manager at the museum.
The Ottawa Museums and
Archives virtual collections
catalogue has been launched,
and it is one of the 11 community or city-run museums
to be contributing digitised
records and a wide range of
artefacts. There are already
34,000 active records to view.
There are public and
group
tours
available
throughout the year. Also,
special programs are available for kids. The museum is
open year-round Monday to
Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm.

Worlds first underwater oxygen bar opens in Mexico

The construction and installation of the worlds first underwater oxygen bar Clear
Lounge has been completed
by Sub Sea Systems. The first
Clear Lounge is operating at
Carnival Corporations busiest transit, corporate-operated port Puerta Maya in
Cozumel, Mexico.
We are excited to introduce such an innovative
underwater attraction, said
Jim Mayfield, President of
Sub Sea Systems. We see
experiences as one of the hottest trends in entertainment.
Clear Lounge is truly a unique
social novelty. It is incredibly
fun, memorable, and an activity guests are excited to share

and talk about.

Clear Lounge submerges
guests in the experience of
breathing enriched oxygen while playing games in a
13,000 gallon, high-tech, freestanding aquarium. Using a
specialised clear diving helmet designed for non-swimmers, guests receive airflow of invigorating oxygen
mixed with an aromatherapy scent of their choice. A
bartender entertains participants during the 20-minute
underwater experience with
activities including jenga,
write-on message boards,
and target practice with highpowered bubble guns. The
Clear Lounge aquarium also

includes an underwater photo

booth, another worlds first.
Sub Sea Systems is

currently constructing the

next Clear Lounge system
and we have plans to produce

many more with flexible

configurations,
stated
Mayfield.

22 americas

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

DC Comics superhero fans gather to Los Angeles welcomes

LGBT tourism
set a new Guinness World Record
Warner Bros and DC Entertainment hosted fans from all
around the world with hopes of
setting a new Guinness World
Record for the largest gathering
of people dressed as DC Comics Super Heroes. In a 24-hour
period, thousands of fans gathered around the globe to participate in the DC Comics Super
Hero World Record Event by
donning their favourite costumes inspired by DC Comics pantheon of Super Heroes,
including Batman, Superman,
Wonder Woman, The Flash,
Green Lantern, Batgirl, Supergirl, Aquaman, Cyborg, Robin,
Green Arrow and many more.
Thanks to all the fans of DC
Comics Super Heroes around
the world who joined us to set a
world recorda record that celebrates the power and appeal of
these iconic characters, said

Brad Globe, President of Warner Bros Consumer Products.

The largest gathering of people dressed as Superman was
867, according to Guinness.
The DC Comics Super Hero
World Record Event started on
April 18, 2015 in Queensland,
Australia, and came to a celebratory close in Los Angeles, CA,

USA. Within the same 24-hour

period, additional events took
place around the world in Manila, Philippines; Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Madrid, Spain;
Rome, Italy; London, Birmingham, Warrington and Cardiff in
the UK; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Paris,
France Smallville, USA (Plano,
IL) and Mexico City, Mexico.

At the International Gay &

Lesbian Travel Associations
32nd Annual Global Convention, Los Angeles rolled out
the red carpet for LGBT tourism professionals from 27
countries.
The
event
brought
together tourism professionals from 27 countries
for education and networking designed to enhance the
landscape of LGBT tourism.
Los
Angeles
truly
proved itself to be one of
the most LGBT-welcoming

destinations in the world,

from the host venues to the
local media to the support of
our LGBT travel expo in West
Hollywood Park, IGLTA
President / CEO John Tanzella said. The outpouring
of positive feedback for this
years convention program
has surpassed any other in
our 32-year history. The bar
is set really high now and we
are ready to meet that challenge head on as we prepare
for our first convention in
Africa in 2016.

GOL first quarter domestic load

factor up to 78.9%

GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA reveals its preliminary

air traffic figures for March
2015, compared to March 2014
and the first quarter of 2014.
The domestic load factor
reached 78.9% in 1Q15, 2.1 p.p.

up year-on-year. The rate came

to 74.2% in March, 0.2 p.p.
down on March 2014 and 78.3%
in the last 12 months (LTM), 5.4
p.p. more than in the previous
12-month period.
Domestic demand in the

first quarter increased by 4.9%

over 1Q14, fell by 1.8% in March
and climbed by 5.7% in the LTM
over the same periods last year.
Domestic capacity moved
up by 2.1% in 1Q15 and fell by
1.6% in March. The LTM figure
fell by 1.5% over the previous 12
months.
International
demand
climbed by 20.7% in the first
quarter, leading to a load factor
of 72.6%, up by 1.2 p.p.
The number of passengers
transported in the entire route
network totalled 10.1 million
in 1Q15, three percent more
than in 1Q15, and 40 million in
the LTM, 11.5% up on the same
period the year before.

United Airlines takes delivery of

Purple Plane for healthy babies
United Airlines welcomed a new
Boeing 737-900ER aircraft to its
fleet, and while it is not the first
of the next generation Boeing
planes the company will take
delivery of this year, it is the
first to feature a vibrant purple
fuselage. The commemorative
aircraft is specially painted to
honour Uniteds 10 years of supporting the March of Dimes and
their mission to provide families across the country with care
and valuable information on
pregnancy and having healthy
babies.
Flight 2051 departed Seattles Sea-Tac airport bound for
Chicago OHare, filled with customers and United partners who
supported the March of Dimes
through Uniteds fundraising
efforts. Each guest was personally welcomed aboard the special

flight by 2015 March of Dimes

National Ambassador Family,
long-time United employee Elise
Jackson, her son Elijah and husband Todd. Uniteds Executive
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and the 2015 March
for Babies National Chairman
John Rainey also personally
thanked guests for their meaningful contributions.
Our purple plane is more
than just a fun and unique paint

job it is a symbol of the longstanding partnership between

our customers and employees
and the March of Dimes, said
Rainey. We know that so many
people who fly with us have been
touched by the issue of premature birth, and we hope that as
customers spot this plane flying around the country, we can
bring continued awareness and
support to this very important
issue.

CheapAir offers direct

flights from U.S. to Cuba
CheapAir is the first online
travel agency which is offering
direct flights from the U.S. to
Cuba, where authorised travellers can fly directly from New
York City (JFK) and Tampa
to Havana, and Miami to six
Cuban destinations - Havana,
Santiago de Cuba, Santa Clara,
Camaguey, Cienfuegos and
Holguin. Travellers departing
Miami will arrive in Havana in
one hour.
In partnership with Cuba
Travel Services, a premier
charter company licensed to fly
from the United States to Cuba,
CheapAir.com is first to search
and book direct licensed charter flights to Havana and other
cities in Cuba.
For the first time in history,
Americans can book direct

flights to Cuba online, said

Jeff Klee, CEO of CheapAir.
Our goal is to make booking
flights and travelling to Cuba
easier for authorised travellers, including those visiting
family on the island. We are
excited to partner with Cuba
Travel Services in this effort.
Cuba Travel Services is
proud to partner with CheapAir.com in efforts to provide
an efficient low cost travel
solution to OFAC authorised
travellers visiting Cuba, said
Michael Zuccato, General
Manager of Cuba Travel Services. We have successfully
designed and implemented an
innovative solution for travellers seeking the convenience
of making online reservations
when travelling to Cuba.

