May 2014

Rajeev Kohli
Joint Managing Director

Dear Industry Colleagues:

This week, India got a new government for the first time in close to 30 years, we have a resounding verdict that has brought in a non coalition government to lead the country. 553 Million people voted over a 6 week period to make this change. This is a tremendous turning point not only for us, but for the world, given India's economic prowess. The new Prime Minister has already changed paradigms by combining ministries for a leaner and swifter government. The Indian Rupee has already appreciated by a decent bit in this past week and we expect the Rupee to get even stronger. Great news for imports, but will impact prices for inbound travellers who will likely see higher rates in the later half of the year.

With the low summer season on us, we have created on some special options for industry professionals to come and visit India. Under our 2014 "Be our Guest" program, we have some exciting options at very special prices. Ask us for details. We are also working on some special low season pricing that will allow you to position the region more aggressively.

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.

Through "Creatively Yours" we hope to keep you informed on the latest news in Team Creative and the destination. We hope you find this to be useful. Enjoy this issue of our award winning newsletter.  

www.travel2india.com
 www.creative.travel

In a closely contested election of the Managing Committee of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Rajeev Kohli as a key office-bearer of the outgoing Managing Committee was retained for another three-year term. Total 262 IATO members casted their vote (82 %) to elect their leaders to lead the association for next two years.

The Teej festival is celebrated throughout Rajasthan and welcomes the coming of the monsoon season. The locals of Rajasthan celebrate the Teej festival immensely because the monsoons bring an end to the heat and are beneficial for the growth of crops, thus, providing a good season for rural farmers. The festival also symbolizes happiness in marriage because Teej commemorates on the day the Goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva were reunited after a 100 years. Celebrated by mostly women, the images and idols of Parvati or “Teej Mata” are decorated in colourful clothes and exquisite jewellery. These idols and images are then taken out in ceremonies lead by wonderfully decorated elephants, camels and chariots.
Young girls and women dress up in colourful attire and join these processions to catch a glimpse of the images of Parvati. Girls that are engaged to be married, receive a numerous amount of gifts from their in-laws on this day such as dresses, henna, bangles and sweets.

India will open seven new visa centres in Malaysia by the end of this month to support a recently implemented rule requiring travellers to apply for visas in person in order to capture their biometric data.

New centres are expected to come up in Ipoh, Malacca, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Terengganu, Klang, Kuching and Kuantan, in addition to the existing centres in Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru and Penang. read more...

Lakshadweep has decided to open three uninhabited islands exclusively for tourists after building beach resorts and water sports facilities. Each of these tiny islands occupy an area of about 40-50 hectares of land and is devoid of any human settlement so far, but have glistering silver sand beaches and abundant marine life, coral reefs in particular. "They are completely virgin and serene islands and that is why they will be so special for tourists who are looking for exclusivity in their trip. The charm of staying here would be unparalleled," Hussain said. The sandy beaches have clear and unpolluted water, unlike other beaches of India. The Union Territory's Tourism Department will build resorts here on a PPP (public-private-partnership) model, the tenders for which will be out in the next few months. read more...

The Leela Palace New Delhi has been voted among the Best Hotels For Women Travellers in India by the readers of Travel + Leisure India and South Asia. The third edition of the India’s Best Awards 2013 by Travel + Leisure India & South Asia honoured the best in the regional travel and hospitality, as per a release. read more...

Hilton Worldwide and Hilton Hotels & Resorts has unveiled Hilton Bangalore Residences. The upscale, full-service hotel is strategically located within the Embassy Golf Links Business Park, the hub of several Fortune 500 companies. Hilton Worldwide forayed into Bengaluru earlier this year, with the launch of DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Bangalore. read more...

Radisson Hyderabad opened its doors on April 1, 2014 to welcome guests visiting Hyderabad. It is the first Radisson hotel in Hyderabad and the sixth Radisson property in India for Carlson Rezidor. Radisson Hyderabad Hitec City has 202 guestrooms and it is easy to unwind after a long day with its contemporary and soothing décor and24-hour room service. read more...

Citrus Hotels and Resorts, the hospitality division of the Mirah Group, has brought five new Hotels in Chennai, Bengaluru, Manali, Sriperumbudur and Amritsar under its fold. While Chennai, Manali and Sriperumbudur are running hotels, the other two are expected to open in the next few months. read more..

