June 2014

Rajeev Kohli
Joint Managing Director

Dear Industry Colleagues 

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

India has been experiencing the hottest summer seen in decades. Temperatures in our home city of Delhi have peaked with a 62 year record. Frying an egg on the sidewalk is most certainly a reality. Fortunately, modern air-conditioning is aplenty.

We have a dynamic new government in place at the national level. There is a new focus on tourism and that gives us new hope and new beginnings. In our new tourism minister, we have a very experienced and able administrator who has the ears of the Prime Minister. I do think the tourism industry has a lot of positivity to look forward to. Our next national budget will be presented on July 10. We do expect some bitter measures to be put in place, given that the last government seems to have left the economy in shambles. The government has already increased rail fares by 14% last week. I guess for us to have a strong economy, we do have to take some drastic steps. Let’s see how that pans out.

We in Team Creative are also very proud to have been nominated again for THREE World Travel Awards for a fourth year running. This is a tremendous honour. With our wins in 2013, 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.

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

Ganesh Chaturthi also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi is one of the important Hindu festivals celebrated throughout India with a great devotion. This day is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Ganesh, the elephant-headed son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Lord Ganesh is the symbol of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune.
Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated on Shukla Chaturthi of the Hindu month of Bhadra (generally falls between August and September). This festival is celebrated by Hindus with a great enthusiasm. People bring idols of Lord Ganesh to their homes and do worship. The duration of this festival varies from 1 day to 11 days, depending on the place and tradition. On the last day of the festival the idols are taken out in a colorful and musical procession and the image is taken through the streets in a procession accompanied with dancing, singing, to be immersed in a river or the sea symbolizing a ritual see-off of the Lord in his journey towards his abode in Kailash while taking away with him the misfortunes of all man. All join in this final procession shouting "Ganapathi Bappa Morya, Purchya Varshi Laukariya" (O father Ganesha, come again early next year). After the final offering of coconuts, flowers and camphor is made, people carry the idol to the river to immerse it.

Onam is a Hindu festival celebrated by the people of Kerala. Onam is Malayali festival which is celebrated by native speakers of Malayalam. Onam day is decided based on Solar Calendar. Onam is celebrated in Chingam month on Malayalam Solar Calendar. Chingam month is known as Simha month in other solar calendars and Avani month in Tamil Calendar. The day when Nakshatra Thiruvonam prevails in month of Chingam is considered for Onam celebrations. Thiruvonam Nakshatra is known as Shravana in other Hindu Calendars.

The festival commemorates the appearance of Vamana avatar of Vishnu and the subsequent home coming of the legendary Emperor Mahabali. Onam celebrates the Asura King Mahabali's annual visit from Patala (the underworld). On Thiruvonam day, Asura King Mahabali is believed to visit every Malayali home and meet his people. The celebrations of Onam start on Atham day (the day when Atham Nakshatra prevails) and continue for 10 days till Thiruvonam day. Atham Nakshatra is known as Hasta Nakshatra in other Hindu Calendars.

The GBTA Foundation, the education and research arm of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) – announces the results of its first GBTA BTI™ Outlook – India report, a semi-annual business travel outlook and overall economic analysis of India. The report, sponsored by Visa Inc., includes the GBTA BTI™; an index of business travel spending that distills market performance over a period of time.

After a period of economic growth stuck below 5 percent along with soaring inflation, GBTA projects total business travel spending for India to grow 2.1 percent in 2014 to US$24.9 billion. An improved outlook for the Indian economy, however, should bring business travel spend back on track in 2015 as GBTA expects 7.6 percent growth to US$28.8 billion. Over the last 15 years, India has worked its way up the rankings of major global business travel markets from number 24 in 2000 to the 10th ranked market in the world in 2013. GBTA expects India will continue to move up the rankings and should pass Italy to become the 9th largest market in the next five years.

With bullet trains on top of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's agenda, railways has targeted running trains at a speed of 160 kmph between Delhi and Agra by the year-end.

The transporter has plans to run bullet trains at 350 kmph between Mumbai and Ahmedabad on an elevated track and six other routes, but is awaiting nod from the top. Meanwhile, the transporter is going ahead with semi-high speed trains between Delhi and Agra by upgrading the existing track. Rail travelers would be able to reach the Taj city in 90 minutes. As of now, Bhopal Shatabdi takes 126 minutes to reach Agra from Delhi at an average speed of 110 kmph. With the increased speed of 160 kmph, the travel time will be reduced to 90 minutes.

It is still early days, but the sweeping victory of Narendra Modi in the recent Indian election could lead to something of a revolution for travelers to a country notorious for its potholed roads, Raj-era railways, complicated visa procedures – and standards of hygiene that leave a lot to be desired.

The business-focused Mr Modi has made it clear that he wants tourism to be a significant growth area for India – and that there is much to be done to make it a more attractive, cleaner and less stress-filled proposition for travellers. read more...

The Indian government, under new Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will push ahead with the planned electronic visa authorization (e-visa) system, the country’s Tourism & Culture Minister has revealed.

Shri Shripad Yesso Naik told an event organised by the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) that the new e-visa system will be implemented at the "earliest" opportunity. The move forms part of the election manifesto of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which said it would aim to boost the Indian tourism industry. read more...

One of Jaipur’s oldest heritage hotels, Rajmahal Palace is set to re-open this November. The luxurious property was built by Sawai Jai Singh II in 1729 for his wife Maharani Chandra Kumar Ranawatiji. It was converted into a hotel in 1979 and since then has been run by the Jaipur Royal Family.

Rajmahal Palace has been under renovation for over a year and is finally in its finishing stages and will be re-opened in November. read more...

