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China’s expenditure on travel abroad reached US$ 102 billion in 2012,

making it the No. 1 tourism source market in the world in terms of spending. Other emerging markets as well as most traditional tourism source markets also showed positive results in 2012.

Over the past decade China has been, and still is, by far the fastest-growing tourism source market in the world. Thanks to rapid urbanization, rising disposable incomes and relaxation of restrictions on foreign travel, the volume of international trips by Chinese travellers has grown from 10 million in 2000 to 83 million in 2012. Expenditure by Chinese

tourists abroad has also increased almost eightfold since 2000. Boosted by an appreciating Chinese currency, Chinese travellers spent a record US$ 102 billion in international tourism in 2012, a 40% jump from 2011 when it amounted to US$ 73 billion.

With this sustained growth, China has become the largest spender in international tourism globally in 2012. In 2005 China ranked seventh in international tourism expenditure, and has since successively overtaken Italy, Japan, France and the United Kingdom. With the 2012 surge, China leaped to first place, surpassing both top spender Germany and second largest

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India would be the third largest aviation market by 2020 said Mr. Ajit Singh,

Union Minister for Civil Aviation while addressing senior representatives of the aviation industry in India on the occasion of Aviation day celebration at New Delhi. Mr. Ajit Singh informed that studies suggest, the countrie’s airports would be handling 336 million domestic and 85 million international passengers with projected investment to the tune of US$ 120 billion by 2020.

The Minister reminded the gathering that recently he took a decision to liberalize the process for airlines to acquire aircrafts by doing away with the Aircraft Acquisition Committee. He added that the Government has also taken steps to liberalize and grant traffic rights to Indian carriers to fly to new destinations around the globe.

He told that the most important branches of the Aviation value chain which are critically linked and interdependent

including the airline industry, the airports and manufacturing, engineering and service industry. The inter dependencies among airlines, airport and the industry will also reflect in a growing shared agenda among the three; and reflect the growing areas of synergies between key players from the industry, to work towards the development of the aviation sector in India. He also quote Henry Ford, “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”

Aviation sector brings enormous benefits to communities and economies around the globe. It is a key enabler of economic growth, social development and tourism providing connectivity and access to markets globally. Air transport currently supports 56.6 million jobs and over US$ 2.2 trillion of Global GDP.

India is among the countries witnessing highest growth in air passenger traffic. Its airport infrastructure is undergoing

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United Nations World Tourism O r g a n i s a t i o n ( U N W T O )

Commission’s Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development and 25th Joint Meeting of the UNWTO Commission for East Asia, Pacific and South Asia will be held at Hyderabad from 12th to 14th of April. Announcing this in New Delhi, Union Tourism Minister Mr. K. Chiranjeevi said the need of the hour is not the tourism growth alone but development of tourism in sustainable manner. He said in this meeting, International experts; delegates from the member countries of the UNWTO Commissions for South Asia and East Asia and Pacific, UNWTO, various state governments of India and tourism industry will participate. During the conference, exchange of ideas will take place on the way forward to develop tourism in a sustainable manner. The Minister said “India has been working with UNWTO closely for the cause of developing nations. Our initiative at the international level to host the two events, no doubt, will go a long way in highlighting India’s role in promoting global and regional tourism in sustainable manner for the economic growth, employment generation and social integration.”

The Tourism Minister said South Asian region has rich and varied tourism products to attract visitors from the world over – with heritage and culture dating back to thousands of years, architectural and natural marvels, an unmatched bio-diversity and home to almost all the world religions. He said “In spite of rich heritage, the market share of South Asia in World Tourist Arrivals is only 1.3% - which is a cause of concern. On a positive note the

average annual growth in international tourist arrivals to the region during the period 2005 to 2011 has been 7.2% as compared to the world annual average growth of 3.5% during the same period.” Mr. Chiranjeevi said the 25th meeting of the UNWTO Joint Commission will bring together tourism authorities from 27 member countries and two associate members and give them an opportunity to review the tourism performance of the two regions and deliberate upon measures and policies to be adopted for future. In this meeting, the best practices and policies adopted world over will also be shared. India is currently the chairperson of the UNWTO Regional Commission for South Asia and considering the fact that the 25th Joint Meeting is being held in India, we would be chairing this meeting with Malaysia as co-chair, the Minister added.

The Minister informed that till date 21 countries namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, LAO PDR, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Philippines, Republic

of Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam have confirmed their participation. He said the UNWTO will be represented by Mr. Taleb Rifai, Secetary General and his team. This meeting will also be attended by the Chief Executive Officer of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).

The tourism Minister said that for the first time Ministry of Tourism will be sending an electronic invitation and itinerary in form of a short film to all delegates and invitees welcoming them to the city of Hyderabad. This film shows them in advance the venues of the meetings, dinners and tours. The film is being uploaded on the promotional website of the Ministry, www.incredibleindia.org

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in collaboration with the Government of Andhra Pradesh is hosting the joint meeting and the conference. The UNWTO is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. As the leading

international organisation in the field of tourism, UNWTO promotes tourism as a driver of socio-economic growth and development and advocates its inclusion as a priority in national and international policies.

India is currently the chairperson of the UNWTO Regional Commission for South Asia. The UNWTO Joint Commission Meeting will bring together delegates from member countries and give them an opportunity to review the tourism performance of the region and deliberate on measures for further development.

India accords great importance to the issue of Sustainable Tourism. As a commitment to Safe and Sustainable Tourism Development, India has developed a code for “Safe & Honorable Tourism” and Sustainable Tourism Criteria for the Accommodation and Tour Operators sectors. The UNWTO Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development will include a global review on sustainable tourism development and sustainable practices as well an industry and media perspective on sustainable criteria for tourism.

Over 250 delegates are expected to participate in the Sustainable Tourism Conference. These will include UNWTO delegates as well as representatives from State Governments & Union Territories and private stakeholders from the travel and hospitality industries. The Joint Commission Meeting will have approximately 125 delegates from the UNWTO member countries.

In addition to the meetings, various events have been organised to give the visiting delegates a glimpse of the rich culture and cuisine of the country. These include dinners and cultural programmes at the Taramati Baradari, Golconda Fort, Shilparamam and Ramoji Film City as well as a tour to the Buddhist Heritage sites at Nagarjuna Sagar and Nagarjuna Konda.

The event will provide a great opportunity for the State of Andhra Pradesh and particularly the city of Hyderabad to showcase the varied attractions and facilities to the international tourism fraternity and would help in promoting tourism to the State.

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One more tourism season in the country is almost over except couple of destinations are still busy with catering the needs of international guest with “ Athidhi devo bhava”

mindset. The initial feedback from the hoteliers and operators is encouraging and many feels the good fortune after the dull face of the initial days of the season, though started with good business season, but thinned out earlier than expected. As far as domestic tourists are concerned that was also less, compared to last year. Many of the tour operators and travel agents have already reported a drop in number of domestic booking of packages this year. The average room rent has increased in most of the popular destinations and metros. Also the domestic airline charges and transportation tariff also revised due to the inflation rate is high. The most affected have been the small and marginal players. The Government needs to support the fringe players with priority.

Uttarakhand tragedy taught us the aftermath of irresponsible tourism. It is an eye opener for many domestic destinations in Kerala like Munnar, Thekkady and Wayanad. Outbound operators are very happy these days due to the good number of enquiries to

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the Far East Asia and Europe. Many exotic destinations like Arctic, Antarctic, Brazil and Argentina have turned to be very attractive option for the domestic tourists, according to a leading out bound operator.

Now the competition is turned to be domestic destinations versus international hot spots. Expensive accommodation and domestic flight tickets are a challenge the tourism indus-

try should handle, but it is no excuse for limited growth in the increase in tourist arrivals. If we can provide value to our customers, we can maintain excellent growth in tourist arrivals. For that to happen, we have to regularly develop and market innovative tourism products.

China spends US$ 102 billion every year on outbound travel and it is the biggest market for outbound tourism internationally. Western countries including the US have been actively targeting China for some time. It is said that, for any destination to be competitive in the international market, it needs a ‘China strategy’. Tourism ministry should collaborate with the industry in developing a China strategy with high priority.

Domestic versus international clench together!

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Kerala Tourism’s print campaign on World Tourism Day last year that encouraged travellers to save

precious rain forests through their simple and conscious actions has won the prestigious Olive Crown Award for communicating sustainability.

Designed by Kerala Tourism’s creative agency, Stark Communications, the print advertisement on September 27 last year showing how a simple act like postponing a hotel laundry can help sustain rain forests, won the only Gold Award in the Press Services category.

The Olive Crown Awards, given away by the India chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA), recognises excellence in communicating sustainability.

The awards for this year were presented at the Shangri-la Hotel in Mumbai. Stark Communications Associate Creative Director, Mr. Ajith Gopinath, received the award from Mr. Piyush Pandey, one of the most admired names in Indian advertising today and Mr. Praful Patel, the Honourable Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, who was the Chief Guest at the awards ceremony.

The Kerala Tourism print ad showing the state’s pristine hills and forests on an imaginary towel as the green turf with a message, “A simple act can wipe away more than you can imagine,” reminded travellers to remember “to put our simple acts together, every time we travel”.

Kerala Tourism Secretary Mr. Suman Billa said that the travel and tourism sector in the state stood hand in hand with the millions of visitors in promoting and implementing sustainable tourism initiatives. “We firmly believe in the partnership between travellers and the trade in Kerala towards conserving and preserving our nature,” he said, adding, it takes only simple actions

by travellers to show that they care for nature.The Kerala Tourism campaign beat tough competition

at the Olive Crown Awards that had received entries from several other Asian countries. The State Tourism Department had won the National Award for the Best Rural Tourism Project for Kumarakom’s Responsible Tourism model last month for successfully linking local community with the hospitality sector for an eco-friendly tourism.

“Sustainability is at the centre of Kerala’s tourism development model,” said Kerala Tourism Director Ms. Rani George. “We have been sensitising the tourism trade and travellers to the need for conserving Kerala’s natural wealth and will strengthen our efforts in that direction,” she added.

This is the second award for Kerala Tourism’s World Tourism Day print campaign within a week. On March 30, the print ad won the Gold Award at the Madras Ad Club Awards, popularly known as Maddys.

