Most of the top hotels in the popular resort towns of Himachal Pradesh are already fully booked by holiday makers for Christmas this year due to extended holidays this weekend.
"The high-end hotels are offering Christmas and New Year packages and many of them are already sold out," said a leading travel agent Nitin Chauhan.
While five-star hotels are offering Rs 50,000 packages for three nights, the budget hotels are offering Rs 6,000 packages for couples.
"There will always be scope for walk-in customers as some hotels do not accept advance bookings, particularly the budget hotels," Chauhan told Business Standard.
"More holiday makers might visit the state for Christmas instead of New year as the latter falls on a Thursday this time," he said.
Bulk of the tourists will visit Shimla and Manali as they have most of the hotels in the state.
The Shimla police is opening up parking lots in the prohibited and restricted roads due to the heavy traffic volume for Christmas and New Years. Those looking for quieter environs are headed for Kasauli, Barog, Chail, Kufri, Kullu, Dharamsala and Dalhousie.
SOURCE:
Business Standard
Date - 22 December 2009
Edition - New Delhi and Shimla
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Travel Industry sees Spurt in Traffic during Christmas, New Year
What are your plans for Christmas and New Year this year? Will you be joining the growing number of people who ate taking advantage of the fact that the prices of travel packages for international destinations are either lower or at the same level as last year? Or that a number of new destinations are being promoted for Christmas and New Year, both of which incidentally fall on weekends?
According to Mr J.B. Singh, the President and Chief Executive Officer, Galileo India, there is likely to be a "spurt of 6-8 per cent" in traffic in December this year over the previous year. Industry analysts estimate that there has been a 10-15 per cent increase in the number of people seeking international holiday packages during this year's Christmas and New Year Breaks.
"Outbound is seeing a big change with people going beyond traditional choices like Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur to more exotic locations including Hua Hin in Thailand, Vietnam, Bhutan and Cambodia," Mr Singh adds.
Another package, in the premium luxury range, that seems to be catching the fancy of the Indian market is winter cruises in the Antarctica and South America, Director - Group Business Development, STIC Travel Group, Ms Richa Goyal Sikri, says. Adds the Chief Operating Officer, Ezeego1.com, Ms Neelu Singh, "Apart from traditional tourist destinations like Dubai, Colombo and Malaysia, Cyprus is catching the interest of the Indian traveller." And then there are also the usual destinations with a few more attractions thrown in says Ms Sikri, "There are some really attractive holiday packages available to places like Hong Kong. Now a person can spend two nights and three days in Hong Kong with a tour to Disneyland for Rs 24,000." Analysts also point out that this spurt in traffic could be because of families that have not taken breaks during the year are now taking advantage of Christmas and New Year Vacations falling on weekends.
Besides, according to the Chief Operating Officer, Outbound Division Kuoni India, Ms Kashmira Commissariat, families going on holidays over long weekends is becoming a trend amongst Indians.
Source:
The Hindu Business Line
December 2009
Edition - New Delhi
According to Mr J.B. Singh, the President and Chief Executive Officer, Galileo India, there is likely to be a "spurt of 6-8 per cent" in traffic in December this year over the previous year. Industry analysts estimate that there has been a 10-15 per cent increase in the number of people seeking international holiday packages during this year's Christmas and New Year Breaks.
"Outbound is seeing a big change with people going beyond traditional choices like Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur to more exotic locations including Hua Hin in Thailand, Vietnam, Bhutan and Cambodia," Mr Singh adds.
Another package, in the premium luxury range, that seems to be catching the fancy of the Indian market is winter cruises in the Antarctica and South America, Director - Group Business Development, STIC Travel Group, Ms Richa Goyal Sikri, says. Adds the Chief Operating Officer, Ezeego1.com, Ms Neelu Singh, "Apart from traditional tourist destinations like Dubai, Colombo and Malaysia, Cyprus is catching the interest of the Indian traveller." And then there are also the usual destinations with a few more attractions thrown in says Ms Sikri, "There are some really attractive holiday packages available to places like Hong Kong. Now a person can spend two nights and three days in Hong Kong with a tour to Disneyland for Rs 24,000." Analysts also point out that this spurt in traffic could be because of families that have not taken breaks during the year are now taking advantage of Christmas and New Year Vacations falling on weekends.
