>> November 2009    >> Newsletter Archive  

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In this Edition.....

• Creative News - Creative Travel India wins the prestigious SITE Crystal Award for Excellence in the Incentive Industry

• Special Feature of the month - Witness the world in Bikaner - Camel Festival

• Where you can find us next - Pure Life Experiences, EIBTM 2009, ILTM 2009

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

• Destination News - Ice on the House, From next September New Delhi to airport in 18 minutes, 'Incredible India' campaign wins World Travel Award 2009, Lonely Planet Names Nepal One of 2010's Top 10 Countries, Hanifaru Bay - Maldives Manta Madness.....all this and more in Destination news

• Hotel News - Heritage Wing of Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel in Mumbai to open this month, Trident Bandra Kurla to open on 1st December 2009, Alila Diwa Goa opens, Unveiling of New Renovated Deluxe Rooms by Shangri La Kathmandu, The Maldives New Treasure: Shangri-La Villingili Resort & Spa opens......all this and more update on hotels

• Aviation News - Kingfisher Airlines connects Delhi to three new destinations, AirAsia to commence daily direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kolkata, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram, SilkAir boosts Hyderabad frequency, British Airways launches flight to Maldives........and more

• Indian Recipe of the month - Masala Bhindi (ladies finger/Okra)

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Creative News.....

Creative Travel India wins the prestigious SITE Crystal Award for Excellence in the Incentive Industry

We wanted to share some great news. On October 31 in Aruba,  we received Creative's Second "Crystal Award" at the SITE International Conference in Aruba. This is truly a great honour for us as this is the highest global award in the incentive industry and we are proud to have brought the honour yet again to India. There were only 7 awards given this year against last years 15. !!! 

In 1980, Site created the Crystal Awards Recognition Program as a way to honor top professionals who deliver programs that connect motivational experiences to solid business results. Today, the Crystal Award serves as a benchmark for industry programs and is regarded as the highest honor in the industry. Site encourages entries from all industry leaders and disciplines who are involved in the development and delivery of performance improvement programs.

The award was received by Rajeev Kohli, Jt. Managing Director of Creative Travel

To read about our award winning entry, click here - Our 2009 entry
To read the full press release, click here - Creative Travel India wins SITE Crystal Award

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Special Feature of the month......

Witness the world in Bikaner - Camel Festival
30th December 2009 - 1st January 2010

A lively and colorful event, the Camel Festival is organized by the Department of Tourism, Art and Culture, in Bikaner every year. December and January are just the right month for a desert spree, and Bikaner just the right place to see the ships of the desert. In the camel country Bikaner, these desert leviathans pull heavy cartloads, transport grain and even work at the wells.

The Camel Festival begins with a colorful procession of bedecked camels against the red sandstone backdrop of the Junagarh Fort, the festivity advances to the open sand-spreads of the grounds, followed by the best breed competition, the tug-of-war contest, camel dance, acrobatics, etc.

Click here to read more.....

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Where you can find us next.....

To see our Pure Life Experiences profile, click here     |     To meet us at Pure, Marrakech, click here and email us your details

To see our EIBTM profile, click here     |     To meet us at EIBTM, Barcelona, click here and email us your details

To see our ILTM profile, click here     |     To meet us at ILTM, Cannes, 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 :

Thursday, November 12, 2009
From - David Gee
To - Creative Travel

Dear Krishan,

I did try to send a message to you soon after we spoke on Monday, but there were problems with the computer at the hotel in Udaipur and in the end I had to give up.

We are now back in England and firstly I must congratulate Creative Travel for the way in which the whole holiday was organized, from the initial contact and planning, through to the final departure yesterday in Delhi. The service and attention to detail was excellent - most impressive. The local Creative Travel staff at each city ensured that everything went smoothly, were very helpful and we felt very well looked after throughout the trip. The local guides were excellent and really made a huge difference to the quality and enjoyment of the visits, especially in Udaipur, where his enthusiasm, knowledge, experience, willingness to go out of his way, and obvious love of his country made our visit to Udaipur the most interesting of all. But all the guides were very impressive. Our main driver, Ashok, was excellent and also contributed hugely to the quality and enjoyment of our visit to India. Nothing was too much trouble for him and it was very much appreciated.

An extremely well organized holiday of the very highest quality. We loved India and are looking forward to coming back to see more of your fascinating country.

