>> March 2009    >> Newsletter Archive  

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In this Edition.....

• Creative News - Some exciting groups handled....

• Conventions India : The Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions Conclave

• Special Offer from Creative Travel and Oberoi Hotels for Travel Industry Professionals....

• Special Offer from Creative Travel and Taj Safari Lodges

• Summer Special Offer....

• Special Feature of the month - Culture Aangan presents Sindhdurgh

• Where you can find us next - GITB 2009, SATTE 2009

• Guest Comment of the Month - Find out what our clients have to say about us in this section

• Destination News - Trade calls for Visit India beyond 2009, Upkeep of Taj Mahal to be handed to private tourism body, Mumbai among Top 10 destinations made famous by the Oscars, Nuwara Eliya Festive Season - 1st April to 30th April 2009......all this and more Destination news

• Hotel News - Travel+Leisure Magazine’s Top 100 Hotels Awards, Special tourism awards for Taj, Oberoi for role in Mumbai attack, Award winning Amanbagh, Conde Nast Traveler - The Gold List 2009.......all this and more update on hotels

• Aviation News - Gleaming new departure terminal at Delhi airport, Now, flyers from AAI airports to bump into user development fee, Jet Airways to launch daily flights between Mumbai and Kuwait, Finnair announces suspension of its Mumbai operations this summer, Austrian Airlines announces a cut in services........and more

• Indian Recipe of the month - Cream Cheese Dip

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Creative News.....

Creative Travel handles group from BMW and VOLVO
Over the past few weeks, we were fortunate to welcome two different groups from Europe from some of the finest automobile companies - BMW and Volvo. This is infact our second group from a Volvo division. One group took an exciting trip to Nepal including a unique visit of the great peaks by helicopters. The second took a leisurely visit of the famed golden triangle circuit with a few twists including a special dinner with the Jaipur Royal family.

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Conventions India.....

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Special Offer from Creative Travel and Oberoi Hotels for Travel Industry Professionals......

We are pleased to announce the launch of ‘Friends of the Oberoi’- a program designed to cater to your personal travel which will give you an opportunity to stay and experience some of the finest hotels of the world, at a never before price. In addition, we at Creative Travel will be providing group transport options a very special agent rates. If you would like us to customize a program specially for you, do let us know.

We hope this program gives you a great opportunity to experience Oberoi Hotels and assist you in promoting them. Click here for details.........

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Special Offer from Creative Travel and Taj Safari Lodges....

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Summer Special Offer....

There is a lot of misconception as to why India cannot be visited during summer. Not all are true. There is a lot one can do in summer and the best part is that we can leverage our volumes from the season into some great deals into the off season.

Some reasons to visit India in the Summer are-

• The best value possible - you get to stay in some of the finest hotels in the world at prices that you would pay for a 4 star hotel in the winter.

• For wildlife lovers, late April and May are the best time of the year to see the famous Indian tiger. This elusive animal stays closer to the water during this time, and is more easily seen.  

• It's cooler than you think! Particularly in the desert regions of Rajasthan, the peak heat is between 11:30 am and 4:30 pm, when you could relax and enjoy the hotel. Sightseeing can be done in relative comfort in the early mornings and the evenings. The Indian summer is not hotter than many other destinations that you would consider visiting in the summer months - Dubai, Spain, Miami, etc.  

• Enjoy the monuments without the crowds - you have the luxury of visiting the monuments in the cities you visit, without having hundreds of tour buses present at the same time.  

• Enjoy the hotels - with lower summer occupancies, you can enjoy the hotels to their fullest. Use the spa without having to book it in advance, step into the restaurants without a reservation, have the pool to yourself.....

Discover India this summer with Creative Travel and stay at the Trident Hotels. Five or Seven days package tour visiting Delhi, Agra, Jaipur & Udaipur. Click here to ask us for more........

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Special Feature of the month......

