May 2015

Rajeev Kohli
Joint Managing Director

Dear Industry Colleagues

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

It's May and we are in the middle of a strong summer. The world’s climate patterns have indeed changed and we in India are experiencing record temperatures. Summer is our time to evaluate the season gone by and to plan new ideas and strategies for the season to come. We will be rolling out a new strategy for enhancing our offerings of immersive experiences and unique activities across the region. In addition, the JungleSutra Wildlife Journeys team is also hitting the road with some special programs that showcase the depth of wildlife in the Indian sub-continent.

Next month will bring an expansion of the countries covered under the electronic visa application system. An update will be sent once this is officially notified.

It’s been a month now since the devastating earthquake of April 25 that shook Nepal to its core. With over 8,000 dead and many more injured, this is the worst natural disaster to hit this idyllic country in the last few generations. Bordering towns in India were also damaged and lives lost, but nothing to compare with what happened in Nepal.

Nepal is a country close to our hearts. Our two countries are deeply intertwined by customs, language and history. We truly share in the pain they are going through. In this newsletter you will also read an updated report on the situation.

With the end of the season approaching, we are working on some special options for industry professionals to come and visit India. Under our 2015 "Be our Guest" program, we have some exciting options at very special prices. Ask us for details.
Other initiatives are special offerings for you to market on to your client base. We encourage you to send through your thoughts on what you think could work for your markets, so that we can have the team customize a product set for you. We at Creative intend to aggressively push the price competitiveness of India in its shoulder period as we feel the market is turning around for us all and let's use that to gain some interaction and make up for lost business.

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

Take care

www.creative.travel

April 25 of the year shook Nepal like it had never been shaken before. The fatal earthquake of the day and the numerous strong aftershocks have truly changed the way people will live there forever. Many lives have been lost, many more injured, and countless made homeless. Add to that the loss of their cultural and historical heritage that had seen centuries go by. This is a county that has been changed forever in a span of minutes. 

At this stage travel to Nepal other than for humanitarian reasons has come to a trickle. This is something that we need to work on reversing as soon as we possibly can.

The Nepalese economy is greatly dependent on tourism to survive. It is a huge employer across the country. It generates much needed foreign exchange for this landlocked nation. This earthquake has created a tremendous paradigm shift for the country but perhaps also opportunities for major upgradation to infrastructure and the quality of lives for future generations.

An update on the current situation on the ground is below. This is the assessment from our own office in Nepal and various other neutral sources –

The people of Nepal are born with a will to overcome adversity. The Kathmandu Valley is already alive, kicking and striving to thrive again. 

Although tours may not operate right away, we do expect to get back to operations by August.

Connectivity :

All the International and Domestic airports, highways and sub-ways are in operation with zero damage. 

Hotels :

90% of Kathmandu is functioning and most of the hotels have got their security & safety certificates and are up and running. Most of the hotels, resorts located in the Kathmandu valley are already in normal operation leaving few like Club Himalaya (scheduled to open on 15^th  of June.) and Fort resort of Nagarkot. The Everest Hotel will take some more time to reopen. Pokhara & Chitwan remained unaffected by the earthquake.  

Dhulikhel Mountain Resort and the Dwarikas property in Dhulikhel are both fine and operational. However in Nagarkot, the Club Himalaya have closed till end of June as they wish to do a proper survey of their property before declaring it open and other properties like The Fort and smaller ones are damaged and we are waiting for an update from them. 

Kathmandu :

The 3 durbar squares - Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur have all been damaged to a certain extent. Patan and Bhaktapur have been cleared of the rubble but they have not opened for tourists as yet. Kathmandu Durbar Square will take a while longer to be cleared. Boudhnath and Pashupatinath are fine, however Swayambhunath especially the area around the Stupa has been damaged. Hanuman Dhoka palace is severely destroyed where as there is no effects on the Kumari House (where the only living goddess lives).

Narayanhiti Palace Museum: Minor damage but building is standing strong. Currently closed for public but may open soon. 

Boudhanath Stupa: Not much affected by the earthquake just the outer layer is scratched and pinnacle on the top of the stupa is slightly moved and other small size stupa is damaged. It is open to public. 

Patan Durbar Square: The rubble has been cleared however, not open to tourists as of now.

Kathmandu Durbar Square: Most affected tourist spot with majority temples either caved in or partially damaged. Entry is restricted, will be open for tourists soon. 

Swayambhunath: The area around the Stupa has been damaged. 

Pashupatinath: Is open to tourists; only few temples residing next to main structure got some structural damage. 

Bhaktapur: There is no impact in the tallest temple of (5 storied temple) and 55 windows palace. 

Patan, Kathmandu & Swayambhunath to be opened on June 15, 2015. No date for Bhaktapur specified as yet, but expected to be opened by end of June 

Pokhara & Chitwan:

Pokhara & Chitwan remained unaffected by the earthquake, all the hotels and resorts there are fully operational.

