Western Ghats: No UNESCO tag this year

The Western Ghats may not get its World Heritage Site status in the near future.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which assesses proposals for sites of natural significance, has asked UNESCO to defer granting the WHS tag to the Western Ghats. This means that the World Heritage Convention may drop this proposal now and India can submit a fresh proposal for nomination only after three years.

The IUCN recommendation has been made in the IUCN Evaluation Report which will be presented at the 36th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC) which gets under way on June 24 at Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Even last year, the proposal of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) was all set to be shot down at the WHC meeting. The Indian government at that time had fought tooth and nail, and managed to keep the proposal afloat.

Last year, the WHC had referred the nomination of the Western Ghats as a natural heritage serial site and instructed the Indian government to “harmonise arrangements between the ‘Western Ghats Natural Heritage [Management] Committee’ and the ‘Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel’ (WGEEP) and strengthen community membership and input through the establishment of the proposed ‘Western Ghats Natural Heritage Conservation Authority’ and other relevant advisory committees”.

This year, however, the IUCN assessment is acutely critical, given the Indian government’s dithering on the WGEEP report issue. Among other things, the WGEEP report had faulted the government on the virtual non-implementation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act. Though the IUCN document does not directly refer to the Forest Rights Act, it said that “the protection status of at least parts of the renominated property does not meet the requirements set out in the Operational Guidelines, principally due to concerns about land tenure and the strength of legal controls over development.”

The Indian government has not acted on the words of wisdom that had been directed its way last year. The government has not acted on the contentious issues of management, boundaries as well as threats posed to the Western Ghats in the year that went by.

The official proposal had hinged on two criteria primarily—that of the ecological processes of the Western Ghats and the biodiversity of the area.

The IUCN has pulled up India on both, and has in fact asked the Indian government to take into account the recommendations of the WGEEP since the panel had been specifically tasked to compile scientific data and define ecologically sensitive areas through consultation.

It has also urged India to undertake “a further consultation to facilitate increased engagement to ensure the views of all stakeholders, including local indigenous groups, are considered, in order to ensure and demonstrate broad-based support for the nomination.” This assumes significance in the light of MoEF deciding to call in for comments and views on the WGEEP report put up on its website on Wednesday.

What would be most difficult for India to adhere to would be integration of the Western Ghats area. IUCN has asked it to “establish improved coordination and integration between component sites, particularly through the preparation and implementation of an overarching management plan or framework for the serial property as a whole and through the establishment of the proposed ‘Western Ghats Natural Heritage Conservation Authority’.”

There are seven sub-clusters and 39 sites that have been mentioned in the Western Ghats nomination proposal.

courtesy : DNAindia

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India wants to double tourist numbers by 2016

India, which sees an average of six million tourists visiting the country every year, wants to double the number by the year 2016, by promoting wellness and medical tourism, Union Tourism Minister has said.

India gets just over six million tourists every year and the government wants to double this number by the year 2016, Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahai said.

He said that outbound tourists from India are four times more than inbound tourists and the government has decided to take steps to improve these numbers.

He was speaking to media on the sidelines of an Incredible India Road Show which was organised here yesterday.

Senior officials and tourism authorities of Assam, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra were also present on the occasion.

"We need 200,000 rooms in India. We need exhibition centres, convention centres, theme parks etc.

"There is scope for promoting wellness tourism, medical tourism by propagating ayurveda and yoga etc. We have the Himalayas, we have 7,000 km of coastal areas that are all potential tourist attractions," the minister said.

Sahai announced that a tourism promotion forum will be set up at the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi which will have representation from the tourism industry.

He said that around Rs 40,000 crore is needed to develop India's tourism industry.

"The tourism promotion forum will suggest ways to improve things and we will act upon their suggestions," the minister said.

 He added that a MoU will also be signed between India and the UAE to jointly promote tourism.

Speaking on the occasion, India's ambassador to the UAE M K Lokesh said there is a lot of diversity in terms of tourist attractions in India.

India is the third largest source of foreign tourists to the UAE, he said.

Tour operators and airline officials also attended a B2B session that was organised on the sidelines of the Road Show.

There has been a consistent growth of foreign tourist arrivals from the Gulf and the Middle East region to India over the last 2-3 years with year 2010 having registered an overall growth of around 17 per cent over the previous year.

According to India Tourism officials, foreign tourist arrivals in India touched 6. 29 million in 2011.

Till May this year, the number had reached 2.8 million and the foreign exchange earning during this period stood at USD 7297 million.

The ministry of tourism has set an aim to increase India's share in international tourist arrivals from 0.6 per cent to 1 per cent by the year 2016.

Courtesy: zeenews.com

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It's time to carve out a career in tourism sector

Two lakh job opportunities await people in Kerala in the tourism and hospitality industry, according to Dr Rajashree Ajith, director of the Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies (KITTS).