Culture Aangan presents Sindhdurgh

Culture Aangan is an organization dedicated to developmental projects at grass root levels in Sindhudurg, in the sectors of culture tourism, revival of traditional art and culture, and education. Their efforts are always directed towards sustained economic growth and development, while preserving the local heritage, ethos and tradition of the people and their surroundings. Cultural Aangan’s mission statement being - ‘Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram’ their endeavors are varied. It involves consolidating and empowering rural women under one brand identity thru the self help group model; to creating branded home stays; to the revival of ageing traditional art forms.

Maharasthra’s own coastal district of Sindhudurg stretching 128 kms lies just north of Goa. Sindhudurg boasts of picture post card beauty, abounds in clean beaches, where, because of phosphorescence, waves glow on a full moon night, and provides a sense of rare tranquility. Shivaji, the famous Maratha ruler constructed many forts along this coast. With a view to protect his flank from sea invasions and providing safe hideouts for quick pirate raids on Mughal ships. The ancient naval bases of Vijaydurg and Sindhudurg were a mark of martial supremacy. Within Sindhudurg or “The Ocean fort” are temples dedicated to Bhavani, Mahadeo, Jarimai, Mahapurush and Shivaji, the last being the only shrine of its kind in India. Both Vijaydurg and Sindhudurg also boast of picturesque beaches.

Click here to read more......

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Where you can find us next.....

To meet us at GITB, Jaipur, click here and email us your details 
  

To meet us at SATTE, New Delhi, click here and email us your details   

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Guest Comment of the Month.....

We at Creative track guest feedback very carefully. Each evaluation form gives us an insight on our operations and allows us to constantly refine our service delivery process. Now and then we get a few letters that brighten up our days. These are some of them :

Sunday, February 22, 2009
From -  Robert Sanwell
To - Creative Travel

Dear Krishan,

We would just like to thank you for your efforts on our behalf to provide a most enjoyable and successful tour of Rajasthan. Everything went smoothly from start to finish and we appreciated the little touches, like the provision of drinking water, which made such a difference. All our hotels were of high quality, especially, of course, the 2 Taj hotels. The destinations were very interesting, even the lesser known Kesroli; the Hill Fort was a great success with us as was Deogarh. We were amazed at the variety in the forts and temples we saw.

In particular, we wish to thank you for providing such a splendid driver in Rajpal Sharma. Not only is he a very good, safe driver, but he was also very informative, helpful and cheerful; well before the end of our tour he had become a good friend.

Incidentally he took some of our best photographs. He was quite concerned that we were spending too much time in some destinations, especially Jaisalmer and did his best (with help from various sources, including yourself) to provide additional interest. Our visits to the palace/fort complex at Deeg, the cenotaphs at Badabagh and to the Maharana Pratap memorial in Udaipur were all great successes as were the excursions around some of the less tourist visited parts of various towns.

Thanks and best wishes,

Robert & Janet Sanwell
UK

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Destination News.....

Trade calls for Visit India beyond 2009
Despite criticism the public-private sector Visit India Year 2009 initiative may not benefit inbound agents and their overseas tour operators, the trade agrees the campaign will raise the destination's profile. Instead of the B2C initiative, Creative Travel Director of Marketing, Mr Rajeev Kohli, preferred a "doubling and tripling" of stimulus for overseas tour operators. He said Western tour operators were under tremendous pressure as many companies were bleeding. Le Passage to India Managing Director, Mr Arjun Sharma, said the B2C visit campaign was "in a state of continuous production". "There are a fair share of offers from hotels in the market. I am a hotelier myself and I can understand the concern once prices drop, it will be hard to take them back up."

Upkeep of Taj Mahal to be handed to private tourism body
The Centre will hand over five World Heritage Sites in India, including the Taj Mahal, to the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) for maintenance. This is being viewed as the first official entry of a private agency playing a role in any heritage site protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in the country. The other four monuments to be handed over are: Fatehpur Sikiri, Agra Fort (both in Agra) and Qutub Minar and Red Fort in Delhi. The ownership rights, however, will continue to be with the ASI. IATO president Vijay Thakur said, "I'm told these monuments don't have good toilets or sanitation facilities. We are adopting these monuments and the IATO will primarily look at these issues." He said the IATO would look for more private-public partnerships to improve the situation. The five monuments are likely to be leased out for a period of either 33 years or 66 years.

