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
Showing posts with label International Tours. Show all posts
Showing posts with label International Tours. Show all posts
Monday, March 29, 2010
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 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)
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
The time's ripe to open your Vacation Wallets for the trip of a lifetime
A YEAR ago, Asheesh Vashishtha, a techie and self- confessed travel addict, gave his wanderlust a rest because he had to take care of a bigger need – that of holding on to his job at a time when the recession tsunami struck the IT industry. But now that recession is well and truly behind us, Vashishtha sees no reason for him to extend his 'staycation'. Now, he is all set to celebrate his fifth anniversary in Hong Kong with his wife, Shruti, who is also his co- worker.
"Last year, we settled for a trip to Mumbai, but I wanted to treat Shruti to something better this year," says the 32 year old techie who has been working with a telecoms MNC in Chandigarh for the past three years. "Also, this is the best time to travel to South East Asia because it's dirt cheap. The cost of our five- night vacation is working out to be Rs 50,000." With job losses becoming a thing of the past, and companies loosening their purse strings and rewarding their staff with incentives, foreign leisure travel is back in fashion. And the ones to benefit the most out of this turnaround are the short- haul getaways in the neighbourhood.
"We expect a 50-70 per cent growth in the outbound sector and most of it will be powered by short-haul destinations," Mayur Oberoi, vice- president, outbound division, MakeMyTrip.com, says.
"Travellers these days want cheaper and easy-to-connect destinations where they don't have to worry about the visa process." Domestic holidays continue to be an expensive option, with air fares and hotel rates heading north again, and this is also driving the resurgence in people's interest in outbound travel. "Our target audience comprises middle class working couples looking out for a weekend break," said Kashmira Commissariat, chief operating officer of the outbound division of Kuoni, a leading tour operator.
"Travelling to Kerala or Rajasthan with a stay in a star category hotel continues to be more expensive than a holiday in Thailand, Malaysia or Dubai." What has set the ball rolling is the fact that hotel prices in Southeast Asia have come down heavily over the past two years and the air connectivity has gone up.
"Hotel prices have dropped by 25-40 per cent in southeast Asian nations," said Oberoi. "A week's trip that was earlier priced at Rs 55,000 is now coming at Rs 40,000 and it includes airfare, food, hotel stay, local travel and taxes." The portal has seen a 30 per cent jump in the bookings for key short-haul destinations like Thailand, Dubai and Singapore.
A big change over the last year is the revival of the family vacation market. "Last year, only honeymooners and those who weren't affected directly by the recession opted for foreign vacations," said Sabina Chopra, cofounder of Yatra. com. "This year our most important segment, that is, families, is back in action. This is good news because they account for as much as 30 per cent of all bookings."
For agencies promoting international destinations, there couldn’t be better news. "It's a win-win situation both for Indian travellers and neighboring countries," said Sunil Puri, representative of the Hong Kong Tourism Board in India. "We gain from increased numbers and travelers get hassle free holidays powered by better connectivity, cheap hotels and visas on arrival." Predictably, neighbouring destinations have sensed an opportunity and are reinventing themselves to lure travellers.
Singapore, for instance, is promoting what it calls Asia’s biggest family destination, Resorts World Sentosa, which is opening early next year. With seven theme parks managed by Universal Studios and deluxe hotels, the resort is being built at an investment of US$ 4.32 billion. Dubai keeps reinventing with shopping festivals.
The brand lure of these shorthaul destinations hasn't dulled the traditional popularity of Europe among the well-travelled Indians. "Destinations like London, Paris and Switzerland have such high brand values that they will never go out of fashion. These are key destinations for honeymooners and backpackers," Commissariat said.
Most of these holiday destinations have shed their ludicrously expensive tag thanks to the recession and are luring the middle-class traveller with attractive deals. The authoritative travel guide, Lonely Planet, has just included London, Iceland and Las Vegas, hitherto seen as expensive, in its best value destinations list for 2010.
