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A DDP PUBLICATION<br />
<strong>ddppl</strong>.com<br />
travtalkindia.com
Global Travel Mart in India<br />
(L-R): Dr. Lalit K Panwar, Chairman & MD, ITDC; Bill Calderwood, PATA Interim CEO; Hiran Cooray, Chairman, PATA; Subodh Kant Sahai, Union Minister for Tourism; RH Khwaja, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Chairperson,<br />
PATA-India Chapter and Anand Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India at the PATA Press Conference in New Delhi<br />
Brand India<br />
In a free wheeling interaction,<br />
Arjun Sharma, Vice Chairman, PATA<br />
India Chapter spoke on PTM 2011<br />
and modern India. Excerpts...<br />
Subodh Kant Sahai, Union Minister for Tourism<br />
announed an international travel trade show in<br />
India - Global Travel Mart, which will be held<br />
either in New Delhi or Hyderabad by 2012/13.<br />
V I V E K S E T H I<br />
The much-awaited Global<br />
Travel Mart, an international<br />
travel show for the stakeholders<br />
in the global travel industry, will<br />
organised after scrutinising the<br />
international calendar of travel<br />
trade events,” he added.<br />
The Union Minister for Tourism<br />
shared his vision to supplement<br />
Success Story<br />
The effort put in by the Ministry of Tourism,<br />
especially by Anand Kumar, Joint Secretary,<br />
under the leadership of RH Khwaja,<br />
Secretary, MOT and Chairperson of PATA<br />
India Chapter deserves special mention.<br />
Arjun Sharma<br />
Vice Chairman, PATA India Chapter<br />
TT B U R E AU<br />
How significant is PATA Travel Mart<br />
2011 keeping in mind the global tourism<br />
scenario? Kindly elaborate.<br />
The PATA Travel Mart 2011 is probably<br />
Asia Pacific’s best contracting and networking<br />
show and with Delhi playing<br />
host to the event, it is an ideal opportunity for<br />
the entire fraternity to see the city’s greatly<br />
improved infrastructure and a world-class airport.<br />
With the tourism fraternity giving more<br />
significance to responsible and sustainable<br />
Contd. on page 3 u<br />
be held in India by 2012/2013,<br />
said Subodh Kant Sahai, Union<br />
Minister for Tourism.<br />
Speaking at a press conference,<br />
he said, “We are looking at<br />
organising the Global Travel Mart in<br />
India by 2012/13. At present, we are<br />
also analysing the best possible way<br />
to channelise the energies of all<br />
stakeholders in the Indian travel<br />
industry,” said Sahai.<br />
“The Mart will be a Ministry of<br />
Tourism initiative which will be<br />
overseas office infrastructure<br />
with representative offices in<br />
strategic destinations.<br />
“The Ministry of Tourism that<br />
has 14 overseas offices is planning<br />
to supplement their overseas promotional<br />
infrastructure with<br />
regional representative offices. In<br />
certain markets, such as France,<br />
Germany and Italy, there is a<br />
need of local representations, as<br />
there is a considerable language<br />
problem in these strategic<br />
markets,” said Sahai.<br />
TT B U R E AU<br />
The PATA-Travel Mart 2011 in New Delhi had a<br />
brilliant start. The event had almost all the<br />
participants defining it as the best networking<br />
platform to build business opportunities.<br />
The effort put in by the Ministry of Tourism, especially<br />
by Anand Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism under<br />
the leadership of RH Khwaja, Secretary, Ministry of Tourismcum-Chairperson<br />
of PATA-India Chapter deserves special<br />
mention and need to be applauded. Both of them worked very<br />
quietly behind the scenes and made it a point to meet each<br />
and every participant personally at the Mart. These two<br />
gentlemen not only anchored the preparations of the PTM<br />
2011, but also expressed their willingness to stand by all<br />
participants to ensure that all their needs were met and they<br />
faced no difficulty during their stay in India for the Mart.
2 TRAVTALK P ATA D A I L I E S 2 0 1 1 – D A Y 3<br />
NEWS<br />
Showcasing Dilli<br />
Haat at PTM 2011<br />
Dilli Haat is a joint venture<br />
of Delhi Tourism<br />
& NDMC supported by the<br />
Development Commissioner<br />
(Handicrafts) and<br />
Development Commissioner<br />
(Handlooms). The<br />
main responsibility of<br />
operation of the Haat lies<br />
with Delhi Tourism.<br />
Spread over an area of<br />
6.27 acres, it represents a<br />
picturesque traditional village<br />
atmosphere in<br />
Delhi. It is the first ever<br />
food, craft, culture and<br />
barrier-free eco-friendly<br />
project of Delhi Tourism,<br />
providing a platform for<br />
skilled and semi-skilled<br />
artisans to earn their<br />
living for their socio-economic<br />
uplift.<br />
"It is a matter of privilege<br />
for Delhi Tourism to<br />
showcase a flavour of Dilli<br />
Haat to the delegates from<br />
all parts of the world<br />
participating in PATA<br />
Travel Mart. Though<br />
the National Award<br />
Winner craftsmen from<br />
India have displayed<br />
their arts and crafts<br />
demonstrating their<br />
products, the most popular<br />
among them was<br />
the artist who writes<br />
name of the visitor<br />
on a single grain of<br />
rice within a minute,"<br />
says GG Saxena,<br />
Managing Director & CEO,<br />
Delhi Tourism.<br />
GG Saxena<br />
Managing Director & CEO<br />
Delhi Tourism<br />
LPTI and Kingdom of Dreams<br />
enthrall PATA delegates<br />
Kingdom of Dreams invited the PATA delegates for dinner and<br />
showcased the art, heritage, crafts and more of Indian culture to them.<br />
TT B U R E AU<br />
Arjun Sharma, Managing<br />
Director, Le Passage to<br />
India and Asad Aslam, Senior<br />
Vice President, Kingdom of<br />
Dreams, invited all the PATA<br />
delegates for dinner and to<br />
attend the world’s Biggest<br />
Musical Extravaganza on<br />
September 8, 2011. The<br />
place brings to life the magic<br />
and timeless mystique of<br />
India in a unique blend of<br />
Indian art, culture, heritage,<br />
crafts, cuisine and performing<br />
arts, with the technological<br />
wizardry of today.<br />
Sprawling across acres<br />
of land, ideally located in<br />
Gurgaon at the apex of the<br />
Golden Triangle of Jaipur,<br />
Agra and Delhi, is the magnificent<br />
Kingdom of Dreams,<br />
India’s first live entertainment<br />
and leisure destination.<br />
Nautanki Mahal, a dynamic<br />
state of the art theatre at<br />
Kingdom of Dreams, India’s<br />
first unique live entertainment<br />
destination, is host to<br />
Zangoora, The Gypsy Prince<br />
- world’s biggest Indian cinematic<br />
themed, theatrical,<br />
musical extravaganza. The<br />
musical designed, scripted,<br />
composed and produced with<br />
the best of Indian and<br />
International talent is an<br />
unforgettable experience.<br />
Integrated with state-of-theart<br />
modern technology and<br />
wizardry, Zangoora is a perfect<br />
combination of Indian<br />
cinematic entertainment and<br />
India’s rich cultural heritage.<br />
The Culture Gully, the<br />
food boulevard at Kingdom of<br />
Dreams presents a magnificent<br />
Indian carnival showcasing<br />
14 states of India in all<br />
their splendour on a single<br />
street enveloped under a<br />
breathtaking skydome.<br />
Kingdom of Dreams<br />
is an architectural masterpiece.<br />
A Magical, Mystical<br />
& Memorable experience<br />
of India!!
NTO P ATA D A I L I E S 2 0 1 1 – D A Y 3 TRAVTALK 3<br />
‘10 year plan’ for India by early 2012<br />
Tourism Australia has worked out a long-term strategy<br />
for the Indian market and expects to receive close to<br />
3,00,000 Indians by 2020.<br />
A N I TA J A I N<br />
The tourism board will<br />
introduce a special<br />
’10 year plan’ for India and<br />
China to meet their expected<br />
targets in next 3-4 months.<br />
According to Andrew<br />
McEvoy, Managing Director,<br />
Tourism Australia, India will<br />
move from US$826 million<br />
and 1,45,000 visitors to<br />
US$2.4 billion and 3,00,000<br />
visitors by 2020, registering<br />
a growth of over 200 per cent<br />
as compared to 2010.<br />
McEvoy said, “We will<br />
further enhance our trade<br />
activities and will involve<br />
travellers through active digital<br />
social media marketing<br />
practices. Tourism Australia,<br />
along with major international<br />
airports from Australia, are<br />
in talks with Air India,<br />
Kingfisher and Jet Airways to<br />
start direct connection on<br />
India – Australia route to further<br />
boost the Indian arrival<br />
figures. We are expecting a<br />
200 per cent growth from<br />
India and receive more than<br />
3,00,000 Indian visitors in<br />
next 10 years.”<br />
Andrew McEvoy<br />
Managing Director<br />
Tourism Australia<br />
Delhi Tourism at PTM 2011<br />
Upasna Singhal and<br />
Sudhir Sobti from Delhi<br />
Tourism, at the PATA<br />
Travel Mart on<br />
September 8. Delhi<br />
Tourism is showcasing<br />
Dilli Haat at the PATA mart<br />
being held in Delhi.<br />
Craftsmen are offering<br />
authentic indigenous<br />
goods which have been<br />
lapped up by visitors.<br />
With a good response to<br />
their products, Delhi<br />
Tourism hopes to particpate<br />
in similar marts<br />
to give their product<br />
more exposure.<br />
PTM 2011<br />
gets going...<br />
Contd. from page 1 col. 1 u<br />
tourism, this would be<br />
one area where we would<br />
see the industry active in<br />
pursuing in terms of deliberations<br />
and product showcase.<br />
India has received a lot<br />
of positive publicity post<br />
the Common Wealth games<br />
and Delhi is positioned<br />
much better for such events<br />
due to the improvement<br />
in infrastructure<br />
Will PTM 2011 help infuse<br />
confidence in the existing<br />
membership base and help<br />
PATA-India Chapter add<br />
new members?<br />
PATA’s global membership<br />
base has grown over<br />
the years in a significant<br />
manner, with the regional<br />
chapters and the global body<br />
as a whole, strongly working<br />
towards creating cleaner<br />
and greener work environment.<br />
PTM 2011 is also an<br />
opportunity for the members<br />
to participate in an<br />
Interactive workshop ‘Get<br />
the Insights - Build the<br />
Business’, where we expect<br />
a large turnout of both<br />
Indian and International<br />
members. They all will be<br />
interacting in an atmosphere<br />
of frank, open discussion<br />
and collaboration.<br />
How will PTM help India and<br />
your members leverage the<br />
true potential of tourism?<br />
Incredible India,<br />
through all its segments of<br />
tour operators, hotels, airlines,<br />
tourism boards are<br />
doing a grand job at the PTM<br />
2011. With many companies<br />
seeing the value of participation<br />
from the 2008 event, we<br />
have got a very encouraging<br />
response from new and<br />
niche PATA members who<br />
are keen to reach a larger<br />
audience in the international<br />
space. An overwhelming<br />
response for booking exhibition<br />
space from the region<br />
has been encouraging.