Mumbai among top 10 destinations made famous by the Oscars
How does any place become a tourist destination? - Natural beauty, historical importance, great food and Oscar Awards! Yes, the Academy of Motion Pictures has turned many mundane places to most popular tourist destinations. “Slumdog Millionaire”, which walked away with 8 Oscars has suddenly bought Dharavi, a slum in Mumbai, under world's attention. The fact that the movie was shot in Dharavi, had suddenly made it one of the top Oscar destinations in the world. Apart from being the most glamorous city, Mumbai also is the financial capital of India.

2000-yr-old Shiva shrine found
Believed to be among the oldest brick shrines in India, Lucknow University’s department of ancient Indian history and archaeology has unearthed a 2,000-year-old Shiva temple as part of its excavation project recently in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district. ‘‘It’s actually a complex comprising five temples,’’ Prof D P Tewari of the Lucknow University said. ‘‘While four temples belong to the Kushana period (1st-3rd century AD or 2,000 years ago), it appears that the primary temple was constructed during the Sunga period (2nd century BC to 1st century AD or 2,200 years ago).’’ The temple site is a mound in Sanchankot in Unnao. Spread across an area of 600 acres, the temple is made of baked bricks. The temple’s architecture is ‘apsidal’ (semi-circular or u-shaped) in nature. The LU has many artifacts to conclude that Lord Shiva was worshipped in this temple. ‘‘A terracotta seal bearing the legend of ‘Kaalanjar peeth’ in Brahmi script was found from the site in Dec 2008.’’ A shivling, trishul, nandi bull, and a river are inscribed over the seal. The legend of ‘Kaalanjar peeth’ is inscribed just below the river.

New trams introduced in Kolkata
New tams introduced in Kolkata have been plying along the city’s streets. This medium of transport has virtually become a logo of Kolkata, and has withstood criticism on its utility in the present era of fast-moving vehicles. The classy colour combination and the transparent roofs and windows will provide visual relief to Calcuttans tired of seeing the iron junks that ply on the tracks now. Bucket seats with cushion take the place of their stiff wooden predecessors. The class system, too, goes, with fans in both compartments. The fans have become smaller but are better placed and more efficient. The four trams are “refurbished versions of the old ones”.

INTACH Signs MOU with Spain to Conserve Varanasi Monuments
The holy city of Varanasi (Benaras) may become the country's first "world heritage city". The Indian National Trust for Art, Culture and Heritage (INTACH) and the ministry of foreign affairs and cooperation (MFAC) of Spain have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), under which the two agencies will jointly conserve the heritage monuments in the temple town of Varanasi. "We are putting our efforts so that Varanasi gets declared as a world heritage city in two years time," INTACH, Chairman Mr. S.K. Misra said. He signed the Memorandum of Understanding with Ambassador of Spain Ion De la Riva Guzman de Frutos who lived in Varanasi for over 16 years.

Nuwara Eliya Festive Season - 1st April to 30th April 2009
April brings the spring to Nuwara Eliya. Usually engulfed in mist, this Hill Country town gets live with so many activities in April. British introduced the horse racing to Sri Lanka and the 37 acre race course at Nuwara Eliya is still an arena for horses to beat one another. Horse races will frequently be played as of the traditions remembering the British Colonial Era. The Golf Course in Nuwara Eliya which is one of the most beautiful places in Sri Lanka for playing the game, will host many tournaments during this period. Motorcycling, car racing, carnivals and many more festivities will be held during April.

