If you are planning to spend the summer vacation in the hills this year, book your hotels in advance or you could struggle to find an accommodation of choice in destinations like Manali, Panchgani, Ooty, Munnar and Darjeeling.
Domestic tourists, which over the last two years took short breaks and switched to travelling as couples or as family of four after the economic slowdown hit consumer spends, are now back with the whole family for week-long trips.
"Indians are known for travelling in large groups and this season they are back on the roads," said Keyur Joshi COO of travel services firm Makemytrip. Domestic travellers outnumber big spending foreign tourists during the summer season.
Travel agents say just about a fifth of the summer tourists last year took long duration breaks and this season half of the overall bookings are for week-long trips.
The traditional Indian traveller who hops between destinations in 3-4 day breaks is also evolving, says Richa Goyal Sikri, director with Delhi-based travel company STIC Travels. "People now want to relax and savour the flavours."
Revival in corporate growth and salary increments have fuelled consumers travel spends, one of hardest hit by the economic slowdown. Tour operators are already reporting a 20-25 % increase in bookings compared to last summer.
"Kashmir, Ladakh, besides all-season favourites Kerala and Goa, have seen a surge in booking," said Ashutosh Mehere, vice-president, Cox & Kings.
In the off-season, a prominent four-star hotel in Goa that charged Rs 13,000 a couple for three-night-four-day package inclusive of all meals last summer has priced it at Rs 15,500 this year.
Agents, who book in bulk, say consumers will pay on an average 5-10 % more than last summer even as hotel rack rates have not changed in many destinations as the big discounts of last year has declined.
Prices vary significantly between hotels but a three-star hotel in Manali could cost about Rs 3,000-4 ,000 a night inclusive of meals for a couple.
Longer vacations is not restricted to local destinations. Tour operators say more travellers on short-haul destinations like Thailand, Malaysia or Singapore are opting for week-long trips rather than typical three night-four-day packages.
A seven nights package to Malaysia and Singapore inclusive of airfare, sightseeing, two meals a day and budget hotel accommodation would cost around Rs 40,000-45 ,000 per head.
Kashmira Commissariat, who heads outbound travel for Kuoni India, said long haul destinations like the US and Europe are also seeing more bookings.
"Indians had started giving a miss to these destinations during slowdown which has changed this summer" she said. The 10-15 % gain in value of rupee against the dollar and the euro over last year has made it cheaper to travel to US and Europe.
SOURCE: By Meenakshi Verma Ambwani,
ET Bureau
Date - March 24, 2010
Location - New Delhi
Monday, March 29, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Himachal Tourism Packages for Newly Weds
The Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) has announced a special discount of 30 per cent in hotels for honeymooning couples visiting the state during the next fortnight.
The honeymoon package has been offered in Hotel Holiday Home (HHH) in Shimla, Palace Hotel in Chail, Manimahesh, Dalhousie, Hotel Macleodganj and Hotel Dhauladhar in Dharamsala, Hotel Sarvari in Kullu and Hotel Renuka in Sirmaur.
In addition to the special discount, the facility of deluxe buses for local sight seeing, including meals for three days will also be provided by HPTDC.
The honeymoon holiday package will be available till April 5 this year.
SOURCE: Business Standard
By Baldev S Chauhan
Date - March 24, 2010
Location - New Delhi/ Shimla
The honeymoon package has been offered in Hotel Holiday Home (HHH) in Shimla, Palace Hotel in Chail, Manimahesh, Dalhousie, Hotel Macleodganj and Hotel Dhauladhar in Dharamsala, Hotel Sarvari in Kullu and Hotel Renuka in Sirmaur.
In addition to the special discount, the facility of deluxe buses for local sight seeing, including meals for three days will also be provided by HPTDC.
The honeymoon holiday package will be available till April 5 this year.
