April 2014

Rajeev Kohli
Joint Managing Director

Dear Industry Colleagues:

January was a great start for us. We had our Annual Chaat Party (street food party) for our friends from the hotel and airline industry. It was a great show with over 500 guests during the afternoon.

India is in election mode. Politics is in our DNA. We can talk about it for breakfast, lunch and dinner and some more. The Indian national elections are the biggest spectacle on Earth with over 800 million people eligible to vote. This is an election that will be a turning point for India. We do expect to see a change of government, but who will come in is still up for grabs.

With the end of the season approaching, we are working on some special options for industry professionals to come and visit India. Under our 2014 "Be our Guest" program, we have some exciting options at very special prices. Ask us for details. We are also working on some special low season pricing that will allow you to position the region more aggressively.

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

Through "Creatively Yours" we hope to keep you informed on the latest news in Team Creative and the destination. We hope you find this to be useful. Enjoy this issue of our award winning newsletter.  

www.travel2india.com
 www.creative.travel

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India Association of Tour Operators (IATO) elections declare a sweeping victory for the moving forward team

The much anticipated IATO Elections were conducted in a very smooth and professional manner at The Park, New Delhi. With voting turnout of 82 per cent (262 members voted), the elections were declared a resounding success. The New EC Members are Sarabjit Singh, Sr. Vice President (154 Votes), Rajesh Mudgil got 107 votes Rajeev Kohli, Vice President (158 votes), Arun Anand got 102 votes Pronab Sarkar, Hony. Secretary (132 votes), Lally Mathews got 127 votes Amaresh Tiwari, Hony.

The Teej festival is celebrated throughout Rajasthan and welcomes the coming of the monsoon season. The locals of Rajasthan celebrate the Teej festival immensely because the monsoons bring an end to the heat and are beneficial for the growth of crops, thus, providing a good season for rural farmers. The festival also symbolizes happiness in marriage because Teej commemorates on the day the Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva were reunited after a 100 years. Celebrated by mostly women, the images and idols of Parvati or “Teej Mata” are decorated in colourful clothes and exquisite jewellery. These idols and images are then taken out in ceremonies lead by wonderfully decorated elephants, camels and chariots.
Young girls and women dress up in colourful attire and join these processions to catch a glimpse of the images of Parvati. Girls that are engaged to be married, receive a numerous amount of gifts from their in-laws on this day such as dresses, henna, bangles and sweets.

Mount Abu lies on the Rajasthan-Gujarat border; it is the only hill station in Rajasthan and is a perfect summer retreat in Rajasthan due to its comparatively cool temperatures. The town of Mount Abu is situated over the gorgeous Nakki Lake creating a unique spectacle to see in Rajasthan.

India will open seven new visa centres in Malaysia by the end of this month to support a recently implemented rule requiring travellers to apply for visas in person in order to capture their biometric data.

New centres are expected to come up in Ipoh, Malacca, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Terengganu, Klang, Kuching and Kuantan, in addition to the existing centres in Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru and Penang.

K Vijay Mohan, managing director, Holiday World Kolkata, said: “Increase in the number of visa processing centres from three to 10 will certainly increase visitors from Malaysia to India. The quicker turnaround time for visa issuance will facilitate greater interest in India as a destination.”

Beginning April 1, Malaysian travellers have had to submit visa applications in person to allow India to record their biometric data.

Lakshadweep has decided to open three uninhabited islands exclusively for tourists after building beach resorts and water sports facilities. Each of these tiny islands occupy an area of about 40-50 hectares of land and is devoid of any human settlement so far, but have glistering silver sand beaches and abundant marine life, coral reefs in particular. "They are completely virgin and serene islands and that is why they will be so special for tourists who are looking for exclusivity in their trip. The charm of staying here would be unparalleled," Hussain said. The sandy beaches have clear and unpolluted water, unlike other beaches of India. The Union Territory's Tourism Department will build resorts here on a PPP (public-private-partnership) model, the tenders for which will be out in the next few months.

Giving adventure-loving tourists adrenaline rush, water sports facilities planned on these islands include scuba diving, jet ski watercraft, snorkelling, rafting, windsurfing, deep-sea fishing and yachting. They are also trying to start operating sea planes, which are capable of taking off and landing on water. "Ours is a high-value but low-volume tourist destination. We ensure that the fragile ecology of Lakshadweep is not damaged by tourism," Tourism Department officials said. Last year, there were only 17,000 tourists to the chain of islands.

The Leela Palace New Delhi has been voted among the Best Hotels For Women Travellers in India by the readers of Travel + Leisure India and South Asia. The third edition of the India’s Best Awards 2013 by Travel + Leisure India & South Asia honoured the best in the regional travel and hospitality, as per a release.