In March this year, Kerala Tourism’s print campaign on Ayurveda developed by Stark also won the coveted Das Golden Stadtor Award at the Berlin ITB Golden City Gate Awards, which is considered the Oscars of the tourism industry.

“In today’s world, it is important for everybody to make a conscious decision every time they throw away a towel or open a water tap while they are travelling,” said Mr. Ajith Gopinath. “In a nature-blessed state like Kerala, every such decision is having a significant contribution to sustainability,” he added.

Dubbed the ‘Green Awards’, the IAA’s Olive Crown Awards received entries from across Asia this year. “These are India’s first and only awards that salute excellence in communicating sustainability,” said IAA President Mr. Srinivasan K. Swamy.

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In the presence of the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, the World

Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has agreed to launch a new public awareness campaign calling on tourists to help reduce demand for illicit goods and services linked to transnational organized crime.

Preparations for the campaign were set in motion during the Spring Meeting of the Chief Executive Board of the United Nations in Madrid. A Cooperation Agreement was signed between UNWTO Secretary-General, Mr. Taleb Rifai, and UNODC Executive Director, Mr. Yury Fedotov in the presence of United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon.

The joint campaign, to be launched later this year, aims to raise awareness among international tourists about the types of i l l i c i t goods and services to which t h e y are often exposed during their

travels and which directly or indirectly fund organized

c r i m e

groups. Travellers can play a key role in reducing demand for these products through ethical consumer choices. The campaign will encourage tourists to make informed decisions and help reduce demand for trafficking in persons, cultural artifacts, wildlife, fauna and flora such as ivory products, as well as counterfeit goods, and illicit drugs.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon commended this innovative joint initiative between the two partner UN Agencies: “The illegal trade in goods and services often funds unscrupulous people involved in human trafficking, the illicit ivory trade and other areas that cause immense suffering and destruction. Well-informed tourists can make a real difference in turning the tide against these criminal acts.”

Organized criminal n e t w o r k s g e n e r a t e money wherever there is demand and travellers

are often exposed

to objects which are illicitly sold. With more than 1 billion tourists now crossing international borders each year, there is a growing opportunity to call on tourists to act and reduce demand for these illicit products which in many cases are providing a funding source for organized crime. The campaign drives the message that while some products may seem harmless, the demand created and their sale can, in fact, have devastating effects on the lives of innocent people, on wildlife or on cultural property. The billions of dollars generated through such trade also fund criminal groups who use this money to branch out into other illicit and unethical lines of business.

“Although the infrastructure of tourism – from accommodation establishments to transportation networks – can be misused by traffickers to victimize the vulnerable, tourism has the potential and is firmly committed t o r e c l a i m t h i s same infrastructure and use it in

the fight against t r a f f i c k i n g ” said UNWTO’s Secretary-General Mr. Taleb Rifai. “Through coordinated efforts, we can ensure that awareness travels – that tourism authorities, travel companies and tourists join us on this fight” he added.

According to the Executive Director of UNODC, Mr. Yury Fedotov: “This new awareness-raising campaign will help build awareness about organized crime and the devastating effect it has on people and communities worldwide. Tourists are often exposed to the traffickers of human beings and unethical products. By making informed choices, tourists can help sever the financial arteries that fuel these forms of illicit trade”.

The campaign will seek to engage the tourism industry including hotel chains, travel agencies and airlines to lend support in raising awareness among tourists and

help contribute to limiting these illicit markets.

The initiative supplements UNWTO’s Global Code of Ethics for Tourism. The Code calls upon tourists to behave in a responsible and respectful manner towards the visited destination, urging them not to commit any criminal acts and to refrain from all trafficking in illicit drugs, arms, antiques, protected species, products and substances that are dangerous or prohibited by national regulations.

UK’s second largest long haul airline, Virgin Atlantic has won the 2013

Sustainable Bio-fuels Award in the Sustainable Aviation sector. The award win follows Virgin Atlantic’s ground-breaking work towards the development of a world-first low carbon aviation fuel that is set to achieve 50-60 per cent carbon reductions compared to the standard fossil fuel alternative. The airline’s partnership with LanzaTech represents a breakthrough in aviation fuel technology that will see waste gases from industrial steel production being captured, fermented a n d c h e m i c a l l y converted for use as a jet fuel. The revolutionary fuel p r o d u c t i o n p r o c e s s recycles waste gases that would otherwise be burnt into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Mr. Richard Branson, the Founder of Virgin Atlantic described this process as: “one of the most exciting developments of our lifetime and a major breakthrough in the war on carbon.”

Virgin Atlantic’s vision is to be a leading airline on sustainability, driving solutions for the whole industry, and its work on sustainable fuels, part of its Change is in the Air sustainability programme, is certainly pushing boundaries.

Virgin Atlantic received the award at this year’s World Bio-fuels Markets recently held in Rotterdam. The awards recognize innovation and leadership in the development of truly sustainable and renewable fuel and chemical solutions in the global bio-fuels market.

D r . E m m a H a r v e y , H e a d o f Sustainability, Virgin Atlantic commented:

“In 2008, we were the first commercial airline to conduct a bio-fuel test flight. We are now working hard to see sustainable fuels through to commercial use in our aircraft. We are so proud of our partnership with LanzaTech and to be able to produce a next generation, low-carbon aviation fuel is a major step towards radically reducing our carbon footprint. World Bio-fuels Markets provides a platform to drive the bio-fuels energy sector forward and to win this award is a great honour.”

“ I t i s a n h o n o u r t o c o n t i n u e our partnership with Virgin Atlantic developing next generation, sustainable, low-carbon aviation fuels,” said Ms. Jennifer Holmgren, CEO, LanzaTech.

“ Innovat ive technologies do not commercialize themselves; rather they are commercialized through investment by and coordination with forward-looking companies like Virgin Atlantic. With their support, sustainable aviation fuels will become a reality.” she added.

The eighth annual World Bio-fuels Markets is taking place over three days at the Beurs-World Trade Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Bringing together more than 1,500 participants from around the world, the conference has covered key topics including energy security, finance, policy, technology, transport and production with the aim of accelerating the uptake of sustainable business practices with the bio-fuels sector.

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Giving a mega boost to the tourism in Maharashtra, the Ministry of Tourism,

Govt. of India has given its approval to two mega circuits viz. Solapur- Pandharpur – Akkalkot – Tuljapur mega circuit and Aurangabad mega circuit. These proposals were sent to the central ministry, along with many others, by the Government of Maharashtra in the year 2012-13. This is the first time that the Centre has given an approval for two circuits in one financial year along with the release of the funds of about Rs. 79.84 crore for the tourism facilities to be created.

Mr. Chhagan Bhujbal, Minister for Public Works and Tourism, Maharashtra had sent various proposals to the central government in order to develop the tourism sector in Maharashtra. In his frequent meetings with Mr. Chiranjeevi, Union Tourism Minister, Mr. Bhujbal made consistent efforts to get approvals on the said proposals. As a result, Satara Circuit that includes Mahabaleshwar-Kaas-Bamnoli along with Agashiv Gunfa and Panshet Spot Development have been sanctioned in addition to the above two already approved circuits. Dhapewada-Paradsingha circuit and Grape-Wine Park Spot Development at Nasik are also likely to be approved soon by the centre.

Rs. 43.87 crores has been sanctioned for the Solapur – Tuljapur mega circuit. The work to be undertaken under the project includes establishment of Tourist Information Facility Centers at Solapur (Siddheshwar Temple), Pandharpur, Akkalkot and Tuljapur, internal beautification, parking facility, footpaths, roads, toilets, solid waste

Un i o n T o u r i s m M i n i s t e r M r . K.Chiranjeevi has expressed his deep

anguish at the reported attempt to assault a British tourist in Agra. Addressing the consultative committee of his Ministry, he said that safety and security of tourists is the topmost priority of his Ministry. The Minister informed the Members of the Committee that he has immediately ordered suspension of the three star rating of the Hotel involved in the incident. He said the Ministry of Tourism has also issued a show cause notice to the hotel asking it why its license should not be canceled. Mr. Chiranjeevi informed the Members that he has spoken to the Union Home Minister Mr. Sushil Kumar Shinde and requested him to put in place a proper system to ensure the safety and security of tourists especially women and children. He also informed the Members that he has started contacting personally all the Chief Ministers urging them to institute an adequate safety mechanism for tourists in their respective states.

The Tourism Minister said that his Ministry has set a target to double the receipt of international tourist arrivals by 2016 taking 2011 as base. He said “ This would mean that our foreign tourist arrivals need to register a growth of 12% per annum. For the purpose, the focus of my Ministry would be to improve existing infrastructure, create new infrastructure, broad base human resource development, overcome seasonality of Indian tourism by developing niche tourism products, expand the range of Indian tourism destinations by developing lesser known destinations and undertake aggressive promotional and marketing activities”.

The minister said that, last year foreign tourist arrivals to the country registered a growth of 5.4% and foreign exchange earnings in rupee terms registered an impressive growth of 21.8%. He said the growth registered in terms of foreign tourist arrivals was significant for our country especially considering the fact that world tourist arrivals as a whole

increased only by 3.8% last year. At the same time, he expressed his concern over India’s low share in international tourist arrivals and international tourism receipts. He said, India today receives only 0.64% of international tourist arrivals and accounts for 1.61% of international tourism receipts. To increase India’s share in International Tourism, Mr. Chiranjeevi said, “My effort is to make India as a round the year destination – a destination for 365 days – a destination for all seasons. For this purpose, we are developing various niche products like rural tourism, wellness and medical tourism, eco and adventure tourism, golf and polo tourism, film tourism, MICE tourism, cuisine and shopping tourism and cruise tourism. Our wellness and medical tourism products have been very well received in overseas tourism markets and I am happy to inform you that this sector is growing at the rate of around 20% per annum”.

“While trying to concentrate on the growth of foreign tourist arrivals, we are not going to loose focus on domestic tourism. In order to popularise and promote domestic travel, my Ministry has launched a new campaign “Go Beyond” which means go beyond the obvious. This campaign will help the Ministry develop lesser known destinations,” the Minister added.

Members participating in the discussion appreciated the efforts of the Ministry and made various suggestion. Expressing concern over recent attacks on foreign tourists in various parts of the country and subsequent advisories issued by the concerned countries, the members requested the tourism Minister to take up this issue with the respective State Governments, more vigorously.