4 TRAVTALK P ATA D A I L I E S 2 0 1 1 – D A Y 3<br />
PATA 2011<br />
Andhra & Karnataka host PATA delegates<br />
Department of Tourism, Government of Andhra Pradesh & Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka, jointly hosted the<br />
PATA delegates for cocktails and dinner on September 7 at The Ashok Hotel. Both the states did their best to woo the delegates<br />
with presentations on their tourism products, attractions and offerings. The evening also witnessed some vibrant musical performances.
6 TRAVTALK P ATA D A I L I E S 2 0 1 1 – D A Y 3<br />
PATA 2011<br />
Thanking those who<br />
made it happen<br />
Poonam Makhija<br />
Director, Business Development<br />
DDP<br />
Poonam Makhija<br />
Director, Business Development<br />
DDP<br />
From planning logistics and coordinating with<br />
the Ministry of Tourism, to obtaining hotel rooms<br />
for the PATA Travel Mart (PTM) 2011 delegates,<br />
Poonam Makhija, Director, Business Development,<br />
Durga Das Publication has been engaged throughout<br />
in various day-to-day responsibilities with the<br />
organisation of Mart in New Delhi. Makhija, with her<br />
years of experience with DDP across verticals, has<br />
provided invaluable guidance and assistance to ensure<br />
that PTM 2011 is a success. She has acted as the catalyst<br />
in bringing the industry stakeholders together to achieve<br />
a successful PTM 2011.<br />
Who said what@PTM 2011<br />
We are working towards making India a credible destination so that it can<br />
become truly ‘Incredible’ for inbound travellers. We want to make India<br />
a prime destination in Asia in terms of heritage, adventure and peace.<br />
Subodh Kant Sahai<br />
Union Minister for Tourism<br />
Our historical and cultural ethos for tourism is embedded in three words<br />
‘Athithi Devo Bhava’.<br />
RH Khwaja<br />
Secretary, MOT<br />
Iam glad to be here to build business in the region. We are back (PATA<br />
organised its Mart in 2008 in Hyderabad) because India is now a compelling<br />
success story.<br />
Hiran Cooray<br />
Chairman, PATA<br />
Bobby Sawhney<br />
Director<br />
Bakshi Transport Service<br />
Bobby Sawhney<br />
Director, Bakshi Transport Service<br />
My role in the mart is to oversee transportation and<br />
movement of delegates from their arrival till departure.<br />
These include type of vehicle for a delegate, review<br />
routine of the delegate, etc. That is going to be a tough<br />
task as quite a few members have not registered.<br />
In some cases there is re-scheduling of flights, which<br />
forces us to change the planned schedule. Some delegates<br />
have not submitted their arrival time.<br />
India has so much to offer. From palace hotels to temples, deserts to skiing<br />
in the mountains, swimming and diving at beautiful beaches, boat houses<br />
in Kerala and Kashmir, it has it all.<br />
Bill Calderwood<br />
PATA Interim, CEO<br />
All the delegates attending PTM 2011 should know that India is a large<br />
country and Delhi is a tiny little world in it, which has all the cultures and<br />
religion thrown into one. Delhi is a micro-miniature of India with its rich history<br />
of over 5,000 years. You will get to experience a modern airport and the most<br />
ancient monuments.<br />
Sheila Dixit<br />
Chief Minister, Delhi
8 TRAVTALK P ATA D A I L I E S 2 0 1 1 – D A Y 3<br />
AGENTS<br />
Ayurvedic Village at Panvel near Mumbai<br />
The Ayurvedic Village at Morbe, Panvel is a solution to modern day ailments such as stress and ageing. This<br />
traditional Kerala Ayurvedic Treatment and Health Rejuvenation Centre has recently introduced special packages<br />
to lift one’s spirit and to heal from within. gives details on the diverse offerings that the village offers.<br />
TT B U R E AU<br />
Panchakarma to other<br />
therapies like Shirodhara,<br />
Pizhichil, Navarakizhi,<br />
Choorna Swed and<br />
Udwarthanam are offered at<br />
the Ayurvedic Village. All the<br />
treatments are based on the<br />
need of the physical condition<br />
designed to ‘lift one’s spirit<br />
and to heal from within’.<br />
The treatments at the<br />
Ayurvedic Village emphasise<br />
on the diet and purification<br />
of the body. Located 10 km<br />
from Panvel, this retreat<br />
serves as the perfect getaway<br />
for those willing to<br />
have a refreshing and<br />
healthy holiday while getting<br />
treated. The Village is surrounded<br />
by hills with greenery<br />
around with huge tracts<br />
of paddy fields, and is an<br />
ideal location for those seeking<br />
peace and calm, away<br />
from the city.<br />
The Ayurvedic<br />
Village offers<br />
visitors an<br />
experience<br />
of true ‘satvik’<br />
life with<br />
vegetarian food<br />
prepared from<br />
organically grown<br />
vegetables with<br />
less oil and spices.<br />
Rejuvenation<br />
packages are for 3,<br />
7, 14, 21 and 28<br />
days. Expert<br />
physicians, trained<br />
physiotherapists<br />
and masseurs<br />
ensure visitors<br />
enjoy a peaceful<br />
and healthy stay.<br />
NK Bhupesh Babu<br />
Founder<br />
Ayurvedic Village<br />
Spread over 65 acres of<br />
land between Matheran and<br />
Haji Malang Hills, the residential<br />
treatment centre is<br />
well-equipped with all basic<br />
requirements. The wellmaintained<br />
rooms are large<br />
and well-ventilated. Large<br />
windows offer good view of<br />
the area. Special care is taken<br />
to maintain hygiene.<br />
The Clinic at the<br />
Village comprises separate<br />
rooms for men and women<br />
and all in-house facilities for<br />
Panchakarma Therapies.<br />
The equipment for<br />
Panchakarma and massage<br />
therapy is designed<br />
using the modern technology<br />
and traditional<br />
knowledge. Special oils<br />
and herbs are bought to<br />
prepare oils and medicines<br />
at the Village. All therapies<br />
are administered under<br />
supervision of expert doctors<br />
and therapists. Besides,<br />
there is a reception lobby<br />
and cafeteria.<br />
Dr. Radha Krishnan, the<br />
specialist at the Village<br />
said, “Ayurveda is the<br />
science of life and aims<br />
at holistic and permanent<br />
healing. It believes in healthy<br />
way of living.”<br />
The centre even<br />
offers treatment for<br />
chronic disorders such as<br />
arthritis, paralysis, insomnia,<br />
infertility, obesity and stressrelated<br />
problems.<br />
The village has mango<br />
orchards and lush green trees<br />
of various types and it<br />
works wonders for<br />
the tourists and those<br />
seeking treatments to purify<br />
the mind and body in the lap<br />
of nature.<br />
Founded in 2001 by<br />
NK Bhupesh Babu, in association<br />
with Oushadhi, a<br />
Government of Kerala<br />
undertaking, the Ayurvedic<br />
Village also has centre in<br />
Vashi and Sanpada but these<br />
do not offer residential treatment<br />
facilities.<br />
Babu and his team is<br />
now constructing a fullfledged<br />
100-bed Ayurvedic<br />
Medical College-cum-hospital<br />
at Panvel, which will be ready<br />
in another 10 months.<br />
The hospital will offer<br />
only specialised Ayurvedic<br />
Treatments while students<br />
will get necessary education<br />
and training. Babu said,<br />
“We hope to have team<br />
of 200 medical experts<br />
ready to look after patients.<br />
Senior doctors will teach<br />
Ayurveda to the students<br />
while treating the patients.”<br />
Ayurvedic Village<br />
Founded in 2001 in<br />
association with Oushadhi, a<br />
Government of Kerala<br />
undertaking<br />
Spread over 65 acres of land<br />
between Matheran and Haji<br />
Malang Hills, the residential<br />
treatment centre is wellequipped<br />
with all basic<br />
requirements<br />
The Clinic at the Village<br />
comprises separate rooms<br />
for men and women and all<br />
in-house facilities for<br />
Panchakarma Therapies
1 0 TRAVTALK P ATA D A I L I E S 2 0 1 1 – D A Y 3<br />
STATES<br />
MP promoting Bhagoria, a tribal festival<br />
of Jhabua, as the new tourism product<br />
Following the concept of mass ‘Swayamvar’, Bhagoria Haat festival is held a few<br />
days before before the Holi festival in the tribal belt of Jhabua and surrounding areas.<br />
TT B U R E AU<br />
If you have not already<br />
known or heard of the<br />
Bhagoria Haat festival, you<br />
soon will. This bustling festival<br />
of spot marriage, dance<br />
and merry-making and drinking<br />
revelry is an age-old tradition<br />
of the Bhils and Bhilals<br />
tribes, residing in Jhabua,<br />
Alirajpur, West Nimar and<br />
surrounding districts of<br />
Madhya Pradesh.<br />
It has been there for centuries<br />
and can be termed as<br />
the original showcase of what<br />
rural India is – from the local<br />
bazaar spread on the sidewalks,<br />
children peeping into<br />
