August 2013

Rajeev Kohli
Joint Managing Director

Dear Industry Colleagues

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

The monsoons have been good in India, a little too much in some places, but overall healthy. That's positive for our agriculture. The Indian rupee however has taken a severe battering, with its losing value against world currencies. Having said that, it had its best strengthening yesterday in the last 15 years. So things hopefully are turning around.

Has it been a great off season for the industry, not really. We have seen a softening in arrivals from our key source markets, where as costs of operating are going up dramatically. Not a great balance for us, but then the Indian tourism industry has been through a lot over the years and has proven to be resilient.

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

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

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

www.travel2india.com
 www.creative.travel

A new super fast special train commenced its first journey on 21st August, 2013.The train with 15 coaches, including AC and non-ac chair cars, will leave at 6 am and reach Jodhpur at 10:30 am. In return journey from Jodhpur, the train will depart at 6:15 pm and reach Jaipur at 10:40 pm. The train will have brief stoppages at Phulera, Kuchaman City, Makrana, Degana, Merta, Gotan and Rai-ka-Babh.

In a show, which is being aired on the BBC, Top Gear's executive director Richard Hammond organised a world taxi shootout in which Ambassador emerged a winner, beating competitors from all New Delhi: It may have lost out to the more modern competitors from Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Toyota and Honda but the good old Ambassador car, that once ruled the roost in India, has just been voted as the world's best taxi by global automotive programme Top Gear. Read more..

Ghoomar, the folk dance of Rajasthan, has found its way into the list of world's most amazing local dances after an international travel website ranked it fourth on the list.
Rajasthani folk dances are graceful, colorful and lively saltations and reflect the vivid, rich culture of the state. The ubiquitous Ghoomar, a premier Rajasthani dance form, encapsulates the true spirit of the state’s vivacious culture. Read more..
 

The idea to revive the segment was revealed by Kerala Tourism at a presentation during the three-day international meeting on Silk Road tourism, organised by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) in the Chinese city of Dunhuang.
Suman Bila, secretary of Kerala Tourism who made the presentation emphasized on the importance of the route that linked 31 countries in Asia and Europe with India, particularly Kerala, as a major hub. Read more..

The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore is scheduled to open on September 30, 2013. The property will be located at the heart of Bangalore’s Residency Road in the garden city, and is owned and developed by luxury property developer, Nitesh Estates Limited, as per a release. The 277-room hotel will be spread over three acres. The launch of The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore will herald the entry of Nitesh Estates into the hospitality sector.

The hotel will feature a 15,000 sq ft spa by ESPA, and six upscale F&B outlets, a ballroom for 1,000 people. The room tariffs will start from Rs 13,500-16,000 per night.

Ashwini Kumar, Executive Director and COO, Nitesh Estates Limited, said "Nitesh Estates has consistently changed the skyline of Bengaluru in the last eight years.

Hilton Worldwide entered Pune with the launch of DoubleTree by Hilton Pune - Chinchwad, the first international hotel brand to open in Pimpri - Chinchwad. The hotel is a 115-room upscale property. "With its prime location in Pune’s industrial belt, DoubleTree by Hilton Pune - Chinchwad is a perfect fit for our portfolio," said John Greenleaf, global head - DoubleTree by Hilton. "As the first international hotel brand in this region, we look forward to introducing guests to the high-quality service for which our brand is known."  Read more..

The Carlson Rezidor hotel group which runs the Radisson brand of hotels among others is looking at several new hotels across India to add new properties.

"We are hoteliers and we will go everywhere there is an opportunity," says KB Kachru, Chairman, South Asia, Carlson Rezidor hotel group. They are hoping to have at least three more hotels in Andhra Pradesh by 2015. Read more..

The recently-introduced online visa application system by the Home Ministry was today welcomed by Tourism Minister K Chiranjeevi who said it would go a long way in boosting tourism in the country.

"The progress in the standardization of visa application forms and the integrated online application system in 120 Indian Missions abroad is yet another major milestone towards making the Indian visa application process tourist-friendly and a boost to Indian tourism," Chiranjeevi said.

Qatar Airways has announced a significant increase in the capacity of its flights from Doha to Kochi being upgraded from a narrow-body Airbus 321 to a wide-body Airbus 330. The A330 will be operational on all 11 frequencies to and from Kochi connecting to more than 125 destinations around the world via the airline's hub in Doha. The announcement coincides with the airline’s tenth anniversary of successful operations to Kerala. Read more..

After increasing its weekly frequency from Hyderabad in October 2012, British Airways announced additional increase in its non-stop service to London from Hyderabad. Effective 27 October 2013. The daily flights will be operated by a Boeing 777-200 in a three class configuration. Read more..
 

The airline will introduce daily flights between Bengaluru and Vijayawada, and two additional services a day to Mangalore. Additionally, the airline will introduce an afternoon service for six days a week to Trichy via Kochi.

With the introduction of these flights, Jet Airways will offer five flights a day between Bengaluru and Mangalore and three flights a day to Kochi. Jet Airways will deploy the ATR 72-500 aircraft on these routes and operate an early morning flight to Vijayawada and two additional services to Mangalore. The airline will also link Bengaluru with Kochi, and onwards to Trichy (Tiruchirapalli) with the 62-seater aircraft. Jet Airways flight 9W 2461 will depart Bengaluru daily at 0610 hrs and arrive at the commercial city of Vijayawada at 0745 hrs. On the return leg, flight 9W 2462 will depart at 0815 hrs and arrive Bengaluru at 0950 hrs.

