Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa recently launched the online reservation facility for Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation’s (KSTDC) luxury train, the Golden Chariot.
The first of its kind facility in the luxury train segment, the online reservation provides for value-added services like streamlining bookings, allocation of cabins, food preferences and additional services such as wheel chair.
KSTDC has signed an agreement with Leela Group of Hotels to facilitate and market The Golden Chariot in India and abroad.
Speaking at the launch, Yedyurapp said the online faciltiy has not only put Karnataka Tourism on international map but has become one of the more prestigious products of the country. These marketing initiatives were essential to make the Golden Chariot one of the most coveted train journeys in the world. ‘This will also turn the attention to Karnataka’s tourism industry’, he said.
Karnataka has great potential for tourism and if marketed properly, the state would benefit immensely, he said.
The KSTDC has empanelled six general sales agents for the marketing of this product in the international markets.
In a decision to promote education in hospitality and tourism, the ministry of human resource development (HRD) has proposed to establish the country’s first hospitality and tourism university.
A reliable source in the ministry disclosed that the proposal is in its preliminary stage and will be ready to be tabled in the Parliament during the monsoon session.
The draft states, ‘The new university will be established as study centres of learning all over the country, which could also be utilised to encourage, promote, to co-ordinate and to consolidate this upcoming and highly demanding discipline of hospitality and tourism academically, educationally, culturally, and economically’.
According to a few industry members, there is too much confusion in hospitality education, research and learning today.
Says Dr Jagmohan Negi, an academician and advisor to FHRAI -IHM, “There are publications, books, research work and papers in other disciplines but in the field of tourism and hospitality, we find very few works of quality and standard, which could be claimed as an academic achievement. Whatever is available is staggered, isolated and unexplored which need to be consolidated and encouraged through academic unification and research work.”
He added that this step by the government will improve the sectors through quality education.
In the early 1960s, the government had established hotel and catering education centres in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai with the support of a few foreign governments. Today, there are around 24 IHMs in the country that are controlled by the National Council of Hotel Management & Catering Training (NCHMCT).
The ministry of tourism (MoT), which oversees these institutes, has failed to acquire the status of deemed university for them on several occasions.
With this proposed university, which will come under Central University, all the scattered institutes in the hospitality and tourism sectors will come under one roof. Other than the IHMs, there are about 250 institutes in the country for hospitality and tourism education.
Travel Tours Pvt. Ltd. one of the oldest and established travel houses in South India with an all India presence has launched their new Forex website to help all travelers by providing this value added service. Foreign Currency market (Money changing) is an ideal new revenue source for travel agents. With huge profit potential, new source of income, and a unique business opportunity available to travel companies and professionals, Forex is a great new market to be in, and Travel Tours thus utilized this opportunity and created a leadership position for themselves in this area.
As mentioned earlier this is truly a first of its kind initiative by any Indian travel and Tourism Company. The website offers a whole gamut of features to the traveler and anyone looking for help and answers to frequently asked queries on Foreign exchange. The website has features like:
Currency converters: the currency converters can convert any currency in to the desired local currency. The amount has to be keyed in with the currency names and it is done instantly. The currency values are updated on a daily basis and after three months the update will be done every hour.
Historical rate cards: This feature stores an archive with all the earlier currency rates. There are more than eighty five currencies of different nationalities stored here.
The travel regulations in India, how much money can one individual carry? How to use travelers cheque? how does one use and bill an international credit card? etc. All FAQs answered on the site and also ask the expert on advice on money transfers and foreign exchange related topics.
Travel Expense Calculator: to help travelers file their expense reports after an international trip.
Cheat Sheet: to help holiday travelers quickly convert exchange rates.
Online ordering facility: to help customers order foreign exchange for their travel.
Corporate log in: this facility is provided for all corporates who are given a separate log in id. The site also provides them with a special rate card with negotiated prices. They can also order online for leisure and corporate travel.
The website is also supported by various national banks.