Africa

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

23

Mobile app puts a guide to Madibas South Africa in your pocket

The Madibas Journey mobile
phone app will allow tourists
to experience the soul of South
Africa in addition to its great
physical beauty, and the many,
many, many different tourism experiences the country
offers. This was the message
from Tourism Minister Derek
Hanekom, who introduced
the mobile app to the world at
Liliesleaf Farm in the Johannesburg suburb of Rivonia,
an ANC safe house until the

arrest of several cadres there

in 1963, leading to the famous
Rivonia Trial in which the late
President Nelson Mandela
who had already been jailed
in 1962 was sentenced to life
imprisonment.
The app invites the world
not only to come and visit
South Africa. It also invites
people to come and share
our heritage, and the great
South African story, with us.
This sharing is through the

provision of meaningful information: information that will

help people understand the
soul of South Africa, the priceless value of our freedom; and
the fascinating human story
of that freedomboth from a
historic point of view, right up
to the present day, Hanekom
said.
The app has been developed by South African Tourism in partnership with the
Nelson Mandela Foundation,

Seychelles enters new partnership

with Emirates and Jet Airways
Emirates has renewed its support for the Seychelles by
extending a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) which
unites the two companies in
jointly promoting the destination throughout the airlines
network. The MoU agreement
was signed by Orhan Abbas,
Emirates Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations,
Latin America, Central and
Southern Africa and Rosemary
Hoareau, Director of Marketing, Seychelles Tourism Board.
Under the agreement, Emirates has committed to working
towards increasing the visibility of the destination with its
agents, customers and media
and to work with the Seychelles Tourism Board to support its promotional events and
campaigns.
Air Seychelles and Jet Airways have entered a codeshare
agreement that offers travellers enhanced connections
on their respective networks.

The agreement heralds an era

of closer cooperation between
the two airlines which, in subsequent months, will include
reciprocal frequent flyer programmes, cargo handling,
and expansion of codeshare
arrangements.
Manoj Papa, Air Seychelles Chief Executive Officer said, Mumbai has, in a
short space of time, proven
to be very popular with our
guests. This agreement with
Jet Airways will enhance our

travel proposition by offering

Air Seychelles guests simple
and convenient travel options
within India. Thanks to our
growing commercial ties with
Jet Airways, we will be able to
build our presence in India and
provide Air Seychelles access
to millions of potential Indian
guests wishing to travel to the
Seychelles, or beyond to Africa.
Closer cooperation with cargo
will further enable trade in the
region and is in line with our
business strategy.

Proflight Zambia premieres

latest Fly5 music video
Proflight Zambia premiered the
latest music video by its super
group of brand ambassadors
Fly5.
Deputy Minister of Tourism and Arts Esther Banda
was guest of honour at the glittering red carpet launch of the
video Kwahae, which stars Chef
187, Cleo Ice Queen, Kanji, Kiki
and James Sakala and promotes
the airlines hit single Zambian
Skies.
Government is ever ready to
support initiatives such as this
one, which promotes art and
culture. I therefore comment
Proflight for investing in the arts
and tourism and I uphold these
musicians for using their talents to support their message of
unity and culture, said Banda,
who urged Zambians to visit the
sites featured in the video.
The music track Zambian
Skies, for which Kwahae was
made, was released earlier this
year, and went on to become

number five in the music charts.

It centres on the rich culture,
arts and diverse traditional
ceremonies that can be found
throughout the country.
Proflight Marketing Manager, Hellen N Mwamba said,
Proflight links people of all
ages and backgrounds across

the country, and music connects them all too. The Fly5
aims to reach out to existing
and future passengers, bringing them together to share the
excitement, affordability and
convenience of flying with us to
some of the most amazing destinations in the country.

whose Chief Executive Officer,

Sello Hatang, said it brought to
light a man to whom the world
looked up as a global icon of
forgiveness, reconciliation and
constructive action for positive
and peaceful change.
Hanekom encouraged people to download the app, and
use it to discover facets of
South Africa that would amaze
and inspire them. He encouraged the travel trade to package
Nelson Mandela experiences

of South Africa, to make the

heart and the soul of the nation
accessible to the world and
people who travel in it.

Tanzania Tourist Board launches

nine cultural tourism sites
Tanzania Tourist Board
(TTB) announced the addition of nine new Cultural
Tourism Enterprises, bringing the total to 60. As part of
the Cultural Tourism Program (CTP), the Enterprises,
located around the country, provide visitors with
an authentic cultural experience and a unique insight
into the daily lives of the local
people.
This is a way of doing
tourism so that it focuses
specifically on unlocking
opportunities for the poor
to benefit more within tourism, rather than expanding
the overall size of the sector, said CTP Coordinator
Elirehema Maturo, adding
that sustainable pro-poor
tourism goes well beyond
ecotourism and community
based tourism.
Devota Mdachi, Acting
Managing Director, TTB
said, The growth and success of this program is due
in part to the great demand
of tourists to go off the beaten
track and meet local people
and experience their culture.
But more important, it also

provides the local villages

with a sustainable source of
income.
Nine new cultural tourism
enterprises include Bujora
Cultural Tourism Enterprise (Mwanza Region),
Kiliman Cultural Tourism
Enterprise (Moshi RuralKilimanjaro Region), Kisesa
Cultural Tourism Enterprise
(Mwanza Region), LiuliPomonda Cultural Tourism
Enterprise (Mbamba BayRuvuma Region), Rau Eco &
Cultural Tourism Enterprise
(Moshi-Kilimanjaro region),
Ukerewe Cultural Tourism Enterprise (UkereweMwanza Region), Lyamungo
(Hai-Kilimanjaro Region),
Meru Forest Eco-Tourism
(Arumeru-Arusha Region),
Momela Cultural Tourism &
Campsite (Arumeru-Arusha
Region).

Tunisia seeks to save tourist

season by expanding security
Tunisia is hoping to save the
summer season with new
security measures and an ad
campaign commending its
safety as a destination. Tourism accounts for 7.0% of the
countrys economy.
Radhouane Ben Salah,
President of the Tunisian
Hotel Federation, said that
It is difficult to be optimistic
for the tourist season, but we
will try to save the situation
somewhat.
Mohamed Ali Toumi, President of the Tunisian Federation of Travel Agencies, has
stressed that reassuring tourists of their safety is key. Tourism Minister Salma Rekik also
announced recently a raft of
measures aimed at preventing
another deadly incident.

The country will pump up

security at tourist sites and on
the routes to them, as well as
at airports and on all means of
transportation.
The
authorities
have
launched a #TUNISIAILLBETHERE poster campaign
in major cities across Europe
with the support of a host of
celebrities. More campaigns
are expected as the summer
draws closer.