The members who attended the meeting were: Mr. P C Gaddigoudar, Mr. Sripad Yesso Naik and Mr. Virender Kashyap (All from Lok Sabha), Dr. Chandan Mitra, Mr. S. Thangavelu, Mr. Tarini Kanta Roy and Mr. Ranbir Singh Prajapati (All from Rajya Sabha).

management facilities, sewage plants, drinking water facility etc.

Aurangabad mega circuit has received Rs. 23.50 crores and works to be undertaken includes building taxi stands at Bibi Ka Maqbara, Panchakki, Rose Garden, Nakkarkhana Gate, Daultabad Fort and MTDC office, development of Ajanta View Point and Ghat at Devgad in Nevasa tehsil along with Tourist Information Facility Center, parking facility, footpaths, toilets, ghat construction, Information and Signage boards, sewage plants etc. In addition to this, the central government has sanctioned Rs. 90 lakhs to provide tourists with green buses at Ajanta and Ellora.

Under the Satara circuit Rs. 8.1 crores have been sanctioned by the centre for works like solid waste management and drinking water facility at Mahabaleshwar, wire fencing to plateau, parking facility and watch tower at Kaas, compound wall and Tourist Information Facility Center at Bamnoli and solid waste management and parking facility at Agashi and Gunfa. Rs. 3.60 crores has been sanctioned for developing Panshet, in Pune district, as a tourist spot. The development work includes construction of an Aquatic Park and similar works as above.

Apart from the above proposals, Maharashtra is awaiting the sanction of tourism related proposals of Grape-Wine Park Spot Development at Nasik (Testing centre, infrastructure development works for Grape-Wine festival) and Dhapewada – Paradsingha circuit (Ghat construction approach roads, electrification, toilets, footpaths, roads etc.)

Vivid Sydney is back for its fifth year, from 24 May to 10 June, with an expanded programme that will transform the city

at night into a colourful canvas of light, music and ideas and become a playground for the world’s creative industries.

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Reiterating its commitment towards a green sustainable future, this year, JW Marriott Hotel

Mumbai switched off their lights for an hour from 8:30pm to 9.30pm on the 23rd of March to support the Earth Hour 2013.

The hotel has been contributing to the society and its immediate surroundings for years, through its various humble initiatives. This time, the hotel joined hands with a global movement that aims at spreading awareness and action for the betterment of the environment and the Earth and in doing so they switched off the lights on their property for an entire hour to convey their concerns about global warming.

Initiated by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and first celebrated in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour now is a global sustainability phenomenon and is now observed in most countries around the world.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and UNWTO

signed a special Joint Statement on Aviation and Tourism, acknowledging the intention of the two UN agencies to begin cooperating more closely on issues of common priority.

The Joint Statement was signed by ICAO Secretary General, Mr. Raymond Benjamin, and UNWTO Secretary-General, Mr. Taleb Rifai, on the occasion of the official opening of the ICAO Sixth Worldwide Air Transport Conference (ATConf/6).

Visa faci l i tat ion, taxat ion, the modernization of aviation regulations and the development of convergent rules for travellers and enterprise protection were stressed in the Statement as key areas for improved collaboration.

“Separate sectoral pol ic ies on air transport and tourism result in a fundamental, and too often even conflicting disconnect which constitutes a severe constraint on the development of travel and tourism,” stressed Mr. Rifai. “The signing of this Statement therefore represents a defining moment – one which can set air transport and tourism on a common path on matters of shared concern with considerable mutual benefit.” he added.

More than one billion tourists crossed international borders during 2012, over half of who travelled by air to their destinations. The total number of international tourists, which includes both business and leisure

travellers, is expected to reach 1.8 billion by 2030.

“Based on ICAO’s latest forecasts, aircraft departures are forecast to grow from 30 million today to 60 million by 2030,” noted Mr. Benjamin. “These figures support the UNWTO’s tourism projections and highlight how important it is that our organizations continue to address air transport system capacity and related challenges today, in order to maximize the economic development aspects of air transport and tourism tomorrow.” he added.

Additional areas outlined for future cooperation by ICAO and the UNWTO included air passenger flow management at airports, air capacity for least developed countries and the continued reduction of environmental impacts resulting from international air travel and tourism. Due consideration will be maintained on the importance of air transport to tourism development in long-haul destinations and landlocked or island states.

Benjamin and Rifai concluded their ceremony by jointly highlighting the considerable contributions of aviation and tourism to raise employment, fuel economic growth and social development. Together, their organizations will now be focusing on addressing existing obstacles to aviation and tourism growth as to ensure both sectors continue to contribute in a sustainable manner to global prosperity.

Goa-based kayaking c lub, Goa Kayaking, will conduct two training

programs in April, in association with Goa Tourism, GTDC and Drishti, the largest professionally-run lifeguard service in Goa. Drishti has agreed to provide all assistance and safety services.

The ninth Introduction to Kayaking & Training Program 2013 will take off from Vasco (Hollant Beach) from April 1-4, 2013 while the Panaji program will kick off at Vainguinim beach from April 5-8, 2013. Both programs are open to adults and children above eight years who can swim.

Mr. Nilesh Cabral, Chairman of GTDC, said, “All the children should participate for Goa Kayaking’s training program during their leisure time and experience this Olympic sport.” Goa Tourism supports this program in the interest of Goans to give them an opportunity to learn a skill as well as help them experience different environments and locations first hand and up-close, at the same time enjoying this wonderful sport.”

Goa Kayaking has been conducting these training programs since 2009 during the summer and Diwali holidays. So far it has undertaken eight such programs. They are conducted by highly experienced water sports professionals and accredited water sports instructors.

Those completing the program will be entitled to a free membership at the Goa Kayaking Club for a year and can sign up for their numerous kayaking expeditions conducted every weekend and public holidays throughout the year. Those who join the program will be provided with all equipment, flotation devices, kayaks, and paddles along with instruction sessions from experts.

Goa Kayaking regularly conducts expeditions along the coast and in the rivers and backwaters, to explore the pristine mangroves, bird sanctuaries and the varied sights that Goa has to offer. These trips are completely environment friendly leaving absolutely no trace of the visits.

South African Airways has introduced the Business Class Companion offer

for those flying to Cape Town / Port Elizabeth, Durban and Johannesburg in South Africa. As part of this offer, travelers flying business class can avail a 50% discount on the second ticket purchased. Published fares to South Africa begin at INR 123,200 and companion fares begin at INR 61,600. This offer is valid till 15th May, 2013, for bookings before 30th April, 2013.

The Business Class Companion Offer is valid for travel to prominent cities in South Africa, including Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban and Johannesburg. The offer will give flyers the opportunity to explore South Africa albeit at discounted fares for their companion.

South African Airways has been successfully operating in India since 1995, offering flyers to South Africa a world class travel and hospitality experience. In 2011, the airline introduced the Airbus A330-200 on its India route. The aircraft is thoughtfully designed to service long haul flights with 36 business class and 186 economy class seats. The experience of flying SAA is further enhanced with increased bed width in the business class and spacious cabins in the economy class.

South Africa is a destination that has a lot to offer to tourists, both in terms of business and leisure. In response to the growing demand for flights to South Africa, SAA introduced direct daily flights on the Mumbai-Johannesburg route.

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HolidayIQ.com, the premier holiday information portal powered by

India’s first and biggest travel community, announced the launch of ‘HolidayIQ CentreStage’, an online hotel advertising product that provides highly targeted visibility, online reputation, and increased bookings to hoteliers. In addition to this, HolidayIQ.com ensures 0% wastage of hotelier’s ad spends by making sure that hotels pay only for travellers planning a trip to the hotelier’s destination & not anybody else. HolidayIQ’s hiq!PAD program, an online reputation management tablet device is also a part of this product.

HolidayIQ.com is used by 45 lakh Indian travellers every month for planning their trips and receives 30000 reviews per month. In 2012, HolidayIQ.com generated business opportunity worth 2500 crores for partner hotels and travel agents making the site a preferred partner to Hoteliers across India for their advertising campaigns.

Mr. Hari Nair, Founder and CEO, HolidayIQ stated, “Our advertising products are developed based on a detailed study of consumer insights. After tracking user behaviour to online ads for years HolidayIQ.com believes that there are three factors for a successful ad campaign for hotels. One, targeted visibility, that is making the hotel visible to a relevant audience only. Secondly, having multiple booking channels, something that HolidayIQ provides to all hotels. And last but not the least, a strong online reputation, almost every online traveller today checks a hotel’s review before booking. And we have bundled all the 3 factors into our CentreStage product.”

Many hoteliers have benefited with HolidayIQ’s advertising tools. Mr.

Kuoni India launched a new television commercial (TVC) in line with the new

brand architecture recently announced by the company for their mainstream holiday business. The new commercial highlights the brand promise of ‘We are for holidays’ and inspires consumers across segments to stand up for their holidays.

Through this TVC, the holiday brand seeks to change the mindset of Indian holidaymakers by promoting holidays as a priority for everyone. The paper plane TVC, conceptualized by the creative agency TBWA is based on the insight that Indian travelers plan their holidays with enthusiasm spending days and night thinking, dreaming and planning a holiday. However, the realities of everyday life like work, savings or responsibilities bring them back to being an adult contemplating to embark on that much desired holiday. The TVC encourages them not to let their holiday spirit die and to enjoy their holidays while creating memories for a lifetime.

Commenting on the creative track of the new TVC, Mr. Vishal Suri, Dy. COO – Tour Operating, Kuoni India said “We have created great holiday experiences for travelers around the world and through this communication we seek to reiterate our position that “We are for holidays” giving shape to the dream holidays of millions of Indians. The creative showcases the child-like enthusiasm and the excitement of planning and eventually taking a holiday and is urging the consumers to never let their holiday spirit die. This campaign endeavors to motivate every Indian to make holidays a priority and to lower the guilt associated with taking holidays.”

Mr. Shiv Sethuraman, Group CEO, TBWA India said, “Asians in general and Indians in particular are a hardworking people. While this is largely a good thing it does mean that we are ridden with guilt when it comes to taking a holiday.

A new termina l a t Queen Al ia International Airport (QAIA) in

Jordan’s capital, Amman was opened recently amidst great pomp and ceremony. His Majesty, King Abdullah of Jordan inaugurated the terminal during the ceremony held at the airport in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Rania, senior officials and diplomats.