SOURCE: Business Standard
By Baldev S Chauhan
Date - March 24, 2010
Location - New Delhi/ Shimla
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Globus Family of Brands releases survey on Indian Leisure Travel Trends to Europe
In order to better understand and chart the evolution of the Indian outbound market, Globus Family of Brands conducted a survey focusing on leisure travel trends to Europe. The survey report, which was released recently, categorised leisure travel to Europe in four segments: Indian-operated coach tours, international coach tours, independent travel and cruising. The findings of the survey which was conducted online and offline, with 1,500 experienced travellers, revealed that the top deciding factors when choosing a vacation were price, followed by itinerary choices and the brand name of the tour operator.
As per the survey results, the choice of hotels was varied, with 49 per cent preferring budget hotels and a tour price of less than USD100 a day, 23 per cent desiring at least first-class hotels and the rest choosing superior tourist hotels. Coach tours emerged as most popular with first time travellers (60 per cent) of respondents, while only 32 per cent of first time travellers wanted to explore Europe on their own. The remaining, according to the survey are likely to choose river or ocean cruises. With regards to choice of destinations, European panorama vacations combining three to four countries are favourites among first-timers and the top countries they want to visit are Switzerland, Italy, France, and Great Britain. The criterion of the sample set for the survey was the past international travel experience of the respondents. Those who did not own passports and had not travelled overseas before could not participate in the survey. 65 per cent of respondents were based in metros and 98 per cent owned cars and participated in at least one social networking site.
According to the survey findings, as many as 72 per cent of the respondents wanted a Tour Director to help on a tour to Europe, but only with certain things. This highlights the changing trend, as travellers want the conveniences of coach touring, but with some independence. 75 per cent wanted to have the must-see sites included while retaining some free time to explore on their own. With regards to vacation packages which include sightseeing, 47 per cent prefer that must-see sites are included but want a choice of optional activities for flexibility. This is in contrast to the 38 per cent who wanted all sightseeing included and 15 per cent who wanted to do everything on their own.
"These trends are comparable to international trends and are substantiated with the growth we have seen in our Cosmos and Globus coach vacations that offer balanced itineraries with the must-see sites along with free time to allow people to enjoy their own experiences during their vacation," informed Gauri Jayaram, Regional Director South Asia & Middle East, Globus Family of Brands.
The survey also brought out the changing pattern in the culinary requirements of Indians while traveling. While Indians are famous for taking along their food overseas when touring, the survey indicates that this is changing as only 14 per cent wanted to have all meals included and only Indian meals. As many as 66 per cent of respondents wanted few meals included in the tour price with the opportunity to sample local cuisine. (This could be due to demographics of the sample size, wherein those living in metropolitan areas are possibly more prone to sampling different cuisines.). "This is an important indication of the traveller maturing. Food is such an important part of a cultural experience and this shows the willingness of Indians to experiment and experience the destination for what it is. We offer only local/continental cuisine when it is included and we have grown our market share by highlighting this as our USP!" added Jayaram. She further added, "Our leading brand in India is Cosmos, a leader in budget travel. This year, our best sellers are from the 14 vacations that cost less than USD 1000 (prices on land basis only) per person, but our growth is with Globus, which offers premium escorted tours. This means that Indians don't always want the cheapest. They want the best value for their money." The Globus Family of Brands includes Globus, Cosmos, Monograms, and Avalon Waterways.
SOURCE: Travelbizmonitor.com
By TBM Staff
Date - March 16, 2010
Location - Mumbai
As per the survey results, the choice of hotels was varied, with 49 per cent preferring budget hotels and a tour price of less than USD100 a day, 23 per cent desiring at least first-class hotels and the rest choosing superior tourist hotels. Coach tours emerged as most popular with first time travellers (60 per cent) of respondents, while only 32 per cent of first time travellers wanted to explore Europe on their own. The remaining, according to the survey are likely to choose river or ocean cruises. With regards to choice of destinations, European panorama vacations combining three to four countries are favourites among first-timers and the top countries they want to visit are Switzerland, Italy, France, and Great Britain. The criterion of the sample set for the survey was the past international travel experience of the respondents. Those who did not own passports and had not travelled overseas before could not participate in the survey. 65 per cent of respondents were based in metros and 98 per cent owned cars and participated in at least one social networking site.