We had a truly wonderful overall experience. I first contacted you as a result of a newspaper cutting that I had kept from three or four years ago, which mentioned Creative Travel and three other Indian companies that would be able to put together special itineraries for people who did not want to be within a group, and would probably be better than the various UK companies that also offer tailor-made holidays. Your response was far more professional than the other Indian companies, but I was still a little unsure of dealing direct with an Indian company that I did not know as compared to a company here in the UK. So I contacted somebody I know who is editor of a UK travel magazine called “Inside Traveller”. He did various checks and came back to me to say that he could not immediately find anybody who had used Creative Travel directly from the UK, but that the company seemed to be reliable. If I did decide to go with you, he would like me to report on the experience so that he could do a short piece in a future edition, which may be of interest to others from the UK who may be planning a visit to India. I do plan to do that what was an excellent experience from a professional company that obviously pays a lot of attention to detail and does seem to care about the service it provides.

David Gee
UK

Friday, November 6, 2009
From - Peter Pappas
To - Atul Gupta @ Creative Travel

Dear Atul,

Just wanted to send you a quick note of appreciation in regards to one of your staff members. For the last year or so, Mr. Sachin Sethi has been assigned to some of my groups, and he is definitely a person of integrity, efficiency and well mannered. I have appreciated his assistance while in Delhi, and wanted to express this to you as I know it is often hard to keep track of what goes on out there. Sachin is absolutely somebody that is going to be going places in this industry, and I wish him the very best.

Hope all is going well with you.

Sincerely,

Peter Pappas
US

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Destination News.....

Ice on the House
Going to a bar in India? Now you can sit in a room made of ice, drink from an ice glass at an ice bar, decorated with ice carvings on an ice chair. Click here to read more.....

From next September, New Delhi to airport in 18 minutes
How about depositing your large suitcases at the New Delhi metro station and collecting them at New York? Click here to read more.....

'Incredible India' campaign wins World Travel Award 2009
The 'Incredible India' campaign, an initiative by the Indian government to promote tourism, has won the World Travel Award 2009 for being the best campaign of the year. The reigning Miss World, Ksenia Kukhinova of Russia, presented the award to India's Tourism Minister, Kumari Selja at a gala function held at the Grosvenor House. Selja, who is here to participate in the World Travel Market, also received the Asian Guild Award for promoting the 'Incredible India' campaign at a function held at the House of Lords last evening. The Award and Fellowship of the Asian Guild was presented to her by Lord Peter Archer of Sandwell. The Guild also bestowed the Fellowship on Jagdish Chander, Director, India Tourist Office here for his "hard work to carry out the conviction of Incredible India Campaign in the UK." Suresh Joshi, Joint Director General of the Asian Guild, said "Incredible India has enriched the status of the Asian in British Society by broadening the tradition and culture of India. Shelja said "Incredible India initiative was conceived in the year 2002, when we decided to brand the country as a unique, vibrant and inclusive identity. Through this branding, an attempt was made to create a distinct image for the country."

UNESCO team to inspect Matheran Hill Railway Line to term it as World Heritage Site
A team from UNESCO will visit India this month to evaluate the Matheran Light Railway for its possible inclusion in the list of World Heritage Sites. Matheran, a tiny hill station 800 meters above sea level on the Western Ghats, is about 110 km from Mumbai. It is connected with Neral station on the plains by a unique two feet narrow gauge railway track. The UNESCO team will also visit the National Rail Museum in New Delhi for information on the Matheran Light Railway. Later, it will inspect the steam engine-run Matheran light train, the stations, buildings, sheds and buffer zones. The 21-km Neral-Matheran railway line has 221 curves with one small tunnel. The construction of the tracks started in 1904 and the line was opened to traffic three years later.

Thai Buddha Vihar in Sarnath to have 80 ft statue of Lord Buddha by next year
The tallest statue of Lord Buddha will be installed at Sarnath, the world-famous sacred place for Buddhists. The 80 ft tall bust will be installed at Thai Buddha Vihar premises in Sarnath possibly by next year. The construction, which is going on in full swing, is on the verge of completion. The statue is being prepared solidly from the stones of Chunar. Sarnath holds religious importance for the Buddhists as Gautam Buddha had delivered his first sermon at the place after gaining enlightenment at the Bodh Gaya. The place houses mammoth busts of Lord Buddha in separate Buddha Vihars of Burma, China, Japan, Sri Lanka and other countries.