She was speaking at the inaugural function of the two-day education expo organized by the department of tourism and KITTS at Ernakulam Town Hall on Sunday.

"According to reports of UNWTO, there will be 535 million job opportunities in South-East Asia, including India, by 2030. The benefits will definitely trickle down to Kerala and we need industry-ready, employable youth for this sector," said Rajashree stressing on the need for professional education in the field.

"KITTS will launch diploma courses for different fields such as air cargo, logistics, retail management and spa therapies by July. Due importance will be given to language skill development in German, French and Arabic. The institute claims 100% placement records.

KITTS in partnership with a Bangalore-based interface organization iNurture will be conducting courses in Thiruvanathapuram, Kochi and Thalassery," Rajashree said.

Public and private institutes in the tourism and hospitality sector are present at the expo, offering advice to those interested. The education fair was inaugurated by Hibi Eden MLA along with Riyaz Ahmed, managing director of Abad group.

"There are more than 43 lakh people in Kerala who had registered with various employment exchanges in the state. It is sad that they are trying for the 20,000-odd government job postings. Instead of waiting for it, these qualified people should look at the opportunities in this dynamic field," said Hibi.

Courtesy : Times Of India

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Condé Nast Traveller India launches Readers’ Travel Awards 2012

Condé Nast Traveller invites its readers to vote for their most memorable and treasured travel experiences by participating in the annual Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards 2012, recognized internationally as a benchmark for excellence in the travel and tourism industry. Readers can vote for their favourite holiday destinations and travel experiences by filling in the Readers’ Travel Awards questionnaire available in the Condé Nast Traveller June-July 2012 issue or by logging onto www.cntraveller.in. Entries are open till July 31, 2012 and the award winning destinations, hotels, airlines amongst other categories will be announced at an awards ceremony later in the year.

Since their introduction in India last year, Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards have been recognized as the most prestigious travel awards in India.

Divia Thani Daswani, Editor, Condé Nast Traveller India says, “We were overwhelmed by the response the awards received in their first edition in India. The Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards are widely acknowledged as the most prestigious awards in the travel industry, because they are voted for by our discerning readers, who understand, appreciate and ultimately consume luxury travel products and services. We look forward to an even greater response this year, given the increased circulation and reach of the magazine, and the growing appetite for luxury travel. And of course, the chance to win a stay at a fabulous luxury hotel in Asia is an added incentive to vote! Just buy the current issue of Condé Nast Traveller India or vote online at www.cntraveller.in before July 31, 2012. Good luck to you, and to all your favourites!”

Condé Nast Traveller India readers have the opportunity to vote across 22 categories for their favourite destinations, hotels, airlines, spas, airports and more. Five lucky participants stand to win a luxury hotel stay at world class destinations like Beijing, Tokyo, Singapore, Jakarta and Bangkok.

Talking about the success of Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards in India, Subodh Kant Sahay, Minister of Tourism, Government of India shared, “Now is the time to properly market India’s tourist destinations and achieve our vision to double the number of tourists to India. Condé Nast Traveller has contributed extensively to the Indian tourism industry since its arrival in India and we believe that the magazine will offer a significant boost to our initiatives thanks to its circulation and credentials – which are tremendous, no doubt.”

CONDÉ NAST TRAVELLER READERS’ TRAVEL AWARDS INDIA 2012
INVITES READERS TO VOTE FOR THEIR FAVORITE IN THE CATEGORIES LISTED BELOW:

1. Country
2. Overseas City
3. Indian City
4. Leisure Destination -India
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6. Emerging Destination- India
7. Business Hotel – Overseas
8. Business Hotel – India
9. Leisure Hotel -Overseas
10. Leisure Hotel – India
11. New Hotel – Overseas
12. New Hotel -India
13. Boutique Hotel -India
14. Hotel Loyalty Programme
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20. Spa in Hotel -Overseas
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Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Courtesy : bestmediainfo.com


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Agra may soon get international air terminal

Taj city Agra may soon get a brand new international air terminal at Dhanuali, close to the Kheria IAF base here, if the project gets the green signal from the union civil aviation ministry, says an official.

After visiting the terminal site, Raghu Raman, general manager-planning of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), held extensive discussions on the project with local administration officials and tourism industry leaders.

Raman said on Friday evening that a detailed proposal would now be sent to the ministry within a week and, if approved, "construction would begin soon".

"It may take around 18 months to two years for the terminal to be ready," Raman said.

The AAI is currently unable to optimally utilise the facilities at Kheria airport. Apart from government planes and some chartered flights, domestic majors like Indian Airlines and Kingfisher operate from here only during peak tourist season (October-March).

According to airport officer Kuldeep Singh, besides state government planes, about 60 chartered flights landed here last year.