24 africa

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

Sudan to attract more visitors

with its historic pyramids
Despite being a UNESCO
World Heritage site like those
in Egypt, the pyramids at
Meroe, some 200 kms north
of Sudans capital, Khartoum,
are rarely visited. More than
200 pyramids have been discovered in and around Meroe.
Several were decapitated by the
19th century Italian explorer
and zealous treasure hunter
Giuseppe Ferlini. Finally, in
2011, they gained world heritage site status from UNESCO.
The site, known as the Island
of Meroe because an ancient,
long-dried river ran around it,
once served as the principle residence of the rulers of the Kush
kingdom, known as the Black
Pharaohs. Their pyramids,
ranging from 6 metres to 30
metres tall, were built between
720 and 300 B.C. The entrances

usually face east to greet the rising sun.

David Belgrove, Deputy
Head of Mission and ConsulGeneral at the British Embassy
in Sudan said, A lot of the
sites in Sudan are great tourist secrets. The beauty is that
you just can pitch up and there
are often archaeological teams
who will explain to you what
they are doing. The history of
civilisations here goes back

millennia, but many Sudanese

themselves are not aware of it.
According to UNESCO, the
pyramids bear decorative elements inspired by Pharaonic
Egypt, Greece and Rome, making them priceless relics. Qatar
has pledged USD 135 million to
renovate and support Sudans
antiquities in the last few years.
But Omar said Sudan still
receives just 15,000 tourists per
year.

Nigeria Tourism opens three

information desks at three airports
The Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC)
has unveiled the Tourism
Information Desk at three airports namely Abuja international airport, MM2 and GAT,
domestic airport wing, all in
partnership with Viko Nigeria Group of Companies Ltd.
The Tourism Information portal came alive at the Nnamdi
Azikwe International Airport when Director General
of NTDC Dr Sally Mbanefo
unveiled the portal in Abuja,
saying that information desk
would assist tourists with the
general knowledge of tourism
industry in Nigeria.
She stated that launching of
the information desk was part
of corporation efforts towards
promoting domestic tourism and assisting in gathering
and collating data of tourists
entering Nigeria. According

to her, the information desk

will no doubt showcase Nigeria tourism assets. She said,
The reason we are unveiling
this portal is to give Nigerians
information about our numerous tourism sites not known
to tourist. As you know, we
are promoting domestic tourism which means that before
we can begin to market outsider, we want foreigner seeing many Nigerians enjoying
what we have.
In her remarks, Yakubu
Henrietta of FAAN praised
the NTDC initiatives saying
that information desk at airport would go a long way in
promoting Nigerian culture.
Meanwhile, the Republic of Cote dIvoire has sought
the cooperation of Nigeria
through NTDC to strengthen
partnership between the two
countries in the tourism sector.

Morocco welcomed 10.2 million

tourists in 2014

Tourism in Morocco is on
a recovering steadily as the
country targets 20 million

visitors per annum by 2022.

According to official figures released by H.E. Lahcen

Haddad, Tourism Minister of

Morocco, the Kingdom welcomed 10.2 million tourists in
2014, an increase of 2.4% over
2013 figures. This is the result
of a well thought-out strategy led by Moroccos tourism organisations that host
unique celebrations and offer
packages year round.
Stephan Killinger, a Global
Tourism Expert and President of Mazagan Beach
and Golf Resort said Mazagan Beach and Golf Resort
continues to develop and
customise enticing packages for visitors and with the
onset of the spring season
the resort expects to see an
increase in tourists from the
GCC region.

Rwanda sees 4% rise

in tourist arrivals

UNWTO announces Kenya safe for tourists

The United Nations World
Tourism
Organisation
(UNWTO) has endorsed
Kenya as a safe tourist destination and promised to support the tourism sector. World
Tourism Organisation Secretary General, Dr Taleb Rifai
said Kenya is a shining example in the tourism sector and
that the entire United Nation
system supports the country
to achieve its goals.
Rifai called on the international community to give
Kenya an absolute and unconditional support adding that
the travel advisories issued
by certain nations do not ague
well for the tourism industry
and general development.
UNWTO,
an
agency
responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism, announced,

through its Secretary General

Taleb Rifai that UNWTO and
the Ministry of East African
Affairs, Commerce and Tourism had signed an MOU to
promote the sector.
He said the MOU is aimed
at restoring the image and

repositioning Kenya as wonderful tourist destination. The

MOU is to provide the Government of Kenya with a crisis
management tool kit and manual to help the country respond
to tourism related crisis especially in the international stage.

The Rwanda Development

Board (RDB) revealed that
tourism generated USD 304.9
million in 2014 compared to
USD 293.6 million during 2013
showing a four percent rise.
According to the Directorate of Immigration and
Emigration, Rwanda hosted
almost 1,220,0000 visitors
in 2014 compared to around
1,122,000 visitors hosted in
2013. The 97,000 more visitors
corresponded to an increase
of nine percent.
The U.S. recorded the
highest number of visitors
with 24,488 visitors, followed

by India (13,008), then UK

(12,320), Belgium (8,733)
and Germany (8,228). Visitors from UK and Germany
increased by one percent and
four percent respectively.
Rwanda is already making
strong in-roads in the MICE
part of the tourism industry.
Rwanda has been host to several international conferences
and has designs to increase
this number during 2015 and
beyond. Development like the
Kigali Convention Centre is
seen as key to making the capital a regional hub for MICE in
the near future.

CAribbean

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

Jamaica expects boost in cruise tourism

According to the Minister of
Tourism and Entertainment,
the Dr Wykeham McNeill, 2014
was Jamaicas best year ever for
cruise shipping as the island
welcomed 1.4 million cruise
ship visitors, a 12.5% increase
over 2013.
Already this year we are
up 8.5% and again we have had
increases in all three ports, said
Minister McNeill. This year for
the first time we have a record
breaking three cruise ships
home porting in Montego Bay
the Louis Cristal, Thomson
Dream and AIDA Bella with
all the concomitant goods and
services required to tender these
vessels, the Tourism Minister
added. Next year Jamaica will
welcome a fourth cruise ship to
its shores for home porting.
In Ocho Rios, we have completed phases one and two of the

JD400 million resort upgrading project. This year we will

commence phases three and
four of the project, which will
see the total reconstruction of
the promenade as well as work
on the Ocho Rios Main Street,
including areas that are to be
pedestrianised, said Minister
McNeill.
In addition to upgrades to

the Elegant Corridor, Minister McNeill also announced a

new transformational project
to put the hip back in the second citys Hip Strip. Over the
last few months, the Ministry of
Tourism and Entertainment has
held a series of consultations
with stakeholders and community leaders from the public and
private sectors.