According to the survey findings, as many as 72 per cent of the respondents wanted a Tour Director to help on a tour to Europe, but only with certain things. This highlights the changing trend, as travellers want the conveniences of coach touring, but with some independence. 75 per cent wanted to have the must-see sites included while retaining some free time to explore on their own. With regards to vacation packages which include sightseeing, 47 per cent prefer that must-see sites are included but want a choice of optional activities for flexibility. This is in contrast to the 38 per cent who wanted all sightseeing included and 15 per cent who wanted to do everything on their own.
"These trends are comparable to international trends and are substantiated with the growth we have seen in our Cosmos and Globus coach vacations that offer balanced itineraries with the must-see sites along with free time to allow people to enjoy their own experiences during their vacation," informed Gauri Jayaram, Regional Director South Asia & Middle East, Globus Family of Brands.
The survey also brought out the changing pattern in the culinary requirements of Indians while traveling. While Indians are famous for taking along their food overseas when touring, the survey indicates that this is changing as only 14 per cent wanted to have all meals included and only Indian meals. As many as 66 per cent of respondents wanted few meals included in the tour price with the opportunity to sample local cuisine. (This could be due to demographics of the sample size, wherein those living in metropolitan areas are possibly more prone to sampling different cuisines.). "This is an important indication of the traveller maturing. Food is such an important part of a cultural experience and this shows the willingness of Indians to experiment and experience the destination for what it is. We offer only local/continental cuisine when it is included and we have grown our market share by highlighting this as our USP!" added Jayaram. She further added, "Our leading brand in India is Cosmos, a leader in budget travel. This year, our best sellers are from the 14 vacations that cost less than USD 1000 (prices on land basis only) per person, but our growth is with Globus, which offers premium escorted tours. This means that Indians don't always want the cheapest. They want the best value for their money." The Globus Family of Brands includes Globus, Cosmos, Monograms, and Avalon Waterways.
SOURCE: Travelbizmonitor.com
By TBM Staff
Date - March 16, 2010
Location - Mumbai
Friday, March 12, 2010
Heli-skiing back in Kashmir as violence dips
The awe-inspiring Himalayan slopes of war-torn Indian Kashmir represent one of the last frontiers for daredevil skiers.
Now, with violence on the wane and a new heli-skiing service offering access to incredible descents in virgin snow, the region is looking to attract the well-heeled practitioners of the extreme sport.
After securing government clearance, a Switzerland-based company started a heli-skiing service on Sunday, reviving a practice thwarted for years by violence and red tape that sees skiers taken by helicopter and dropped on remote peaks.
Priced at 9,000 euros (12,300 dollars) per person per week, trips will be available up to early April, forming part of a trend that has seen the violence-weary area revive its adventure sport industry as fighting declines.
The package includes flights from the client's country and also hotel and local transportation.
French skier Andre Bianchini, a 48-year-old mountain guide from the French Alps, was one of the first to head out this week and he plans to come back.
"I've fallen in love with the mountains here. Unlike Europe, they're mostly untouched and there are no crowds," he told AFP. "The view of the valley from a helicopter is out of this world."
Himalaya Heliski had been waiting for civil aviation ministry approval in the highly militarised zone since the start of the winter season.
More than 700,000 tourists, foreign and domestic, used to visit Kashmir annually before an insurgency against Indian rule erupted in 1989. Numbers are only now recovering after nosediving when the violence started.
"We are reviving heli-skiing as violence is declining," Nawang Rigzin Jora, the minister of tourism in Kashmir, told AFP.
Unrest has dropped sharply since India and Pakistan, which administer the region jointly but claim it in full, launched a peace process in January 2004.
The daily death toll has fallen from about ten in 2001 to less than two in 2009, according to police figures, though most Western countries still advise their citizens against visiting the Muslim-majority region.
Kashmir is host to Gulmarg, India's top ski resort, which has the highest ski lift in the world, climbing to more than 4,000 metres (13,100 feet).
It drew a few thrill-seeking foreigners even during the worst days of the insurgency and this season saw hundreds more skiers from Britain, Scandinavia, Australia and North America come to sample its powder.