the ‘bioscope cinema’, adults<br />
shouting on ‘Giant Wheels’, to<br />
tribal dance and music. The<br />
essence of the festival remains<br />
in the freedom exercised by<br />
boys and girls to choose their<br />
respective partner.<br />
Young boys and girls all<br />
decked up in colourful clothes<br />
and jewellery congregate in<br />
Hari Ranjan Rao<br />
Managing Director, MPSTDC<br />
the village fair during<br />
Bhagoria. The festival is a<br />
series of fairs held one after<br />
the other at various villages<br />
on their specific market days,<br />
commencing eight days<br />
before Holi. As the name of<br />
the festival indicates, (Bhag<br />
or run), after choosing their<br />
partners, the young people<br />
elope and then they are subsequently<br />
accepted as husband<br />
and wife by the society<br />
through predetermined customs.<br />
It is not always that the<br />
boy and girl, who intend to<br />
marry one another meet in<br />
the festival for the first time.<br />
In a large number of cases,<br />
the alliance is already made<br />
between the two, the festival<br />
providing the institutionalised<br />
framework for announcing<br />
the alliance publicly.<br />
The tradition is that the<br />
boy applies Gulal, red powder<br />
on the face of the girl whom he<br />
selects as his wife. The girl, if<br />
willing, also applies Gulal on<br />
the boy’s face after which both<br />
of them run away from the<br />
place. This may not happen<br />
immediately but the boy may<br />
pursue her and succeed eventually.<br />
The tribal people of<br />
Madhya Pradesh form an<br />
important part of its culture<br />
and contribute. Their unique<br />
traditions and vibrant culture<br />
come alive in the Bhagoria festival.<br />
The festival marks the<br />
onset of the spring season and<br />
falls a few days before Holi. It<br />
also coincides with the completion<br />
of harvesting, adding<br />
it to the dimension of being an<br />
agricultural festival as well. If<br />
the crops have been good, the<br />
festival assumes an additional<br />
air of gaiety.<br />
MP Tourism has<br />
embarked on an ambitious<br />
plan to develop Bhagoria into<br />
a tourism product. “Bhagoria<br />
has been talked about for<br />
over 30 years. However this<br />
is the first time we have tried<br />
to give this festival a tourism<br />
dimension. It is a potential<br />
tourism product and caters to<br />
experience seeking travellers,”<br />
said Hari Ranjan Rao,<br />
Managing Director, MPSTDC.<br />
Acknowledging the challenge<br />
of developing a new tourism<br />
product, Rao added that for<br />
any new tourism product to<br />
take off there has to be an initiative<br />
taken. A couple of<br />
months ago we came to know<br />
that tour operators from<br />
Gujarat have promoted<br />
this festival and also<br />
brought foreign tourists. We<br />
are hopeful of developing it<br />
as a product in demand in<br />
next 4-5 years.
AGENTS<br />
100% growth for Carnation<br />
Travel Services every year<br />
Established in the year 1995, Carnation Travels is<br />
one of India's most upcoming & leading Travel & Tour<br />
management company. reveals the future plans<br />
of the company.<br />
TT B U R E AU<br />
Carnation Travel Services,<br />
a largely outbound<br />
travel-based company, is witnessing<br />
a 100 per cent<br />
growth almost every year<br />
amid the highly competitive<br />
travel market.<br />
“We are doubling our<br />
B2B network and turnover<br />
almost every year. Indian<br />
travellers overseas are<br />
very price sensitive but<br />
also crave for quality experience<br />
that is based on value<br />
for money,” said Rajesh Sethi,<br />
Managing Director, Carnation<br />
Travel Services.<br />
“The outbound market<br />
in India will continue to grow.<br />
The UNWTO projections suggest<br />
that the outbound figures<br />
will breach the 50 million<br />
mark by 2020. We also<br />
hope that we continue to<br />
Rajesh Sethi<br />
Managing Director<br />
Carnation Travel Services<br />
grow at the same momentum,”<br />
he added.<br />
It is professionally managed,<br />
with an extensive<br />
knowledge, expertise and<br />
resources, which specialises<br />
in conceptualising and<br />
execution of events,<br />
group tours, business delegations,<br />
business seminars &<br />
conferences with a difference,<br />
both in India and across<br />
the world. “There is an<br />
urgent need of constant reinvention<br />
to push the destination<br />
to a new level, especially<br />
in case of the places<br />
that have been more frequently<br />
travelled. In this<br />
regard, destinations like<br />
Thailand and Malaysia had<br />
been lacking, whereas<br />
Singapore had done very<br />
well,” said Sethi.<br />
“To unleash the true<br />
potential of the outbound<br />
market, addition of new destination<br />
is very important. As<br />
part of the mandate to grow<br />
our business at a strong pace,<br />
we are focussing on Macau,<br />
Vietnam, the Philippines,<br />
South Korea and Taiwan to<br />
name a few. We are also willing<br />
to work with all NTOs that<br />
are keen on promoting their<br />
destination,” he added.<br />
New iPhone application for<br />
business travellers<br />
n Egencia, the corporate<br />
travel arm of Expedia,<br />
launched new mobile features<br />
and capabilities for<br />
business travellers on<br />
August 2, 2011. This Egencia<br />
Mobile for the iPhone application<br />
is equipped with new<br />
innovative and user-friendly<br />
features including smart itinerary,<br />
flight and destination<br />
alerts, flight schedules,<br />
online check-in and<br />
click-to-call.<br />
“With the number of<br />
mobile phone users in Asia<br />
rising to a 3 billion and over<br />
5 million new subscribers<br />
n For the fourth time consecutively<br />
- The Heritage<br />
Village Club has been awarded<br />
the Thomson Gold award<br />
for being the best Hotel in<br />
the ‘Faraway Shores’<br />
Program for the year 2010-<br />
11. The Thomson Gold<br />
Awards are based on<br />
Customer Score Quotient -<br />
CSQ’s (detailed feedback)<br />
received from guests by<br />
Thomson Holidays on their<br />
flight back home and is the<br />
actual barometer of a<br />
hotel's performance.<br />
The programme consists<br />
being added every month in<br />
India for smart-phones, we<br />
understand that the need of<br />
the business traveller has<br />
evolved. The Egencia Mobile<br />
for the iPhone will deliver<br />
global best-in-class experience<br />
and technology solutions<br />
to Egencia clients in<br />
India. This will soon be<br />
extended to all other<br />
smart phone platforms<br />
like Android, Blackberry &<br />
others,” said Gaurav<br />
Sundaram, Country Director,<br />
Egencia India.<br />
Egencia Mobile is<br />
currently available in the<br />
of Thomson’s long haul destinations<br />
and includes hotels<br />
from India, Sri Lanka,<br />
Maldives, Cuba, Dominican<br />
Republic, Mexico, Aruba,<br />
Jamaica and Barbados and<br />
features a vast array of<br />
hotels and resorts.<br />
Heritage Village Club,<br />
Goa is a beautiful resort facing<br />
the beach. Located close<br />
to the White sands of<br />
the Aroossim Beach,<br />
this beautiful landscape<br />
in Goa is India’s first allinclusive<br />
boutique resort<br />
making it an idyllic<br />
Gaurav Sundaram<br />
Country Director<br />
Egencia India<br />
following countries: US,<br />
UK, France, Germany,<br />
Netherlands, Switzerland,<br />
Belgium, Spain, Italy,<br />
Canada, Australia, and<br />
India. Languages supported<br />
include English, French,<br />
German, Italian, Spanish,<br />
Swedish, Canadian, French<br />
and Dutch.<br />
The Heritage Village Club bags the<br />
Thomson Gold award – the 4 th time<br />
getaway for one’s vacation.<br />
The charming 97 room,<br />
5-star resort offers a choice<br />
of the very best of contemporary<br />
accommodation<br />
in Goa.<br />
The Heritage Village<br />
Club, Goa is a part of Select<br />
Hotels and is also the pioneer<br />
to the ‘all-inclusive’<br />
holiday concept - where not<br />
only accommodation but<br />
unlimited food, snacks inbetween<br />
meals, in-house<br />
beverages and entertainment<br />
activities for the whole<br />
family is covered.
PATA 2011 P ATA D A I L I E S 2 0 1 1 – D A Y 3 TRAVTALK 1 3<br />
Networking continues on <strong>Day</strong> 2<br />
The action heats up, as on <strong>Day</strong> 2, the PATA Travel Mart 2011 witnessed some hectic activities amidst the buyer-seller business<br />
meets and networking. Buyers were seen rushing from one booth to the other to keep up with their pre-scheduled appointments.<br />
Union Minister of Tourism, Subodh Kant Sahai, who missed the opening ceremony of the Mart on September 7, also visited the Mart.