Textile tourism planned in Tirupur
For those planning a trip to Kerala or Ooty via NH 47, there would soon be an interesting tourist spot enroute. The district administration of India’s hosiery hub Tirupur is envisaging ‘textile tourism’ to promote the knitwear industry. The plan includes showing tourists glimpses of the total textile value chain — from cotton to yarn to cloth. Visitors can also witness all stages of production starting with processing to final product manufacturing of knitwear products, all at one place. The district administration and the Tirupur Exporters’ Association (TEA) have zeroed in on the Nethaji Apparel Park (NAP) on NH 47 for showcasing the exclusivity of Tirupur. T-shirts, polo-shirts, sweat-shirts, banians, pyjamas and night dresses on various fabrics like single jersey, interlock, fleece, polar fleece, pique jersey, pointelle jersey and drop needle are specialty products from Tirupur.

Louis Cruises India launched with Kochi as its homeport
Louis Cruises India, a subsidiary of the Louis Cruises, the world’s fifth largest cruise operator has launched its operations in India with Kochi as its homeport. Louis Cruises India will operate three-day and one-day cruises out of Kochi from December 2009 to May 2010 on board the MV Aquamarine. This luxury cruise ship has a carrying capacity of 1,200 passengers and comes with all the comforts and amenities. MV Aquamarine will offer itineraries on the Kochi - Maldives - Kochi route and the Kochi - Colombo - Kochi route, in addition to a one-night high sea sailing itinerary.

Lonely Planet Names Nepal One of 2010's Top 10 Countries
Lonely Planet has chosen Nepal as one of the world's Top 10 Countries for next year in Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2010, published recently. Best in Travel 2010 is Lonely Planet's fifth eagerly-awaited annual collection of the best places to go and the best things to do around the world for the year ahead. Other destinations to make Lonely Planet's Top 10 Countries 2010 list are El Salvador, Germany, Greece, Malaysia, Morocco, New Zealand, Portugal, Suriname and the USA. Drawing on the knowledge and passion of Lonely Planet's staff, authors and community, Best in Travel 2010 showcases a year's worth of inspiration to take travelers out of the ordinary and into some unforgettable experiences.

Nepal launches massive campaign to welcome gay visitors
The Nepal tourism board is launching a massive campaign to highlight the country as a gay travel destination. In addition to a very public campaign, they’re planning to host an international conference next winter specifically on the subject. Nepal government has held a series of meetings with well-known international tour operators and non-profit organisations to promote Nepal as a potential destination for LGBTs. Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) officials hope that LGBT arrivals will give a boost to the number of visitors to the country as the government mulls new way to bring in a million foreign tourists in the Nepal Tourism Year 2011.

Maldives

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Hotel News.....

Heritage Wing of Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel in Mumbai to open this month
The heritage wing of the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel will open partially a day before the anniversary of the attack. Mumbai’s iconic Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel, suffered extensive damage in the 26 November attack. On reopening the heritage wing of its flagship hotel, which dates back to 1903, Raymond Bickson, Managing Director said, “We are planning to welcome our first guests on 25 November when we expect to reopen three of our restaurants—Golden Dragon, Wasabi and the Harbour Bar.” The rooms and the remaining food and beverage outlets in the hotel, including the ball room, will be opened in phases, starting December until April, when the hotel expects to be completely operational.

Moksha Himalaya Spa Resort, Centara Boutique Collection opens for business
Set amongst the scenic wonder of the Himalayan Mountains, yet reached in a comfortable journey time from New Delhi, Moksha Himalaya Spa Resort is the latest property within the Centara Boutique Collection and the first within India. The resort offers the unique experience of arrival to the hotel by cable car spreading over 20,000 square meters. The Spa Resort comprises of a collection of 15 colonial inspired buildings, all within a few minutes convenient walk. The 62 Moksha Suites are tastefully furnished in natural wood and stone finishes and are of 75 square meters complete with separate furnished living room, private terrace, luxurious oversized four feature private dressing and bathroom with extra-deep bathtub and heavenly rain shower, and a master bedroom with a king size bed, individually controlled air-conditioning, 2 LCD televisions, fully-supplied mini-bar and refrigerator and tea & coffee making facilities. Each Moksha Suite has stunning valley and panoramic mountain views from living areas and bathroom. The SPA Cenvaree - Moksha Destination Spa is the luxurious venue for traditional aromatherapy and therapeutic massages and treatments. The food & beverage options include Moksha Terrace Restaurant (All Day Dining serving International, Asian, & Indian Cuisine); Moksha Bar & Lounge and Infinity Poolbar & Pavillion.