Voted by thousands of readers, The Leela Palace New Delhi emerged as one of the favourite hotels of the women travellers from all across the world. Earlier in 2013, The Leela Palace New Delhi transformed one of its guest floors, Kamal, exclusively for single lady travellers.

Commenting on the occassion Louis Sailer, General Manager, The Leela Palace New Delhi, said, "Women business travellers are a very important market segment for us. The Leela Palace New Delhi thrives on the finest service standards, listening to our guests’ needs, being open to go an extra mile to attend to their needs and being proactive in exceeding expectations is in our ethos. And, with our dedicated single lady travellers’ floor, we are confident that all our female guests will enjoy enhanced privacy and comfort in the lap of luxury."

Hilton Worldwide and Hilton Hotels & Resorts has unveiled Hilton Bangalore Residences. The upscale, full-service hotel is strategically located within the Embassy Golf Links Business Park, the hub of several Fortune 500 companies. Hilton Worldwide forayed into Bengaluru earlier this year, with the launch of DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Bangalore.

Owned by Umbel Properties Pvt. Ltd. and managed by Hilton Worldwide, the hotel features 247 studios and one- and two-bedroom suites that range from a 495 to 1, 335 sq ft, as per a release. Each guestroom offers living, dining and work areas and a fully-equipped kitchenette. The suites additionally feature separate living rooms, washers/dryers and dishwashers.

Rob Palleschi, Global Head, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, said, "As our fourth Hilton brand hotel to open in the country, Hilton Bangalore Residences will deepen our presence in an important market in India, among our key strategic regions."
Hilton Bangalore Residences offers four dining venues—Ministry of Food is the all-day global cuisine restaurant, The Salt Grill poolside al-fresco bar and grill, KLINX lobby bar, and recess - the coffee lounge.

Radisson Hyderabad opened its doors on April 1, 2014 to welcome guests visiting Hyderabad. It is the first Radisson hotel in Hyderabad and the sixth Radisson property in India for Carlson Rezidor. Radisson Hyderabad Hitec City has 202 guestrooms and it is easy to unwind after a long day with its contemporary and soothing décor and24-hour room service.

Raj Rana, CEO of Carlson Hotels (South Asia) said, “We are honoured to be partnering Sarovar again for another distinguished hotel. Radisson Hyderabad Hitec City is a wonderful addition to our growing portfolio of more than 100 hotels in operation and under development in India. The hotel is in a great location and now it has all the international service hallmarks of the Radisson brand. We are confident that the hotel will have a strong appeal to both international and domestic business and leisure travelers.”

Ajay Bakaya, Executive Director, Sarovar Hotels Pvt. Ltd. said, “Our association with the Manjeera Group as well as Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group is decades old and we are happy to be continuing as the management partner. With the combination of the hotel’s new branding as a Radisson and our management we are sure that guests will enjoy an enhanced experience at this upscale property.”

Citrus Hotels and Resorts, the hospitality division of the Mirah Group, has brought five new Hotels in Chennai, Bengaluru, Manali, Sriperumbudur and Amritsar under its fold. While Chennai, Manali and Sriperumbudur are running hotels, the other two are expected to open in the next few months.

With 13 hotels equating to about 900 keys under its umbrella, Citrus has marked its presence from North to South in a span of four years, as per a release.

Gaurav Pallial, CEO, Citrus Hotels and Resorts, said, "We see huge potential in the domestic market and accordingly we are moving towards a major expansion drive. We are planning properties in all major tourist destinations across the country very soon. Apart from the management contract, our own hotels are under development in Jodhpur, Pench and Nagpur, which are expected to be live within this financial year."

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has signed an agreement with Rockwood Hotels & Resorts for Radisson Blu Udaipur Palace Resort & Spa, to open in May this year.
Simon C Barlow, president, Asia-Pacific, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, said: "We are aggressively growing our presence and reinforcing our leadership position as the largest international hotel group in India. Radisson Blu Udaipur Palace Resort & Spa is an outstanding property and will be a great addition to our fast-expanding portfolio in India, where we now have 66 hotels in operation and 41 in development."
The 240-key hotel is situated on the banks of Fateh Sagar Lake in Ambamata, close to the city centre and less than an hour’s drive from the airport.
It also offers facilities such as an outdoor swimming pool, a lawn tennis court, a spa, a fitness centre and four F&B options – an all-day dining restaurant, a specialty restaurant, lobby bar and lounge and poolside bar.
Radisson Blu Udaipur Palace Resort & Spa will also offer 544m2 of meeting space, inclusive of a pillarless ballroom that can accommodate up to 450 people.
 

Star Alliance has said that Air India Ltd. will formally join the alliance in July 2014 and will become the first Indian airline to do so. "Air India has completed 45 of the 64 requirements already and the remaining will be completed this month," said Rohit Nandan, Chairman and Managing Director, Air India.