1 4 TRAVTALK P ATA D A I L I E S 2 0 1 1 – D A Y 3<br />
PATA 2011<br />
Red Carpet welcome for PATA delegates
PATA 2011 P ATA D A I L I E S 2 0 1 1 – D A Y 3 TRAVTALK 1 5<br />
India leaves fine imprint on tourism map
1 6 TRAVTALK P ATA D A I L I E S 2 0 1 1 – D A Y 3<br />
PATA 2011<br />
The making of ‘brand India’ in the tourism<br />
Philippine Tourism Board hosts lunch<br />
for select travel agents in New Delhi<br />
High tea hosted by Holidays to<br />
Treasure on Palace on Wheels<br />
AHS and Pacto host travel<br />
agents for dinner at Le Meridien<br />
Holiday to Treasure<br />
AHS
HOTELS P ATA D A I L I E S 2 0 1 1 – D A Y 3 TRAVTALK 1 7<br />
Ananta in Pushkar<br />
With a debut property for its owners in the hospitality sector, the group<br />
is leaving no stone unturned to make a lasting impression.<br />
TT B U R E AU<br />
Owners of Country Inn &<br />
Suites by Carlson in<br />
Jaipur are coming up with a<br />
spa resort named Ananta Spa<br />
& Resorts on Ajmer-Pushkar<br />
highway. Mukund Goel and<br />
Sanjay Goel are from the<br />
exports business and after<br />
diversifying into hospitality<br />
business, they will be formally<br />
launching the spa resort<br />
before September-end.<br />
The resort offers 26 villas<br />
with independent rooms<br />
on ground & first floor, offering<br />
an exotic blend of<br />
nature’s delight and modern<br />
lifestyle decorated in minimalist<br />
vision. Each villa has a<br />
spacious living room on the<br />
ground floor that opens into<br />
a lush manicured greens<br />
attached with an open-to-sky<br />
bathroom surrounded by<br />
waterfalls. The rooms on the<br />
first floor have a balcony that<br />
provides spectacular views of<br />
the Aravali Hills.<br />
Enveloped in contemporary<br />
Balinese architecture,<br />
Ananta Spa & Resort offers<br />
62 luxurious rooms, offering<br />
spectacular views of the<br />
rolling Aravali Hills. All<br />
rooms are designed to bathe<br />
in natural light, built with<br />
minimal vision, appointed<br />
with rich wooden floors, a<br />
walk-in closet, open-to-sky<br />
bathrooms and an independent<br />
balcony overlooking the<br />
lush greenery around.<br />
The spa area provides a<br />
sense of pristine serenity and<br />
self realisation. In its 17,000<br />
sq ft sanctuary, it offers age–<br />
old rejuvenation, therapies<br />
and treatments, culled out<br />
from ancient manuscripts<br />
across India and the West at<br />
12 therapy rooms. The spa<br />
also includes an area for yoga<br />
& meditation, jacuzzi, sauna<br />
and steam rooms, a treatment<br />
area and a fully<br />
equipped gym.<br />
Ananta offers a thrilling<br />
choice of dining options.<br />
There is an all-day dining<br />
restaurant and a multi-cuisine<br />
restaurant brimming<br />
over with the taste and aromas.<br />
A pleasant touch of dining<br />
in the open is offered by<br />
our pool side Gazebo. For<br />
those partial to a tipple or<br />
two, there’s a sophisticated<br />
and very well stocked bar<br />
with mixologists adept at<br />
concocting exotic potions –<br />
alcoholic and non-alcoholic.<br />
Billed under five-star<br />
category, teams from the<br />
property have been visiting<br />
markets such as the USA and<br />
Europe to create awareness<br />
and to ensure tie-ups are<br />
secured. Prospective domestic<br />
source markets identified<br />
are Rajasthan and Delhi. It is<br />
divided into categories and<br />
the cost per night is ` 9,500<br />
for Deluxe and ` 11,500 for<br />
Super Deluxe. The property<br />
is expecting that once the<br />
property is operational, a<br />
good chunk of their clientele<br />
would be from the corporate<br />
segment.<br />
USP<br />
The spa in a 17,000<br />
sq ft offers age–old<br />
rejuvenation, therapies and<br />
treatments among many<br />
others<br />
The property offers 62<br />
rooms with a view of the<br />
rolling Aravali Hills
1 8 TRAVTALK P ATA D A I L I E S 2 0 1 1 – D A Y 3<br />
NTO<br />
India, a star market for Malaysia inbound<br />
With a 16 per cent growth seen in 2010 in tourist arrivals, Malaysia is expecting an increase in numbers. The<br />
country has laid out detailed plans for the Indian market. Speaking with , Dato Azizan Noordin, Acting<br />
Director General, Tourism Malaysia Promotions Board explains how.<br />
J U S T I N T H O M A S<br />
How has the Indian market<br />
been in the past one year for<br />
Malaysia. Could you support<br />
it with some figures?<br />
The Indian tourism<br />
market has always been a<br />
star market for Malaysia, to<br />
an extent that at one time,<br />
the essential promotional<br />
funds were diverted from<br />
some long haul markets to<br />
generate greater potential of<br />
arrivals from India. This<br />
strategy worked so well for<br />
Malaysia that over the years,<br />
we have generated good<br />
growth in the tourist arrivals<br />
from India. We registered<br />
6.89 lakh tourists for the year<br />
2010, registering a growth of<br />
16 per cent over the previous<br />
year. We are hopeful that by<br />
the end of 2011, we will have<br />
registered a similar growth or<br />
even more.<br />
What are the new initiatives<br />
taken by Tourism Malaysia to<br />
increase the numbers from<br />
India?<br />
While we are quite<br />
pleased with the overall<br />
arrival performance from<br />
India, we hope to see greater<br />
improvement in the high-end<br />
segment such as MICE and<br />
luxury. We all know that the<br />
competition for MICE business<br />
from India is heating up.<br />
In fact, many destinations<br />
offer special incentives and<br />
benefits such as Visa-on-<br />
Arrival facility to facilitate<br />
travel. This is a great boost<br />
for the MICE business sector.<br />
On the part of Malaysia, we<br />
have established MyCEB (the<br />
Malaysia Convention and<br />
Exhibition Bureau), the<br />
national agency to promote<br />
Malaysia as a leading business<br />
tourism and international<br />
events destination.<br />
We are also viewing<br />
with concern, the element of<br />
competition for leisure travel<br />
from India and will continue<br />
to seriously support industry<br />
members here in making<br />
Malaysia the preferred holiday<br />
destination. These are in<br />
the form of tour operator support,<br />
training, familiarisation<br />
Dato Azizan Noordin, Acting Director General, Tourism Malaysia Promotions Board<br />
tours and tactical campaigns.<br />
One good example is to lure<br />
wedding planners to offer<br />
Malaysia as a destination for<br />
Indian weddings.<br />
What are the key features of<br />
the Indian market?<br />
India is a market where<br />
the decision to travel is<br />
more often than not made at<br />
the eleventh hour. Countries<br />
that have VoA facility stand<br />
to gain much from this<br />
travel pattern. As for<br />
Malaysia, we may need to<br />
seriously look at coming up<br />
with some form of mechanism<br />
that will make it convenient<br />
for Indians to travel<br />
to Malaysia.<br />
While European travellers<br />
prefer options and the<br />
ability to plan the details of<br />
their holiday in DIY-fashion,<br />
Indian travellers are quite<br />
dependent on the advice of<br />
travel agents in getting a<br />
comprehensive level of<br />
travel-related services. As<br />
such, we need to constantly<br />
engage with the Indian travel<br />
agents, build a strong relationship<br />
with them and provide<br />
them with product<br />
knowledge and support.<br />
While India is slowly<br />
moving towards more online<br />
travel booking, largely, the<br />
preference is still to engage<br />
the services of travel agents<br />
and plan a holiday using traditional<br />
means.<br />
These characteristics of<br />
the India market have a bearing<br />
on our marketing strategies<br />
in India.<br />
What are your objectives and<br />
expectations from the<br />
upcoming PATA Travel Mart<br />
in New Delhi?<br />
Our participation in the<br />
upcoming PATA Travel<br />
Mart in New Delhi is to<br />
promote Malaysia and<br />
update the trade members of<br />
our latest tourism products<br />
and services.<br />
The products which we<br />
are pushing include the<br />
Malaysia My Second Home<br />
programme which has been<br />
a success, attracting increasing<br />
numbers of new participants<br />
every year. The total<br />
number of participants from<br />
2002 until July 2011 is<br />
15,951. The top five countries<br />
are China (2,623),<br />
Bangladesh (1,952), UK<br />
(1,720), Japan (1,385) and<br />
Iran (906).<br />
We will also take the<br />
opportunity to announce<br />
Malaysia as the host for the<br />
PATA Annual Meeting<br />
2012 in Putrajaya from<br />
April 20-22. Also, the<br />
Visit Malaysia Year 2013 is<br />
in the pipeline.<br />
We also see the PATA<br />
Travel Mart as an excellent<br />
opportunity to push attendance<br />
for the PETRONAS<br />
Formula 1 in 2012 and to this<br />
end, we are unveiling for the<br />
first time the 2-seater race<br />
car by Minardi.<br />
Our delegation to PATA<br />
Travel Mart in New Delhi<br />
consists of hoteliers, tourist<br />
attraction operators and tour<br />
operators. We have scheduled<br />
almost 40 appointments to<br />
meet buyers.<br />
As next PATA Annual Meet<br />
is scheduled in Putrajaya,<br />
Malaysia, how is the preparations<br />
coming up for the<br />
event?<br />
We are very happy and<br />
honoured to organise the<br />
PATA Annual Meeting 2012<br />