Located on National Highway 6, as part of the Magneto – The Mall, a mixed-use complex, Hyatt Raipur offers 105 rooms, including four suites. Other facilities at the hotel include Café Oriza, an all day dining restaurant, The Bar, a fitness centre and 929m2 of meeting and events space. "We are delighted to introduce the first Hyatt-branded hotel to Raipur. Hyatt hotels are intimate, upscale hotels that offer authentic hospitality in a vibrant environment," said Pablo Graf, senior vice president of operations for South West Asia at Hyatt Hotels & Resorts. According to Onkar Singh, General Manager of Hyatt Raipur, "Hyatt Raipur will aim to fulfil the needs of Raipur’s business and leisure travellers and bring world-class amenities and services to the city."

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. has signed a long-term management agreement with Oasis Realty, a joint venture between Oberoi Realty and Sahana Group, to open the first Ritz-Carlton in Mumbai by early 2017. This will be the second Ritz-Carlton property in India, following the recent opening of The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore in Karnataka.

The 238-room Ritz-Carlton will be located in Worli, a business district with easy access to the international airport. read more...

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group is reinventing its Park Inn by Radisson brand in India having opened the first next-generation property last month.

The 98-key Park Inn by Radisson Gurgaon Bilaspur will be joined by eight more next-generation Park Inn by Radisson hotels, with one in New Delhi expected to be completed first. New standards set for Park Inn by Radisson hotels include a vibrant colour scheme, in-room amenities such as sofa beds so that family travellers will not have to ask for an extra bed, a mobile table allowing guests to have breakfast in bed, and RBG (Restaurant, Bar & Grill) restaurant offering an all-day menu of local and international cuisines.  read more...

Mumbai will soon get a 362-room five-star floating hotel off the Eastern seafront. The project, which is a joint effort of Rashmi Enterprises and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), has got all government clearances and the 12-deck Greek liner is on its way to the city, Yogesh Naik reported for Mumbai Mirror. The floatel, which will be anchored two nautical miles off the coast between the Gateway of India and the Ferry Wharf, will have an open air cafe, mini Disneyland, theatres, a mall, restaurants, and a health club. read more...

Lemon Tree Hotels announced the opening of their hotel in Whitefield, Bengaluru. Refurbished and renovated into a fresh avtar, the hotel opened to strengthen the group’s presence and expanse in major IT and business hubs of the city- particularly Whitefield. This latest addition to Lemon Tree makes it the group’s third hotel in Bengaluru (Lemon Tree Premier, Ulsoor Lake, Bengaluru and Lemon Tree Hotel, Electronic City, Bengaluru, being the other two). read more...

Earlier this month the national carrier welcomed its 14th Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, and has used the fuel-efficient jet to launch a new triangular route between Delhi, Rome and Milan. The Delhi-Rome-Milan-Delhi route will operate four days a week. Services depart Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport at 1420 every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and arrive at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport at 1905. read more...

Jet Airways Ltd has started a third daily flight from Delhi to Kathmandu from May 23. The new service, flight 9W 260 will depart Delhi at 1200 hrs and arrive in Kathmandu at 1400 hrs (local time). On the return leg, flight 9W 259 will depart Kathmandu at 1500 hrs (local time) and arrive in Delhi at 1630 hrs (local time), providing onward connection on the airline’s network.

Now, Jet Airways operates three daily flights each out of Delhi, Mumbai and Kathmandu. With the introduction of a third daily frequency from the capital, the airline will operate five daily flights to Kathmandu from India, the only Indian carrier to do so.

Budget carrier Flydubai is set to double its network in India starting this June with the addition of Delhi, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram services.

The airline will operate four weekly flights to Delhi from June 1, and three weekly flights each to Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram from June 2 and June 3 respectively. All will offer economy and business class seats. read more...

"Emirates plans to deploy an A380 on one of its existing daily services between Dubai to Mumbai, starting from July and is working closely with Mumbai Airport Authorities to make this deployment," an airline spokesman told the Economic Times.

The airline also plans to step up the existing aircraft to larger capacity Boeing 777s to Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai starting from 1 June. From 30 May, Singapore Airlines will be the first airline to begin A380 operations to India, on Singapore-Mumbai route.

Jet Airways (India) Ltd. inaugurated a direct flight from Mumbai to Paris.

The airline has deployed the Airbus A330 aircraft on the new route. The service will be available on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. On June 26, 2014, the route will be serviced daily, as per a release. Jet Airways also announced that it had expanded its code-share partnership with Air France, thus offering enhanced connectivity between Europe and India via Paris. read more...

Budget carrier SpiceJet Ltd will operate special flights from Delhi to country’s top three tourist hotspots – Srinagar, Goa and Bagdogra – to meet the increased traffic demand during the peak holiday season, as per a PTI report. The frequency of the flights operating between the Delhi-Srinagar route has been increased to five flights a day from four, and flights between the Delhi-Goa and Delhi-Bagdogra to three flights per day from June 3, 2014. read more...

Starting next month, Qatar Airways will launch services from Kolkata to two more US destinations. The airline will start flights to Miami from June 10, and to and Dallas/Fort Worth from July 1. There will be a connecting time of 50-60 minutes at the new Hamad International Airport in Doha en route.

Qatar Airways currently flies to five US destinations, namely New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Houston and Philadelphia. The two new routes will be served by the airline’s flagship wide-body Boeing 777 and Airbus 320 aircraft, as per a release.

AirAsia’s entry into the Indian market got off to a good start this week, after seats on its maiden flight sold out in just 10 minutes. The low-cost carrier will launch services on the Bengaluru-Goa route on 12 June 2014, and an opening promotion for the service has proved extremely popular among Indians. Fares on the route were being sold for just INR990 (US$17). As well as selling out the first 180 seats in 10 minutes, the airline’s 25,000 promotional seats were also snapped up within 48 hours. read more...