Sudheer Raghavan, chief commercial officer of Jet Airways, said "As disposable incomes increase in India and the propensity for air travel increases as a direct corollary, we are seeing strong demand emanate from Tier II and Tier III cities across India."

Chennai International Airport's new international terminal began operations in the southern state of Tamil Nadu last week.

"The opening of the new terminal will help Chennai International Airport to keep on a par with other southern Indian international airports like Hyderabad’s and Bengaluru’s. The old and new terminals are linked and within the same building, and the old terminal will continue to receive arrivals," said C Nagendra Prasad, chairman, Indian Association of Tour Operators Tamil Nadu Chapter.  Read more..

Low cost airline SpiceJet announced the launch of direct services between Pune and Sharjah that will begin from September 21. The airline will be deploying its New Generation Boeing 737-800 (189 seater aircraft) on this route. Pune is the third Indian destination to connect with Sharjah on SpiceJet network. The airline already operates on Varanasi- Sharjah and Lucknow- Sharjah routes.

SpiceJet has been expanding its global footprint in the recent past with the addition of several foreign cities in the Middle Eastern and Asian regions on to its network.

The airline is also launching the Ahmedabad-Muscat flight from August 29, 2013. The service will be operated thrice a week on a 189-seater Boeing 737-800 New Generation aircraft. The flight from Ahmedabad (SG 061) will depart at 2130 hours and arrive at Muscat at 2300 hours on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. On the return leg, the flight will start from Muscat at 0030 hours and arrive into Ahmedabad at 0420 hours, the airline said in its statement.

Muscat will be the ninth international destination to be served by SpiceJet.

God’s Own Country will become the gateway to India for holidaymakers from 11 countries who can get tourist visa on arrival (T-VoA) as the international airports here and Kochi will join seven other airports from August 15 in issuing this passport to a dream vacation.

Just when the country celebrates 66th Independence Day, citizens of Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Laos, Myanmar, and Indonesia can get T-VoA on landing in Trivandram and Kochi International Airports. Union Home Ministry has issued notification extending T-VoA to Trivandram, Kochi, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru airports in addition to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai airports, official sources told.

Turkish Airlines has added another city and country to its Far East network. The capital and the largest city of Nepal, Kathmandu, are joining the network on 1 September and will be the 29th destination served in the Far East. Roundtrip flights between Istanbul and Kathmandu will be operated four times per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays from Istanbul, and Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from Kathmandu.

Introductory round trip fares are available from Istanbul to Kathmandu starting at EUR 406 (including taxes and fees). Additionally, for the first 6 months of operation to our new destinations, there is a special offer for our Miles&Smiles members, with a 25 per cent reduction in the miles needed to redeem either award tickets or upgrades.

Cinnamon Air, Sri Lanka’s newest domestic airline will be launching their various flights from the Bandaranayake International Airport (BIA). The airline is owned by Saffron Aviation (Pvt) Ltd, a joint venture involving MMBL Leisure Holdings Ltd, John Keells Holdings and Phoenix Ventures Ltd

The main target market of Cinnamon Air is tourists and aim to reduce the travel time between travel destinations allowing tourists to see more of the island. The airline will consist of Cessna 208 Amphibious aircrafts, which will offer daily flights from the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) to Koggala, Dickwella, Pasikudah, Weerawila and back. By offering to fly to these destinations Cinnamon Air will cover majority of the tourist sites. Initially they will be operating from the Dandugama Oya water aerodrome, 10 minutes away from the BIA until the dedicated Cinnamon Air terminal has finished construction. Flights to Kandy will commence shortly from Waters Edge in Colombo once passenger handling facilities have been finalized.

Qatar Airways has announced plans to extend its Boeing 787 Dreamliner route network to India with the launch of services to and from Delhi and Bengaluru starting 1 September, 2013.

Commenting on the occasion, Henry Moses, Qatar Airways Country Manager, India, said, €œIn line with our commitment to offer our passengers the most exceptional travel experience, we are delighted to introduce Qatar Airways Dreamliner on two of our important Indian routes. The introduction of our Dreamliner service provides our passengers with an unbeatable level of service and comfort besides reiterating our firm belief in the 787s unrivalled capabilities and the value it will add to Qatar Airways plans to continue delivering on its promise of quality. We are confident that our patrons flying to and from Delhi and Bangalore routes will luxuriate in the enhanced travel experience on-board the Qatar Airways Dreamliner.

Visitors from 11 countries can now obtain visa on arrival at the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA). This service is available to visitors travelling from Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, Philippines, Indonesia, Luxembourg, Finland, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia. Visa on arrival shall be granted to foreign nationals who are visiting India on recreation, sightseeing, short duration medical treatment or casual business visit.

The tourist must hold a valid passport with minimum six months validity. Documents required to be presented at the counter are passport, two passport-size photographs, a photocopy of the passport, hotel booking confirmation (if possible) and return ticket.