in Malaysia. Our past<br />
involvement with PATA<br />
events in Malaysia has<br />
always been not only successful<br />
and rewarding, but<br />
enjoyable as well. Our past<br />
experience will certainly be<br />
of great value as we coordinate<br />
and organise the PATA<br />
Annual Meeting.<br />
Putrajaya is a beautiful<br />
destination and although it is<br />
an administrative centre, its<br />
unique architecture, parks<br />
and gardens, lakes, characteristics<br />
and the green environment<br />
somehow became a<br />
huge attraction to tourists.<br />
So now, it is timely for us<br />
to promote Putrajaya as one<br />
of the must-see destinations<br />
in Malaysia.<br />
Hosting the PATA<br />
Annual Meeting 2012 in<br />
Putrajaya would be a<br />
great boost to the city. As<br />
such, Tourism Malaysia is<br />
working very hard with our<br />
industry partners to make<br />
the PATA Annual Meeting<br />
2012 a success.<br />
We have set up a main<br />
committee to oversee the<br />
project and we have also<br />
received interest from several<br />
parties who would like to collaborate<br />
with us to make the<br />
event a great success.<br />
In fact, we are in discussions<br />
with a university<br />
right now to provide industry<br />
exposure to students of<br />
tourism/hospitality schools<br />
via the PATA Annual<br />
Meeting 2012. It’s a great<br />
opportunity for students,<br />
who are going to be graduates<br />
and become a member<br />
of the tourism industry, to<br />
understand how the industry<br />
is managed internationally.<br />
This exposure would,<br />
no doubt, be an amazing<br />
learning experience for<br />
them besides providing<br />
them the bigger picture of<br />
the tourism scene which<br />
they will eventually be part<br />
of. Therefore, Tourism<br />
Malaysia is only happy to<br />
offer them this opportunity<br />
and platform to nurture the<br />
talents of young and future<br />
industry practitioners in<br />
this way. A series of lectures<br />
would also be conducted<br />
with industry and Malaysia<br />
PATA Chapter members<br />
with focus on PATA and the<br />
youth tourism.<br />
What key initiatives have<br />
Tourism Malaysia taken for<br />
the event?<br />
Since sustainable<br />
tourism is such a big and<br />
important concern currently,<br />
we thought it would<br />
be timely to promote a<br />
‘green’ PATA Annual<br />
Meeting this time around.<br />
We are thinking of implementing<br />
several green initiatives<br />
during the meeting<br />
itself such as going paperless<br />
as much as possible,<br />
managing indoor temperatures<br />
to reduce unnecessary<br />
power usage, using locallysourced<br />
services and products<br />
to reduce our carbon<br />
footprint, etc.<br />
In keeping with this<br />
theme, even the post-event<br />
tours will be carefully<br />
crafted out. We have<br />
plans of working with<br />
the Malaysia Homestay<br />
Association to provide<br />
delegates with an unforgettable<br />
experience of life<br />
in the countryside,<br />
where the concept of ‘living<br />
off the earth’ is widely<br />
practised by village communities<br />
through their agriculture<br />
and aquaculture<br />
traditions and self-sufficient<br />
lifestyle.<br />
Describe the host city and<br />
what it has to offer?<br />
Putrajaya lies just outside<br />
the city of Kuala Lumpur<br />
with a convenient and close<br />
access to the Kuala Lumpur<br />
International Airport, Melaka<br />
and the city centre.<br />
Designed as a model<br />
city, it was created with<br />
the intention of making<br />
it the government’s administrative<br />
centre. It is a<br />
thoroughly modern township<br />
displaying the best<br />
of Malaysian design and<br />
architecture in an environment-friendly<br />
setting<br />
of beautifully landscaped<br />
lakes and parks. The attractions<br />
here include the mix<br />
design of the government<br />
buildings and mosques<br />
as well as prominent structural<br />
landmarks, the 12<br />
parks, a man-made freshwater<br />
wetland, and eight<br />
signature bridges.<br />
We look forward to seeing<br />
more international<br />
tourists to visit Putrajaya<br />
in the coming months<br />
and years.
NTO P ATA D A I L I E S 2 0 1 1 – D A Y 3 TRAVTALK 1 9<br />
PATA Annual Meeting 2012<br />
In Putrajaya, Malaysia<br />
The city which serves as the federal administrative centre of Malaysia,<br />
will be a host to PATA’s Annual Meeting from April 20-22.<br />
Malaysia’s federal administrative<br />
centre,<br />
Putrajaya, has carefully<br />
planned infrastructure,<br />
breathtaking architecture<br />
and plenty of trees &<br />
flowers to complement its<br />
surroundings.<br />
Designed to be a garden<br />
city, Putrajaya’s imposing<br />
buildings are set amid lots of<br />
tropical flora. Marigold, zinnia<br />
and bougainvillea line the<br />
paths and streets, while tall<br />
palms and other tropical trees<br />
shade the tiled pathways.<br />
Established in 1999 on<br />
a former oil palm plantation,<br />
Putrajaya sprawls over 4,581<br />
hectares and is an environment-friendly<br />
destination<br />
which was once known as<br />
Prong Besar in the state of<br />
Selangor. It is located 25-km<br />
South of Kuala Lumpur and<br />
20-km North of Sepang<br />
where the KL International<br />
Airport is situated. Its name<br />
pays tribute to the first premier<br />
of Malaysia, Tunku<br />
Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj.<br />
In the national language,<br />
‘Putra’ means prince and<br />
‘Jaya’ is success.<br />
Apart from its parks and<br />
gardens full of colorful flowers,<br />
palms and native trees,<br />
Putrajaya is famed for its<br />
wetlands, a green sanctuary<br />
reputed to be the largest<br />
man-made freshwater wetlands<br />
in the tropics. Covering<br />
335 hectares, Putrajaya<br />
Wetlands has marked trails,<br />
picnic areas and other public<br />
amenities. It is open to the<br />
public for leisure and recreational<br />
activities as well<br />
as educational purposes.<br />
The wetlands comprise<br />
swamp and marsh cells created<br />
along the banks of the<br />
Chua and Bisa rivers. The<br />
cells function as filters for the<br />
river water which flow into<br />
Putrajaya Lake.<br />
A popular habitat for<br />
local fauna, primarily mammals,<br />
water birds, reptiles,<br />
amphibians, fish and invertebrates,<br />
the wetlands is<br />
stocked with 24 species of<br />
local freshwater fish. Several<br />
species of local marshland<br />
and water birds seen here<br />
include the Little Egret, Little<br />
Green Heron and Bittern<br />
while migratory birds from<br />
the northern hemisphere also<br />
visit this spot annually.<br />
The staff at the on-site<br />
Nature Interpretation Centre<br />
do research and compile data<br />
on water and plant studies.<br />
There is also a souvenir shop,<br />
wetland diorama, wetland<br />
handicraft display, an AV<br />
room and café. Overall, nearly<br />
half of Putrajaya has natural<br />
open areas that have been<br />
landscaped to feature lush<br />
greenery in botanical gardens<br />
criss-crossed by large bodies<br />
of water and wetlands.<br />
Today, Putrajaya boasts<br />
of many exciting and interesting<br />
attractions from grand<br />
government buildings to<br />
modern bridges, facilities,<br />
amenities and natureinspired<br />
parks and lake cruises.<br />
Some of them are:<br />
Perdana Putra:<br />
An imposing office complex<br />
and among the first<br />
buildings in Putrajaya, it<br />
houses the Malaysian Prime<br />
Ministers office and other<br />
government departments.<br />
Putra Mosque:<br />
Masjid Putra in the<br />
Malay language is the most<br />
distinctive landmark and is<br />
one of the most modern<br />
mosques in the world.<br />
Palace of Justice:<br />
This Taj Mahal-inspired<br />
building houses the<br />
Malaysian Court of Appeal<br />
and Federal Court, which<br />
used to be in the Sultan<br />
Abdul Samad Building in<br />
Kuala Lumpur. It is designed<br />
by Solomon de Brosse and<br />
incorporates Islamic &<br />
Western influences.<br />
Melawati Palace:<br />
Located in Precinct 1 on<br />
the North-Western slope of<br />
the hill, this palace is the<br />
royal retreat of His Majesty<br />
the king and his family. It is<br />
also the venue for royal hosted<br />
meetings and functions.<br />
Putrajaya Lake:<br />
A 650 hectares manmade<br />
lake that naturally cools<br />
the city and is a site for recreational,<br />
fishing, water sports<br />
and water transport activities.<br />
Its lake cruise appeals<br />
to visitors.<br />
Alamanda Putrajaya:<br />
The first shopping centre<br />
built in Putrajaya, it has<br />
boutiques, restaurants,<br />
bowling alleys, movie theatres<br />
and food court. It<br />
also features<br />
Malaysia’s first<br />
travelator within a<br />
shopping complex<br />
that connects the<br />
retail outlets to<br />
car parks.<br />
Putrajaya Convention<br />
Centre:<br />
An impressive building,<br />
its design is in the shape of<br />
the pending perok (silver<br />
Malay royal belt buckle).<br />
The roof structure resembles<br />
folded origami to accentuate<br />
the plain roundness of<br />
the structure.<br />
Bridges of Putrajaya:<br />
Putrajaya is also known<br />
as the city of bridges as it has<br />
seven bridges, each with its<br />
own unique design to reflect<br />
the overall concept - Islamic,<br />
beautiful and modern.