Besides, according to the Chief Operating Officer, Outbound Division Kuoni India, Ms Kashmira Commissariat, families going on holidays over long weekends is becoming a trend amongst Indians.
Source:
The Hindu Business Line
December 2009
Edition - New Delhi
Friday, December 11, 2009
Now Dubai Travel Packages get Cheaper
Your holiday in Dubai just got a little cheaper. Thanks to Dubai World's crash, travel portals and agencies like MakeMyTrip, Yatra, Cleartrip and SOTC are offering packages at prices almost 40 per cent lower than a week or two ago.
"There will be some impact on outbound travels. Travel will become more affordable. With hotel occupancies dropping, less frequent business travelers, it's the leisure travelers that will have to be lured," said Tarique Khatri, VP - Business Development, Cleartrip.com.
For instance, MakeMyTrip.com charged between Rs 38,000-40,000 per person till early December for three nights and four days, including air tickets, visa, hotel accommodation and sight-seeing. This is now down to Rs 25,000-28,000 in a few days. Yatra is running a 25 per cent cash-back scheme on a companion travel for Dubai. SOTC, too, has brought its price down to Rs 13,800 per head for three nights and four days, from around Rs 15,000 a week earlier.
Travel agencies are happy, since these packages have got a positive response. "We can safely say that bookings have increased by 10 per cent with the new price offering. With the discounts we have managed to get from hotels and airlines, we are passing it on to customers," says Kashmira Commisariat, COO-Outbound Division, SOTC.
This has been possible because agencies are all negotiating harder with airlines to reduce air fare, say sources. Most of these portals have managed to get a 10-15 per cent price cut on airfare and 30-35 per cent cut in hotel accommodations, and so on. "By mid-December, we will witness prices coming down by almost 20 per cent," said Anand Kandadai, VP - Outbound Tours for MakeMyTrip.
Travel agencies are doing all it takes to lure leisure travellers, who made up for 10-15 per cent of all travellers. According to industry experts, over 70 per cent of the airline travels came from employment traffic to Dubai and another 10-15 per cent from business travellers. "With business and labour travel reducing, airlines are feeling the pressure. However, now the focus is shifting on to leisure class," said Ashish Kishore, Business Head at Yatra Online.
As for airlines, "There will be more clarity in the days to come. Airlines have been feeling the pressure since a year now. On an average, revenues during April to September this year have dropped by almost 25-30 per cent. Passenger traffic, too, has reduced by 20 per cent," said Pran Dasan, Manager - Marketing & Sales, Indian Subcontinent, Kuwait Airways.
Sources say airlines are considering reducing airfare by 15-20 per cent. "As of now, there is no immediate effect. However, in a month we may have to re-look at capacity and pricing," added a source from Jet Airways.
SOURCE:
Business Standard
December 2009
Edition - New Delhi and Mumbai
"There will be some impact on outbound travels. Travel will become more affordable. With hotel occupancies dropping, less frequent business travelers, it's the leisure travelers that will have to be lured," said Tarique Khatri, VP - Business Development, Cleartrip.com.
For instance, MakeMyTrip.com charged between Rs 38,000-40,000 per person till early December for three nights and four days, including air tickets, visa, hotel accommodation and sight-seeing. This is now down to Rs 25,000-28,000 in a few days. Yatra is running a 25 per cent cash-back scheme on a companion travel for Dubai. SOTC, too, has brought its price down to Rs 13,800 per head for three nights and four days, from around Rs 15,000 a week earlier.
Travel agencies are happy, since these packages have got a positive response. "We can safely say that bookings have increased by 10 per cent with the new price offering. With the discounts we have managed to get from hotels and airlines, we are passing it on to customers," says Kashmira Commisariat, COO-Outbound Division, SOTC.