The resort boasts thousands of metres of untracked vertical descent and virtually no restrictions on off-piste skiing.
Sylvian Sudan from Himalaya Heliski, which heads to isolated peaks in a different area from Gulmarg, said he had 30 clients booked for this year and expects "many more" next year.
"This is the revival year. It will send out a message that today Kashmir is safe and everything is normal," says Sudan.
The company started heli-skiing in Kashmir in 1988, a year before the eruption of an anti-India insurgency that has claimed 47,000 lives according to the official count.
It suspended its activities in 1990 and since then it has struggled to establish a permanent service. In 2007 its chopper plunged into deep snow -- fortunately without causing injuries.
Next year a New Zealand-based company in collaboration with Gulmarg Heli-Skiing, a local company, will also step in to offer a competing service.
It had bookings from 200 foreigners for trips this winter, but was unable to get the clearances in time, said Abdul Hameed, the owner of Gulmarg Heli-Skiing.
Other activities such as hiking, river rafting and snow-cycling are also undergoing a revival in Indian Kashmir, with both locals and foreigners taking part.
"Trekking and mountaineering has picked up over the years and many foreigners and Indians can be seen enjoying the treks alongside locals," said Farooq Shah, head of Kashmir's tourism ministry.
SOURCE: By Izhar Wani (ANI)
Date - March 12, 2010
Location - Gulmarg, India (AFP)
Now, with violence on the wane and a new heli-skiing service offering access to incredible descents in virgin snow, the region is looking to attract the well-heeled practitioners of the extreme sport.
After securing government clearance, a Switzerland-based company started a heli-skiing service on Sunday, reviving a practice thwarted for years by violence and red tape that sees skiers taken by helicopter and dropped on remote peaks.
Priced at 9,000 euros (12,300 dollars) per person per week, trips will be available up to early April, forming part of a trend that has seen the violence-weary area revive its adventure sport industry as fighting declines.
The package includes flights from the client's country and also hotel and local transportation.
French skier Andre Bianchini, a 48-year-old mountain guide from the French Alps, was one of the first to head out this week and he plans to come back.
"I've fallen in love with the mountains here. Unlike Europe, they're mostly untouched and there are no crowds," he told AFP. "The view of the valley from a helicopter is out of this world."
Himalaya Heliski had been waiting for civil aviation ministry approval in the highly militarised zone since the start of the winter season.
More than 700,000 tourists, foreign and domestic, used to visit Kashmir annually before an insurgency against Indian rule erupted in 1989. Numbers are only now recovering after nosediving when the violence started.
"We are reviving heli-skiing as violence is declining," Nawang Rigzin Jora, the minister of tourism in Kashmir, told AFP.
Unrest has dropped sharply since India and Pakistan, which administer the region jointly but claim it in full, launched a peace process in January 2004.
The daily death toll has fallen from about ten in 2001 to less than two in 2009, according to police figures, though most Western countries still advise their citizens against visiting the Muslim-majority region.
Kashmir is host to Gulmarg, India's top ski resort, which has the highest ski lift in the world, climbing to more than 4,000 metres (13,100 feet).
It drew a few thrill-seeking foreigners even during the worst days of the insurgency and this season saw hundreds more skiers from Britain, Scandinavia, Australia and North America come to sample its powder.
The resort boasts thousands of metres of untracked vertical descent and virtually no restrictions on off-piste skiing.
Sylvian Sudan from Himalaya Heliski, which heads to isolated peaks in a different area from Gulmarg, said he had 30 clients booked for this year and expects "many more" next year.
"This is the revival year. It will send out a message that today Kashmir is safe and everything is normal," says Sudan.
The company started heli-skiing in Kashmir in 1988, a year before the eruption of an anti-India insurgency that has claimed 47,000 lives according to the official count.
It suspended its activities in 1990 and since then it has struggled to establish a permanent service. In 2007 its chopper plunged into deep snow -- fortunately without causing injuries.
Next year a New Zealand-based company in collaboration with Gulmarg Heli-Skiing, a local company, will also step in to offer a competing service.