2 0 TRAVTALK P ATA D A I L I E S 2 0 1 1 – D A Y 3<br />
HOTELS<br />
Leela Hotels ties up<br />
with Meta Wellness<br />
for heart treatment<br />
n The Leela Palaces ,<br />
Hotels and Resorts today<br />
joined hands with Meta<br />
Wellness, a New York-based<br />
health care company, to<br />
launch India's first clinically<br />
proven, intensive lifestylechange<br />
programmes for<br />
heart disease reversal and<br />
prevention.<br />
Meta Wellness programmes<br />
are being offered<br />
in partnership with The<br />
Leela Palaces, Hotels and<br />
Resorts, starting with the<br />
Leela Mumbai and Leela<br />
Kovalam properties.<br />
The programme will<br />
subsequently be offered at<br />
other properties in The<br />
Leela Group.<br />
Meta Wellness is<br />
launching in India with two<br />
physician-led programmes<br />
for heart disease -<br />
‘re:verse’, for those who<br />
already have heart disease,<br />
and ‘re:tune’, for those<br />
who may be at risk for<br />
heart disease.<br />
The re:verse is a 90-<br />
day programme combining<br />
intensive residential<br />
components with remote<br />
hand-holding.<br />
Meta Wellness' clinical<br />
teams remotely guide and<br />
monitor re:verse patients as<br />
they continue with their<br />
daily lives outside. Re:tune<br />
is being offered exclusively<br />
at The Leela's resort properties,<br />
Meta Wellness<br />
re:verse, Director, Jyotsna<br />
Changrani stated.<br />
"This therapy will revolutionise<br />
the treatment<br />
of heart disease in India.<br />
If one has heart<br />
disease, intensive cardiac<br />
rehab can stop it from<br />
progressing and even<br />
reverse it.<br />
Even if one had a<br />
bypass or an angioplasty,<br />
but has not altered his<br />
lifestyle, he is at risk for a<br />
heart attack. Re:verse is a<br />
vital long-term solution to<br />
the heart disease,"<br />
Changrani said.<br />
Amruda Nair, Head,<br />
Asset Management of The<br />
Leela Palaces, Hotels and<br />
Resorts, said, "Residential<br />
wellness and therapeutic<br />
programs at luxury<br />
hotels and resorts are<br />
tremendously<br />
internationally.”<br />
popular<br />
Offering Swiss hospitality<br />
at Swissôtel Hotel & Resorts<br />
The Swissôtel brand name reflects the finest traditions of Swiss hospitality –<br />
intuitive reliability, efficiency and warmth. speaks to Aiden McAuley,<br />
Regional Vice President, Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts, Asia Pacific<br />
who shares about the individualised service imparted with efficiency and charm.<br />
J U S T I N T H O M A S<br />
What is the USP of<br />
Swissôtel?<br />
We believe that our key<br />
differentiator and competitive<br />
advantage is the dedication<br />
to perfection - from our<br />
exceptional service, stylish<br />
and contemporary design,<br />
culinary excellence and our<br />
unyielding commitment to<br />
perfection centred on our<br />
‘Swissness’, is what makes<br />
the difference.<br />
Can you elaborate on the<br />
corporate philosophy of the<br />
chain?<br />
The Swissôtel brand<br />
name reflects the finest traditions<br />
of Swiss hospitality –<br />
intuitive reliability, efficiency<br />
and warmth.<br />
The ‘Swiss hospitality’<br />
is best defined by our culture<br />
which, where individualised<br />
service is imparted with efficiency<br />
and charm, for each<br />
and every guest.<br />
Our credo, ‘A<br />
Passion for<br />
Perfection’ is<br />
apparent in everything<br />
that we do,<br />
from the locations<br />
and designs of our<br />
hotels, to facilities<br />
and services that<br />
we offer.<br />
What is the expected clientele<br />
of Swissôtel properties?<br />
A typical Swissôtel<br />
guest is a business traveller.<br />
It can also be a group attending<br />
MICE events as well as<br />
independent and group<br />
leisure travellers.<br />
Aiden McAuley<br />
Regional Vice President<br />
Swissotel Hotels & Resorts, Asia Pacific<br />
What is the average size of<br />
rooms for Swissôtel<br />
properties?<br />
Our room sizes range<br />
from 30 to 38 square metres,<br />
with suites ranging from 60<br />
to 110 square metres.<br />
Is the chain looking at<br />
MICE events? If yes, give<br />
details on how Swissôtel<br />
works on a typical MICE<br />
event.<br />
MICE events make up<br />
an important part of<br />
Swissôtel’s business and we<br />
often tailor to our customers’<br />
requirements to produce successful<br />
and high-quality conferences.<br />
In light of<br />
the changing needs of<br />
guests, we have launched<br />
www.swissotelmeetings.com<br />
which is designed to offer a<br />
time-saving booking process<br />
for event and conference<br />
planners and meeting organisers.<br />
One useful feature in<br />
particular is the function that<br />
enables organisers to compare<br />
three different Swissôtel<br />
properties at once from the<br />
international hotel chain’s<br />
portfolio, to ascertain<br />
their capacity at a glance and<br />
to check the availability<br />
directly online.<br />
BRYS Hotels makes a debut in<br />
Jaisalmer with a 38-room property<br />
Real Estate major BRYS Group’s hospitality venture called BRYS<br />
Hotels is making its first stride at Jaisalmer in Rajasthan by opening<br />
a 38-room 5-star property called BRYS Fort in November 2011.<br />
Rahul Gaur, CMD, BRYS Group provides the details.<br />
TT B U R E AU<br />
BRYS Hotels is part of the<br />
BRYS Group of<br />
Companies – a Rahul Gaur<br />
Enterprise. Founded with an<br />
objective to establish new<br />
dimensions in business,<br />
BRYS Hotel’s aim is to promote<br />
India as an incredible<br />
tourist destination. BRYS<br />
Fort, however, has all modern<br />
amenities for leisure as<br />
well as business travellers.<br />
Starting with 38 rooms<br />
(including 2 suite rooms and<br />
36 deluxe rooms), one presidential<br />
bungalow and 10<br />
royal tents, the luxury hotel<br />
has a plan to add another 40<br />
rooms by 2012. BRYS Fort is<br />
possessing about 9 acre land<br />
and it has a huge potential<br />
of further expansion (the<br />
present building has occupied<br />
only 30 per cent of the<br />
total land).<br />
“There is a huge<br />
demand for quality hotel<br />
Rahul Gaur<br />
CMD<br />
BRYS Group<br />
services to address the<br />
requirements of up-market<br />
leisure and business travellers<br />
in Jaisalmer. Hence, we<br />
have decided to launch this<br />
5-star property in this attractive<br />
destination, to lure both<br />
international and domestic<br />
travelleres round the year,”<br />
said Gaur. He asserted that<br />
BRYS Fort will offer 5-star<br />
services right from the nearby<br />
airport (Jodhpur Airport),<br />
which is about 300 km away<br />
from Jaisalmer.<br />
“Our USP will be our<br />
services and innovations.<br />
For instance, we are<br />
offering ample of offers<br />
inside the hotel premises<br />
in addition to desert<br />
safari and sight seeing.<br />
The view of Jaisalmer city<br />
from our property (because<br />
of its position on high land),<br />
golf course and various<br />
games and fun activities<br />
for kids will be the added<br />
attractions of our hotel,”<br />
added Gaur.<br />
BRYS Fort will also promote<br />
it as an attractive venue<br />
for meetings and conferences.<br />
Currently, the property<br />
offers a conference hall for<br />
150 people. It can also provide<br />
conference facilities for<br />
400-500 people at its open<br />
courtyard.<br />
Gaur appeared buoyant<br />
about the success of BRYS<br />
Fort because of the brand<br />
identity of BRYS Group.<br />
“We are a well-known<br />
brand in the real estate<br />
and medicare markets for<br />
our quality services. We<br />
are confident that BRYS<br />
Hotels will create a new<br />
chapter in the hospitality<br />
industry in the country. The<br />
new venture in Jaisalmer will<br />
be followed by two more<br />
hotels at Jim Corbett<br />
(Uttarakhand) and Sahibabad<br />
(in Delhi NCR) in the near<br />
future.<br />
The company is also<br />
launching a Water Villa<br />
Resort on its own island in<br />
Maldives. Significantly, BRYS<br />
Hotels has plans to create a<br />
package combining all its<br />
property in India and abroad.<br />
Commenting on the companies<br />
marketing strategies,<br />
Gaur maintained that the<br />
company would use all the<br />
channels – in-house, travel<br />
agents and online.<br />
Premier Inn’s second<br />
property in India<br />
n Premier Inn has<br />
launched its second property<br />
in India, marking an<br />
investment of ` 92 crore<br />
into the local economy with<br />
50 jobs having been<br />
created. The new property<br />
is situated in Shalimar<br />
Bagh, New Delhi and features<br />
143 air-conditioned<br />
rooms, a multi-cuisine<br />
restaurant (Linx) and bar<br />
(87) along with various<br />
other amenities at just<br />
` 5,500 a night.<br />
Speaking about the<br />
new opening, Aly Shariff,<br />
Managing Director, Premier<br />
Inn India said, “There is a<br />
huge demand for cost-effective,<br />
good quality rooms<br />
from both corporate and<br />
n Sarovar Hotels &<br />
Resorts has opened ‘The<br />
Ashtan Sarovar Portico,<br />
Green Park’, its ninth hotel<br />
in Delhi-NCR region. The<br />
hotel is promoted by<br />
Ashwajit Singh of Eshaan<br />
Holdings and was formally<br />
launched on May 15. It<br />
offers 50 rooms and is<br />
leisure travellers in North<br />
India and we believe that<br />
Premier Inn, New Delhi,<br />
Shalimar Bagh will meet<br />
these needs. After the<br />
success of Premier Inn,<br />
Bengaluru, Whitefield we<br />
are delighted to have<br />
opened in the capital city of<br />
India and would like to<br />
invite business and leisure<br />
travellers to come and try<br />
out our fantastic value<br />
for money hotel and<br />
restaurant.”<br />
Premier Inn is a<br />
multi-award winning<br />
hotel chain, and offers all<br />
guests its unique ‘Good<br />
Night Guarantee’ – a good<br />
night’s sleep or your<br />
money back.<br />
The Ashtan Sarovar<br />
Portico in Green Park<br />
priced at ` 4,400. In-room<br />
facilities include LCD television,<br />
tea/coffee maker,<br />
private mini-bar, electronic<br />
safe, 24-hour room service,<br />
laundry service and Wi-Fi.<br />
The Sarovar Portico brand<br />
currently enjoys presence<br />
across more than 20<br />
destinations in India.