This has been possible because agencies are all negotiating harder with airlines to reduce air fare, say sources. Most of these portals have managed to get a 10-15 per cent price cut on airfare and 30-35 per cent cut in hotel accommodations, and so on. "By mid-December, we will witness prices coming down by almost 20 per cent," said Anand Kandadai, VP - Outbound Tours for MakeMyTrip.
Travel agencies are doing all it takes to lure leisure travellers, who made up for 10-15 per cent of all travellers. According to industry experts, over 70 per cent of the airline travels came from employment traffic to Dubai and another 10-15 per cent from business travellers. "With business and labour travel reducing, airlines are feeling the pressure. However, now the focus is shifting on to leisure class," said Ashish Kishore, Business Head at Yatra Online.
As for airlines, "There will be more clarity in the days to come. Airlines have been feeling the pressure since a year now. On an average, revenues during April to September this year have dropped by almost 25-30 per cent. Passenger traffic, too, has reduced by 20 per cent," said Pran Dasan, Manager - Marketing & Sales, Indian Subcontinent, Kuwait Airways.
Sources say airlines are considering reducing airfare by 15-20 per cent. "As of now, there is no immediate effect. However, in a month we may have to re-look at capacity and pricing," added a source from Jet Airways.
SOURCE:
Business Standard
December 2009
Edition - New Delhi and Mumbai
Monday, December 7, 2009
Kochi opens its account as the First Cruise Port
Have you always dreamt of a holiday where you get to cruise but the add-on expenditure of flying to the nearest ports in Singapore, Hong Kong or Malaysia has you thinking? There is good news. Kochi has become the first port in India to start international cruise holidays to destinations in Sri Lanka and Maldives. Louise Cruises luxury liner Aquamarine MV set off on its maiden voyage to Male in The Maldives last week.
According to the Louis Cruises India, a subsidiary of Louis Cruise Lines, the fifth largest cruise operator in the world, there will be three sailings in a week: Kochi - Maldives (four days, three nights), Kochi - Colombo (four days, three nights) and Kochi High Seas (one night). The season for the first year will last till April 25. The second season will start in October 2010.
With 670 passengers and 350 crew on board, Aquamarine has many things to offer vacationers like enjoying a game of cricket on the deck, rejuvenating in the Swedish spa or splurging at the duty free shops on board. The ship also has two bowling machines and a cricket pitch for cricket enthusiasts. Apart from this, there are also three restaurants with a seating capacity ranging from 300 to 600 and a lounge with capacity of 600.
The ship will reach India from Colombo in 20 hours and from the Maldives in 24 hours. The cruise liner is selling its packages through a number of agents. There are two types of cruise packages - a one night option or a three night stay for which the price ranges between Rs 5,000 and Rs 12,000 per night per person.
The announcement has been enthusiastically received by the Indian travel industry who have been waiting for long to explore India's 7,000 km long coastline and strong port positioning.
Many even think that it is just a matter of time before a barrage of international cruise liners set their eyes over India. India's proximity to already popular cruise destinations in Southeast Asia just adds to its possibility of becoming a cruising hub shortly. Not that the footloose vacationers back home are complaining for they are always known to be looking for different options.
SOURCE:
Mail Today
Date - 6 December 2009
Edition - New Delhi
According to the Louis Cruises India, a subsidiary of Louis Cruise Lines, the fifth largest cruise operator in the world, there will be three sailings in a week: Kochi - Maldives (four days, three nights), Kochi - Colombo (four days, three nights) and Kochi High Seas (one night). The season for the first year will last till April 25. The second season will start in October 2010.
With 670 passengers and 350 crew on board, Aquamarine has many things to offer vacationers like enjoying a game of cricket on the deck, rejuvenating in the Swedish spa or splurging at the duty free shops on board. The ship also has two bowling machines and a cricket pitch for cricket enthusiasts. Apart from this, there are also three restaurants with a seating capacity ranging from 300 to 600 and a lounge with capacity of 600.