Hilton New Delhi Janakpuri opens
The Hilton New Delhi Janakpuri, is located 18 kms from Indira Gandhi International Airport & 15km from the main commercial, business and entertainment district of Connaught Place. The hotel offers 228 contemporary rooms and suites including handicapped accessible rooms. The rooms range from 33 m2 to 44 m2, whereas the suites are 67 m2. The hotel offers seven dining options: an all -day dining, a lobby lounge, a bar lounge, Indian Restaurant, Italian Restaurant and a Chinese Restaurant. Recreation facilities include an outdoor swimming pool which is heated in winter, an Urban Spa and a Fitness Centre. All hotel guest rooms are equipped with wired high-speed internet access which is available at an additional charge.

The Grand, New Delhi opens for business
The Grand New Delhi, located a short drive from the National & International Airport, has been creatively refurbished in year 2009 with enhanced contemporary design and decor keeping the needs of the frequent traveller. Developed in 10 acres of land, its low rise building structure and beautifully landscaped gardens redefines the standard of luxury. The Grand New Delhi offers 390 luxuriously appointed rooms including 24 Business Suite, 1 Presidential Suite and 5 exclusively designed Service Apartments- ideal for the long stay guests. The hotel boasts an array of amenities including Restaurants, Bars, Pool, Spa, State of The Art Fitness Studio, Yoga Sessions & many others. The Grand Ballroom, one of the largest pillarless banqueting facilities in the city, can accommodate upto 800 persons.

Alila Diwa Goa opens
Alila Diwa Goa, 20 minutes from Dabolim International Airport, is situated in South Goa, along the coast of Majorda Beach, with panoramic views across the Arabian Sea. The resort is situated amidst lush paddy plantation and a long stretch of pristine white sand beach. The resort blends contemporary Goan architecture with the magic of Goa’s cultural richness into a serene landscape of gentle verdant paddy fields flowing towards the pristine white sand beach. The resort features 106 rooms, 42 suites and 1 Presidential Villa. All rooms and suites are designed for laid back indulgence with an amazing bath experience, luxury bedding and a private terrace to capture the ocean breeze while taking in the magnificent views of the lush greenery. At the heart of the resort is an endless infinity pool that extends out into the paddy terraces where one may sip a martini within the lounge pool or enjoy the tranquility. The resort also offers the the Spa Alila with 5 double treatment rooms and 5 single treatment rooms. The Food & Beverage options include Spice Studio - coastal specialty restaurant with local flavours of the region and the VIVO - Live Kitchen Restaurant, The Edge Bar and Lounge.

WelcomHeritage Panjim Inn launched in Panaji
WelcomHeritage Panjim Inn has been part of the Latin Quarter Pantheon for many years and was amongst the first big colonial mansions of Fontainhas. Built in the late 1800’s by Francis Assis D’Silveira, the family brazao adorns the wrought iron railings and gilded pelmets. WelcomHeritage Panjim Inn offers 24 rooms, each unique and individual in character. With four poster beds, carved rosewood almirahs and period furniture, it creates nostalgia for the past. Modern amenities include mini- bars, televisions and electronic safes in all the rooms. With local and Continental cuisine on offer, the restaurant is on the first floor overlooking the street junction. WelcomHeritage Panjim Pousada, the second wing is located off a bye lane, just 50 metres from WelcomHeritage Panjim Inn. It consists of 9 rooms and is an oasis of tranquility. Not quite as old as the Panjim Inn, the Pousada was rebuilt in the 1930’s. WelcomHeritage Panjim People’s is located just opposite to WelcomHeritage Panjim Inn. Until recently, this vintage building of the 1880’s was home to the People’s High School, Goa's foremost primary educational institution. Now a heritage hotel, it has 4 exclusive rooms furnished with antique furniture, original art works and lace curtains. The ground floor of WelcomHeritage Panjim People’s houses the gallery Gitanjali, showcasing paintings by contemporary Indian and overseas artists.

Kuldhara Heritage Resort, Jaisalmer opens
Kuldhara Heritage Resort, 9 kms from Jaisalmer city and spread over an area of 10 acre, gives a picture of a typical desert village with “ Dhanis “ ( Mud house) of local villagers and craftsman. Kuldhara Heritage Resort has spacious 25 Deluxe Huts with traditional interiors giving the feel of being in a village house rather then a room. The bathroom is modern yet simple and features a sink, shower and western toilet, with hot and cold running water. The Restaurant has an overwhelming view of the pool, resort and the Thar desert.

