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TourismFirst_February_issue

ThIs I ssuE : F Ebruary, 2017 5 ironical that indian tourism needs more tourism products when so many abound across the country In recent years, many a time, a suggestion has been floated that India, despite its vast tourism resources, ironically, does not have adequate number of ongoing tourism products to offer in the international markets. One such suggestion, made at a national tourism convention a few years ago, went to the extreme to say that Indian tourism product looked jaded, when compared to its competitors in the South Asian region. Possibly, a sense of rejuvenation is required , some bit of stagnation has possibly crept in, to give a new glow to inbound Indian tourism. O ver the years considering the size and scope of the destination, relatively speaking , we have continued to rely primary on the Golden Triangle which is Delhi-Agra-Jaipur. Yes, there has been a spurt in inbound tourism to the South, to Goa , we may have stand-alone itineraries of the South, within which we have Kerala as a shining example. All said and done, however, much still depends on The Golden Triangle, with Delhi, Agra and Jaipur as the first choice for overseas visitors, especially, the first timers. Sadly, even within the Golden Triangle, there has been inadequate refurbishing . If a product or two has been added, it has not been promoted in the context of the overall product. Conversely, and ironically, it is also true that there has been a large growth of individually run properties, individually run programs , equally by s tate governments with events and promotions as in states like Gujarat, even in say relatively newer states like Andhra, in the North-East and Jharkhand and Bihar. We as a country do not have a policy for start-ups in the tourism sector; there is little mentoring available, and little opportunity for nurturing of new product s. This is equally true at the State government level and at a private entrepreneur level. If we have sound policies in place to support start -ups in the tourism sector , like giving support to a tea garden estate owner who wants convert 12 rooms into a tea garden experience or someone in the Kangra Hills who wants to promote experiences, we will be singing a different story soon enough. Each start-up needs to be drawn into a larger eco-system called national tourism! If you compare the need for new products, if you look at start-ups that are already on, all across the country, these need to be married together into a national policy for start-up s in the tourism sector which encourages products to grow, become sustainable and also to get prominently get visible in the national market and also internationally. We need a seamless policy across nurturing new products, putting them on the national grid, providing them sustenance to grow, providing them with the technical know-how . M any of them don’t have that in terms of manpower, in terms of skill-sets, so all these need to be nurtured and provided and then amalgamated together onto one single eco-system of products you can experience across the country. On the one hand, we do not have adequate products to boast of. On the other, we have so many new products that are going unnoticed. Its a tale of plenty going waste! contentS cRoSS cuRRentS: budget 2017 6. Tourism set to gain with substantial infrastructure push in the union budget aViation: capa RepoRt 8. LCC to grow in Southeast Asia as AirAsia, and VietJet to induct more: CaPa 9. A game changer in the offing, Government allows commercial usage of land under aaI HotelS + ReSoRtS 10. As only andaz can, Hyatt opens at Aerocity, its new lifestyle brand redefining luxury 12. Plan to open a Fortune in every 180 km in viable markets, says suresh Kumar 14. Adding teeth to Kochi’s tourism landscape, ayana unveils a luxury boutique hotel 16. HVs report: MiCe, FiTs push Goa post decline in charter movement; national outlook positive 19. Mergers a sign of growing maturity; will boost rational pricing, says Vikas bhola 20. lakshadweep will remain a high- end, low volume destination, says administrator outbound 22. malaysia will focus on positioning itself as a destination for the niche segment and family outbound from india, says Tourism Minister 24. south africa unveils promotional campaign; travel spend from india heads north 25. Niche and cinema tourism fuelling outbound to Thailand; trend to continue in 2017 26. Frankfurt: Culture, heritage, and F&B make it much more than a layover 27. austria registers strong footfalls; Vienna, innsbruck lead their indian foray 28. Dubai: promotes emirati heritage with an eye on ‘Dubai Strategic Plan 2021’ online: pHocuSwRigHt 18. Providers to focus on mobile platforms as millennials key to their growth: simon lehmann tHe laSt page 30. impact assessment must for nurturing responsible tourism: mandip soin tAleB rIFAI Secretary general, unWto on Belarus introducing 5-day Visa free policy for India Visa facilitation is among the most effective strategies to induce tourism development in a region or in a country, so we are sure that the tourism sector will experience a positive shift in Belarus. ,, hIMAntA BISWA SArMA Finance Minister, Assam on tourism prospects in the state Assam is known for its hospitality. We have taken a number of initiatives in this important, revenue-earning sector. The tourist inflow to the state has increased significantly.,, JAyArAJ ShAnMugAM Chief Commercial officer, Jet Airways on introducing a second daily flight on new delhi-Abu dhabi route. The new service will offer our guests additional flexibility and choice to plan their travel, whether to the Gulf or further onwards.,, PAnKAJ SrIVAStAVA director Commercial, Air India on exploring newer destinations in north America. We want to expand in North America and are exploring new routes like Houston and Dallas. We currently cut down travel time between the two continents by at least 10 hours.,, ShArAt dhAll Coo (B2C), yatra.com on inking a Mou with Andhra Pradesh to promote homestays Homestays as a trend is rapidly gaining popularity in India. As new age travellers seek out unique experiences in the course of their travels, we believe that this kind of non-hotel accommodation has tremendous growth potential in the country. ,, editor: NaviN Berry navin.berry@bitb.org senior writer: shashaNk shekhar shashank@tourismfirst.org features editor: PriyaaNka Berry priyaanka.berry@bitb.org business development: sauraBh shukla saurabh.shukla@bitb.org TourismfirsT is owned, published and printed by Navin Berry and printed at Anupam Art Printers. B-52, Naraina Phase II, New Delhi. It is published from 36-37, 3rd Floor, Indra Palace, H-Block, Connaught Place, New Delhi – 110 001. Tel: 011-43784444. Total pages 32

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