The ship will reach India from Colombo in 20 hours and from the Maldives in 24 hours. The cruise liner is selling its packages through a number of agents. There are two types of cruise packages - a one night option or a three night stay for which the price ranges between Rs 5,000 and Rs 12,000 per night per person.
The announcement has been enthusiastically received by the Indian travel industry who have been waiting for long to explore India's 7,000 km long coastline and strong port positioning.
Many even think that it is just a matter of time before a barrage of international cruise liners set their eyes over India. India's proximity to already popular cruise destinations in Southeast Asia just adds to its possibility of becoming a cruising hub shortly. Not that the footloose vacationers back home are complaining for they are always known to be looking for different options.
SOURCE:
Mail Today
Date - 6 December 2009
Edition - New Delhi
West Bengal eyeing Joint Venture to Develop River Tourism
Buoyed by the success of the Ganga river cruise, the first in India along the lines of international standard cruises on the Nile in Egypt and the Irrawady in Burma, the West Bengal Government is inviting joint venture partners to set up a company to give river tourism a fillip.
"We want to put up a Rs 130-200 crore project to develop river tourism in joint venture with a private company," Mr T. V. N. Rao, Managing Director, West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Ltd, told Business Line. Tenders for this will be floated soon. The Government has also chalked out a plan to invest Rs 50 crore in building infrastructure such as jetties, heritage ghats and accommodation along the navigable stretch of the Ganga in the State, he added.
The immediate impetus for the new strategy is the runaway success of the 15-day, 1200 km voyage from the Sunderbans to Varanasi past the Farakka barrage, launched by Pandaw Cruises India in late September. The cruise operator is the Indian arm of an international cruise company that already operates in Myanmar, Indonesia and Cambodia. In a season that extends from September to March, it has four fully sold out voyages in India already under its belt, and is overbooked for every Sunderbans-Varanasi cruise, tagged at $5000, scheduled till March 2011.
Mr Raj Singh, Director, Pandaw, said the tourism potential is huge and that the attractions on this trip are virtually unparalleled. "It is a phenomenal trip. The diversity is mind-boggling. Here you have heritage (the route traverses former British, French, Dutch and Portuguese colonies), monuments, culture, natural beauty and wildlife all on the same trip," he said. The success of this venture has spawned plans to launch a second vessel on the stretch next year, he adds, indicating that there may be much merit in going full steam ahead.
SOURCE:
The Hindu Business Line
Date - 5 December 2009
Edition - New Delhi
"We want to put up a Rs 130-200 crore project to develop river tourism in joint venture with a private company," Mr T. V. N. Rao, Managing Director, West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Ltd, told Business Line. Tenders for this will be floated soon. The Government has also chalked out a plan to invest Rs 50 crore in building infrastructure such as jetties, heritage ghats and accommodation along the navigable stretch of the Ganga in the State, he added.
The immediate impetus for the new strategy is the runaway success of the 15-day, 1200 km voyage from the Sunderbans to Varanasi past the Farakka barrage, launched by Pandaw Cruises India in late September. The cruise operator is the Indian arm of an international cruise company that already operates in Myanmar, Indonesia and Cambodia. In a season that extends from September to March, it has four fully sold out voyages in India already under its belt, and is overbooked for every Sunderbans-Varanasi cruise, tagged at $5000, scheduled till March 2011.
Mr Raj Singh, Director, Pandaw, said the tourism potential is huge and that the attractions on this trip are virtually unparalleled. "It is a phenomenal trip. The diversity is mind-boggling. Here you have heritage (the route traverses former British, French, Dutch and Portuguese colonies), monuments, culture, natural beauty and wildlife all on the same trip," he said. The success of this venture has spawned plans to launch a second vessel on the stretch next year, he adds, indicating that there may be much merit in going full steam ahead.