It had bookings from 200 foreigners for trips this winter, but was unable to get the clearances in time, said Abdul Hameed, the owner of Gulmarg Heli-Skiing.
Other activities such as hiking, river rafting and snow-cycling are also undergoing a revival in Indian Kashmir, with both locals and foreigners taking part.
"Trekking and mountaineering has picked up over the years and many foreigners and Indians can be seen enjoying the treks alongside locals," said Farooq Shah, head of Kashmir's tourism ministry.
SOURCE: By Izhar Wani (ANI)
Date - March 12, 2010
Location - Gulmarg, India (AFP)
Friday, March 5, 2010
Firefly offers Attractive Holiday Packages at MATTA Fair 2010
MATTA Fair 2010 will be a "must-go" event next week as community airline Firefly Sdn Bhd is offering attractive holiday packages to local and international destinations.
Firefly's head of marketing and communications department, Angelina Fernandez, said the airline was now able to offer more variety, including to destinations worldwide through connectivity with Malaysia Airlines (MAS).
"In the previous three years, we offered only Firefly destinations but this year we are offering over 100 MAS destinations worldwide, including London, Paris and Tokyo," she said at a press conference here Thursday.
With the slogan "Kick Off Your Holiday with Firefly Holidays", Angelina said the theme would be on football as the World Cup fever was already in the air.
The packages are categorised under "Striker" for the best value package deals, "Midfielder" for packages with complementary value-adds such as spa sessions, dinners and transfers, and "Defender" for free and easy packages.
Another offer is Firefly tickets at RM1 to all destinations via the newly introduced Firefly Mobile application.
Head of Firefly's distribution Lawrence Chai said this promotion would only be available onsite and visitors must make their purchases using their mobile phones.
Angelina said following the success in last year's MATTA Fair, the airline had decided to reward customers with attractive prizes worth more than RM500,000.
"There will be a 'penalty kick' for any customer spending more than RM6,000 on Firefly and MAS packages with the chance to win a Maxis-Blackberry mobile phone or flight tickets," she said.
The flying simulator, which was the main attraction on last year's event, will again be present to give visitors a chance to test their piloting skills.
"The top three best piloting and landing participants will stand to win two complimentary Firefly tickets each as well as MAS tickets to Los Angeles, Istanbul and Hong Kong as grand prizes," Angelina said.
MATTA Fair will be held at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur from March 12 to 14.
SOURCE: Bernama.com
Date - 4 March 2010
Edition - Petaling Jaya (Malayasia)
Firefly's head of marketing and communications department, Angelina Fernandez, said the airline was now able to offer more variety, including to destinations worldwide through connectivity with Malaysia Airlines (MAS).
"In the previous three years, we offered only Firefly destinations but this year we are offering over 100 MAS destinations worldwide, including London, Paris and Tokyo," she said at a press conference here Thursday.
With the slogan "Kick Off Your Holiday with Firefly Holidays", Angelina said the theme would be on football as the World Cup fever was already in the air.
The packages are categorised under "Striker" for the best value package deals, "Midfielder" for packages with complementary value-adds such as spa sessions, dinners and transfers, and "Defender" for free and easy packages.
Another offer is Firefly tickets at RM1 to all destinations via the newly introduced Firefly Mobile application.
Head of Firefly's distribution Lawrence Chai said this promotion would only be available onsite and visitors must make their purchases using their mobile phones.
Angelina said following the success in last year's MATTA Fair, the airline had decided to reward customers with attractive prizes worth more than RM500,000.
"There will be a 'penalty kick' for any customer spending more than RM6,000 on Firefly and MAS packages with the chance to win a Maxis-Blackberry mobile phone or flight tickets," she said.
The flying simulator, which was the main attraction on last year's event, will again be present to give visitors a chance to test their piloting skills.
"The top three best piloting and landing participants will stand to win two complimentary Firefly tickets each as well as MAS tickets to Los Angeles, Istanbul and Hong Kong as grand prizes," Angelina said.
MATTA Fair will be held at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur from March 12 to 14.
SOURCE: Bernama.com
Date - 4 March 2010
Edition - Petaling Jaya (Malayasia)
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