The Cayman Islands sets new record

in first quarter arrival
According to data released by
the Department of Tourism,
the Cayman Islands welcomed
115,640 stay over visitors in the
first quarter of 2015. The territory received 45,467 stay over
visitors in March, the largest number of stay over visitors arriving to the island one
month in its history.
Demonstrating a 5.7%

increase in air arrivals, the

first quarter of 2015 has proven
to be one of the best for tourism
arrivals in the recorded history
of the Cayman Islands and continues to meet the expectations
of the Ministry and Department of Tourism.
This speaks to the efforts
made by the Ministry and
Department of Tourism in

collaboration with our tourism partners to distinguish

ourselves in ways that are welcoming and satisfying to our
visitors, said Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell.
The March total represented
a 2.88% increase over the same
month in 2014.
It is another great, positive beginning to the year,
and we could not have asked
for a better start to 2015, said
Director of Tourism Rosa Harris. We are optimistic of the
tourism performance which is
measured by the growth in air
arrivals. The Northeast region
of the U.S. continues to be our
largest key market for visitation and our efforts to see wins
from this market will continue throughout the year. We
have excellent airline partners
that service the Northeast and
we feel there is more room for
growth from this area.

Aruba witnesses tourism boom

According to new data
from the Caribbean Tourism Organisation, tourism to
Aruba is booming so far in 2015.
The Dutch Caribbean Island
received 294,411 stopover tourist arrivals in the first quarter of
2015, which represented a 20.1%
increase over the same period in
2014.
The boom is due in large
part to tourism from outside
the U.S., Canada and Europe,
with a 68.5% increase in arrivals from areas outside of those
three major markets in large
part from South America.
Last year, Aruba welcomed
1.07 million tourists, a 9.5%
improvement on the previous
year.
The social, economic, and
environmental landscape of

Aruba is changing rapidly. In

recent years, Aruba has tried
to move away from its image
as a playground for the rich
and famous and initiated a
push towards sustainable tourism and green energy. Arubas
government has incorporated

wind farms, an airport solar

park, a waste-to-energy plant,
smart communities, and a $1
billion island investment largely
focused on eco-tourism. These
efforts are all part of a broader
initiative to create social and
economic resilience for Aruba.

25

Bahamas launches new social media

contest to attract more tourists
The Bahamas Ministry of
Tourism (BMOT) has recently
launched new social media
promotion #BahamasTakesFlight where pilots, aviation
enthusiasts and anyone who
have had or wish to have a fantastic, exotic vacation to the
Islands of The Bahamas will
have a real treat as their wish
can now become a reality.
According to Andre Miller,
General Manager, Global Communications and Social Media,
for BMOT, said, The social
media contest was designed
to heighten awareness of the
Bahamas multiple islands in
the aviation community, build
its creative videos and image
banks by showing the visual
experiences of pilots who have
visited the destination and
simultaneously,
showcase
and differentiate the marketing methods of the past for the
aviation market with this new
social media twist.
Open to past visitors and
also those wishing to visit The

Bahamas, persons can log

on to Bahamas.com/TakesFlight and simply submit
their creative photo and videos, depicting great aviation
experiences and stating how
much they love The Bahamas,
#BahamasTakesFlight.
All photos should be
accompanied by a short story
saying why they deserve a trip
to The Bahamas, and those
on video should do the same
in video format. There are no
limits on the amounts of videos and photos each person
can submit and the deadline
for submission is May 29, 2015.
From May 30 through June 13,
2015, family and friends will be
able to vote for their favourite
applicant via social media.
A panel of judges will
decide on the final winner,
which will be announced on
June 22, 2015 via the social
media platforms Facebook,
Twitter and Instagram as well
as traditional electronic and
print media.

Curacao expects
tourism boom this year
One of the ABC islands in the
Dutch Caribbean (alongside
Aruba and Bonaire), Curaao - a sliver of land favourably sited off the Seas hurricane beltis chiefly admired
for its glistening waters, white
sand beaches, and extraordinary reefs.
According to Curacao
Tourist Board (CTB) data,
Curacao is benefitting from an
early season bookings surge.
The southern Caribbean destination hosted 39,676 overnight visitors in March 2015,
and 11% increase over the
35,690 recorded during the
same period in 2014.
Curacao has also recorded

a 13.7% increase in arrivals in

January and February of 2015,
according to Caribbean Tourism Organisation statistics,
with 82,398 visitors in 2015
versus the same period in 2014.
Air Canada is expanding its
service to the Dutch Caribbean
island of Curacao in time for
the summer season. The carrier announced that it would
be expanding its seasonal service to year-round flights, with
a nonstop Toronto-Curacao
flight every Friday.
A Courtyard by Marriott
is also coming to the island
of Curacao which will have
177 rooms and suites, and is
scheduled to open in 2017.

EVENTS

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

26

Nepal receives New Frontiers Recovery Award at ATM 2015

The 22nd Arabian Travel Market 2015 concluded with over 2,700 exhibitors at the Dubai International Convention
and Exhibition Centre. The four-day event attracted about 23,000 visitors with 113 new companies exhibiting for
the first time, as well as 70 national pavilions. New countries that joined the show this year were Serbia, Slovakia
and Croatia. The size of the show has grown by 7 per cent this year, said Simon Press, Senior Exhibition Director
of Reed Exhibitions.
Nepal receives New
Frontiers Recovery Award
ATM has named Nepal as the
recipient of the New Frontiers
Recovery Award 2015. Accepting the award from Nadege
Noblet-Segers,
Exhibition
Manager, ATM, on behalf of the
Nepal Tourism Board, Rishav
Agarwal, Co-Owner of Kathmandu-based Nebuti Travels,
said that the industry response
over the three days at ATM had
been incredible, with visitors
to the stand asking for detailed
situation updates and also
pledging continued support.
Nepals confidence in the future
of its tourism industry remains
undimmed with four of the original six confirmed participating
companies making it to Dubai
for ATM 2015. Nepal was shortlisted along with Japan and
India, each of which suffered
significant human and economic
losses in the last 12 months due
to devastating natural catastrophes, namely the Mount Ontake
eruption in Japan and Malin
landslide in India. Although
the original decision was made
to recognise Nepal following
last years Sunkoshi River landslide, which resulted in both loss

of life and loss of tourism revenues, this has obviously been

surpassed by the catastrophic
events of last month, said
Noblet.

Family travel in spotlight

YouGov revealed their new data
on MENA family travel trends
as the in-depth study highlighted preference for destinations with theme park activities, shopping and child-friendly
environment. Our research
looked at how behaviour and
preferences change when travelling with children, and with
children of different ages, and
this was a good springboard for
discussion, said Scott Booth,
Research Director & Head of
Travel, Tourism and Leisure
for YouGov ME. Sponsored by
Mexico, family travel was the
Spotlight Theme for ATM 2015.

Smart technologies
reshaping tourism
landscape
Global growth in mobile bookings expected to reach 35% of
online travel bookings by 2018
as wearable technology takes
off; opportunities in business
tourism development also

highlighted with Dubai 2020

the primary catalyst. Euromonitor International has released
its latest tourism Global Trends
report at ATM with up-to-date
insight into MENA economic
trends and specific emphasis
on the future impact of smart
technologies and opportunities
for business tourism growth in
the region. The report findings

covered seven regions: the

Americas, the UK, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and India.
A number of travel companies and technology developers are already addressing
the trend with Expedia releasing a traveller notification app
for the Samsung Galaxy Gear
smart-watch in August 2014,
and working on one for Google

Glass; Starwood creating its own

Google Glass app that allows
bookings and provides hotel
directions, as well as plans to use
the Apple Watch as a room key
in future; and Iberia, Vueling
and Air Berlin have announced
that their passengers will be able
to download boarding passes
directly onto their wearable
devices.