SOURCE:
The Hindu Business Line
Date - 5 December 2009
Edition - New Delhi
Friday, December 4, 2009
Dubai Tourism to feel crisis pinch post Festive Season
The impact of the Dubai crisis is expected to cast its spell on tourism fraternity not before January 2010 with airfares and hotel room rates expecting to fall by 10%-15%. However, no significant impact of the crisis will be felt till December since holiday makers have already booked their air travel and hotel accommodation.
Said Rajinder Rai, president, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), "Bookings for the Christmas and New Year Holiday Packages are isolated from the crisis since they were done well in advance (in October). The real impact of the crisis will be felt only by January when we expect prices to drop, making Dubai 20% cheaper than what it is today. Till then, we do not see any significant impact on the leisure and business travel or our business."
The average cost of a holiday in Dubai with airfare for two people works out to around Rs 35,000 for three nights/four days.
Neelu Singh, chief operating officer, Ezeego1.com, said, "With more than 100 flights from at least 10 destinations in India, per week, Dubai seems to be a very attractive place for shoppers, and it is a great weekend getaway. Further, the hotel rates in Dubai have come down as they are receiving fewer tourists from their other source markets. This has helped Indian travellers, as they are now getting attractive deals." She added, "Dubai has shown strong growth in terms of tourist traffic and the tourism industry is growing at a rapid pace. We feel that in the next one year, the meeting, incentive, conference and exhibition (MICE) business in Dubai will grow by at least 25%."
An email sent to the department of tourism and commerce marketing (DTCM) in Mumbai went unanswered.
However, SP Jain, chairman, Pride Hotels, and president, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India, said, "There will not be any significant rise in outbound traffic to Dubai due to the expected price crash. Indians, at present, see Dubai more as a business destination other than a tourist spot."
Around 4,93,318 Indian travelers visited Dubai in 2008 as compared to 410,821 in 2007, a growth of 20%. According to DTCM figures, there was an increase of 8.3% in the number of hotel guests in 2008 to Dubai compared with the previous year. The guest nights rose by 9.2% in 2008 to touch 22,421,067. However, the average length of stay went down to 2.98 compared with 7.3 in 2007. The total revenues rose 15.1% with the hotel establishments reporting revenues of AED15,268,545.
Similarly, the number of hotel establishment rooms increased by 17.9% to reach 50,457 in 2008.
SOURCE:
The Financial Express
Date - 4 December 2009
Edition - New Delhi
Said Rajinder Rai, president, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), "Bookings for the Christmas and New Year Holiday Packages are isolated from the crisis since they were done well in advance (in October). The real impact of the crisis will be felt only by January when we expect prices to drop, making Dubai 20% cheaper than what it is today. Till then, we do not see any significant impact on the leisure and business travel or our business."
The average cost of a holiday in Dubai with airfare for two people works out to around Rs 35,000 for three nights/four days.
Neelu Singh, chief operating officer, Ezeego1.com, said, "With more than 100 flights from at least 10 destinations in India, per week, Dubai seems to be a very attractive place for shoppers, and it is a great weekend getaway. Further, the hotel rates in Dubai have come down as they are receiving fewer tourists from their other source markets. This has helped Indian travellers, as they are now getting attractive deals." She added, "Dubai has shown strong growth in terms of tourist traffic and the tourism industry is growing at a rapid pace. We feel that in the next one year, the meeting, incentive, conference and exhibition (MICE) business in Dubai will grow by at least 25%."
An email sent to the department of tourism and commerce marketing (DTCM) in Mumbai went unanswered.
However, SP Jain, chairman, Pride Hotels, and president, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India, said, "There will not be any significant rise in outbound traffic to Dubai due to the expected price crash. Indians, at present, see Dubai more as a business destination other than a tourist spot."
Around 4,93,318 Indian travelers visited Dubai in 2008 as compared to 410,821 in 2007, a growth of 20%. According to DTCM figures, there was an increase of 8.3% in the number of hotel guests in 2008 to Dubai compared with the previous year. The guest nights rose by 9.2% in 2008 to touch 22,421,067. However, the average length of stay went down to 2.98 compared with 7.3 in 2007. The total revenues rose 15.1% with the hotel establishments reporting revenues of AED15,268,545.