Nepal palace reopens as a museum
Narayanhiti, the former royal palace in the centre of the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, has been reopened as a museum, nine months after the centuries-old monarchy was abolished. The museum has been sensitively assembled in the rooms where the monarchs, including Birendra's brother and successor, Gyanendra, lived and worked. Some rooms are grandiose - especially the huge towered throne room behind the prominent front window, where extraordinary curved pillars with garish pictures of Hindu deities leap from the walls. The room has a massive, three-tiered chandelier. There are other far more intimate spaces - the modestly-sized bedrooms used by the monarch and visiting VIPs, and the ex-king's relaxation room with a day bed and his study with its coffee table books on art and mythology. One homely room holds items belonging to the mid-20th Century king, Tribhuvan, with large framed family photos, two globes and Art Deco easy chairs. Another has a library including Dickens, Conrad and Agatha Christie. There are massive crocodile and tiger skins and fine pictures of birds and mountains. Numbers visiting at any one time will be restricted so it is possible there will be long queues. The tranquil palace gardens are open as well, and those running the museum hope to open further rooms in future.

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Hotel News.....

4 Indian Hotels feature in Travel+Leisure Magazine’s Top 100 Hotels Awards
The readers of Travel+Leisure, the world’s leading travel magazine with a circulation of almost a million, have ranked 4 Indian hotels in its Top 100 Hotels List for 2008. These include :

• Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur : Rank 2

• Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur : Rank 4

• Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra : Rank 6

• Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur, : Rank 18

9 Indian Hotels feature in Travel+Leisure Magazine’s Top 50 Hotels in Asia Awards
The Indian hotels to feature among the Top 50 Hotels in Asia for 2008 are :

• Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur : Rank 1

• Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur : Rank 2

• Oberoi Amarvilas, Agra : Rank 3

• Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur : Rank 6

• Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai : Rank 21

• Rambagh Palace, Jaipur : Rank 27

• The Oberoi New Delhi : Rank 33

• Taj Mahal Hotel, Delhi : Rank 38

• The Imperial, New Delhi : Rank 50

3 Indian Hotels feature in Travel+Leisure Magazine’s Top 15 Small hotels

The Indian hotels to feature among the Top 15 Small hotels in 2008 are:

• Oberoi Rajvilas, Jaipur - Rank 2

• Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur - Rank 4

• Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur - Rank 13

Indian Hotels feature in Travel+Leisure Magazine’s Top 15 hotels to watch
The Indian hotels to feature among the Top 15 hotels to watch are:

• Four Seasons Hotel, Mumbai

• Umaid Bhawan Palace, Udaipur

Special tourism awards for Taj, Oberoi for role in Mumbai attack
Employees and managements of the Taj Mahal and Oberoi Trident were honoured with a special award for displaying exemplary courage in helping the guests who were trapped during the terrorist strikes on the two hotels in Mumbai Nov 26-29 last year. ''Since November, there has been a cloud over the tourism sector. The dastardly act at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower and the Oberoi Trident has left scars, which will take many years to heal. But both the hotels'' employees and management showed remarkable spirit,'' Home Minister P. Chidambaram said. The home minister said the two hotels ''in less than 30 days were partly in business.'' ''I salute them. They have risen to the occasion.'' He gave the special ''Atithi Devo Bhava - Pride of India Awards'' - instituted for the first time this year - to Raymond Bickson, the Managing Director of the Taj and Vikram Oberoi, Joint Managing Director of the Oberoi group.

• Editors Choice as Hotel of the Year Worldwide
• 2nd in Best Resort in India and the Indian Ocean (readers choice)
• 3rd equal in Best Small Hotel/Resort under 100 Rooms (readers choice)

Manav Garewal and Robyn Bickford were voted Second Best General Managers in the world.

Quality Inn Sabari Resorts opens in Kodaikanal
Quality Inn Sabari Resorts is the first branded hotel in Kodaikanal, spread over two acres with 35 rooms. The hotel offers Wi-Fi enabled rooms suitable for leisure and business travelers. Its all day dining restaurant - Rendezvous - has got warm ambience and offers amazing gastronomic delights, including a-la-carte specialties. “Grammy” is the chic well-stocked bar, which provides a lavish range of liquor and gourmet tidbits. Besides all this, Quality Inn Sabari Resorts also has well-equipped conference and banquet facilities. Kodaikanal sits on a plateau overlooking the Parappar and Gundar Valleys. This area offers spectacular views and world-class scenery - from majestic waters of Kodaikanal Lake to the towering trees, bursting blooms and an abundance of fresh air.