IT&CM China 2015 concludes ITE & MICE Hong Kong eyes 650
with over 13,000 business
exhibitors from around the world
appointments conducted
The 9th IT&CM China concluded with a new record of
over 13,000 business appointments conducted. Participating exhibitors acknowledged
the buzz and interest that the
show has accomplished by
delivering close to 500 quality buyers across MICE, association and corporate profiles.
IT&CM is the leading
international MICE event in
China that brings together
Chinese and international
MICE exhibitors and buyers
in one dynamic marketplace.

Since 2007, IT&CM China has

established itself as Chinas
leading international Meetings, Incentives, Conventions
and Exhibitions (MICE) business, education and networking event, dedicated to Promoting China to the World
and the World to China.
IT&CM China is the platform
for international and leading
Chinese players in the MICE
industry to explore business
opportunities on all fronts
- inbound, outbound and
domestic.

ITE & MICE Hong Kong will be

held from June 11 to 14, which
colocates the ITE (leisure)
and the ITE MICE, at the Hong
Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. It is the only international travel fair, which is
attended in the two trade days
by over 2,500 visitors from
MICE & Corporate Travel and
over 6,500 from travel agents.
Highlighted themes in the

travel fair include MICE, weddings, cruise, sport tourism

and wellness.
Organiser of the annual ITE
& MICE Hong Kong, TKS Exhibition Services, mentioned that
650 exhibitors are expected this
year, with 85% from abroad and
from about 45 countries nearly
half of which are from West
Asia and outside Asia.
China and Japan again will

be the two largest official pavilions at the event, each of which

is expected to feature around
60 booths. Mexico, Sabah,
Thailand and Zagreb of Croatia will be larger, while newlyexhibiting destinations with
independent exhibitors like
Ireland, Lithuania, Maldives
and Sri Lanka will be present as well promoting at their
respective pavilions.

events 27

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

Argentina celebrates Malbec

World Day 2015 in Mumbai
The Consulate General of
Argentina, in Mumbai, celebrated the 5th edition of World
Malbec Day along with 64 cities and 50 countries around the
world, together paying tribute
to Argentinas flagship grape
variety - MALBEC.
Every year, on April 17, the
world commemorates the day
when President Domingo
Faustino Sarmiento of Argentina transformed Argentinas
wine industry. In Mumbai, the
Consul General, Tomas Ferrari hosted an evening extravaganza of sparkling red swigs
and a high-energy Argentine
Tango performance at the Taj
Mahal Palace.
According to the Consul General Tomas Ferrari,
Argentina has a reputation of
producing the finest wines in
the world, especially with the
ever-increasing popularity of
the Malbec variety. The Argentine wine industry is growing each year, adding acres to
vineyards, improved technology to wineries, and innovation in the wine varieties. This
has greatly boosted the tourism industry, inviting wine
enthusiasts from across the

world to its impressive wine

tasting routes. Our wineries
or Bodegas, as we like to call
it, are known to produce best

quality wines that transport

your senses back to the plantations and landscapes of its
making.

Korea Tourism Organisation targets

MICE travel buyers in Mumbai

Korea Tourism Organisation

(KTO) organised its annual
incentive roadshow for MICE
travel at the Trident Nariman
Point Hotel in Mumbai. Overall the event was attended by
more than 250 top MICE travel
agents, event planners and
corporate houses.
The roadshow showcased
Korean travel products from
10 exhibitors. Amongst the
exhibitors were two regional
tourism boards namely Busan
Tourism Organisation (BTO)
and Jeju Convention & Visitors Bureau (JCVB).
The evening function
Korea Incentive Night 2015
was addressed by Byungsung
Lee, Director of Korea Tourism Organisation in India and
Harmandeep Singh Anand,
General Secretary, General

Secretary of Travel Agents

Association of India (TAAI).
This was followed by a destination presentation on Korea
as a MICE destination. Last
year more than 146,000 Indians visited Korea which was a
20% plus growth compared to
2013. KTO is aiming for similar
growth in 2015.
Our MICE roadshow
comes in the right time when
all the event planners and
companies are starting to
plan their offsite events for
the financial year. I am very
pleased with the positive
response we received especially with the presence of big
corporate houses who are generally the final decision makers when it comes to incentive
travel and events, said Byungsun Lee.

Vietnam Tourism promotes heritage tourism in India

India now has become a very
big outbound tourist market,
while Vietnam has become a
very attractive tourist destination. In order to increase
the flow of Indian tourists to
Vietnam, Vietnam Embassy
in coordination with Vietnam National Administration
of Tourism and Vietnamese
tourist companies are intensifying promotional activities
in India. The Embassy is also
committed to make the visa
application easiest, fastest
and most convenient for the
Indian tourists.
At a recent event held in
New Delhi, a delegation of
15 leading Vietnamese travel
agents showcased travel
products of their country to

Lama Tours conducts four-city roadshow

in India, themed 2015
On the 13th year of the Lama
roadshow in India, they took
the market by surprise with
their first themed roadshow;
the concept was based on
the year 2015, 15 reasons
to Visit UAE, 15 reasons to
partner with Lama and 15
most exclusive packages
for the travellers. The Lama
roadshow 2015 helps Lama
penetrate in the market further by meeting face to face
with potential partners and
customers.

In order to offer easier visa facilitation process

to the Indian travel trade,
Lama Tours has launched
Lama Express Visa services
in India. Kulwant Singh,
Managing Director & CEO
of Lama & Carfare Group
said, We have launched the
Express Visa facility and are
expanding with the opening
of franchise offices across
India. Currently, we have
offices in Vadodara, Pune,
Chennai, Kochi, Delhi, and

Chandigarh. Another four

franchise offices are being
planned and will be operational soon. We have introduced long-term (90 days)
single-entry visas, and longterm multiple-entry visas.
To enhance the knowledge of the travel trade about
the products of Lama Tours,
the company will conduct
a roadshow in September
in Tier-II cities, including
Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad and Amritsar.

the Indian audience. Headed

by the Vice-Chairman of the
Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the Vietnam Tourism pavilion was
themed Viet Nam Land of
Heritage.
This promotion event was
motivated by the huge potentials for tourism cooperation
between the two countries.
The two countries had long
historical cultural links and
are now expanding bilateral
strategic partnership, thus
creating very favourable conditions for tourist exchanges.
Over the last three years, the
number of Indian tourists to
Vietnam increased more than
300% from 18,000 in 2011 to
55,000 in 2014.

global

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

IATA launches Standard

Safety Assessment Program
The International Air Transport
Association (IATA) launched
the IATA Standard Safety
Assessment (ISSA) for airlines
not eligible for the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).
ISSA is a voluntary safety
audit program aligned with
global best practices and created primarily for airlines
that operate aircraft which
have a lower maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) than the
5,700 kg threshold for participation in IOSA.
There is a clear need to
ensure that operators of all
types of equipment have robust
safety infrastructure in place,
validated by an operational
safety evaluation. ISSA, which
is based on International Civil
Aviation Organisation (ICAO)
provisions, enables the industry
to address the need for a global
operational safety standard for
operators that are not eligible
for IOSA. I am confident that it

will deliver a positive safety benefit in the same manner as has

IOSA, said Tony Tyler, IATAs
Director General and CEO.
Utilising experience and
knowledge gained from the
IOSA Program, ISSA helps
airline operators to conform
to global safety standards and
best practices; and provides

them with an opportunity to

evaluate and improve their
existing operational and management control systems. ISSA
also introduces elements of a
Safety Management System
(SMS). Additionally, assessments will be performed
by IOSA Accredited Audit
Organisations.

