September 2013

Rajeev Kohli
Joint Managing Director

Dear Industry Colleagues

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

We are a few weeks away from the traditional start of the inbound season. Arrival figures are already increasing day by day and we hope the coming season meets all our expectations.

In the past few weeks, we had some nice moments in the Creative family. We were named as India's Best Luxury Tour Operator, something that we are very proud of. Credit goes to our team of course.

Next month we will expect the results of our nominations at the World Travel Awards. We are all keeping our fingers & toes crossed for some good news.

We also welcome Heidi Angell-Schau in South Africa to our Global Sales Team. That takes our list of international sales offices to 15.

Indians are truly everywhere. This years Miss America is a young lady of Indian descent. Interesting how things can be. 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

The much-awaited Today's Traveller Awards took place in New Delhi on 30th August. The ceremony was attended by Mr Oscar Fernandes, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, who as the Chief Guest gave away the Today's Traveller Awards at Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi.

Today Travel awards are the most comprehensive, the biggest and the most prestigious awards program in the travel industry worldwide. Instituted in 2007, the Today's Traveller Awards acknowledge and celebrate excellence across all sectors of tourism, corporate and entertainment industries. Today, the Today's Traveller Awards are recognised as an ultimate hallmark of achievement, with winners setting the benchmark for all others to emulate.

Amongst the distinguished sectors of hospitality, airlines, corporate which were recognised by Today's Traveller Awards' at the ceremony, Creative Travel Pvt. Ltd. won Today's Traveller Award 2013 for Best Luxury Inbound Tour Operator.

Sunday night, Miss New York, Nina Davuluri, was crowned Miss America 2014. The 24-year-old beauty bested 52 other contestants, one from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, after two hours of swimsuit, evening gown, talent, and interview competitions that aired from Atlantic City, New Jersey. Read more...

Like every year, the Indian Association of Tour Operators' (IATO) 29th Annual Convention in Kochi is providing a platform to tour operators from across the country to network, discuss business, deliberate contemporary issues and draw a roadmap for the future. The theme of the convention is ‘Tourism – Innovations & Partnerships' and the venue is Le Meridien, Kochi. Arun Anand is the Chairman and Lally Mathews and E.M. Najeeb are the Co-Chairmen for this year's convention. Read more...

Adventure travel is a sector of tourism increasingly recognised for attracting environmentally and culturally aware consumers and for its focus on responsible and sustainable development, a model designed to create economic opportunities for local people in rural and remote communities worldwide. Growth in the adventure travel market has accelerated at a 65 percent yearly rate since 2009 according to the newly released Adventure Tourism Market Study – a consumer report by The George Washington University (GW) conducted in partnership with the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA). Read more...

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) will operate an exclusive tourist train to Rajasthan from Chennai via Bangalore, Mysore, Hassan, Hubli, Bellary and Kacheguda with a group of 752 tourists over a period of seven days during the Navarathri holidays.

The route will cover Udaipur, Chittaurgarh, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and the Mount Abu districts of Rajasthan. The train will pass through Bangalore on October 9. The 12-day package tour has been classified into different categories and offers a comprehensive package which includes vegetarian food, both on and off-board, accommodation in hotels and vehicles for sightseeing. Each coach will also have a tour manager and regular announcements to keep tourists informed.

The same train will leave from Lucknow on September 09, 2013 at 12.25 hrs on every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday and will reach Jaipur at 01.45 hrs on the next day.
The Train No. 09707 / 09708 Jaipur – Lucknow – Jaipur Tri – Weekly special express trains 2013 will stop at the following Stations: Gandhinagar Jaipur, Dousa, Bandikui Jn, Kherli, Nadbai, Bharatpur Jn., Achhenera Jn., Mathura Jn., Hathras City, Kasganj Jn., Farrukhabad Jn., Kannauj, Kanpur Anwarganj and Kanpur Central station in both the directions.

The Pink City plays host to the Jaipur International Animation Film Festival, where a great line up of short and feature films will be playing throughout the day and artwork will be on display in the gallery.
With sell out screenings and great enthusiasm festival is set to be ultra fun, giving film makers more exposure, more reviews and more excitement for their films, whilst film lovers will get to see the ‘next big animated thing' first!
Jaipur International Animation Film Festival is a part of the Jaipur International Film Festival, the world's fastest growing film festival. The International Animation Festival by JIFF would be organized from October 06 to October 08, 2013 at various locations in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

It is also informed that only limited number of Jeeps and canters will be available for game drivers in advance booking quota. So, if you are planning to unravel the surprises of jungle this season then plan from now!!