Trekking:

Everest & Annapurna: The hotels on the Everest Trekking Routes are being structurally checked by the International team and once the check is satisfactory they will be certified for further trekking. In the Annapurna region the lodges are fine and so is the trekking

Manang and Langtang: They are still a No for trekking. However, there is Lukla, where the clients seeking adventure can safely trek up to Namche or Syangboche as well. Lukla is the airport which is the gateway to the Everest Trek and is about 35minutes flight from Kathmandu.

NEPAL IS STILL SAFE FOR TOURISTS !!

1.    Out of 75 districts of Nepal, only 8 are affected.

2.    Out of 10 National Parks, only 1 is affected.

3.    All the highways and sub-ways are in operation with zero damage

4.    Out of 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, only 2 have around 40% damages

5.    90% hotels in Kathmandu Valley are safe and in operational conditions. 100% Hotels in popular destinations like Pokhara, Chitwan, Lumbini, Bardiya, Ilam, Annapurna Region, Everest Region etc. are safe and in full operation.

6.    Out of 35 popular trekking routes, only 2 are affected

7.    All the International and National airports are in operation with zero damage

8.    Communication (nets, phone calls, ATM's, swipe machines) is working well.

9.    Hospitals and Clinics are safe and in operation. No viral diseases or influenza is seen.

We know Nepal is a small product on the global market. It is easily replaced by many other destinations in the region. For us as an Indian company, we have many options to offer. But that is not the way we would wish to go.

This is perhaps an opportunity for the global tourism industry to show how it can actually make a difference. It is an opportunity to stand by a destination in their time of need. We still have to assess how long the recovery process will take, but we do see the tourism industry bouncing back to its feet. We would expect given the resilience of the Nepalese people, this will be fast. But we would appeal to our friends in the global travel industry and in the media who get our updates, to stand by our Nepalese friends in this time of need. They need your support.

When the dust starts to settle, this little country will need all the expertise, ideas and help it can get to recreate its tourism industry. Yes, they will have international aid agencies there to give money and academic reports. But what they will really need is hard core practical advice from the global tourism industry thought leaders. They will need ideas, brains, and guidance. There are physical things that will take time to repair, but we will have to help them with short term strategies to help get them back on their feet.

Creative Travel will plan to send in a team to assess the situation in a few weeks once they are ready to have us. We have received many calls from partners & friends asking us how they can contribute now. We do not know the answer to that either. There are many hands on the ground at the moment and many many charities across the world working ion relief efforts.

High-achieving meetings industry professionals from across the world were honoured last night at the 13th annual IMEX Gala Dinner on May 20 at the Alte Oper, Frankfurt, with 15 awards handed out. IMEX Group Chairman, Ray Bloom and Managing Director, Paul Flackett, presented the prestigious IMEX Academy Awards to five outstanding individuals. The IMEX Academy Awards are presented to individuals to recognise outstanding service to the meetings and incentive travel industry. Each of the winners has achieved consistently high standards within their region and are set to leave a legacy for future generations. Our Joint Managing Director, Rajeev Kohli was the winner of the Academy Award for the Asia Pacific region. This was an unexpected surprise for Rajeev who had no idea of what was to come. He is deeply humbled and honoured by this recognition and hopes to live up to the expectations it brings.

While Agra gears up for its swelling domestic and international tourist traffic with a series of infrastructure projects including a high-speed train, new flyovers, a new road leading directly to the Taj Mahal and a new terminal at the airport, the highlight of the revamp plan is the proposed unrestricted view of the Mughal monument. Night viewing of the Taj Mahal from Mehtab Bagh across the Yamuna will be started within three months, announced Union tourism and culture minister Mahesh Sharma who inspected the Mughal garden on Thursday night. In December 1999, the Supreme Court had banned visitors' entry into the monument after 7 pm for a view of the Taj by moonlight — to ensure the monument's security. read more...

Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has been adjudged the world's best airport for the year 2014, under the category of handling 25 to 40 million passengers per annum, officials said on Saturday. Airports Council International (ACI) presented the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) award to IGIA at a ceremony of the ACI Asia-Pacific/World Annual General Assembly on April 28 in Jordan. read more...

Chhattisgarh Tourism Board (CTB) has signed an MoU with India City lvirons ler before. Every walk designed by ICW will offer the best of a locale and embrace the city's daily life. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Shri Santosh Mishra, Managing Director of CTB, and Sachin Bansal, Chief Explorer of ICW The five-year MoU will see the organisations formalise their activity to enhance destination activities and increase visitor numbers to Chhattisgarh from regional and international markets.