The new 103,000-square-metre terminal can handle 12 million passengers annually, compared with the old terminal’s 3.5 million-passenger capacity, according to the Airport International Group (AIG). The number of gates will be developed gradually to meet demand towards the 12 million passenger target. In the terminal’s first phase, seven new contact stands and

one temporary remote boarding lounge, will come into operation, serving 7 million passengers.

Additionally, demolishing the airport’s terminal will trigger another phase of the expansion plan, catapulting the total capacity to 9 million passengers per year, according to the AIG, which is the consortium responsible for the rehabilitation, expansion and operation of the airport.

The daily flight capacity at the airport will increase from 110 in 2006 to a projected 180 in 2018, while the number of destinations from and to the airport rose from 40 in 2006 to 61 in 2012.

AIG has so far invested JD500 million in developing the airport, adding that the total cost of investment in the project will reach JD700 million once the development has been finalised and the capacity of the

terminal has been increased.The terminal has been designed by

renowned British architect Norman Foster, who designed the new Wembley Stadium in London, among other international landmarks.

The new terminal’s roof design is inspired by bedouin tents and is composed of 127 concrete domes. There are 64 check-in counters at the new building and six conveyor belts in the baggage claim area. This is a positive development for the Indian outbound traveller. The combination of the ‘Visa on Arrival’ facility that Indians can avail of if they are in a group of five persons or more, with confirmed return flight tickets, confirmed hotel bookings and USD 1000 each; plus the opening of the new terminal will encourage outbound travel from India to Jordan right in time for the holiday season.

Ravishankar, Revenue Manager, GRT Hotels & Resorts says “HolidayIQ is clearly the largest holiday planning website with most number of destinations and hotels listed. Also they help me specifically target only those travellers who are planning a trip to my destination. I see great value in advertising on HolidayIQ as they give me access to my most preferred audience and I can make the best use of my advertising spends.”

“HolidayIQ is one of the fastest growing portals providing online visibility to hoteliers. I find HolidayIQ as the best medium to advertise because it’s the only place where I can target travellers planning a holiday to my destination”, said Mr. Ashutosh Chauhan from Hotel Shantiraj Hill Cave, Lansdowne. Uttrakhand

HolidayIQ.com is not a travel agent but India’s leading travel planning website powered by reviews contributed by millions of Indian travellers. After finding all the information needed to plan holidays, travellers can compare hotel availability and prices among all leading online travel agencies from within HolidayIQ.com and proceed to book with the vendor of choice. Alternatively, they can search, find, connect with and request for customized packages from over 1000 traditional (offline) Indian travel agents who specialize in various tourism destinations in India and abroad. HolidayIQ.com also lists a large number of standard & unique packages from various hotels & agents. These tools coupled with the large volume of credible traveller community contributed content on the website provide Indian travellers with a comprehensive set of options to book their next holiday.

‘Paper Plane’ is a charming and moving story about the child in all of us. The child that is dizzy with excitement about going on a holiday and what happens when he collides with the real world. Mr. Rahul Sengupta, our NCD, has written a superbly insightful tale and Mr. Hemant Bhandari of Chrome Pictures has brought it alive in the most magical and charming manner imaginable. This TVC is part of a larger and longer term ambition for Kuoni. That ambition involves urging more and more Indians to take holidays and paradoxically, in a country like ours that is going to need much exhortation”.

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The Golden Peacock is the latest restaurant to be featured at the iconic

and ever-popular Venetian Macao, and brings the best in authentic Indian cuisine to visitors of Sands China’s Cotai Strip™ Resorts. For travellers headed to the fun-fil led and family-friendly destination in Macao, the new addition provides a truly genuine taste of home amongst the expansive selection of international cuisine at the integrated resort city.

Walking into the soothingly lit space, the modern design is inviting, with an elegant mix of wood, metal, masonry and tile, complemented b y u n m i s t a k a b l e embellishments of classic Indian design motifs. Featuring bronze and browns, plus subtle touches of colour in reds, yellows and blues, the decor is attractive yet unassuming, providing a relaxed and

stylish atmosphere in which to enjoy a respite after a round of shopping or sightseeing.

From northern and southern to Jain, the choice of cuisine is comprehensive,

prepared by a team o f 1 7 c h e f s t h a t includes 13 from all throughout India. At the helm is Chef Justin Paul, a native of Kerala. His fine skills in the kitchen were successfully put to the test in 2009, when he catered to 5,000 Indian guests attending the IIFA Awards, hosted by The Venetian Macao. He aga in he lped provide authentic Indian fare in 2011 when The Venetian Macao hosted the

STAR Parivaar Awards. Indian awards shows and tourists aside, The Venetian Macao has become an attractive destination for Indian film and television producers, with scenes shot on-location for many

productions, including 2012’s STAR Plus telefilm series, Teri Meri Love Stories.

The authenticity of the Golden Peacock derives not only from the chefs , recipes a n d p r e p a r a t i o n t e c h n i q u e s , b u t from the ingredients t h e m s e l v e s . Spices, bright red pomegranates and even clay serving pots are imported direct from India, and nearly everything is prepared from scratch i n - h o u s e – f r o m yogurt, paneer and ice cream to masalas, sauces, pickles and chutneys. All food is prepared according to halal standards.

A glass-enclosed area gives diners a view of chefs working at twin 250-degree-Celsius tandoor ovens made from Indian clay, dishing out succulent spears of roast chicken and lamb from one and delicious naan from the other. A bar area provides an informal venue for chit-chatting, and doubles as an additional serving area during buffet hours. Two overhead television sets provide entertainment from Zee TV and All Sports Network (ASN), while the restaurant’s upstairs mezzanine offers a more private dining experience.

The Golden Peacock’s a la carte selections are presented with a gourmet flourish, and the buffet line is comprehensive, with a generous selection of appetizers, main courses and desserts. Considering the attentive service from the knowledgeable

wait staff, the gourmet presentation and elegant decor, one would expect prices

to be on the high end of Macao dining. Y e t t h e G o l d e n Peacock provides an affordable family outing, with buffets starting at MOP 140 (approx. INR 930), and a la carte prices for main courses starting at MOP 58 (approx. INR 390) for vegetarian dishes, MOP 78 (approx. INR 520) for meat dishes, and MOP 128 (approx. INR 850) for seafood.

T h e G o l d e n Peacock is open daily

and has seating for 169; buffet lunch is served from 11 am to 3 pm, and an a la carte menu is available from 3 to 11 pm. The restaurant is conveniently located on the first floor of The Venetian Macao (Shop 1037), near the North Lobby, next to McSorley’s Ale House.

For travellers unfamiliar with Macao, a visit to the former Portuguese enclave provides a rich opportunity to discover one of Asia’s meeting points of eastern and western culture, with its unique Sino-Portuguese history and beautifully preserved UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Located at the southern tip of China and only 45 minutes from Hong Kong by high-speed ferry, Macao offers 30-day visa-free entry for Indian nationals and has a local population that speaks Mandarin, Cantonese, English and/or Portuguese.

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The Visa on Arrival (VoA) scheme of the Government for foreign tourists

registered a growth of 63% during March, 2013. During the month, a total number of 2,107 VoAs were issued as compared to 1,287 VoAs issued during March, 2012. During the period, January to March 2013, a total number of 5,744 VoAs were issued as compared to 3,905 VoAs during corresponding period of 2012 registering a positive growth of 47.1%. The number of VoAs issued under this scheme during March 2013 for nationals of the eleven countries were Japan (848), New Zealand (332), Indonesia (312), the Philippines

(225), Singapore (214), Finland (109), Luxembourg (32), Vietnam (20), Myanmar (8), Cambodia (7), and Laos (0). The number of VoAs issued under the Scheme during January to March 2013 were Japan (2251), New Zealand (985), Indonesia (739), the Philippines (631), Singapore (571), Finland (386), Luxembourg (61), Vietnam (53), Cambodia (42), Myanmar (22), and Laos (3). During the period, January to March 2013, the highest number of VoAs were issued at Delhi airport (3371) followed by Mumbai (1239), Chennai (778) and Kolkata (356).

Following the launch of services to Lyon in December last year, Emirates

Airline, one of the leading carriers of the world along with Rhone-Alpes Tourism organized a workshop for travel agents at its Mumbai office on 11th March.

Ms. Barbara Breheret from Rhone-Alps Tourism flew down to Mumbai to promote Lyon especially for this workshop. She provided an in-depth understanding of Lyon’s key-selling aspects to the travel agent partners. Lyon is France’s second-largest city and also popular as a wine region in Europe. The workshop highlighted Lyon’s immense tourism potential in numerous tourism segments, such as honeymoons, heritage, architecture, food & wine, and as a family destination.

Commenting on the workshop Mr. Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, Vice President, India & Nepal, Emirates Airline said, “This workshop highlights Emirates’ commitment towards Lyon. This new initiative will benefit Lyon’s tourism sector

If there’s one thing the people of Munich enjoy, it is partying and any old excuse

to throw one will do. That includes having a festival to celebrate each season, and as many as possible in between. And typically, this involves lots of beer drinking. Munich is celebrating its 49th Frühlingsfest (spring festival, April 16 - May 2) this year on the famous Theresienwiese, the home of the Oktoberfest

The Munich Spring Festival is sometimes called the “Kleine Wiesn” (Little Oktoberfest) or the “Kleine Schwester des Oktoberfestes” (Oktoberfest’s Little Sister). The Spring Festival has a big beer tent called the Festhalle Bayernland which seats about 2000 people. Munich’s favourite Augustiner beer is splashed out from traditional wooden kegs.

The festival kicks off with a big parade and Böllerschützen, where aging artillery enthusiasts shoot mini hand-cannons into the air. The first keg is tapped inside the Hippodrom-Festzelt at 4pm on the opening day to get the beer flowing.

There are dozens of rides including a Ferris wheel (Riesenrad) a ghost train (Geisterbahn), the Frisbee and Europe’s longest portable

slide, the Münchner Rutschn. There are more than 10 rides designed specially for younger kids. Tuesdays are special “family days” with reduced prices for the rides.

In 2010 the Hippodrom-Festzelt, a favourite Oktoberfest beer tent, made its debut at the Munich Spring Festival and a new lager beer called Spaten Frühlingsfest Hell was served for the first time. If the weather

is friendly you might want to sit a while in the Radlingers Weißbiergarten, a beer garden that specialises in Paulaner Weizen (Bavarian “white beer”). A band often cranks out old-time Bavarian hits. There’s also a covered section, the Allwetter-Biergarten, if it’s too wet or chilly.