"Hotel prices are down by as much as 30 per cent in most of the Europe. This is the best time for Indian to look beyond Asia," said Rajji Rai, president, Travel Agents Association of India.
"We're seeing a high level of interest from our clients in European destinations and this is only bound to increase." Travelling abroad is back in fashion for the middle class, and how!"
Travel tales
The Indian outbound travel market has grown from 3.7 million in 1997 to 9.8 million international departures in 2007. International tourism expenditure by Indians has grown from US$ 1.3 billion in 1997 to US$ 8.2 billion in 2007.
The UN World Tourism Organisation predicts that India will account for 50 million outbound tourists by 2020; the Kuoni Travel Report India 2007 predicts total outbound spending will cross US$ 28 billion in 2020.
According to the Nielsen India Outbound Travel Monitor 2008, most international travelers from India prefer travelling within Asia: Singapore (24 pc of all Indian respondents), Dubai, Australia and Malaysia (17 pc each) are the most popular destinations among Indians.
SOURCE: MAIL Today
Date - 16 November 2009
Edition - New Delhi
"Last year, we settled for a trip to Mumbai, but I wanted to treat Shruti to something better this year," says the 32 year old techie who has been working with a telecoms MNC in Chandigarh for the past three years. "Also, this is the best time to travel to South East Asia because it's dirt cheap. The cost of our five- night vacation is working out to be Rs 50,000." With job losses becoming a thing of the past, and companies loosening their purse strings and rewarding their staff with incentives, foreign leisure travel is back in fashion. And the ones to benefit the most out of this turnaround are the short- haul getaways in the neighbourhood.
"We expect a 50-70 per cent growth in the outbound sector and most of it will be powered by short-haul destinations," Mayur Oberoi, vice- president, outbound division, MakeMyTrip.com, says.
"Travellers these days want cheaper and easy-to-connect destinations where they don't have to worry about the visa process." Domestic holidays continue to be an expensive option, with air fares and hotel rates heading north again, and this is also driving the resurgence in people's interest in outbound travel. "Our target audience comprises middle class working couples looking out for a weekend break," said Kashmira Commissariat, chief operating officer of the outbound division of Kuoni, a leading tour operator.
"Travelling to Kerala or Rajasthan with a stay in a star category hotel continues to be more expensive than a holiday in Thailand, Malaysia or Dubai." What has set the ball rolling is the fact that hotel prices in Southeast Asia have come down heavily over the past two years and the air connectivity has gone up.
"Hotel prices have dropped by 25-40 per cent in southeast Asian nations," said Oberoi. "A week's trip that was earlier priced at Rs 55,000 is now coming at Rs 40,000 and it includes airfare, food, hotel stay, local travel and taxes." The portal has seen a 30 per cent jump in the bookings for key short-haul destinations like Thailand, Dubai and Singapore.
A big change over the last year is the revival of the family vacation market. "Last year, only honeymooners and those who weren't affected directly by the recession opted for foreign vacations," said Sabina Chopra, cofounder of Yatra. com. "This year our most important segment, that is, families, is back in action. This is good news because they account for as much as 30 per cent of all bookings."
For agencies promoting international destinations, there couldn’t be better news. "It's a win-win situation both for Indian travellers and neighboring countries," said Sunil Puri, representative of the Hong Kong Tourism Board in India. "We gain from increased numbers and travelers get hassle free holidays powered by better connectivity, cheap hotels and visas on arrival." Predictably, neighbouring destinations have sensed an opportunity and are reinventing themselves to lure travellers.
Singapore, for instance, is promoting what it calls Asia’s biggest family destination, Resorts World Sentosa, which is opening early next year. With seven theme parks managed by Universal Studios and deluxe hotels, the resort is being built at an investment of US$ 4.32 billion. Dubai keeps reinventing with shopping festivals.
The brand lure of these shorthaul destinations hasn't dulled the traditional popularity of Europe among the well-travelled Indians. "Destinations like London, Paris and Switzerland have such high brand values that they will never go out of fashion. These are key destinations for honeymooners and backpackers," Commissariat said.