ICW will offer walking tours and trails across Chhattisgarh clubbed with the outstanding experiential opportunities such as eco, spiritual, outdoors etc. As mentioned by Sachin Bansal ‘Walks' is our core product and we offer walking tours ranging from 1 hour to 4 hours and full day experiences across cities. The Chhattisgarh offering will includes themes such as art, architecture, spirituality, nature, eco-tourism, heritage, food, bazaars and more. Our extension is into developing the interest driven concepts as well as enhancing the awareness and quality of visitor experience opportunities".

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group is to sink its roots deeper into India with plans to grow its portfolio in the country – particularly in the south and west – to over 170 hotels within the next five years.

The group currently has 117 hotels in operation and under development across 45 cities in India. From last year to 1Q2015, it had opened a total of 10 hotels and signed six new hotels in India. In April 2014, a partnership with Bestech Hospitalities was also inked for 43 more Park Inn by Radisson hotels in north and central India by 2024. For the rest of 2015, it expects to open eight to nine hotels and sign 12 to 15 new ones in cities across the country. It seeks to broaden brand presence in India with the introduction of its upscale Radisson Red and modern luxury Quorvus Collection.

Continuing with its expansion plan in India, Golden Tulip Hotels recently launched Golden Tulip Vasundhara Delhi NCR in the premium and luxury category. With this, Golden Tulip Hotels South Asia now has 17 operational properties all over the country and three new properties opening under four and five star categories this year, which also includes Bangladesh. Golden Tulip Vasundhara offers 162 rooms along with 10,000 sq ft banquet space. read more...

The InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) recently announced the signing of the 286-room Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park with Adyar Gate Hotels Limited. The hotel, which IHG is now managing, will be rebranded as Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park, marking the entry of the company's Crowne Plaza brand into the key Indian city. The hotel joins Holiday Inn Express Chennai Mahindra World City, making it the second IHG hotel in Chennai. Located in the city's central business district and taking the site of the existing Sheraton Park Chennai, the hotel bears additional significance for IHG as it was originally the site of the company's first Holiday Inn to open in India in the 1970s. read more...

Air India today introduced a direct flight to connect the coastal city of Visakhapatnam to Port Blair. The airline already connects Port Blair to Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Bhubaneswar. This new flight will be in addition to Air India's already existing flight viz. daily direct flights on the Kolkata – Port Blair sector with an A319; Chennai – Port Blair with A321 aircraft; between Delhi – Visakhapatnam with an A321 aircraft and another flight between Delhi and Port Blair via Bhubaneswar twice a week with a CRJ-700 aircraft. This flight will help capacity addition to this tourist destination. The direct flight will be a time saver for travel between Visakhapatnam and Port Blair and give a fillip to tourism and industry at both the places. read more...

Air Seychelles, the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, has increased the frequency of its flights to Mumbai to cater for growing demand from business and leisure travellers stated a release. The current three-flights-per-week service between Mumbai and Seychelles has been enhanced with a fourth weekly flight that will continue to be operated on an Airbus A320 aircraft with 16 Business Class and 120 Economy Class seats.

Air Seychelles has also upgraded its Mauritius service to four flights-per-week and will enhance Antananarivo to three flights-per-week from July 3, 2015, providing travellers with convenient and flexible travel options across the Indian Ocean. Air Seychelles also code-shares on 21 weekly Etihad Airways services between Mumbai and Abu Dhabi that connect onto return flights to Seychelles, offering guests from India the opportunity of combining a trip to the archipelago with a stopover in Abu Dhabi.

Adding Lucknow and Bengaluru to its fast growing network, Vistara has opened bookings for the two new destinations. Starting 18 May 2015, Vistara will offer daily flights on the Delhi-Lucknow-Delhi route increasing the frequency to double daily flights from 16 June 2015. The Delhi-Bengaluru-Bombay daily return flight will also commence from 16 June 2015. These latest additions to the network are in line with Vistara's organic expansion plan to connect a mix of metros and non-metros across India.

Phee Teik Yeoh, CEO, Vistara said, "We are gradually expanding our pan India footprint, and the addition of Lucknow and Bengaluru to our network seemed the most logical way to grow. The historical and culturally rich city of Lucknow has emerged as a leading commercial hub in the state of Uttar Pradesh while also offering a huge potential for tourism. On the other hand, Bengaluru is one of the most preferred cosmopolitan cities in India offering significant prospects for corporate travel. We are optimistic about the opportunities that these destinations will offer for corporate and leisure travel to our customers."

AirAsia is launching daily flights from Delhi to Bengaluru, Goa and Guwahati from May 21. Delhi will be the airline's second base, following its launch last June. AirAsia began operations from Bengaluru and now has now five Airbus A320 planes. Initially, it will fly twice daily on the Delhi-Bengaluru route and a single flight to Goa and Guwahati. From June 16, it will add a second flight to Goa. It is offering a promotional fare of Rs 1,700 on the Bengaluru and Goa routes and Rs 1,500 on the Guwahati route in a five-day sale offer. The discount scheme is valid for travel till May 31. read more...

Ginger Pudding with Tea Sauce

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