On the first Saturday of the festival you’ll find one of Munich’s greatest flea-markets: Over 1000 stands peddling everything from boomerangs to Beethoven. Vendors open at 6am so you’ll need an early start to snap up the best bargains. On the second Friday there’s usually a big fireworks display after sunset.

Other special events that pop up sporadically at the fest included a vintage car exhibition and a couple of days where visitors can pay with (now extinct) Deutschmarks.

by bringing even more visitors from India. Emirates is working firmly to promote Lyon across our network and continuing our support of Rhone-Alps tourism by partnering with them. I am certain, that this workshop will help our travel partners sell the packages to Lyon.”

Speaking on the occasion Ms. Barbara Breheret, Rhone-Alps

Tourism representative for India said, “The objective of organizing this workshop is to create greater understanding about the selling aspects of Lyon and its offerings. A key part of this is the best way to travel there and I personally thank Emirates who partnered with us to organize the same. Their launch of flights to Lyon provides a unique access to 10 different Indian markets using a single carrier.”

Further she added, “Today, India is one our most important markets and we are looking at attracting all segments of travelers. We are targeting tourism as well as working towards increasing the awareness level of the destination in the Indian market. The easy accessibility to Lyon from Dubai will help us attract more passengers to Lyon.”

Emirates operates 185 weekly flights to 10 Indian destinations. The airline additionally operates 33 weekly flights from France.

Sohum Spa powered by Kenilworth Resort & Spa has specially created new

spa packages to pamper its guests with rejuvenating indulgence amidst the heart of summer. Nourishing natural ingredients with cooling and rejuvenating properties of lemon grass with exotic polishing and cleansing of apricot which acts as a retardant gives the fresh look to your body and skin. A mixture of beta carotene, minerals and other plant compounds from this high range fruit seeps into the skin and triggers cellular maintenance and renewal, well known for its cooling effects exfoliates dead skin cells and expels body heat.

The highlight of this top-to-toe indulgence is the ‘Apricot Scrub for 30 minutes’ to remove the dead cells, invigorating your skin. Lemon grass

perfectly compliments apricot with its antiseptic and mood elevating properties.

F o l l o w e d b y s o o t h i n g Aromatic France massage helps in uplifting your skin’s texture with a perfect amalgamation of aroma oils selected from carefully preserved global bio-reserves are blended with cold pressed anti-oxidant rich oils to provide a gentle relaxing massage. An

‘Aromatic France Massage is for 90 minutes’ using full body technique to conclude the treatments.

T h e s u m m e r c o o l i n g package keeps the skin smooth and moisturizes it by removing the dead cells, heat and tan of your skin. It is suitable for normal skin. It is by far recommended as the best spa therapy during summers.

Ms. Rasika Singh has been appointed as Director-Sales & Marketing, Novotel Hyderabad

Convention Centre and Hyderabad International Convention Centre. She is known for being both people & process driven, with a sound understanding of business dynamics. She has a proved her ability to exceed sales quotas with a track record of creating and sustaining the Brand Equity.

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The President Mr. Pranab Mukherjee has presented National Tourism

Awards for the year 2011-12. Speaking on the occasion Union Tourism Minister Mr. K. Chiranjeevi said that Tourism Industry has immense potential to increase tourism arrivals. He said, “For this, we

need to constantly monitor trends and re-invent our products for the marketplace”. Referring to the safety of tourists, the Minister said a code of conduct for Safe and Honourable Tourism has been adopted by the Ministry and stakeholders. He said the code has been incorporated in

the guidelines governing the approval of various categories of travel trade and related service providers as well as for the classification of various categories of accommodation including hotels. Mr. Chiranjeevi said “The objective of the Code is to follow internationally accepted

best practices of safe tourism applicable to both tourists and local residents giving special emphasis to safety of women and children”.

The Tourism Minister said that his ministry is working towards the electronic delivery of more than half a dozen services online; to enable anyone desirous of visiting India from any part of the world plan their trip to India and make actual bookings from the comfort of their home. He said “To provide round the clock information to international tourists, the Ministry is also setting up a tourism information line which would be a multi lingual helpline in nine world languages”.

The minister said, “this year we have come out with a very important paradigm shift in our strategy to promote India within the country and abroad. The ‘Go Beyond’ campaign focuses on promoting lesser known destinations to domestic as well as international tourists. The other campaign, themed as ‘Find what you Seek’, targets the international tourists who imagine a need and find its realization in India. In the short span of four months our campaign has won international accolades”.

He said that the Ministry of Tourism continues its holistic and integrated approach to marketing, branding and advertising that is designed to bring more visitors to the country. The Minister congratulated the awardees and expressed the hope that together we will achieve our target of being a world tourism destination in the near future.

Andhra Pradesh has bagged the best state award for comprehensive development of tourism in the rest of India category of National Tourism Award 2011-12. The Best Heritage city award has gone to Warangal (AP). Amritsar Heritage Walk and Delhi Heritage Walk have been declared joint winner of the best Heritage Walk Award. Every year the categories of awards are reviewed with new categories being added to recognize excellence in diverse fields, in accordance with the requirements of changing times.

Mr. Saurabh Patel, Minister for Tourism, Gujarat and Mr. Sanjay Kaul IAS, Commisioner of Tourism, Gujarath receiving National Tourism award from Mr. Pranab Mukharjee, President of India in the presence of Mr. K. Chiranjeevi, Union Minister of Tourism

Mr. Suman Bhilla IAS Secreatary Tourism, Kerala receiving National Tourism award from Mr. Pranab Mukharjee, President of India in the presence of Mr. K. Chiranjeevi, Union Minister of Tourism

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It is an ongoing endeavour of the Ministry to diversify the tourism products of the country by developing and promoting new niche segments, so as to attract different categories of tourists with diverse interests and to promote India as a year - round destination. In keeping with this thrust of the Ministry, new categories of awards for “Medical Tourism Facilities” and for “Tour Operators Promoting Niche segments” were introduced in 2011.

In an attempt to encourage States and Union Territories to adopt effective mechanisms for maintaining cleanliness at tourist destinations, a new category of award for “Best State : Campaign Clean India” was introduced in 2012. New categories of awards for “Best Heritage City” and “Best Heritage Walk” were also introduced in 2012. Recognising the importance of Cinema as a powerful tool for the development and promotion of the destinations, the Ministry has instituted a National Tourism Award for “Best Tourism Film”. The Tourism Ministry has also announced special National Tourism Award for Mr. Yann Martel, author of the Book “Life of Pi”, for promoting India (Puducherry and Munnar) through his book.

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India annually presents National Tourism Awards to various segments of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. These awards are being given since the early 1990s and are presented to State Governments / Union Territories, classified hotels, heritage hotels, approved travel agents, tour operators and tourist transport operators, individuals and other private organizations in recognition of their performance in their respective fields and also to encourage healthy competition with an aim to promote tourism in India.

Mr. Peter Frawley GM Designate- Ndhra Pradesh for Accor Hotels receiving National Tourism award for Best Stand alone Convention centre

Mr. Sibi Mathew, General Manager, Vivanta by TajKumarakom receiving the National Tourism award from Mr. PranabMukharjee, President of India

Dr.Poly Mathew CMD of Somatheeram Ayurveda Hospital & Yoga Centre, Chowara, Trivandrum receiving the National Tourism award from Mr. PranabMukharjee, President of India

Mr. P.D. Joseph, MD and Mr. Ranju Joseph, Director of Pioneer Personalised Holidays Cochin receiving the National Tourism award from Mr. PranabMukharjee, President of India

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March 15, 2013 marked the celebration of 14th Annual Day of Banarsidas

Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management & Catering Technology (BCIHMCT) to felicitate the winners of various extracurricular and academic activities organized at the Institute throughout the year.

The judgment of food stalls, put up by the students of the Institute, by Chef Sabyasachi Gorai, Director of Kitchens, Olive Bar & Kitchen, Delhi and Chef Farhan Ahmad, Sous Chef, Hilton Eros Nehru Place, set the pace for the day. These food stalls catered to a huge influx of guests throughout the day up to late evening hours.

Inter College Folk Dance Competition being an annual feature of the College events, revived the cultural heritage, being the next attraction of the day. Seven teams from various Colleges of Delhi-NCR gave breath-taking performances bringing together the traditional dance forms from

various parts of India.The Chief Guest at the function, Mr.

Ramesh Takulia, Director, Learning & Development (Taj Hotels Luxury Division) Taj Hotels, Resorts & Palaces, in his speech said that the college had carved a niche for itself in the hotel industry producing highly professional graduates. He also gave the students tips for success in Hospitality Industry.

Mr. R.K. Bhandari, Principal BCIHMCT presented the Annual Report of the Academic Year 2012-2013 highlighting the achievements of the Institute during the said Academic Year.

Concluding the celebrations of the Annual Day, the students of the Institute added color to the evening by cultural performances. Valedictory Function for awarding trophies and certificates to the winning participants in the events, held throughout the academic year, was the highlight of the evening.

Centre of Learning, the education and training vertical of Thomas

Cook (India) Limited, has launched its franchisee outlet in Kochi. The new Knowledge Distribution Partner (KDP) was inaugurated by Mr. K. Babu, Minister for Excise, Fisheries and Ports, Kerala State and Mr. Adrian Williams, Head – Human Resources, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd.

The new Centre of Learning KDP located at Kochi’s key hub of S L Avenue, is technology enabled offering both classroom and online programmes, backed with multimedia support to empower learning through diverse media.

Kochi’s strong demand for tourism centric education will be tapped by The Thomas Cook India-Centre of Learning’s extensive range of programmes from basic to advanced levels, for travel aspirants, students and working executives. The Company’s unique under graduate courses include “Domestic Tour Management”, a 4 month programme where students get an opportunity to master Indian tourist destinations. Also on offer will be a variety of post-graduate courses such as its 1 year Travel Professional Programme, 3 month certificate course in World Tour Management, as well as impactful Destination Management courses both online and offline. The training institute

will also provide a wide array of under graduate and post graduate courses.

Thomas Cook India’s Centre of Learning is the recipient of the internationally renowned IATA accreditation of one of “Top 10 South Asia IATA Authorized Training Centers”, 2012 & 2013.