HOTELS P ATA D A I L I E S 2 0 1 1 – D A Y 3 TRAVTALK 2 1<br />
Hotel Suryaa cashes in on<br />
its location and strategies<br />
A member of Summit Hotels & Resorts, The Suryaa, New Delhi with<br />
its wide range of facilities and services, has recently been renovated<br />
to meet the needs of its guests.<br />
TT B U R E AU<br />
One of the oldest 5-star<br />
hotel properties in the<br />
national capital, The Suryaa,<br />
New Delhi has been in operation<br />
since 1982. Today, it has<br />
emerged as an undisputed<br />
hospitality landmark of South<br />
Delhi. Its 242 well-appointed<br />
guestrooms and suites, a wide<br />
variety of delectable dining<br />
options, technologicallyadvanced<br />
conferencing features,<br />
exquisite recreation<br />
facilities as well as warm and<br />
attentive services make it<br />
Delhi’s preferred hospitality<br />
address. Other facilities<br />
include a well-equipped fitness<br />
centre, swimming pool,<br />
spa and salon.<br />
The hotel is now a part<br />
of the Summit Hotels and<br />
Resorts, a division of the<br />
Preferred Hotel Group, a<br />
global leader in the hospitality<br />
industry. It has previously<br />
been associated with several<br />
International Hotel groups,<br />
including Accor, Best<br />
Western and IHG.<br />
conducting corporate meetings<br />
and other similar events.<br />
A dedicated team works tirelessly<br />
to make every event a<br />
memorable one. The hotel<br />
guarantees a 2-hour response<br />
for meeting enquiries, followed<br />
by a detailed proposal<br />
within 24 hours. Its delectable<br />
dining options include<br />
the casual 24 hour restaurant<br />
‘Le Cafe’ serving delicious<br />
Indian and Continental<br />
cuisines, whereas Sampan, a<br />
roof top restaurant, offers the<br />
taste of Pan-Asian cuisines.<br />
‘Seven’ is a fine dining<br />
restaurant, French Crust, the<br />
patisserie with its large bouquet<br />
of options, is a delight<br />
for those with a sweet tooth<br />
and the hotel’s ‘Atrium Bar’<br />
is a sophisticated backdrop<br />
for a business meeting or a<br />
quiet tête-à-tête.<br />
The hotel is<br />
now a part<br />
of Summit<br />
Hotels and<br />
Resorts, a<br />
division of the<br />
Preferred<br />
Hotel Group<br />
The property is within<br />
easy access of Domestic and<br />
International airports. It is<br />
located in close proximity of<br />
South Delhi’s foremost business<br />
district - Nehru Place<br />
and the industrial hub of<br />
Okhla. The hotel is situated<br />
at a short distance from<br />
Pragati Maidan - the<br />
International Trade Fair,<br />
Noida Promotion Zones,<br />
besides being a stone throw<br />
away distance from the<br />
renowned Apollo and Escorts<br />
Heart hospitals. Shopping<br />
arcade and other recreation<br />
facilities are within walking<br />
distance from the hotel.<br />
Technologically-advanced<br />
conferencing facilities,<br />
customised meetings services<br />
and in-room business<br />
amenities create ideal setting<br />
for the quintessential<br />
business traveller and for
2 2 TRAVTALK P ATA D A I L I E S 2 0 1 1 – D A Y 3<br />
HOTELS<br />
Jaypee Palace Hotel and Convention<br />
Centre in Agra tops MICE list<br />
Known to be one of the leading properties to cater to the MICE segment, Jaypee Palace Hotel<br />
and Convention Centre in Asia is marking its way to glory.<br />
TT B U R E AU<br />
In keeping with the specific<br />
demands of business meetings<br />
and conferences in mind,<br />
Jaypee Palace Hotel and<br />
Convention Centre has an<br />
extensive convention backup<br />
facilities like audio-video<br />
recording, editing facilities,<br />
multi-lingual interpretation,<br />
satellite uplink, external<br />
broadcasting room, projection<br />
centre with logic and<br />
sound control among many<br />
other features. The convention<br />
centre also provides<br />
facilities for exhibitions.<br />
Apart from these, the<br />
business centre makes room<br />
for facilities like laptops,<br />
Wi-Fi, photocopiers, telex and<br />
additional services in its<br />
board rooms, meeting rooms,<br />
convention hall, banquet hall<br />
and other assembly areas.<br />
The facilities are being constantly<br />
updated to suit the<br />
changing demands of the<br />
business community.<br />
The property has 350<br />
well-appointed guest rooms<br />
in its precinct, including 13<br />
suites, one summit suite, one<br />
presidential suite, 28 palace<br />
rooms and 40 executive<br />
rooms to cater to the accommodation<br />
needs of large or<br />
small MICE groups. The facility<br />
is known to provide special<br />
tariffs in case of large<br />
business bookings. A majority<br />
of the bookings come from<br />
the medical industry, with 80<br />
per cent of total events<br />
being domestic and 20 per<br />
cent international. The<br />
advance bookings of international<br />
events are done<br />
as early as 2-3 years before<br />
the event while the booking<br />
is made one to two years<br />
before the event for national<br />
events. Conferences can<br />
also be organised on<br />
short notices, depending<br />
on the availability of the<br />
space. The venue can accommodate<br />
up to 1,500 delegates<br />
at a given time.<br />
The facility is also<br />
known to lend a helping<br />
hand to companies who<br />
want to engage in various<br />
team building activities.<br />
Jaypee Palace Hotel and<br />
Convention Centre also<br />
functions as the perfect host<br />
for the city of Agra, as they<br />
look into the post-conference<br />
activities of the delegates;<br />
they also provide special<br />
packages for sightseeing,<br />
which include luxury transport,<br />
city guides and even<br />
entrance fees to various<br />
monuments.<br />
MICE Features<br />
350 guest rooms, 13 suites,<br />
1 summit suite, 1 presidential<br />
suite, 28 palace rooms and<br />
40 executive rooms<br />
Back-up facilities like audiovideo<br />
recording, editing<br />
facilities, multi-lingual<br />
interpretation, satellite uplink,<br />
external broadcasting room,<br />
projection centre with logic<br />
and sound control<br />
The centre also offers<br />
discotheques, bowling alleys,<br />
swimming areas, health<br />
clubs and spas for<br />
rejuvenation<br />
Laptops, Wi-Fi, photocopiers,<br />
telex and additional services<br />
in its board rooms, meeting<br />
rooms, convention hall,<br />
banquet hall and other<br />
assembly areas<br />
The centre also offers<br />
fun and entertainment to<br />
its guests with discotheques,<br />
bowling alleys, swimming<br />
areas, health clubs<br />
and spas for rejuvenation<br />
after long and stressful<br />
meeting hours. A private<br />
helipad with the facility for<br />
three simultaneous landings<br />
is an added facility at the<br />
Jaypee Palace Hotel and<br />
Convention Centre.