The joining will mark the culmination of a three-year wait for Air India after its attempt to join the alliance failed in July 2011, Debabrata Das reported for The Economic Times. In December 2013, Star Alliance members unanimously voted for Air India to restart the integration process. "It's a different Air India. They have been through a tough merger, but they have a strong management team and they have improved their infrastructure and fleet," said Schwab when asked what changed in the three years since July 2011.

Air India hopes that joining the 28-member group will enable it to stand up to competition from its local and international rivals. After joining the alliance, Air India is most likely to tweak its schedule to align its flight timings with the 13 Star Alliance members flying into India. "The benefits will start coming from day one," said Nandan. "There will be passengers flying on the Star Alliance network using Air India boarding passes," he said.

One of the added benefits of the alliance membership is Air India’s efforts to improve customer service. The airline has started to implement a Customer Service Improvement Programme in partnership with Star Alliance. Nandan added that Air India has now asked global airline body International Air Transport Association (IATA) to undertake customer satisfaction surveys to monitor the progress of its service improvements. "We are being tested against the best 16 airlines in the world and we have started to show improvements," said Nandan.

Amid a huge ceremonial gathering today at South Asia’s newest international airport, Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport in Hambantota, SriLankan Airlines signed an agreement with oneworld, and will officially become a member of the airline alliance from May 1, 2014. Offering the complete range of services and benefits of the world’s fastest growing and highest rated global airline alliance, SriLankan Airlines thus becomes the first carrier from the Indian subcontinent to join a global airline alliance, and completes oneworld’s biggest expansion programme since the alliance was launched 15 years ago.

Further, SriLankan Airlines has concluded code-share agreements with two other oneworld members, namely Finnair and Russia’s S7 Airlines. SriLankan Airlines already has a code-share agreement with Malaysian Airlines, which is also a oneworld member.

Nishantha Wickramasinghe, Chairman, SriLankan Airlines, said, “With the world airline industry increasingly focused on alliances, joining oneworld is one of the most significant developments to date for SriLankan Airlines. Joining the alliance will help put SriLankan more firmly on the global aviation map and vastly improve Sri Lanka’s connectivity with the rest of the world, which is vital for our country’s trade and tourism.”
SriLankan Airlines’ addition into oneworld will bring two destinations on the network of the alliance, namely Hambantota and Tiruchirapalli (Tamil Nadu, India). Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, is already on the network of oneworld.

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

Jet Airways has announced the introduction of a second daily frequency from Mumbai to Kathmandu with the introduction of a second daily Boeing 737 flight, effective 30 March 2014. The new Jet Airways morning service, flight 9W 268 will depart Mumbai daily at 0805 hrs and arrive Kathmandu at 1100 hrs (Local Time). On the return, flight 9W 267 will depart Kathmandu at 1200 hrs (LT) and arrive in Mumbai at 1440 hrs (LT), providing onward connection on the airline’s network to domestic and international destinations.
This new service will complement the daily flight being operated between these two destinations by Jet Airways. Jet Airways will be the only private airline to fly twice daily return flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Kathmandu.

Air Asia will commence thrice-weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur to the port city of Visakhapatnam this October. Speaking to the media during a meeting with Air Travellers Association in Bengaluru, AirAsia India’s general manager, Suresh Nair, said that Visakhapatnam has excellent potential because of its status as an industrial hub and busy port, proximity to significant Buddhist sites, and imminent investment in tourism development. K Vijay Mohan, director of Holiday World Visakhapatnam, said: "Increased connectivity with South-east Asia will add inbound and outbound tourist flows, and such flights could help the destination to grow by 30 to 40 per cent annually. The beach resorts and golf courses in Visakhapatnam, in addition to Buddhist heritage sites, are a definite draw." Nair added that depending on the success of the route, the LCC may run flights between Bangkok and other Indian destinations too. SilkAir currently operates four-times-weekly Singapore-Visakhapatnam flights and Air India connects the city to Dubai. Carriers such as Air Arabia and SriLankan Airlines are awaiting the Indian government’s permission to launch flights to Sharjah and Colombo respectively.

British Airways’ 85 years of rich legacy in India witnessed the grand arrival of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Hyderabad. British Airways’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft touched down at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad last week. This collaboration signifies rich legacy, commitment and success in the Indian market.

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, recently commenced daily operations between Jaipur and Abu Dhabi. A traditional lamp lighting ceremony greeted the disembarking passengers at Jaipur to celebrate the new service and the airline’s tenth destination in India.

Craig Thomas, Etihad Airways’ Regional General Manager-Asia Pacific North and Indian Subcontinent, said: "The addition of the Jaipur service reinforces Etihad Airways’ commitment to the Indian Subcontinent. We are confident that the newflights will continue the strong passenger growth between Indiaand the UAE.

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