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group has signed an agreement with Rockwood Hotels & Resorts for Radisson Blu Udaipur Palace Resort & Spa, to open in May this year.
Simon C Barlow, president, Asia-Pacific, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, said: "We are aggressively growing our presence and reinforcing our leadership position as the largest international hotel group in India. Radisson Blu Udaipur Palace Resort & Spa is an outstanding property and will be a great addition to our fast-expanding portfolio in India, where we now have 66 hotels in operation and 41 in development."
The 240-key hotel is situated on the banks of Fateh Sagar Lake in Ambamata, close to the city centre and less than an hour’s drive from the airport.

It also offers facilities such as an outdoor swimming pool, a lawn tennis court, a spa, a fitness centre and four F&B options – an all-day dining restaurant, a specialty restaurant, lobby bar and lounge and poolside bar. Radisson Blu Udaipur Palace Resort & Spa will also offer 544m2 of meeting space, inclusive of a pillarless ballroom that can accommodate up to 450 people.
 

Star Alliance has said that Air India Ltd. will formally join the alliance in July 2014 and will become the first Indian airline to do so. "Air India has completed 45 of the 64 requirements already and the remaining will be completed this month," said Rohit Nandan, Chairman and Managing Director, Air India. read more...

Amid a huge ceremonial gathering today at South Asia’s newest international airport, Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport in Hambantota, SriLankan Airlines signed an agreement with oneworld, and will officially become a member of the airline alliance from May 1, 2014. Offering the complete range of services and benefits of the world’s fastest growing and highest rated global airline alliance, SriLankan Airlines thus becomes the first carrier from the Indian subcontinent to join a global airline alliance, and completes oneworld’s biggest expansion programme since the alliance was launched 15 years ago. read more...

Cathay Pacific Airways announced that it will offer double daily non-stop flights from Delhi to Hong Kong from March 31, 2014. The first flight from Delhi will arrive at Hong Kong International Airport at 0700 hrs and the second flight at 0925 hrs, giving passengers seamless connections to destinations such as North America, Australia, Japan, Korea, China and the Philippines offered by Cathay Pacific and its sister airline, Dragonair. Both non-stop services are operated by Cathay Pacific’s fleet of A330 aircraft featuring the airline’s award winning Business Class seat, new Premium Economy cabin and the refreshed Economy class seat.

Jet Airways has announced the introduction of a second daily frequency from Mumbai to Kathmandu with the introduction of a second daily Boeing 737 flight, effective 30 March 2014. The new Jet Airways morning service, flight 9W 268 will depart Mumbai daily at 0805 hrs and arrive Kathmandu at 1100 hrs (Local Time). On the return, flight 9W 267 will depart Kathmandu at 1200 hrs (LT) and arrive in Mumbai at 1440 hrs (LT), providing onward connection on the airline’s network to domestic and international destinations.
This new service will complement the daily flight being operated between these two destinations by Jet Airways. Jet Airways will be the only private airline to fly twice daily return flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Kathmandu.

Air Asia will commence thrice-weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur to the port city of Visakhapatnam this October. Speaking to the media during a meeting with Air Travellers Association in Bengaluru, AirAsia India’s general manager, Suresh Nair, said that Visakhapatnam has excellent potential because of its status as an industrial hub and busy port, proximity to significant Buddhist sites, and imminent investment in tourism development. K Vijay Mohan, director of Holiday World Visakhapatnam, said: "Increased connectivity with South-east Asia will add inbound and outbound tourist flows, and such flights could help the destination to grow by 30 to 40 per cent annually. The beach resorts and golf courses in Visakhapatnam, in addition to Buddhist heritage sites, are a definite draw." Nair added that depending on the success of the route, the LCC may run flights between Bangkok and other Indian destinations too. SilkAir currently operates four-times-weekly Singapore-Visakhapatnam flights and Air India connects the city to Dubai. Carriers such as Air Arabia and SriLankan Airlines are awaiting the Indian government’s permission to launch flights to Sharjah and Colombo respectively.

British Airways’ 85 years of rich legacy in India witnessed the grand arrival of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Hyderabad. British Airways’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft touched down at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad last week. This collaboration signifies rich legacy, commitment and success in the Indian market.

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, recently commenced daily operations between Jaipur and Abu Dhabi. A traditional lamp lighting ceremony greeted the disembarking passengers at Jaipur to celebrate the new service and the airline’s tenth destination in India.

Craig Thomas, Etihad Airways’ Regional General Manager-Asia Pacific North and Indian Subcontinent, said: "The addition of the Jaipur service reinforces Etihad Airways’ commitment to the Indian Subcontinent. We are confident that the newflights will continue the strong passenger growth between Indiaand the UAE.

Vegetable Pakora is an extremely scrumptious light snacks It is very easy to prepare and hardly takes half an hour to be ready to be served. Click here to read the recipe.....