Commenting on the launch of Centre of Learning’s KDP in Kochi, Mr. Adrian Williams, Head-Human Resources, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd said, “Kerala is a powerful market for travel and tourism, and the launch of our Kochi Centre of

Learning franchisee outlet, is to facilitate talent not just for us as an organisation, but also for the tourism industry as a whole. Our internal research indicates strong demand for trained and skilled manpower from Kerala and via our Centre of Learning Kochi outlet we hope to provide the travel

industry with this much needed talent-pool.”

“We are delighted that our Centre of Learning has been certified by IATA as one of South Asia’s Top Performing Authorised Training Centres for 2012 & 2013; indeed a reiteration of our Company’s dedication and focused delivery in the field of travel and tourism centric education and training. Our expansion strategy will include franchise additions via the South in the coming years.” he further added.

According to the data, which was presented during the eighth annual

Northern California Visitor Industry Outlook & Marketing Conference at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square, the San Francisco Travel Association has reported that San Francisco welcomed 16.51 million visitors in 2012, an increase of one percent from 2011. These visitors spent $ 8.93 billion in 2012, up 5.5 percent from the previous year.

“Vis i tor spending reached the highest level ever in 2012,” said Mr. Joe D’Alessandro, San Francisco Travel president and CEO. “The total number of visitors is climbing steadily as well. The tourism industry generated $562 million in taxes for the City of San Francisco, up 6.7 percent from the previous year. The number of jobs supported by tourism rose 3.6 percent to 74,009 jobs in 2012, with an annual payroll of $ 2.18 billion, an increase of 6. 2 percent.” he added.

In 2012, there was an average of 131,128 visitors in San Francisco each day. Visitor spending equated to $24.46 million daily (including spending related to meetings and conventions). Convention bookings were at 48 percent of goal at midyear and are on target to achieve the annual goal of 2,105,500 booked room nights which is a five percent increase over last year. Six conventions in San Francisco have received record breaking attendance in the past six months, continuing a trend that has

been tracked since 1998. The likelihood of holding a well-attended event is a significant attraction for meeting planners considering San Francisco.

Among the many things that will keep the momentum going for San Francisco’s tourism industry are:• TheBayLights,afineartpieceinstalled

on the western span and viewable from San Francisco and points north. The March 5 launch of the lights was covered by media around the world. Measuring 1.8 -miles-long and 500 - feet-high, the high-tech light sculpture design features 25,000 individually p r o g r a m m a b l e , energy -efficient LE D lights mounted on the bridge’s vertical cab les . The Bay Lights will remain on the bridge for two years and is projected to add $97 million to the local economy.

• OnApril17,2013,thenew Exploratorium, S a n F r a n c i s c o ’ s i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y acclaimed museum of sciences, art and human perception, will open on Piers 15 and 17, located

on San Francisco’s historic northern waterfront at Embarcadero and Green streets. The new museum will feature 150 new exhibits, a Bay observatory, outdoor gallery and free civic space.

• TheAmerica’sCupwillbringsailingenthusiasts and media attention from around the world for a series of events: The Louis Vuitton Cup, the America’s Cup Challenger Series on Jul. 4 -Aug. 30, 2013; the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, open to national teams of sailors aged 19-23 on Sept. 1-4, 2013; and the America’s Cup Finals between the winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup, the America’ Cup Challenger Series, and the defending ORACLE TEAM USA on Sept. 7-21, 2013.

• TohelpkeepSanFrancisco’smessagein front of the leisure travelers that make up 54 percent of the total visitors (vacationers and weekend getaways combined), San Francisco Travel works with strategic partners including

American Express®, Cali fornia Academy of Sciences, CityPASS, Levi’s, Wells Fargo, Pier 39, BART and Amtrak to develop integrated marketing campaigns to increase visitation to San Francisco and enhance visitor engagement in market. In March, San Francisco Travel launched a hotel promotion offering visitors up to 40 percent off their hotel stay, and a $50 gift card when two or more nights were booked. The promotion will run through June 30 and can be booked exclusively through www.sanfrancisco.travel/stay

• DineAboutTown,theannualrestaurantpromotion developed by San Francisco Travel Association, is celebrating its 12thyear in 2013. The program generates an estimated $3 million in additional revenue to the city’s restaurants. The second half of the 2013 program will take place June 1-15 with more than 100 restaurants participating.

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Asia’s first and only river-themed wildlife park which features rare and

endangered animals from eight iconic river habitats is opened for the public. Visitors can look forward to discovering the exotic wildlife found in eight iconic river habitats with the soft opening of River Safari.

The 12-ha River Safari is the newest addition to Wildlife Reserves Singapore’s

portfolio and will showcase animals from freshwater habitats inspired by eight of the world’s iconic rivers including the Mississippi, Nile, Mekong, Yangtze and Amazon rivers. The park will be home to over 150 plant species and 5,000 animal specimens representing 300 animal species, including one of the world’s largest collections of freshwater animals.

Among the unique aquatic and terrestrial animals featured in the park are endangered river giants such as the Giant Salamander, Giant Freshwater Stingray and Mekong

Giant Catfish. River Safari is the only park in Asia to feature the Giant River Otter,

the world’s largest otter that can grow up to 1.8 metres.

Ms. Claire Chiang, Chairman, Wildlife Reserves Singapore, said, “We look forward t o w e l c o m i n g visitors to River Safari and bringing them up-close to

the fasc inat ing wildlife that live in

river habitats, which are disappearing faster

than forest and marine environments. As the first and only river-themed wildlife park in Asia, River Safari aims to highlight the importance of freshwater ecosystems and inspire positive actions for conserving them. In addition, we also seek to play a part

in global captive breeding programmes for endangered freshwater species.”

During the soft opening phase, visitors can walk through River Safari’s freshwater galleries and immersive exhibits, including the world’s largest freshwater aquarium at the Amazon Flooded Forest and the Giant Panda Forest. The park’s boat rides will not be available until later this year as they are undergoing technical adjustments.

River Safari opens daily from 9am to 6pm and tickets will be priced at S$35 (Adult), S$23 (Child between 3-12 years), and $17.50 (Senior citizen above 60 years). As the boat rides and some exhibits will not be ready until a later date, daily admission during the soft opening phase will be priced at a discounted rate of S$25 (Adult), S$16 (Child between 3-12 years) and $12.50

(Senior citizen above 60 years). Visitors can purchase tickets at Singapore Zoo and River Safari’s ticket booth. River Safari extends free admission to beneficiaries of selected programmes by Voluntary Welfare Organizations.

From 3 April, visitors planning to see the giant pandas can do so only via River Safari. The current giant panda preview, which visitors pay a top-up fee in addition to Singapore Zoo admission ticket, has ended on 31 March. Both pandas are housed at the Yangtze River zone that features the Yangtze alligator and the world’s largest amphibian – the Chinese giant salamander.

River Safari is designed and developed with the utmost concern for the environment, especially the Mandai Nature Reserve area where the park is situated. The park brings together the best in zoological architecture and design, with state-of-the-art exhibit artistry and technology to provide visitors with an

immersive experience into the world of rivers and the landscapes they support.

River Safari is the first attraction in Singapore to be conferred with

the Building and Construction Authority’s Green Mark.

Sir Richard Branson landed in Edinburgh to celebrate the launch of Virgin Atlantic’s

first ever domestic service, Little Red. The new airline will carry up to one million passengers a year, create 375 jobs in the UK and generate £75m in visitor spend for the Scottish economy.

Almost 30 years after starting his long haul service to shake up a stagnant monopoly market, Sir Richard Branson is now bringing that challenge to UK air travel by restoring competition on three routes which have faced a monopoly since the takeover of bmi by British Airways’ parent company IAG. Little Red will be flying 26 domestic flights a day offering seamless connections to Manchester and Scotland from Delhi and Mumbai via London Heathrow.

The launch will bring greater choice for consumers, with wider flight schedules, and competition in prices. Virgin Atlantic is currently offering tax and charge only fares for travel on Little Red in May and June as a special celebratory rate.

“Today marks the start of an exciting new chapter in Virgin Atlantic’s history. Our product, service and flair are known throughout the world, and we’re thrilled to be bringing that to domestic flying. Virgin Atlantic Little Red is the next step on our exciting journey, allowing us to offer a more connected network which will deliver sustained and effective competition at home and around the world,” said Sir Richard Branson, President, Virgin Atlantic

“We are really looking forward to welcoming on board millions of passengers between Heathrow, Manchester, Edinburgh and Aberdeen and to restoring consumer choice on these routes,” he added.

It was on the UK’s busiest route of London Heathrow to Edinburgh that Sir Richard officially celebrated Little Red’s arrival. Greeted by Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, the airline confirmed its

commitment to Scotland and said it expects to bring a quarter of a million visitors to the country - generating £75 million in revenue for the economy. Little Red’s arrival is also creating 375 jobs in the UK, including 130 in Scotland.

In addition, Virgin Holidays is also growing its presence in Scotland in the coming months – creating nearly 20 new jobs including three apprenticeships for young people. A standalone store will be opened in Edinburgh city centre, along with two superstore concessions. The openings add to the existing Virgin Holidays outlets in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Stirling and Silverburn, which have seen 25 jobs created since 2011.

“I am delighted to welcome the launch of Virgin Atlantic’s Little Red flights between Scotland and Heathrow. These new flights from Edinburgh and Aberdeen will create jobs, offer passengers easier access to Virgin’s global destinations and provide competition on these routes, resulting in a

better deal for passengers,” said Ms. Nicola Sturgeon, Deputy First Minister of Scotland.

“Good access to Heathrow; the UK’s only hub airport, is essential for Scotland’s economic development. The Scottish Government is also keen to see more direct international flights from Scotland and we continue to press for Air Passenger Duty to be devolved as quickly as possible to provide the means to incentivise this,” she added.