28

Global travel and tourism leaders

set landmark agenda for growth
The leading global travel and
tourism private sector and government organisations - the
Global Travel Association Coalition (GTAC) - have launched a
commitment for aligned advocacy and action to harness the
full potential of the sector to create jobs, drive inclusive growth
and foster development.
Launched at the World
Travel & Tourism Council
Global Summit in Madrid Powering Travel & Tourism into the
Next Decade: An Agenda for
Growth and Development, is
a landmark manifesto setting
forth the key areas of action necessary to ensure travel and tourism contributes to consolidate
the global economic recovery,
increase resource efficiency and
create decent jobs and inclusive
economic opportunities.
The members of GTAC
commit to work with a coordinated approach, with governments and the private sector,
to advance Travel Facilitation,
Infrastructure Development,

Environmental Sustainability
and Investment in Human
Capital.
Powering Travel & Tourism into the Next Decade: An
Agenda for Growth and Development was launched at a
press conference in Madrid
on the behalf of the GTAC by
three of the founding members:
Tony Tyler, Director General
and CEO of the International
Air Transport Association
(IATA); Taleb Rifai, Secretary
General of the World Tourism Organisation of the United
Nations (UNWTO); and David
Scowsill, President & CEO of
the World Travel and Tourism
Council (WTTC).

Exports from international tourism rise to USD 1.5 trillion in 2014

International tourism receipts
increased by USD 48 billion
in 2014 to reach a record USD
1,245 billion. An additional
USD 221 billion was generated
from international passenger transport, bringing total
exports from international
tourism up to USD 1.5 trillion.
Receipts from international visitors spending on
accommodation, food and
drink, entertainment, shopping and other services and
goods reached an estimated
USD 1,245 billion in 2014, an
increase of 3.7%. International
tourist arrivals increased by
4.4% in 2014, reaching a total
1,135 million, up from 1,087

million in 2013.
Aside from international
tourism receipts, tourism
also generates export earnings
through international passenger transport services. The latter amounted to an estimated
USD 221 billion in 2014, bringing total exports from international tourism up to USD
1.5 trillion, or USD 4 billion a
day on average.
International tourism is
an increasingly significant
component of international
trade as seen in export earnings from international tourism and passenger transport,
which reached USD 1.5 trillion in 2014, said UNWTO

Secretary-General,
Taleb
Rifai. In a scenario with
decreasing commodity prices,
spending on international
tourism grew significantly
in 2014, proving the sectors
capacity to stimulate economic
growth, boost exports and create jobs, he added.
Europe, which accounts
for 41% of worldwide international tourism receipts,
saw an increase in tourism
earnings in absolute terms
of USD 17 billion to USD 509
billion. Asia and the Pacific
(30% share) saw an increase
of USD 16 billion, reaching
USD 377 billion. In the Americas, (22% share), receipts

Amadeus reveals new study that shows

how and why we will travel by 2030
A report commissioned by Amadeus and written by global consumer trends consultancy, The
Future Foundation, defines the
six traveller tribes or segments
that will emerge by the end of the
next decade. By 2030 more than
1.8 billion of us will travel internationally every year, and what motivates us as well as how we behave
will be radically different to today.
By the end of the next decade,
some people will purchase and
consume travel experiences
almost entirely on the basis of
how shareable they are, or how
much capital they generate, via
social networks. Another group
of travellers will demand total
simplicity and freedom from having to arrange their own travel by
2030, wanting as much as possible to be done remotely, by third
parties.

The findings are based on

interviews with leading futurologists, travel industry experts and
travellers from across the world,
including from six Asia Pacific
markets. The research process
involved interviews and workshops with industry experts as
well as trend-spotting research
with consumers in the relevant
travel markets including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan
and South Korea.
The traveller today has more
power than ever before. With Asia
Pacific set to lead global travel
growth through to 2030, it is particularly critical for all providers,
buyers and sellers of travel in the
region to truly understand these
emerging traveller tribes and
make the right investment decisions now to gear towards future
traveller preferences. Amadeus

is playing a leading role in driving the travel industry forward is

are working closely with our customers and partners to deliver a
future travel experience that is
more personalised, connected
and sustainable, commented
Angel Gallego, President, Amadeus Asia Pacific.

increased by USD 10 billion

to a total of USD 274 billion.
In the Middle East, (4% share)
tourism receipts increased by

an estimated USD 4 billion to

USD 49 billion and in Africa
(3% share) by USD 1 billion to
USD 36 billion.

Four Seasons unveils its first

new luxury private jet
Four Seasons Hotels and
Resorts recently launched its
new Four Seasons Private Jet
marking the establishment of
a new standard in luxury hospitality experiences.
The luxury Four Seasons
brand promises to deliver the
full fancy hotel experience at
30,000 feet. The private jet also
includes its own executive and
sous in-flight chefs and exclusively stocks Dom Prignon
champagne.
In our hotels, spaces are
conceived as settings for great
experiences, said Dana Kalczak, Vice President, Design,
Four Seasons Hotels and
Resorts. The same is true for
the Four Seasons Private Jet.
Along with the core objectives
of comfort and functionality
and adherence to strict aircraft
safety standards we wanted

to create an exceptionally luxurious ambiance, and Champagne and caviar became our
inspiration.
The service is now taking bookings for round-theworld trips in 2016. First up
is a 24-day, nine-destination
jaunt that starts in Los Angeles and ends in London. The
cost is per person USD 132,000
and includes stops with
accommodation at Four Seasons hotels include Hawaii,
Bora Bora, Sydney, Bali, northern Thailand, Mumbai and
Istanbul.

technology

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

Apple watch gets its first

instant booking travel app
Booking.com has unveiled a
brand new app designed for
the incoming Apple Watch.
Booking Now, which draws
from Booking.coms vast selection of over 625,000 properties
in more than 75,000 unique
destinations, is the first and
only travel app to enable
users to book a stay directly
from their watch, and in just
one touch. With the help of
Apples Force Touch technology, which is designed to be
triggered by pressure of users
taps on the watchs screen,
travellers can more easily
select and reserve the nearest
hotels in Booking.coms vast
collection.
At Booking.com, we are
dedicated to empowering
travellers to simply search

and book an accommodation

that is just right for them, no
matter which screen or device.
Bringing Booking Now to the
Apple watch is the next chapter in our relentless commitment to innovation. By
integrating cutting- edge technologies we are able to streamline the booking process even
further which allows users

to secure the right accommodation with ultimate ease,

said Stuart Frisby, Principal
Designer at Booking.com.
The Booking Now app is
available for download on the
Apple watch in 15 languages
and constitutes the first travel
app to allow users to book
stays at a single touch, directly
from their watch.