Now Open - Fortune Select Dasve, Lavasa
Nestled deep in the Sahyadri mountains, around the 20 km long Warasgaon Lake, Lavasa is a picturesque hill station offering a vibrant and self-contained world. Lavasa is very well connected to Pune and Mumbai, being around 65 kms and 200 kms respectively from both the cities. Here, in the heart of Dasve village’s rolling green hillside is Fortune Select Dasve, a contemporary full-service hotel offering excellent range of guest facilities and services to the business and leisure travelers. Spread over 1.5 acres, Fortune Select Dasve has 60 well appointed rooms including 48 Standard Rooms, 06 Executive Suites and 06 Suites. All rooms have been tastefully done up in a contemporary décor, equipped with modern amenities and offer two equally breathtaking views – scenic hills, or the serene lake. The dining options include Zodiac (The 24 hrs coffee shop), Earthen Oven (A North-Indian grill restaurant presenting an irresistible choice of kebabs with Indian breads straight out of the Tandoor) & Nostradamus Bar & Lounge.

Conde Nast Traveler - The Gold List 2009
Conde Nast Traveler’s Gold List features a choice of hotels from around the world that have the best rooms, leisure facilities, food, ambience/design, service and location. Starting with the properties that received the highest ratings in the Readers' Travel Awards 2008 survey, then incorporating those voted for by the super-panel of readers, the list is compiled, adding essential facts and opinions. The result is Hotels that set the Condé Nast Traveller Gold Standard. The Maldives hotels to feature in this list were:  

• Best for Rooms : Soneva Gili & Six Senses Spa

• Best for Design : Cocoa Island

• Best for Facilities : Kanuhura

• Best for Food : One & Only Reethi Rah

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Aviation News......

Domestic

Gleaming new departure terminal at Delhi airport
A gleaming new domestic terminal awaits air passengers in India's capital when they fly out early April, with its developers giving a sneak preview of the upgraded infrastructure earlier this month. Exclusive driveway for entry, inline baggage screening system, 72-counter check-in facility, spacious area for food and beverage outlets and attractive retail space are some of the features of the new terminal.

Now, flyers from AAI airports to bump into user development fee
Air travelers flying from at least nine non-metro airports, which include Udaipur and Jaipur, will soon have to shell out additional money as user development fee (UDF). Click here to read more.....

New air service between Mumbai and Lucknow
Effective March 29, 2009, Jet Airways will introduce its first service on the Mumbai-Lucknow sector. The airline will operate the new service aboard a state-of-the-art Boeing 737 aircraft with a dual class configuration: economy and première. Jet Airways flight 9W 665 will depart Mumbai at 11:10 hours, arriving in Lucknow at 13:20 hours. Flight 9W 666 will then depart Lucknow at 13:50 hours, arriving in Mumbai at 16:00 hours. Click here for the flight schedule.....

Go Air launches new destinations - Amritsar, Chandigarh, Bengaluru
Click here to read the flight schedule....

Spicejet introduces new sectors – Mumbai / Hyderabad / Mumbai, Ahmedabad / Hyderabad / Ahmedabad & Pune / Kolkata / Pune
Click here to read the flight schedule....

IndiGo launches new flights
IndiGo launches daily flights from March 29, 2009 to Ahmedabad / Bangalore, Kolkata / Bangalore & Delhi / Ahmedabad. Click here to read more.....

International

Air Arabia to Launch Flights to Goa in April
The Sharjah-based low cost airline, Air Arabia, is to launch flights to Goa beginning April 16, 2009. Roundtrip flights will operate three times per week between Dabolim International Airport in Goa and Air Arabia’s hub in Sharjah. Click here for the flight schedule.....