Similarly, the number of hotel establishment rooms increased by 17.9% to reach 50,457 in 2008.
SOURCE:
The Financial Express
Date - 4 December 2009
Edition - New Delhi
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Foreign Holidays Back in Season Despite Downturn
Going on holiday is back on the cards again despite the recession, with a global survey showing one in five people plan to travel overseas, even if it's largely within their region. The survey by credit card firm MasterCard asked over 10,600 people in West Asia, Africa and the Asia-Pacific about their travel priorities for the next six months, and the findings are likely to cheer the global travel industry which has had a rough year due to global financial crisis.
Some 20 per cent of respondents said they plan to spend on international travel packages, with Hong Kongers topping the list of people planning holidays abroad, followed by Singaporeans and Saudi Arabians. African respondents were the most keen to travel long haul and go to the US, Canada or European destinations, but for the majority, their top 10 holiday destinations were largely within their own region. Japan, Australia and China were the most popular countries for prospective travellers in the Asia-Pacific, while West Asians were more likely to visit Egypt and the UAE, the survey showed.
Resilience of Industry
Yuwa Hedrick-Wong, Asia-Pacific economic adviser for MasterCard Worldwide, said the survey showed the resilience of the travel industry in parts of the world not as badly affected by the global financial crisis as the US and Europe.
The survey involved 24 countries and territories, from Australia to Nigeria. "Although travel patterns have changed moderately, we see that consumers' appetite for travel has held up through the recession," Hedrick-Wong said in a statement.
"The fact that Asia has been the region that has been least affected by the global recession also means that spending on travel by Asian consumers will likely re-bound more strongly in the coming months as well."
Across the 14 markets surveyed in Asia-Pacific, 22 per cent said they were planning a holiday abroad, compared to 20 per cent six months ago. Nearly 60 per cent stated international travel was a priority non-essential, or discretionary, spend.
In West Asia, almost a Quarter were planning trips abroad, down from a third six months ago, but nearly 90 per cent said the strongly believed in spending money on travel. In Africa, some 17 per cent of respondents plan to spend on international air travel, the survey showed, a figure Hedrick-Wong said was likely to rise in the coming years in line with economic growth and rising incomes.
SOURCE:
The Hindu Business Line
Date - 29 November 2009
Edition - New Delhi
Some 20 per cent of respondents said they plan to spend on international travel packages, with Hong Kongers topping the list of people planning holidays abroad, followed by Singaporeans and Saudi Arabians. African respondents were the most keen to travel long haul and go to the US, Canada or European destinations, but for the majority, their top 10 holiday destinations were largely within their own region. Japan, Australia and China were the most popular countries for prospective travellers in the Asia-Pacific, while West Asians were more likely to visit Egypt and the UAE, the survey showed.
Resilience of Industry
Yuwa Hedrick-Wong, Asia-Pacific economic adviser for MasterCard Worldwide, said the survey showed the resilience of the travel industry in parts of the world not as badly affected by the global financial crisis as the US and Europe.
The survey involved 24 countries and territories, from Australia to Nigeria. "Although travel patterns have changed moderately, we see that consumers' appetite for travel has held up through the recession," Hedrick-Wong said in a statement.
"The fact that Asia has been the region that has been least affected by the global recession also means that spending on travel by Asian consumers will likely re-bound more strongly in the coming months as well."
Across the 14 markets surveyed in Asia-Pacific, 22 per cent said they were planning a holiday abroad, compared to 20 per cent six months ago. Nearly 60 per cent stated international travel was a priority non-essential, or discretionary, spend.
In West Asia, almost a Quarter were planning trips abroad, down from a third six months ago, but nearly 90 per cent said the strongly believed in spending money on travel. In Africa, some 17 per cent of respondents plan to spend on international air travel, the survey showed, a figure Hedrick-Wong said was likely to rise in the coming years in line with economic growth and rising incomes.
SOURCE:
The Hindu Business Line
Date - 29 November 2009
Edition - New Delhi
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