7 million travellers connect with Else Globe app in 2015

The new Else Globe app,
which allows travellers, backpackers, students and aupairs to connect and meet each
other as a group, will be used
by 7 million people in 43 countries in 2015. 40 larger and
smaller travel organisations
and companies have partnered up with Else in order
to spread the new 4.0 version
app among their clients.
It involves companies
like Greyhound, AIFS, ISX,
Nomads, SayTC, Britannia
Students and WEP. Together
they serve over 7 million travellers a year, who get to download the free app. All 40 travel
companies will get their own
branded version of the app.
Else is not a dating-app,
so there would not be any

nerve-racking one-on-one situations like you would have

on Tinder. You can invite a
group of people to have fun
and do nice things together,
and make new friends while
you are at it. There are always
fellow travellers who would
like to travel or hang out
with you. That is the reason why the apps users are

enthusiastic from day one,

said Ruud Winder of Else
Globe.
The new 4.0 version has a
group chat feature, making
contact between travellers
even easier. The app is available at the App- and Playstore.
Our app is not a machine
or just a piece of software. We
are hosting an environment
where travellers meet each
other. We feel responsible for
them. Like they are living in
our house, said Mark Wittebrood. We keep the app as
clean as possible. That means
no spam from exotic girls
with dodgy requests, or from
fake travellers pushing an ad
for new sports shoes. Only
likable requests of nice people around you.

Waldorf Astoria and Harpers BAZAAR launch

ShopBAZAAR.com/Waldorf merging fashion and travel
Luxury hospitality provider
Waldorf Astoria Hotels &
Resorts has recently joined
forces with Harpers BAZAAR
for a multiplatform marketing campaign, including print
and digital placements, editorial integration, e-commerce,
and branded travel packages.
The innovative program,
a first for both brands, is centred on multiple destinationinspired editorial stories that
bring consumers a unique
blend of the best in both fashion and travel. Readers will
have the opportunity to purchase the featured styles and
travel experiences through
Harpers BAZAARs e-commerce store, ShopBAZAAR.
com/Waldorf.
We have always felt that
the Waldorf Astoria guest
and the Harpers BAZAAR
woman are one and the same,
said Carol Smith, Publisher,

Harpers BAZAAR. This

program brings together two
great institutions in a way
that is sure to delight our
audience.
For the first time since the
launch, customised travel
packages created by Waldorf
Astoria will be available for
purchase in addition to clothing and accessories featured in
the editorial.
Fashion and travel are

innately intertwined, and

this partnership with Harpers BAZAAR brings that
affiliation to life through the
magazines stunning editorial features, said John T A
Vanderslice, Global Head,
Waldorf Astoria Hotels &
Resorts. The tailored package we have created for ShopBAZAAR.com was designed
with that unique relationship
and readership in mind.

30

Travel booking through mobile

apps on the rise: Survey
Yatra.com conducted their
annual summer survey which
showcases the outlook of
Indian travellers planning to
holiday this summer. The key
finding from the survey was
that around 21% of the travellers are now looking at mobile
applications as a key medium
to book their vacation. Mobile
bookings for travel have
increased a jump to 20%
against 11% from last year. The
survey was conducted among
15,000+ respondents from
Yatra.coms customer base.
The survey also found that
around 83% of the respondents
are planning to take a vacation this summer and majority of people are planning to a
5 15 day break. Almost 69% of
them chose hotels as the preferred mode of accommodation over staying with friends
and family. The survey also
revealed that Indians are willing to take breaks more often

with 57% committing to taking a holiday around 2-3 times

in a year and 93% looking to
explore new destinations during their summer vacation. It
was also observed that social
media is playing an instrumental role in inspiring people to choose their holiday destination. Around 33% of the
respondents looked towards
social media for finalising their
destination this summer.
Sharat Dhall, President,
Yatra.com said, It is very
encouraging to see that the
number of people taking a
holiday in the summer is
increasing year-on-year. Taking a break on a regular basis
is a fast emerging trend; be it a
luxurious trip, a weekend getaway, a family trip or a pocket
friendly outing. Our mobile
bookings have also risen significantly, with over two-fifth
of our traffic recorded from
smart phones and tablets.

Google launches another big move

towards dominating hotel search
Google is making its own
Google Hotel Finder, its hotel
price-comparison product,
which enables users to filter
for Zagat-rated hotels within
Googles 3-pack ad format.
As a Koddi blog post
points out, Google just
added filters price, rating, hotel class and more
right within its 3-pack style
listings so there is no need
for the consumer to navigate
elsewhere to fine-tune their
hotel searches.
Once a user selects a filter they are redirected to the
local universal listings page,
Koddi stated Users can then
continue to narrow their
search with the same filters,

now available at the top of the

listings page.
After a user is finished
filtering and clicks on the
hotel they wish to book they
are redirected to the hotel
details page, where all of the
offers from advertisers will
be listed, Koddi added.
The impact of Googles
3-pack format is that it drives
traffic to third-party sites
through organic search but
also to Googles hotel ads
from online travel agencies
and hotels. Google likely is
taking market share from
metasearch players with the
streamlined navigation from
its search results pages to its
hotel ads.

Responsible Tourism

TRAVEL NEWS DIGEST | may 2015

15th WTTC Global Summit

discusses sustainability
The 15th annual WTTC Global
Summit was held in Madrid,
Spain from April 15-16, 2015
united Travel & Tourism leaders from across the whole world,
bringing together top representatives from the public and private sectors, from travel associations and the media in a unique
networking and discussion
forum.
Sitting on the panel were
Minister Alain St. Ange, the
Seychelles Minister responsible
for Tourism and Culture; Professor John Spengler, the Akira
Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health & Human
Habitation and also Director
for the Centre of Health and the
Global Environment at Harvard
School of Public Health; and
Darrel Wade, the CEO of PEAK
Adventure Travel.
Tourism is the pillar of the
Seychelles economy, but we
are conscious that without a
sustainable approach to our

tourism development we shall

destroy what our visitors come
to Seychelles to experience,
stated Minister St. Ange.
Professor Spengler opened
the debate by asserting facts
and figures on the harm caused
to the environment by the millions of travellers, and Darrel
Wade mentioned his companys reorganisation to be environmentally friendly in holiday travels being offered by his

company.
Travel & Tourisms total
contribution to the global economy has risen to 9.5% of global
GDP (USD 7 trillion) not only
outpacing the wider economy,
but also growing faster than
other significant sectors such
as financial and business services, transport and manufacturing. Travel & Tourism forecasts over the next 10 years also
look extremely favourable.