Requirements to Book Safaris:
(01) Full names of all persons visiting the National Park.
(02) Passport numbers of all persons visiting the National Park.

A 10-minute drive from Indira Gandhi International Airport on National Highway 8, which borders Gurgaon, the Dusit Devarana's 25ft-high walls are designed to keep New Delhi's cacophony out—and they do. The second layer that cocoons a visitor is the presence of more than a thousand trees, which populate the hotel's 7.5 acres of landscaped gardens. Read more...

Pallazzio Hotels & Leisure, a subsidiary of real estate developer Phoenix Mills, has rebranded the Shangri La hotel Mumbai, as Palladium Hotel, also owned by it. Hong Kong-based hospitality chain Shangri La and Pallazzio Hotels decided to mutually end their partnership for the 390 room premium hotel located in the popular commercial district of Lower Parel in the city. Read more...

Vivanta by Taj – Hotels & Resorts recently announced the latest addition to the Vivanta portfolio with Vivanta by Taj – Surajkund. Speaking at the press conference, Raymond N Bickson, M.D. & C.E.O., Indian Hotels Company Limited said, "We welcome the newest addition to our portfolio. This hotel will be the third Vivanta in the region after the recent launch of Vivanta by Taj – Gurgaon, NCR and our contemporary classic address Vivanta Ambassador. This is in line with a strategic plan to expand our presence in the National Capital Region and underlines the company's objective of achieving growth through domestic dominance." Read more...

Accor plans to expand in the Indian budget hotel space, envisaging opening 19 committed properties under its value-budget Formule1 brand in the coming years. Presently, Hotel Formule1 has three properties, in Bengaluru (Whitefield), Ahmedabad and Greater Noida, and will soon be opening properties in Pune, Hyderabad and Gurgaon, taking the total number of hotels in the country to seven in 2014, as per a report in the Deccan Herald.

Philip Logan, Vice President, Formule1, said, "The idea is to have a total of ten operational hotels by the end of next year." He added that of the 19 committed projects, the first 15 of them have 60 per cent investment from hospitality investment firm SAMHI, while Accor holds 40 per cent. Logan, however, declined to share specific investment details about the brand.

The Oberoi Group announced the opening of Trident, Hyderabad. The hotel has 323 well appointed guest rooms and suites which are the largest in Hyderabad. The hotel offers extensive conference and banquet facilities.

Speaking about the property, P.R.S Oberoi, Executive Chairman, The Oberoi Group said, "Over the years we have added hotels at various locations in India and overseas which have become industry benchmarks. Hyderabad has emerged as a significant business destination and Trident, Hyderabad has been created with the discerning business traveller in mind. This hotel is a testimony of our vision for the "Trident" brand and its standards of excellence." Read more...

The Raintree Hotel, Anna Salai has joined Summit Hotels & Resorts, a brand of Preferred Hotel Group, making it the first Summit Hotels & Resorts members in Chennai, India.

The 230-room hotel is located in the city centre, less than 13 kilometres from the Chennai International Airport. Surrounded by the technology, auto and manufacturing business zone in the city, the Raintree Hotel, Anna Salai is an ideal accommodation for corporate travellers.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is celebrating a milestone, the 1st anniversary of its entry into India with the award-winning Fairmont Jaipur. With over 65 properties worldwide, Fairmont Jaipur's inaugural birthday celebrates the strength of the company's global portfolio. The ostentatious Mughal fort-cum-palace with 199 rooms not only stands out for its distinguished services but also has become a preferred luxury destination in Jaipur for all travelers alike. Read more...

MARRIOTT International officially launched Courtyard by Marriott Pune Chakan last week in the automobile and manufacturing hub of Chakan, making it the city's maiden international business hotel.

General Manager Ritu Chawla said: "There are a number of high-profile delegates who visit Chakan. Earlier, there was no property of international standards that could serve the luxury business traveller, but with the opening of our property, this gap has been filled. Read more...