Sir Richard was joined in Scotland by Virgin Atlantic’s new Chief Executive Mr. Craig Kreeger. Speaking publically for the first time as CEO, Craig Kreeger said: “Everyone at Virgin Atlantic is thrilled to be launching our first ever domestic service and we’re excited to be here in Scotland today to celebrate that launch. The Heathrow-Edinburgh route is the key to Little Red’s strategy to provide strong and effective competition - it is the busiest UK air route with Edinburgh being a thriving financial centre and the seat of the Scottish

government.“Alongside bringing revenue into

Scotland, our Little Red service is all about connectivity to the rest of the world. Virgin Atlantic flies to over 30 destinations around the globe and passengers can now start their journey with us even closer to home. We have seen impressive numbers of connecting journeys being booked through to places such as Tokyo and New York, demonstrating our customers are just as excited about Little Red as we are. We’re confident our seamless terminal connections and highly-rated in-flight service will appeal to all,” he added.

The service has received overwhelming support from other airlines that are keen to connect passengers between their Heathrow flights and the rest of the UK. 31 other airlines already offer their flights with Little Red connections. Many of these airlines used to partner with bmi and want to offer their passengers a competitive alternative to British Airways. Four airlines are already code sharing on Little Red services to provide seamless connections for their passengers: Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand, South African Airways and Cyprus Airways and Virgin Atlantic expects to add further codeshare partners in the near future providing stronger links with even more worldwide destinations.

Little Red flights will operate to and from Heathrow Terminal 1 with excellent connections with Virgin Atlantic’s international flights from Terminal 3. The top three connections from Edinburgh are Narita in Tokyo - with three times as many bookings so far as any other connecting destination - JFK and San Francisco.

From Aberdeen, JFK and Shanghai are popular destinations and from Manchester New York JFK is the runaway leader, with Los Angeles and San Francisco also popular choices with connecting passengers.

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When in Ethiopia you are on the bosom of Abyssinia – part of the

world that bears the glory of giving birth to first human race. It was from here nomads scattered to different locations reaching even to the farthest of the south east Asia. This, of course is a fact that ratifies the resemblance seen between south Indians and Ethiopians. What you will not see among south Indians is the atypical African curly hair Ethiopians have. Having stayed for nearly two years in Ambo, an Ethiopian highland town with village ambience, it was our ardent desire to explore the natural splendours of this engrossingly ethnic African country.

In Ethiopia to decide upon a tourism destination is always puzzling. There are plenty of places that a curious visitor can endeavour upon. If the Blue Nile and Lake Tana beckon you from the north, you get an irrefutable call from the sprawling Bale Mountains in almost the middle of the country. When you leave the Capital City, Addis Ababa – considered as the world’s third highest Capital from the sea level – towards the west, you reach our town Ambo, at a distance of 120km. The road connecting Addis Ababa and Ambo is an asphalted spiralling one, but without any potholes or bumps. Thanks to the Chinese whose graciousness it is.

You will definitely enjoy a ride from Addis Ababa to Ambo, a two-hour-long one that unveils before you the undulating topography. Nothing obstructs you from seeing unto the horizon. The well-built road unrolls like a black ribbon – looking tapered from far and widening as you approach. On both sides of the road you find traditionally built houses with roofs thatched with grass. The walls of the houses are mostly made of soil paste filling the gaps of wooden logs. This structure, according to natives have long endurance.

The highland climate of Ambo has a characteristic scorching heat outside but

salubriously colder inside. Even under a small patch of tree shade you enjoy the cold of breeze, but beyond there, you will find bearing the intensity of sunlight very difficult. Ambo fame

Ambo is famous for three things: quality of the natural mineral water, natural hot springs and Wenchi, the crater lake just 30km away. Our fantasy for Ambo mineral water was already satisfied with litres of it we have consumed. Ambo mineral water is noted for its international quality, popularity and export. The manufacturing unit is just 10km away from our residence. And the hot springs – it is on the banks of Huluka River that is the town’s shining necklace. These hot springs had even fascinated the Kings of Ethiopia who used to frequent the town for enjoying a celestial bathing experience. Now the portion of the hot springs is controlled by a privately owned Ambo Ethiopia Hotel, who has appropriately named the area as ‘Paradise Park’. Having experienced mineral water and hot springs, only thing left before us was the magnificent volcanic lake, Wenchi.

We shared our Wenchi dream with Prof. M.I. Zuberi, who is a Bangladeshi professor of Environmental Sciences with the Ambo University. He was so excited and started offering more tempting facts on the lake. The mounting enthusiasm was then transferred among the professor’s wife, Dr. Salma Zuberi, a plant scientist; his younger brother, Dr. Masud Elahi, a hydrologist and his Dutch wife, Astrid van Agthoven, who is station manager of UNICEF in Tanzania.

Thus formed was an ambitious team to visit the crater lake. But before setting out for the expedition, we had to wait till Christmas season for Dr. Elahi and Astrid to join us. We were in fact anxious about their 4-yearl-old girl Amel Elahi and 5-month-old baby boy, Ruben. How will the toddler and her baby brother face the trials and tribulations of a trekking

through a challenging environment? But the couple were firm and confident. Let the buds start learning life very early, was their theory.

So the team is ready. Now who will guide? Our enquiry ended at Teklu – a y o u n g , n e w l y jo ined ins t ruc tor with the Bio logy Department of the Ambo University. Taklu had his PG from Addis Ababa University and had his dissertation in biodiversity under the guidance of an Indian professor, M. Balakrishnan. The youngster was really possessed with a mind inclined to investigating more on the biological diversities. Taklu managed to get Abara, a young driver with an omnibus for our journey. My wife, Dr. Akhila S. Nair and Prof. M.I. Zuberi got their leave granted from the university.Tuesday trip

It was a fine Tuesday. At 7.45am we reached Hotel Keeberoon opposite to the University to pick Dr. Elahi, Astrid and their children. In the previous night, like all other hotels around, this hotel too had the upbeat pomp of a pub – drinking, meeting, eating, dancing… In the morning it is a quiet, decent place with well set seating arrangements. Gentlemen with overcoats are seen seated comfortably and enjoying ‘daboo’ (bread), ‘Injera’ (thin circular staple food made of locally opulent ‘teff’ flour. Injera for Ethiopians is like ‘Dosa’ or ‘Chapati’ for Indians). “We had bread, scrambled egg and Amel took two boiled eggs”, Dr. Elahi said. He had a bag containing bottled water, bread and banana fruits. Yes. We should carry enough water and food while going to Wenchi. Visitors to the lake have to walk for two long hours downward to reach the shore and another two hours upward to reach back the upper station. Vehicles are not permitted, but one can hire a horseback – but no horse cart, please.

Driver Abara and Taklu positioned on the front seats. We were also seated at our convenience. The Omnibus had 13 seats with double seats on one side, single seats on the other and folding single seats through its aisle. A jerk and the vehicle started moving. A brief stop at the fruit shop – it’s for procuring some bananas for Abara. When

everyone goes for trekking, he has to sit alone in the vehicle for hours together. “What did you buy?” I asked and Taklu said “One kg of development”. “Development?” “Yes, in our language ‘bedana’ means development. Banana and bedana sounds similar” Taklu laughed. Everyone laughed at the fun behind the homophonous words. The vehicle passed Ambo Micro Business College and turned right to take a road opposite to the telecommunication office. Our monthly travels to Addis Ababa and back has been through the straight road. But now a different turn. New experiences begin here.

Even though there was tarmac, the surface was not as smooth as the one leading to Addis Ababa. We felt shaking. Two kilometres passed and there was a gathering of people. It was a ‘gaba’ (country market). One more kilometre, and the tarmac ended. Ahead of us was a dusty, gravelled road with rolling pieces of stones. When vehicles pass, there is a cloud of dust and triggering of stones in all directions by the wheels.

We were experiencing truly village ambiences. Children waved their hands from their huts. Some huts were too dilapidated. Some were as if abandoned. “No. there are farmers residing. They might have gone for farming”, Taklu’s comment was in true ratification of the pastoralism prevalent in Ethiopia. Along the road, some equestrians showed their skill by riding their horses faster. Some trailed behind our vehicle.

K.P. Sivakumar[Author is a trainer with a college in Ambo,

Ethiopia. His wife Dr. Akhila S. Nair serves Ambo University as Asst. Professor in Environmental Sciences.]

To be Continued.....

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The Belgian State extended its Visa Application Centre services to

the Indian cities of Ahmedabad and Pune in Western India, and in Chennai and Hyderabad in Southern India, in collaboration with its commercial partner VFS Global, the world’s largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for diplomatic missions and governments. Catering to the growing demand of Belgium bound travellers in the region, this strategic move is aimed at offering new services, facilities and benefits to visa applicants, and boost tourism, trade and investments, and bilateral ties with India.

The announcement was made at a press conference held on the occasion of opening the new Belgium Visa Application Centre in Chennai. Mr. Karl Van den Bossche, Consul General of Belgium in Mumbai and Mr. Vishal Jairath, Regional Head - South Asia, VFS Global made the joint announcement at the conference. Also present at the conference was Mr. Koen Gabriels, Consul and Head of Visa

Operations at the Consulate General of Belgium in Mumbai.

Speaking on the occasion, the Consul General said: “We are bringing our service closer to the public and business community, to enhance the user friendliness. We recognize the importance to open Visa Application Centres in our jurisdiction, together with VFS Global who has been our trusted partner for many years. These centres will offer a high quality and expedient service to our applicants. We strive to return passports within 3 working days. With this initiative, Belgium further intensifies its cultural and economic ties with India. Next steps are the opening of a Consulate General in Chennai and the visit of a large business delegation headed by HRH Prince Philippe, Crown Prince of Belgium, to New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai on November 23-29. Also Belgium’s festival Europalia, one of Europe’s largest cultural events, will focus on India this year.”

In 2012, nearly 34000 visa applications were received from travellers in Western

and Southern India by the Belgian Consulate in Mumbai. This increase over the last few years in Belgium bound travellers has encouraged the new initiative for expansion in the regions.

Mr. Jairath said, “It is our privilege to partner and provide services to the Consulate General of Belgium in Mumbai to facilitate visa application process for travellers in India. We are committed to provide highly efficient and convenient services to all applicants applying for a Belgian visa in the region. VFS Global is privileged to be associated with the Government of Belgium in India since 2006, apart from nine other countries globally. This extension of our association with the Belgian Government reflects their faith

in our abilities, and we are sure this will go a long way in forging a longstanding partnership with VFS Global.”

The VFS Global operated Schengen Visa Application Centres (SVACs) at Ahmedabad, Chennai and Hyderabad will accept visa applications for Belgium from applicants in the regions. The centre in Pune will also commence operations shortly. Similar services are also offered in Mumbai and Bengaluru by the Consulate General of Belgium in Mumbai, and will now accept visa applications from applicants residing in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala, apart from Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa through its extended network operated by VFS Global.