HOTELS<br />
Orissa Calling!<br />
JK Mohanty, MHCIMA, Chairman – Hotel & Restaurant<br />
Association of Orissa (HRAO) and Managing Director –<br />
Swosti Group, insists that no other state in the country<br />
can boast of such rich tourism potential as Orissa.<br />
TT B U R E AU<br />
Would you call Orissa as the<br />
tourist capital of the East?<br />
If yes, why?<br />
Orissa is perhaps the<br />
only state in the country that<br />
can boast of a combination of<br />
mountains, beaches, forest,<br />
mangroves, gorges, eco-sensitive<br />
forest areas, tribal life,<br />
rich cultural dance forms,<br />
temples, stone crafts, etc.<br />
Besides, the state is pollution<br />
free, peaceful and people<br />
have the attitude to go<br />
all out to welcome tourists.<br />
No other state in the<br />
country can boast of such rich<br />
tourism potential.<br />
What are the lesser known<br />
tourist attractions in<br />
Orissa?<br />
The lesser known<br />
tourist attractions in Orissa<br />
are the Bhitarkanika crocodile<br />
mangroves, which I feel is a<br />
mini Amazon. Satkosia Gorge<br />
is an eco-friendly tiger<br />
reserve forest and the<br />
Mahanadi adjacent to the<br />
Satkosia is known for its large<br />
crocodiles and natural beauty.<br />
The other lesser known<br />
tourist attractions are the forest<br />
and wildlife of Debrigarh,<br />
the leaning Homa Temple at<br />
Sambalpur District, the 64<br />
tribes of Orissa, the rich<br />
mountainous forests at<br />
Koraput and Phulbani<br />
Districts and Daringbari, the<br />
Kashmir of Orissa. All this<br />
JK Mohanty<br />
MHCIMA, Chairman – (HRAO) and<br />
Managing Director – Swosti Group<br />
and more makes Orissa one<br />
of the richest tourist attractions<br />
of India.<br />
How well is Orissa exploring<br />
its eco-tourism sector?<br />
The eco-tourism sector<br />
of Orissa has been well-pro<br />
tected by the Government and<br />
the Forest Department and<br />
although limited tourism is<br />
permitted but, it is restricted<br />
to mass tourism. Nature and<br />
wildlife lovers are escorted to<br />
these places through special<br />
executives of Swosti Travels.<br />
This is perhaps the richest ecotourism<br />
state in the country.<br />
But due to lack of publicity<br />
Orissa is less known.<br />
As chairman HARO and<br />
the MD of one of the leading<br />
group of Hotels in Orissa,<br />
what would be your advice to<br />
a tourist contemplating a visit<br />
to our state?<br />
My advice to tourists visiting<br />
Orissa is very simple. If<br />
they are lovers of nature,<br />
wildlife, beaches, temples,<br />
dance forms, tribal life, there<br />
is no other place in this<br />
country that can match Orissa.<br />
Can Orissa be defined as<br />
the convention capital of<br />
the East?<br />
Yes, today Orissa can be<br />
called the convention capital<br />
of East because of the huge<br />
infrastructure in the hotels<br />
and quality convention centres.<br />
Most of the hotels at<br />
Bhubaneswar provide 5-star<br />
luxury at 3-star prices. Hotel<br />
Swosti Premium has the<br />
largest convention facility<br />
with the highest number of<br />
rooms available in the State<br />
of Orissa.<br />
Pashan Garh awarded Best Eco Friendly Lodge<br />
at The Eco-Tourism Awards 2010-2011<br />
n Pashan Garh lodge featuring<br />
a cluster of stone cottages<br />
huddled atop a small<br />
hill, offering magnificent<br />
views across the top of<br />
Panna forest and a large<br />
watering hole was recently<br />
awarded the Eco-tourism<br />
award 2010 -11 for Best<br />
Eco Friendly Lodge/Resort<br />
given by the Madhya<br />
Pradesh Eco-tourism<br />
Development Board.<br />
The hotel topped basis<br />
various parameters like minimum<br />
land used for construction<br />
of the lodge, the<br />
eco friendly design of the<br />
lodge, the fact that no trees<br />
were cut during construction<br />
and the lodge promoting rain<br />
water harvesting via an artificial<br />
lake.<br />
Pashan Garh set on a<br />
plateau dominated by tropical<br />
forests, deep ravines and<br />
cascading waterfalls was the<br />
last of the Taj Safari Lodges<br />
to open. The Panna National<br />
Park provides an irresistible<br />
allure for wildlife lovers.<br />
Close to both the worldrenowned<br />
temples of<br />
Khajuraho (World Heritage<br />
Site) and Panna National<br />
Park the lodge offers guests<br />
an opportunity to explore<br />
the ancient temples and<br />
admire the rich wildlife of<br />
the region.<br />
Commenting on the<br />
recognition, Raymond<br />
Bickson, Managing Director,<br />
Indian Hotels Company, said,<br />
“We are honored<br />
that the Madhya<br />
Pradesh Ecotourism<br />
Board has<br />
recognised Taj<br />
Safaris’ Pashan<br />
Garh for this coveted<br />
award. This<br />
acknowledges the<br />
efforts of all who<br />
put their heart and<br />
soul into the<br />
designing of this<br />
lodge and our<br />
employees who<br />
work passionately<br />
to strive for guest<br />
delight while protecting<br />
our natural<br />
environment.<br />
The Madhya Pradesh<br />
Eco-tourism Development<br />
Board presents the Eco<br />
Awards for stakeholders of<br />
Eco-tourism in Madhya<br />
Raymond Bickson<br />
Managing Director<br />
Indian Hotels Company<br />
Pradesh, in recognition of<br />
their performance in their<br />
respective fields and also to<br />
encourage healthy competition<br />
with the aim to promote<br />
Eco-tourism. The selection<br />
of the awardees was made<br />
by a Committee constituted<br />
for the purpose and the decision<br />
of the Department of<br />
Forest, Government of<br />
Madhya Pradesh and<br />
Madhya Pradesh Ecotourism<br />
Development Board<br />
was final and binding for all.
2 6 TRAVTALK P ATA D A I L I E S 2 0 1 1 – D A Y 3<br />
PATA TALK<br />
Expectations, anticipations and aspirations<br />
While many expressed satisfaction with PTM 2011, there was an underlying tone to explore further<br />
possibility to improve the show. While some suppliers rued lack of quality buyers, fewer footfalls and<br />
no-show; the buyers, on the other hand, felt that they should have been allowed to do away with the<br />
appointments, they knew, they wouldn’t need.<br />
This year’s Mart is better than the previous<br />
one. We are one of the biggest<br />
inbound agents in Sri Lanka and are basically<br />
looking for clients who are interested in the<br />
island nation.<br />
Angelo Bernad<br />
Assistant Manager<br />
Jetwing Travels<br />
Iam gathering information about India. The<br />
best thing is that the country is growing<br />
despite the global economic downturn. There<br />
are some unique products in India like<br />
houseboats, tigers and food destinations. We<br />
are trying to get more people to India as the<br />
country has lots to offer.<br />
Harlin Lubbert<br />
Operator<br />
Air Travel Reiseservice Gmbh<br />
This is my first visit to India. I am here to<br />
make new partners and increase our<br />
business. I also want to learn more about<br />
unique destinations in the country.<br />
David Song<br />
Vice General Manager<br />
Citizen Travel Service<br />
The event has been managed perfectly and<br />
organised well. For appointments that were<br />
fixed by us, many of them didn’t respond, hence<br />
that has been a disappointment.<br />
Sabitri Thapa<br />
Managing Director<br />
Bhutan Century Tours<br />
Iam a tour operator. I am looking forward to<br />
meeting many inbound providers in the Asian<br />
region. We are quite strong in Europe and want<br />
to grow our presence in Asia. Our company specialises<br />
in hotel rooms and my work involves<br />
ground transportation. I have already met few<br />
operators who are keen to work with us.<br />
Jaime Arroya<br />
Contracting Manager<br />
Grupo Trans Hotel<br />
It is good to see big numbers of Chinese participants,<br />
since it is a big market for inbound<br />
as well as outbound. We have a global reservation<br />
system called Lama Connect. We have<br />
around 70,000 hotels in our system and the<br />
idea is to get in touch with hoteliers directly<br />
and connect them to our system.<br />
Kulwant Singh<br />
Managing Director<br />
Lama Desert Tourism<br />
Iam a tour operator from Mexico. It is interesting<br />
for me to attend such a mart because<br />
I can find leading players of Asia. I want to build<br />
relations with my partners in Asia. I am also<br />
looking forward to make new partners.<br />
Jaime Aquino C<br />
Director<br />
Infinity Travel<br />
Iam here to see more suppliers who will help<br />
us to promote travel for our clients. We sell<br />
hotels, incentives, conventions and cruises.<br />
Aileen O. Domingo<br />
VP-Outbound<br />
CCT.168 Travel & Tours<br />
My expectation from this Mart is to identify<br />
partners to promote India among<br />
travellers from Greece. We specialise in FITs<br />
and in taking tourists around Asia.<br />
Panagiotis Panaousis<br />
General Manager<br />
Paradise Vacation Club<br />
We are buyers from Cambodia and<br />
are basically looking for new tourism<br />
products and also new concepts and ideas<br />
in the ever-growing field of tourism. We<br />
specialise in outbound.<br />
M. Andrew<br />
Operator<br />
La Route Angkor Travel & Tours<br />
Contd. on page 28 u
2 8 TRAVTALK P ATA D A I L I E S 2 0 1 1 – D A Y 3<br />
PATA TALK<br />
Contd. from page 26 u<br />
This is our first time in India and the country<br />
has a lot of history. It is a fam trip for us as<br />
we would like to learn more in order to get our<br />
clients here. Since lot of Chinese are interested<br />
to come here, we are looking to tie up with the<br />
hoteliers and local operators.<br />
Ding Hai Yang<br />
General Manager<br />
Suzhou Cits Co<br />
It is quite nice out here as the arrangement<br />
is perfect. It helps a lot if there is a good setting<br />
for a meet like this. I would like to know<br />
more about the markets in India and neighbouring<br />
countries. We specialise in sending people<br />
abroad to play golf.<br />
Parichote Sukriket<br />
Managing Director<br />
World Splendour Holidays<br />
Iam here to meet my old acquaintance. The<br />
expectation is to make more contacts. We are<br />
outbound and inbound operators and primarily<br />
take clients to China, Hong Kong and Macau.<br />
Paul Leung<br />
Managing Director<br />
Holiday World Tours<br />
Over 80 per cent of our meetings had been<br />
of superb quality. We look forward to meeting<br />
new B2B partners at the PTM 2011.<br />
Kroasakorn Rokrungroj (Pooh)<br />
Director of Sales<br />
Rembrandt Hotels & Towers<br />
Iam looking at expanding our B2B network to<br />
promote more number of Indian visitors to<br />
UAE. I had renewed some old contacts and look<br />
forward to attaining new B2B partners.<br />
T Prahlad<br />
General Manager<br />
DBA & Sons Travel & Tours<br />
Iam satisfied with the PTM 2011. However,<br />
some 50 per cent of the buyers have not yet<br />
responded to their scheduled meetings with us.<br />
I would like PTM to ensure that the scheduled<br />
meetings take place.<br />
Tshetem Norbu<br />
Managing Director<br />
Sacred Himalaya Travel, Bhutan<br />
Iwould like to see<br />
quality buyers in<br />
the future PTM. Also<br />
the buyers’ number<br />
should be increased.<br />
Adel El Masry<br />
Director<br />
Egyptian Tourism Office<br />
PTM has always<br />
been productive<br />
for us. However, I<br />
think that security and<br />
the layout, which are<br />
good anyway, could<br />
have been better.<br />
Glen Agustin<br />
Head, Team India<br />
Philippines Tourism<br />
Ithink lot of focus is<br />
on attractions and<br />
hospitality. We want<br />
to let the buyers know<br />
that we can help them<br />
extend their service<br />
right from the airport.<br />
The<br />
buyer-seller<br />
meeting time is<br />
very short. Also I<br />
think there should be<br />
enough free time for<br />
the buyers to meet the<br />
suppliers they want.<br />
Linda Song<br />
Executive Director<br />
Plaza Premium Lounge<br />
Guillermo L Garcia-Canedo,<br />
General Manager,<br />
Fantasia Travel Services<br />
Chairman<br />
Vikramajit<br />
Publisher<br />
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