The Leela Palace New Delhi has transformed one of its guest floors exclusively for single lady travellers. Expressed in every detail, Kamal, the quintessential floor offers exceptional features and amenities thoughtfully created to provide seamless safety, maximum comfort and privacy. The idea is to ensure the highest level of security. The floor, Kamal, is equipped with CCTV's and has a restricted elevator access. The experience begins at the touch down where the guest is received by a hotel representative at the airport.

Commenting on the launch, Kunal Chauhan, resident manager, The Leela Palace New Delhi said, "Reiterating our commitment towards our valued female guests, we are proud to introduce Kamal, designed exclusively for them. Packaged with unmatchable services, unique features and personalized attention, I am confident that Kamal will become the preferred choice for every single traveller."

The UAE national carrier will increase flight frequency and seat capacity on several routes between Abu Dhabi and several key Indian cities, including Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. The first increases will commence from November this year, with a second round of growth expected in 2014. Read more...
 

Air India has registered a 78.7% load factors last month, beating IndiGo, which recorded 76% occupancy.

According to data revealed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), GoAir registered an occupancy rate of 79%, SpiceJet had 75.8%, Jet Airways 74.9% and Jet Konnect 73.9%.

However, IndiGo registered the highest market share at 29.1% in August, followed by Air India at 19.9%, Jet Airways 18.8%, SpiceJet 17.2%, GoAir 8.7% and JetKonnect 6.9%. As a group, Jet Airways recorded 25.1% market share.

Further, overall traffic rose 20% from a year ago, with 5.26 million passengers in India flying in August, compared with 4.36 million in the same month in 2012. This is the first time passenger traffic growth has exceeded ten per cent in many months as cheaper airfares lured travellers.

India has registered a 29.4% growth in the number of tourists availing the Visa on Arrival (VoA) scheme from January to August 2013. A total number of 12,716 VoAs have been issued during this period as compared to 9,412 VoAs during the corresponding period of 2012.

Japanese national registered the highest number of VoAs with 4,290 visas, followed by New Zealand (2,165), Indonesia (1,688, the Philippines (1,652), Singapore (1,338), Finland (646), Vietnam (126), Luxembourg (102), Cambodia (78), Myanmar (78) and Laos (13).

New Delhi continues to remain the gateway city with 6,906 VoAs issued at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI), followed by Mumbai (2,549), Chennai (1,832), Kolkata (846), Bengaluru (17), Hyderabad (12), Kochi (10) and Trivandrum (4).

Last month, India registered a slight dip in the number of tourist availing the VoA scheme. The country issued 1,694 VoA in August as compared to 1,750 VoA during August 2012.

Low-Cost Carrier (LCC) AirAsia India plans to set up its hub either in Bhopal or Indore to provide air connectivity to major cities across the country, as per a PTI report. Mittu Chandilya, CEO, AirAsia India met Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chief Minister, Government of Madhya Pradesh yesterday in Bhopal to discuss the modalities to set up a hub either in Bhopal or Indore, an official press release said.

Chandilya also met R Parsuram, Chief Secretary, Madhya Pradesh and other senior state officials. Parsuram highlighted that Madhya Pradesh has been acknowledged as a state with maximum growth and had developed better infrastructure facilities.

P K Dash, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of MP; S K Mishra, Secretary, Chief Minister, MP and Raghwendra Kumar Singh (IAS), Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation (MPSTDC), were among others present at the meeting, sources said.

The airline is looking at boosting the frequency from the current 48 to 60 till the year end by adding new destinations. Asia particularly India is a very important destination for the airline and it gives top priority to the region, SriLankan Airlines Chairman Nishantha Wickremasinghe said in an interview with PTI.

"We now fly 48 flights a week from India and they will go up to 60 in 2014 and peak with 70 flights by 2015. The travellers come to Colombo for onward connection to West Asia and Far East as we plan to make Colombo an important hub," Wickremasinghe said.
"We have not exhausted all the routes given to us under the bilateral agreement and have room to include more destinations. We cover most of the cities in India. For instance, we fly four times a day from Chennai to Colombo and once a day from Madurai, Tiruchi and Kochi and also from Delhi and Mumbai with near full capacity on every flight. We also operate flights to Bodh Gaya and Varanasi to cater to Buddhist passengers," he added.