Jet Airways to stop its direct Calicut-Doha flight from March 28, 2009
Jet Airways announced recently that it will stop its direct Calicut-Doha flight from March 28, 2009 due to poor demand. A Jet Airways official informed that the load-factor on the Calicut-Doha direct service has not been encouraging, forcing the airline to withdraw the flight.
The last flight is on 28th March

Kathmandu Colombo direct services to begin shortly
Nepal and Sri Lanka signed the revised new Air Services Agreement (ASA) and direct flights between Kathmandu and Colombo will begin shortly. The agreement will once again facilitate air connectivity between the two countries after a gap of nearly ten years. The ASA will allow both countries to operate 14 flights per week and will play a vital role in boosting travel and trade between the two countries.

Jet Airways to launch daily flights between Mumbai and Kuwait
India’s Jet Airways is to launch daily, direct services to Kuwait from Mumbai from March 29, 2009. Jet Airways will operate the new flight with state-of-the-art Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Click here for the flight schedule.....

Virgin Atlantic Airways announces suspension of its Mumbai operations this summer
Virgin Atlantic Airways and Finnair - have announced suspension of their Mumbai operations this summer. Virgin Atlantic's London-Mumbai service will be temporarily suspended from May 3 as demand for seats on this route is falling fast and current operators on this route have lowered the fares to almost unsustainable levels, according to a spokesman. Passenger numbers on this route has fallen 18 per cent between January and November 2008 compared to the same period in 2007. Virgin's daily London-New Delhi service meanwhile continues unaffected and the airline intends to monitor the situation with a view to restore the London-Mumbai service when the economic situation improves. The last flight is on 3rd May 2009.

Finnair announces suspension of its Mumbai operations this summer
Finnair's four times weekly Helsinki-Mumbai service - heavily dependent on passengers travelling beyond Helsinki to other parts of Europe and across the North Atlantic - will be suspended from May till mid-October. Finnair's vice-president for network strategies, Mr Petteri Kostermaa, said: "Overcapacity has driven fare levels radically down and the cost level has not declined respectively. Market conditions for the entire summer period look bleak."

Air France suspends Paris – Chennai service
Air France will be suspending its thrice-weekly Paris-Chennai service end-March. Last flight is on 29th March.

Austrian Airlines announces a cut in services
Austrian Airlines have announced cuts in their and Vienna-Mumbai service. The Last flight is on 29th March

Cathay Pacific to fly daily from Delhi to Bangkok
Cathay Pacific Airways has announced the launch of a daily non-stop flight from Delhi to Bangkok from March 30. The Delhi-Bangkok non-stop flight will take five-and-a-half hours. At present the airlines flies to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore and has almost 44 flights to these cities. It has two daily flights from Delhi to Hong Kong and 10 flights a week from Mumbai. Click here for the flight schedule.....

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Indian Recipe of the month......

Cream Cheese Dip
Click here to read the recipe of Cheese Dip delicately flavored with capsicum and mustard.

 

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Newsletters from the past.....

February 2009, January09, December 08, November 2008, October 2008, September 2008, August 2008, July 2008, June 2008, May 2008, April 2008, March 2008, February 2008, January 2008, November 2007, October 2007, August 2007, July 2007, June 2007, May 2007, March 2007, February 2007, January 2007, December 2006, November 2006, October 2006, September 2006, August 2006, June 2006, May 2006, April 2006, March 2006, February 2006, January 2006, November 2005, October 2005, September 2005.

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Contact Us......

Creative Travel Pvt. Ltd.
Creative Plaza, Nanakpura, Moti Bagh, New Delhi 110021. India.
Tel : 24679192, 26872257-58-59, 26114281     Fax : ++91-11-26885886 / 26889764     Email : creative@travel2india.com
USA Fax: +1-646-349-1614       EUROPE Fax : ++44-20-7681-1242      www.travel2india.com

24 Hours International Emergency Contact Number : +91 - 99 11 266 277
(prefix a "0" before the number if dialing from outside New Delhi but from within India)

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Our Regional Sales teams.....

You may contact us or any of our regional sales team nearest to you.

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