Most of these holiday destinations have shed their ludicrously expensive tag thanks to the recession and are luring the middle-class traveller with attractive deals. The authoritative travel guide, Lonely Planet, has just included London, Iceland and Las Vegas, hitherto seen as expensive, in its best value destinations list for 2010.
"Hotel prices are down by as much as 30 per cent in most of the Europe. This is the best time for Indian to look beyond Asia," said Rajji Rai, president, Travel Agents Association of India.
"We're seeing a high level of interest from our clients in European destinations and this is only bound to increase." Travelling abroad is back in fashion for the middle class, and how!"
Travel tales
The Indian outbound travel market has grown from 3.7 million in 1997 to 9.8 million international departures in 2007. International tourism expenditure by Indians has grown from US$ 1.3 billion in 1997 to US$ 8.2 billion in 2007.
The UN World Tourism Organisation predicts that India will account for 50 million outbound tourists by 2020; the Kuoni Travel Report India 2007 predicts total outbound spending will cross US$ 28 billion in 2020.
According to the Nielsen India Outbound Travel Monitor 2008, most international travelers from India prefer travelling within Asia: Singapore (24 pc of all Indian respondents), Dubai, Australia and Malaysia (17 pc each) are the most popular destinations among Indians.
SOURCE: MAIL Today
Date - 16 November 2009
Edition - New Delhi
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
100 Free Holidays to Cyprus are up for Grabs
With tourist numbers slipping abysmally in most European countries over the past year, many of them are scouting around for new markets like India to make up for their losses. This has meant that European tourism boards are lining up with announcements to lure outbound Indians.
The most recent entry is Cyprus, which has tied up with tour operator Cox & Kings India to flag off a slew of activities to sell itself as a year- round family destination. The operator has announced that 100 free holidays to the Mediterranean nation are up for grabs.
It has also promised to keep coming up with affordable holiday packages aimed at families and honeymooning couples. “It’s a mid- haul destination that has three strong points for the Indian market: moderate climate, pristine beaches and as many as 19 Indian restaurants,” says Ashutosh Mehere of Cox & Kings. “What works best is that there is no recommended time to go for this destination. One can travel throughout the year.” The absence of a direct flight to Cyprus could turn out to be a dampener but for those who are looking for something new, this may be just a small hurdle. Keeping in mind how the market works, the operator has promised to promote Cyprus as a value- formoney destination. “Unlike other European destinations, a family can easily go there for five nights for under Rs 50,000 per person. The sum includes airfare, accommodation, meals and sightseeing,” Mehere says. And if you want more, you can club Cyprus with other popular options in the region, such as Turkey or Egypt.
SOURCE:
Mail Today
Date - 8 November 2009
Edition - New Delhi
The most recent entry is Cyprus, which has tied up with tour operator Cox & Kings India to flag off a slew of activities to sell itself as a year- round family destination. The operator has announced that 100 free holidays to the Mediterranean nation are up for grabs.
It has also promised to keep coming up with affordable holiday packages aimed at families and honeymooning couples. “It’s a mid- haul destination that has three strong points for the Indian market: moderate climate, pristine beaches and as many as 19 Indian restaurants,” says Ashutosh Mehere of Cox & Kings. “What works best is that there is no recommended time to go for this destination. One can travel throughout the year.” The absence of a direct flight to Cyprus could turn out to be a dampener but for those who are looking for something new, this may be just a small hurdle. Keeping in mind how the market works, the operator has promised to promote Cyprus as a value- formoney destination. “Unlike other European destinations, a family can easily go there for five nights for under Rs 50,000 per person. The sum includes airfare, accommodation, meals and sightseeing,” Mehere says. And if you want more, you can club Cyprus with other popular options in the region, such as Turkey or Egypt.
SOURCE:
Mail Today
Date - 8 November 2009
Edition - New Delhi
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