Unveiling of New Renovated Deluxe Rooms by Shangri La Kathmandu
On a special gathering of the Travel & Hospitality dignitaries, Shangri La Kathmandu unveiled its newly upgraded guest rooms on September 10, 2009. Hotel Shangri~La has now upgraded all its 100 rooms to deluxe and club category. The new rooms have all new range of furniture, exclusively imported from KIAN Malaysia, water saving sanitary and fittings of the American Standard, Spanish tiles and interiors / decors supported by eco friendly and user friendly amenities. With the completion of upgradation Shangri~La Kathmandu is launching itself as the first five star boutique hotel of Nepal. Speaking at the unveiling gathering the Executive Director Mr. Prabin Panday, announced the launching of Hotel Shangri~La Kathmandu as Country’s First Boutique Hotel.

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Aviation News......

Domestic

Kingfisher Airlines connects Delhi to three new destinations
Kingfisher Airlines connects Delhi to three new destinations - Agra, Varanasi and Khajuraho. Click here for the flight schedule....

Jet Airways Konnect launches three new flights from Delhi to Patna, Chennai and Raipur
Jet Airways Konnect has launched three new flights from Delhi to Patna, Chennai and Raipur. Click here for the flight schedule....

Indigo Airlines to introduce new flights effective 29 Nov
Indigo Airlines to launch flights on the Kocki / Ahmedabad, Mumbai – Kochi. Click here for the flight schedule....
 

International

AirAsia to commence daily direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Kolkata, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram
AirAsia will commence its daily direct flights to Kolkata, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) from Kuala Lumpur. Click here for the flight schedule....

Arke Fly links Nepal with Europe
Arke Fly is operating its scheduled weekly flight between Kathmandu and Amsterdam from October 6, 2009. With the launching of this new flight, Nepal’s air links with Europe are being reestablished. Click here for the flight schedule....

SilkAir boosts Hyderabad frequency
SilkAir has increased its five services a week between Singapore and Hyderabad to a daily service. Click here for the flight schedule....

Qatar Airways launches Flights to Amritsar
Click here for the flight schedule....

Jet Airways to Launch Daily Mumbai - Kathmandu Flights
Effective 2 December 2009, Jet Airways will launch daily flights between Mumbai and Kathmandu. The airline will operate the route with Boeing 737 aircraft. Jet Airways flight 9W 266 will depart Mumbai at 08:30, arriving in Kathmandu at 11:15. Flight 9W 265 will then depart Kathmandu at 12:45, arriving in Mumbai at 15:30.

British Airways launches flight to Maldives
British Airways has added a new route to its network with the inaugural flight from London, Gatwick landing at Male in The Maldives on October 26 at 09:30 am. The new thrice weekly route is the first time British Airways has offered flights to the island. Click here for the flight schedule....

SilkAir increases Kathmandu-Singapore service
SilkAir increases its Singapore-Kathmandu service to six-times weekly from October 25. Click here for the flight schedule....

Air India Express announces revised flight schedule from Tiruchirapalli effective November 2, 2009
Air India Express has announced a revised schedule of its flights from Tiruchirapalli which will be effective from November 2, 2009.

• Singapore-Tiruchirapalli-Chennai-Singapore Flight (IX 681) will arrive in Tiruchirapalli at 11:25 hrs and leave for Chennai/Singapore at 12:20 hrs on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, the flight will arrive in Tiruchirapalli at 10:55 hrs and depart for Chennai/Singapore at 11:40 hrs.

• The Chennai-Tiruchirapalli-Dubai Daily Flight (IX 611) will arrive in Tiruchirapalli at 13:35 hrs and depart for Dubai at 14:25 hrs. In the return direction, the flight (IX 612) will arrive in Tiruchirapalli from Dubai at 23:35 hrs and depart for Chennai/Singapore as flight (IX 682) at 00:25 hrs.

• The Chennai-Tiruchirapalli-Abu Dhabi flight (IX 613) will arrive in Tiruchirapalli at 13:55 hrs and leave for Abu Dhabi at 14:45 hrs on Thursdays and Saturdays. The return flight will arrive in Tiruchirapalli at 23:55 hrs and depart for Chennai (IX 614) at 00:45 hrs on Fridays and Sundays.

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Indian Recipe of the month......

Masala Bhindi (ladies finger/Okra)

Click here to read the all-time favourite recipe of ladyfinger stuffed with lip-smacking spices.

 

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Newsletters Archive.....

October 2009, September 2009, August 2009, July 2009, May 2009, April 2009, March 2009, 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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You may contact us or any of our regional sales team nearest to you.

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