Asian travel demand will close five per cent down for 2009 in part due to sharp declines in travellers from South Korea. Longhaul destinations such as Europe are being hit hardest as Japanese, Chinese, Indians and Thais also choose to stay home or travel within Asia. Dr Martin BuckDirector-Competence CenterTravel & Logistics, Messe Berlin Travel demand for 2010 is likely to pick up, but spending is likely to lag at around 2005-2006 levels. Prospects ...
A high-tech travel website, SoutheastAsia.org, will serve as the anchor for a new destination marketing campaign for Southeast Asia. That’s the claim being made by the signatories of a tripartite alliance between Singapore-based Wego, the ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA) and the Bangkok-based ASEAN Competitiveness Enhancement (ACE) Project.When launched on 25 January the site will allow users to research, plan and book multiple destination trips to and within the 10 member countries of ASEAN. SoutheastAsia.org will also offer a special section for travel agents and others in the travel trade. Travel suppliers are being encouraged to submit content. The ACE Project is funded by United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Regional Develop...
Tourism in India has already started showing signs of early recovery from the impact of global economic meltdown and in December 2009 tourist arrivals grew substantially by 21 per cent registering a growth of over eight per cent over the arrivals in December 2007 which was a year of high growth. India’s Tourism Minister Kumari Selja said this at the 5th Tourism Leadership Forum on the “Prospects & Challenge of Tourism Recovery for 2010/2011” held in Madrid, Spain. She informed the gathering that one of the reasons for the tourism sector in Indi...
Kerala Tourism has tied up with Google to promote tourism through search and banner advertisements on the search engine. This is the first time a state tourism department is partnering with the global search engine for such an advertisement campaign. A four-member high-level team from Google, led by its Business Head, Narasimha Jayakumar was in Kerala recently. They met stakeholders in the tourism industry and conducted workshops for them in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi.According to Kerala Tourism website Mr. Narasimha Jayakumar, Business Head of Google India has said that the three-month campaign for Kerala Tourism that started in the middle of November received tremendous response. “It is now possible for somebody sitting in Britain, the U.S.A., Canada or India doin...
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has entered into a long term contract with IBS Software, a leading supplier of IT solutions for the global travel, transportation and logistics industry, for deploying its crew management system, AvientCrew. The deal, set to provide MAS with increased efficiency and reduced cost of operation, was signed in Kuala Lumpur today. The single integrated solution from IBS will replace the two different crew management systems that are currently being used by MAS to manage their Technical Crew and Cabin Crew rosters. While the current system at MAS uses a combination of manual and IT-based systems, the new system from IBS will automate the entire crew management and tracking process facilitating crew pairing, rostering, tracking and manpower planning. IBS’ A...
N C Somaiah, in his careering spanning over 15 years, has worked in various capacities at Oberoi hotels Oakwood and Radisson before joining The Leela Kempinski Kovalam. Tell us about your hotel and its USP’sThe Leela Kempinski Kovalam Beach is top of the line luxury resort in India offering world class hospitality service. We have embarked on fulfilling our honorable chairman, Capt. C.P. Krishnan Nair’s dream – The Leela brand would provide hospitality excellence, with the “Essence of India” to the most discerning guest.The Resort has carved a niche for itself in the global leisure map in the last four years of operations. Stemming out of high st...
My primary rationale for choosing a career with hospitality sector was to find a vocation which would offer challenges and opportunities for travel. The travel and tourism industry of which hospitality is a component has tremendous growth potential in India and we are beginning to see the changes in our society whether it be the growth of Civil Aviation and development of world-class Airports in the country. Hospitality is also in a growth phase. But India has only barely scratched the surface, the coming decade or two promises to be extremely interesting and challenging.I joined ITC Ltd. in the year 1987 and rose to become Marketing Manager, ITC Maurya Sheraton, New Delhi in September 2000. During 1992-94 I completed my MBA at AIM, Manila (Philippines) on a scholarship whe...
How did you become interested in hospitality business? Venturing into the hospitality industry was an unexpected turning point in my life and career. This industry has of course always held a fascination for me. Quality vacation with a new and exciting experience each time is something my family and I try to do at least once every year and this did give me an insight into how a holiday experience can be made- which I think is a very important aspect of the hospitality business.My entry into this fascinating industry happened by chance. We saw a beautiful piece of land up for sale, saw its great potential in creating a beautiful holiday experience, and there this journey began.What is your current role at your company? I am...
The Hotel Investment Forum India has selected Capt. C.P. Krishnan Nair, Chairman of The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts for the prestigious Hall of Fame Award. The honour has been conferred on Captain Nair at a glittering ceremony held in Mumbai recently. The award is in recognition of Capt. Nair’s outstanding business practices, leadership qualities and for raising the bar for the industry with his achievements. Speaking on the occasion, Jim Burba, President of Burba Hotels Network and the host to the event, said, “Capt. Nair remains an inspiration to aspiring hoteliers and his contribution to the industry, philanthropy work and community investment truly represent what the HIFI Hall of Fame was designed to honour.” Capt. Nair in his reply said, &...
If you want, you can! Can you? Yes, you can! Conditions do not make life; only decisions! Born poor is a condition, becoming rich is a decision. Being illiterate is a condition but becoming literate is a decision. Parents are conditions but friends are decisions. Conditions do not decide our life but only decisions do condition our life. Conditions just reveal what we are in and what our circumstances are. Orville and Wilbur were bicycle repairers by their early condition but then they wanted to make something that could go faster than a cycle, something that could probably fly like a kite or a bird. They experimented with their own bicycle mounting another wheel on the handlebars, free-spinning with two metal plates – one flat and one curved. While pedaling fast, the Wrigh...
The lasting pleasures of contact with the natural world are not reserved for scientists but are available to anyone who will place himself under the influence of earth, sea and sky and their amazing life” said Rachel Carson, whose book Silent Spring helped spark the environment movement in the 20th century. In today’s urbane living, beleaguered by the pace of life and its enormous stress and strain, travel has always come to mankind’s rescue. Travelling to mesmerising, yet unexplored locales, gurgling brooks, gushing streams, emerald forests, misty cobalt mountains, mysterious amber deserts, and brilliant aquamarine seas have helped people to unwind. While satisfying the very human urge to discover new places, today’s discerning travellers are not on...
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