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modernisation with the installation of state-of-the-art facilities. New Greenfield airports are under construction and security, surveillance and air traffic navigation systems have been modernized. India, a growing Asian economy, is amongst the fastest growing and currently the 9th largest aviation market handling 121 million domestic and 41 million international passengers. Today, more than 85 international airlines operate to India and 5 Indian carriers connect over 40 countries.

The studies suggest that by the year 2020, India is likely to become the 3rd largest aviation market handling 336 million domestic and 85 million international passengers with projected investment to the tune of US$ 120 billion. Indian Aviation Industry has been instrumental in the overall economic development of the country. The Oxford Economics Report, commissioned by IATA indicates that Aviation accounts for 1.5% of India’s GDP and supports 1.7 million jobs – with a further 7.1 million employed in other sectors including tourism through the catalytic effects of aviation.

The prospects and possibilities of growth of Indian aviation markets are huge. The gap between potential and current air travel penetration shows that India is presently at 0.04 air trips per capita per annum, which is far behind developed countries like the US and Australia (more than 2 air trips per capita per annum), China and Brazil (0.3 air trips per capita per annum). The Low ratio of per capita air trips in India suggests a huge potential for the air traffic growth considering a relatively higher trajectory of economic growth in the country coupled with necessary Government support.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with small steps. We have taken number of initiatives to create an enabling environment for rapid growth of civil aviation sector in India. The single most important policy decision which may transform the civil aviation sector in India has been, to allow 49% FDI by the foreign carriers in domestic airlines. The ceiling of 49% is quite high as compared to other foreign countries where on an average it is kept as 26%. This also shows the Government’s firm commitment towards reforms in this sector. I am happy to know that some Indian carriers have already started exploring the possibilities of foreign collaboration which will boost civil aviation not only in India but in other parts of the world,” said the minister.

The cost of ATF constitutes the major component of the cost of operations of airlines in India. One of the important reasons of higher cost of ATF in India is the added burden of sales tax levied by the State Governments. To reduce this burden, the Government has decided to allow direct import of ATF by Indian carriers. All major Indian airlines are exploring

the possibilities of importing ATF. There are initial difficulties in putting the whole system in place for import of ATF in terms of sharing of on-site and off-site infrastructure for transport of ATF. The ministry is in discussion with the Petroleum & Natural Gas Ministry in this regard to bring ATF notified under PNGRB Act. Besides, the minister is also trying to persuade various State Governments to bring down the rate of sales-tax on ATF.

Recently, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has taken an important decision to liberalise the acquisition of aircraft by the scheduled, non-scheduled airlines, flying institutes and for private use. At present, prior permission from the ministry is required before the acquisition of aircraft through Aircraft Acquisition Committee. Henceforth, no permission for acquisition of aircraft will be required from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the airlines will be free to acquire aircrafts as per their business plan and requirements.

To give a big boost to international air travel, the Government has taken substantial steps to liberalize and grant traffic rights to Indian carriers to fly to several new destinations across the globe. In order to ensure better advance planning on the part of airlines, the Ministry of Civil Aviation as a long term plan has already allocated the traffic rights to Indian carriers for next two years. The new traffic rights have opened up several new international sectors and increased the overall traffic entitlements of the airlines by approximately 60% over the existing traffic rights. Only in Gulf and South East Asian countries, there is an enhancement of approximately 81,000 seats per week in the entitlement of Indian carriers which is about 80% more than their present entitlements. Now with liberalised aircraft acquisition policy, the airlines will be able to utilize all these bilateral rights bringing enormous benefits to the Indian public.

Another area which has given wings to the growth of Indian civil aviation is the privatization of four major airports under JV/PPP model and the policy of development of Greenfield airports which envisages synergy between the public and private sector. Keeping pace with the Government policy, the Airports Authority of India has also completed the expansion and upgradation of two metro airports at Kolkata and Chennai and has undertaken the development of 35 selected non-metro airports. The Government would like the AAI to run these airports including metro airports at Kolkata and Chennai by engaging professional airport operators on the management contract through a global competitive bidding process. Further accelerating the modernization and development process, Indian Government envisages an investment of US$ 12.1 billion

at Indian airports under the 12th Five-Year Plan, of which a contribution of about US$ 9.3 billion is expected from the private sector.

The Government has also unleashed the potential of development around airports by simplifying the building regulations. Henceforth no prior permission will be required for construction activities around airports if the builder constructs the building within the permissible height limits which will be marked by AAI on coloured maps.

Despite rapid growth of civil aviation in India, the benefits of air transport have not reached the smaller cities and remote and difficult areas of the country. To make the growth in this sector equitable and inclusive, the top priority of the ministry is to provide connectivity to these areas. Apart from the development of low-frill airports and modification of Route Dispersal Guidelines, the Government is in the process of formulation of a policy for promotion of regional and remote area connectivity in India incentivising the Indian carriers to operate on these routes including code sharing and seat credit mechanism.

While the aviation sector has undergone an exponential increase in traffic and aircraft movements, the safety regulatory apparatus has not kept pace with the requirements of the sector. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has found itself constrained functionally and administratively to respond to the growing requirements of business. The Government is in the process of introducing a bill in Parliament which will enable replacing the existing DGCA with a more autonomous Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The CAA will be a self-funding entity and shall have financial and operational autonomy.

India has the potential to be an MRO hub due to the growing aircraft fleet, location advantage and availability of technical manpower. To facilitate the growth of MRO Business and to make it competitive, the Government of India has recently announced several concessions in budget for 2013-14 which include extension of time period allowed for utilisation of aircraft parts and equipments from three months to one year, exemption of custom duty on parts, equipments, accessories, spares required for MRO purposes to private category aircraft also and inclusion

spender United States (both close to US$ 84 billion in 2012).

‘The Outline for National Tourism and Leisure (2013-2020)’, recently issued by the government of China, sets the ground for the redefinition of tourism development and management in the country, including a strong support for outbound tourism as well as a focus on a greater distribution of the economic, socio-cultural and environmental benefits of tourism. It also focuses on promoting the taking of paid annual leave days and boosting the healthy development of the tourism sector in China, in particular by ensuring the coordination of different sectors.

Where previously cultural norms have

stopped many in China from taking an annual leave, the Outline, which reinforces existing Regulations for Paid Annual Leave for Employees, encourages government agencies, social organizations, enterprises and public institutions to promote the use of leave days, giving moreover Chinese workers more freedom and flexibility on the issue of where and when to travel. The Outline, advocated for a long time by the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), comes four years after the tourism sector in China was acknowledged as a ‘pillar’ industry of modern services and one of the major social and economic sectors on the government´s agenda.

Some of the other emerging markets

have also increased their share of world tourism spending over the past decade. Among the world’s top ten source markets by expenditure, the Russian Federation saw an increase of 32% in 2012, to US$ 43 billion, bringing it from the 7th to 5th place in the ranking of international tourism spending. Worth mentioning beyond the top ten is Brazil, with an expenditure of US$ 22 billion in 2012, moving to 12th place up from 29th place in 2005.

“Emerging economies continue to lead growth in tourism demand” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Mr. Taleb Rifai. “The impressive growth of tourism expenditure from China and Russia reflects the entry into the tourism market of a growing

middle class from these countries, which will surely continue to change the map of world tourism,” he added.

Although the highest growth rates in expenditure abroad came from emerging economies, key traditional source markets, usually growing at a slower pace, also posted positive results. Spending on travel abroad from Germany and the USA grew by 6% each. Spending from the UK (US$ 52 billion) grew by 4% and the country retained its 4th place in the list of major source markets. Expenditure by Canada grew by 7%, while both Australia and Japan grew by 3%. On the other hand, France (-6%) and Italy (-1%) were the only markets in the top ten to record a decline in international tourism spending.

China - the new number one tourism source market in the world Contd. from page 01

of foreign airlines for the purpose of duty-free imports of parts etc. as applicable for scheduled air transport services.

The Government has recently cleared Flexi Use of Airspace by civil and military users. Implementation of FUA through civil and military coordination is an essential requirement to foster the air travel growth with ultimate benefit to our economy. There will be a reduction of carbon emission by about 7 million kg. per annum by direct routing between 7 major city pairs only because of FUA.

“I am aware that airline industry in India is undergoing a very challenging period because of high cost structure coupled with global economic slowdown. I am sure, various initiatives the Civil Aviation Ministry has taken, will have a positive impact on the growth and competitiveness of the airlines in India. There are still number of policy issues which have drawn my attention and we are in process of taking decisions on these issues to further the process of reforms. Technology upgradation in the field of air navigation is one of the most important areas for the overall efficiency and safety of entire Indian civil aviation industry. The creation of ANS Corporation from the existing AAI is one of the top most priorities of the Government so as to boost the pace of modernisation and upgradation of technology in the field of air navigation,” said Mr. Singh.

“The development work of Navi Mumbai airport may not likely begin as envisaged. To ease the pressure on the existing Mumbai airport, Government has taken an initiative to develop Juhu airport which will augment the capacity of existing Mumbai airport. KPMG has already submitted a report in this regard and I have also discussed it with the Chief Minister of Maharashtra during my recent visit to Mumbai,” he added.

The minister said that the Government also needs to take all measures to facilitate operations by the airlines to bring efficiency and competitiveness in their operations. Hence, there is need to streamline and liberalise various procedures in DGCA in view of the development of modern technology and the changed civil aviation requirements without compromising safety and security of air travel. The ministry has asked the DGCA to explore the possibilities in this regard.

India to be Third Largest Aviation Market by 2020 Contd. from page 01

Edited, Printed and Published by Ravisankar K.V. for Tourism India Publications Pvt. Ltd., Printed at Arsha Offset Graphix Sreehari, TC 9/2519-1, Janvilla Lane, Vellayambalam, Thiruvananthapuram 695 019 and Published from TC 9/1785, Anandam, Pattanikkunnu Lane, Sasthamangalam P.O,Thiruvananthapuram-695010. Editor: Ravisankar K.V.

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Tourism India Vol. 15 No.12 April 2013 RNI. No.: KERBIL/1998/7642 Postal Reg. No. KL/TV (N) 432/2012-2014