AAI is spending around Rs.40,00,000-50,00,000 a year on maintaining the existing facilities at the airport but "this expenditure is of little use as regular flights do not touch Agra", officials said.

Officials were hopeful that there would be no hassles in acquiring 60 acres of agricultural land near the village to construct the new terminal building after paying adequate compensation to the farmers.

The airport terminal project for Agra was accorded priority after the new Samajwadi Party government took over in Uttar Pradesh in March this year.

"The Akhilesh Yadav government wants the terminal urgently. Besides, several other projects are being discussed at the highest level, including an international airport at Baldev in Mathura district," Rajiv Tiwari, president of tourism industry body Federation of Indian Travel Agents said.

"The tourism industry in Agra is demanding that immediate steps be taken to get flights resumed from Kheria airport before the start of the new tourist season. We recently submitted a memorandum to the chief minister, requesting him to grant concessions on fuel purchases and provide certain facilities at the airport," Tiwari said.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has now equipped its Kheria air base with night landing facilities and the runway has also been extended after repairs.

The new terminal could accelerate the growth of tourism sector in this region that draws a large number of foreign visitors, tourism industry sources here aver.
courtesy: zeenews.com

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Understanding domestic Indian travel behaviors

GLOBAL REPORT—As more and more hoteliers look to capitalize on an emerging travel market in India, understanding that emerging traveler’s behavior with respect to travel is critically important.

For example, the adoption of social media as a travel research tool in India has accelerated much faster than any other region of the world, according to PhoCusWright researchers on a webinar Wednesday titled “Upward and Onward: PhoCusWright’s Indian Consumer Travel.”

The top three websites visited when researching travel in India are Facebook, Orkut (a social networking and discussion site operated by Google) and Twitter, according to PhoCusWright research. Therefore, hoteliers who want to successfully capture demand need to tweak their social-media strategies to target Indian travelers.

“There is tremendous opportunity for travel providers because India is still a developing market,” said Julien Beresford, senior research analyst at PhoCusWright. “It’s critically important to know that a single channel will not work. It’s critical to have a multichannel strategy.”

Understanding the demographics 

There are more than 19 million broadband users in India, according to PhoCusWright, signifying an accelerated Internet and mobile adoption rate. Wireless coverage is increasing dramatically in the area and 4G networks will be popping up in India later this year. There has been a surge in rich-media content and social networking, which has had exponential effects on India’s travel market.

There are more than 46 million Facebook users in India. The country has a population of 1.21 billion; 339 million of those are urban residents and approximately 61 million are considered “upper echelon,” which is the group doing most of the traveling in India today.

India has seen significant investment related to its tourism industry, including the expansion of four metro airports.

All of this has led to approximately 55,000 rooms in India’s hotel development pipeline, according to PhoCusWright.

The typical Indian traveler is a young male between the ages of 25 and 44 and has a graduate degree. While regional languages are spoken primarily, most Indian residents read English primarily, which presents an opportunity for international hoteliers.

Young Indians are spending much more than they did just two years ago, said Deepak Jain,
research associate with PhoCusWright. Significantly more travelers today are doing so with friends, family and other adults, as opposed to traveling alone. Fifty-eight percent of upper-echelon Indians take just one trip in a year; one in four plan to take three or more leisure trips.

“Even though they are traveling less (than U.S. travelers), they are optimistic about future plans. Indians plan to take more trips, spend more and stay longer,” Jain said.

India’s channel mix

Approximately 6 billion travel bookings are made online in India on an annual basis. Recently, more than 2 billion (about 33%) of those bookings were made with online-travel agents and the remaining 4 billion were made directly with suppliers, according to PhoCusWright research. However, approximately 50% of those supplier-direct bookings were made on RailToursimIndia.com; without those bookings, the mix would be spilt about 50-50 between OTAs and supplier direct, Jain said.

When researching travel, the most-used online destinations are search engines and social media. Forty-five percent of Indian travelers reported using social media as a primary research tool, much higher than PhoCusWright has seen in any other region, Beresford said.

When it comes to booking online versus offline, many travelers in India still book travel through traditional offline travel. According to PhoCusWright research, 31% of Indian travelers “usually or always” book online, while 42% “usually or always” book offline. When asked how their last trip was booked, an overwhelming number of survey respondents reported booking offline.

Mobile and social media

In India, 55% of leisure travelers have a smartphone. Only 2% of Indian travelers don’t have a mobile phone at all, according to PhoCusWright research.

Social networks are a primary travel tool. Indian travelers are using the sites primarily to get travel advice, get recommendations about activities, plan trips collaboratively and share travel updates.

“There has been some activity by the telecom operators to drive consumers to social-networking sites by lowering data charges,” Beresford said. “But I think it’s more than that. There is an acceptance of social networking to interact with travel providers and OTAs to an extent we don’t see yet in the U.S. and Europe.”
Courtesy : www.hotelnewsnow.com

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