Jumeirah Emirates Towers consistently

achieves sustainable outcomes
Jumeirah Emirates Towers
was the first hotel in the Jumeirah Group to receive Green
Globe Certification. Jumeirah
Emirates Towers has been
awarded the prestigious and
environmentally recognised
Green Globe Certification
for the 4th consecutive year.
Jumeirah Emirates Towers in
Dubai graces the city skyline
with its stunning architecture.
The hotels newly refurbished
spacious rooms and suites feature state-of-the-art meeting
and business facilities making it a popular choice for corporate travellers.
Sven Wiedenhaupt, General Manager at Jumeirah
Emirates Towers commented,
I am immensely proud of
our colleagues commitment
towards our Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) and
appreciate their initiatives
and support in saving utility
costs and in turn reducing our

carbon footprint.
Green Globe Middle East
Preferred Partner, Farnek
Middle East LLC, has independently
verified
the
sustainability achievements
at Jumeirah Emirates Towers. In line with energy saving initiatives there has been
a 1.63% reduction in electricity consumption achieved as
compared to the same period

in 2013 and 4.17% reduction

for gas consumption. Currently approximately 80%
of the hotel uses energy efficient lighting and is working
towards 100% LED lighting in
2015. Jumeirah Emirates Towers focuses on sustainable
outcomes with preference for
eco-certified suppliers and
biodegradable cleaning products and amenities.

31

Bhutan presents CO2-poor tourism

products at ITB Berlin 2015
Bhutan is a low-CO2 travel destination with a CO2 footprint,
which is well below the world
average. The small country in
the Himalayas has anchored
environmental protection in
the Constitution and knowing
that tourism contributes significantly to CO2 emissions,
Bhutan wish to improve their
environmental performance
further. On the ITB 2015 in Berlin, Bhutan presents new, ecofriendly tourism products.
With the support of the EU
SWITCH-Asia Programme of
the European Commission,
which promotes sustainable,
environmentally friendly economic policies and production
in Asia, the members of the
Association of Bhutanese Tour
Operators (ABTO) have initiated a project to promote sustainable tourism in life. This
includes the measurement of
greenhouse gas emissions in
the tourism industry and the
establishment of benchmarks
for sustainable tourism development. The program will
also help to improve the living conditions of the population through the development
of tourism products, where

villagers can participate. The

CO2-poor tourism products
are distinguished by the fact
that renewable energy sources
and energy efficient means of
transport used.
The new products that
have been developed throughout the country are as sustainable as cost-effective. On the
many facilities include outdoor experiences, health programs, nature experiences
and cultural experience programs, and programs to learn
about art, crafts and cuisine of
Bhutan.
The mountain bike is the
ideal vehicle to meet in Bhutan mountains in an environmentally friendly manner. In
addition to international visitors also Bhutanese appreciate
more and more the sport that
allows natural nature experiences beyond the main routes.

Hilton Worldwide partners with Clean the

World to deepen global commitment
Partnering with Clean the
World, Hilton Worldwide
reaffirmed its global commitment to the recycling
and redistribution of used
soap and hygiene products
to millions of people around
the world. With more than
850 hotels currently participating in soap and
amenity recycling, Hilton
Worldwide properties have
donated nearly 600,000
pounds of soap, which have
been converted into over
one million new bars to help
prevent
hygiene-related
deaths and illness.
Hilton was the first major
hospitality company to
partner with Global Soap,
helping the organisation
expand its footprint globally
and providing operational

Director, Clean the World

said, Hiltons portfolio of
hotels has a longstanding
commitment to Clean the
Worlds recycling program,
and we are excited to welcome hundreds more now
that we have teamed up with
Global Soap.
Our partnership with
Clean the World is a testament to the efforts of our
hotels around the world to
reduce our impact on the
environment, stated Maxime Verstraete, Vice President of Sustainability, Hilton Worldwide. Our initial
work with Global Soap
helped lay the foundation
for a comprehensive inroom waste strategy that
provided turn-key solutions
for our hotels. Whether its

expertise to improve soap

processing
capabilities.
Together, they have contributed to a 30% reduction in
pre-adolescent deaths from
hygiene-related illnesses.
Shawn Seipler, Executive

soap or any other product thats left behind, our

guests count on us to manage our waste responsibly and develop solutions
that enhance the guest
experience.

Ajman Tourism discusses green initiatives

with Emirates Green Building Council
Ajman Tourism Development
Department (ATDD) discussed
with Emirates Green Building Council (EGBC) ways to
enhance green practices in
tourism establishments in
Ajman.
During a meeting at EGBCs
headquarters
in
Dubai,
attended by senior ATDD and
EGBC officials, both parties
dwelt on opportunities and
potentials for continued cooperation with regard to increasing go-green awareness level,

exchanging ideas that would

help preserve environment and
enhance sustainability efforts.
To this end, ATDD employees and Ajman hotel staffers
would be trained and develop
green initiatives, to be implemented within their working
environments.
A joint seminar will be
also be held to address Ajman
hoteliers about possible initiatives and future projects
on including green practices
within hotel classification

criteria and standards.

EGBC was formed in 2006,
with the goal of advancing
green building principles for
protecting the environment
and ensuring sustainability in
the United Arab Emirates.

The Learn South Africa Programme is back with Module 6. The Programme aims to train
travel professionals to promote, plan and organise quality South African holidays to suit
clients requirements. This will improve efficiency and profitability.
Registration is free and youre welcome to bring multiple participants from your company.
Whats more, attendees stand a chance to win a Fam trip to South Africa.
The Programme will take place as follows:
DATE
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Monday
Tuesday

13 July 2015
14 July 2015
15 July 2015
16 July 2015
17 July 2015
20 July 2015
21 July 2015
22 July 2015
23 July 2015
24 July 2015
25 July 2015
27 July 2015
28 July 2015
29 July 2015
30 July 2015
31 July 2015
1 Aug 2015
3 Aug 2015
4 Aug 2015

TRAVEL
Goa
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Jaipur
Delhi
Jalandhar
Delhi
Lucknow
Kolkata
Mumbai
Pune
Hyderabad
Chennai
Trichy
Chennai
Bangalore
Cochin
Mumbai
Nagpur

SESSION
09h30 13h30
10h00 14h00
10h00 14h00
10h00 14h00
10h00 14h00
09h30 13h30
10h00 14h00
10h00 14h00
10h00 14h00
12h00 16h00
10h00 14h00
10h00 14h00
14h00 18h00
09h30 13h30
09h30 13h30
10h00 14h00
09h30 13h30
10h00 14h00
10h00 14h00

RSVP: Monoj Karkera | Tel: 022 4083 6786

Email: learnsouthafrica@southafrica.net

14h00 18h00

14h00 18h00

14h00 18h00
14h00 18h00
14h00 18h00

14h00 18h00

78177 Travel News Digest

Join us for Learn South Africa Module 6