On the launch of the Forex Portal, Shravan Gupta, M.D. Travel Tours, said that “In response to the exploding interest in Forex, and need for awareness, educational and business building program in the travel industry, the launch of this value added service for our clients will go a long way in reaffirming our faith in our esteemed loyal customers and also help to convert many others, into our fold, by constantly innovating and improving upon our existing services. It is customized to meet specific needs of the travel professional across India and abroad”.
“With the increase in international travel out of India, there was a distinct need to provide travelers with up to date information on foreign exchange rates and regulations. We have been in the forex business for over 10 years and this was a logical extension to the service we provide to our clients. The site will also help us reach out to an extended audience and thereby convert new customers into our fold. The site also has features to assist frequent travelers.”
Jammu & Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) has recently launched its online hotel booking facility to enable tourists and visitors to book hotels in the state from their respective places.
The facility, first of its kind provided by any public sector organisation in India, was launched at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre.
The bookings can now be done on the website of the JKTDC- www.jktdc.co.in. The customers can book a hotel of his choice by filling an application form available on the website. The form will seek details about the person, destinations he wishes to go, hotel he wants to stay in and his check-in and check-out dates.
The payment to JKTDC can be made through a credit card or sending a Demand Draft in favor of the corporation. According to Tourism Department officials, the project has been initiated under the central financial assistance of Rs 50 lakhs. It is being introduced at eight locations in Jammu and Kashmir, with operational bases at Srinagar and Jammu.
“The other locations include Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Cheshmashahi, Patnitop and Katra,” said Abdul Aziz Wani, managing director of JKTDC.
“Through this user-friendly system, it is expected that we shall be able to offer better services to our diversified client base.”
Besides booking, the portal will provide information to tourists on various resorts in the state and the facilities provided by the hoteliers there. It visually displays full information about the hotels, including the type of rooms and other facilities available to guests.
The facility was launched by secretary Tourism, Nayeem Akhtar, who said the service will enable the department to dispel misconceptions about Kashmir. “Unfortunately, many still see Kashmir as a Taliban country where modern methods of business are alien. So besides promoting the tourist destinations, the booking portal will help in removing all the wrong conceptions about Kashmir,” he said.
The software for the facility has been developed by Gold Infinite Solutions- a New Delhi based software development company.
“The advanced methods of presenting visual images about tourist destinations and hotels can help in attracting more potential customers,” Akhtar said.
The online access, he said, would be useful in promoting JK’s attractions to potential visitors to stimulate a broader and higher-valued range of demand.
America’s keen interest in India goes beyond the nuclear deal. It has also sent the highest number of tourists to India according to data collated by the tourism ministry.
The US has replaced the UK as the country sending the largest number of tourists to India. The number of visitors from the US touched 7.99 lakh, higher than those from any other country, out of the total 50.81 lakh foreigners who came to India last year. The UK—traditionally the leader—has come a close second, sending 7.96 lakh visitors in 2007. In 2006, their number was 7.34 lakh.
Incidentally, Bangladesh—often rapped for the infiltration of illegal migrants—is also sending visitors to India through the ‘legal channel’ for tourism and business. It was the third highest tourist-generating country in 2007, ahead of both Canada and France. Interestingly, the number of visitors from Bangladesh has decreased from 4.84 lakh in 2006 to 4.80 lakh in 2007.
Arrivals from Canada and France have, however, shown considerable increase despite the drop in their rankings. While 2.08 lakh Canadians visited India in 2007, their number was 1.76 lakh in 2006. The number of French tourists also increased from 1.75 lakh to 2.04 lakh. Sri Lanka (2.04 lakh), Germany (1.84 lakh), Japan (1.45 lakh), Australia (1.35 lakh) and Malaysia (1.12 lakh) have emerged as the top ten tourist generating markets for India.
According to data compiled by the tourism ministry, foreign tourist arrivals have grown by 11.5% in 2007-08. Industry sources have pointed out that the growth of tourists in India could be much higher but for the high costs of accommodation and air travel.
“In a fiercely competitive market, we are losing out to our south-east Asian neighbours who are dealing with large volumes. India, with its diversity, can offer tourists interests ranging from adventure sports, sanctuaries, heritage sites, pilgrimage spots, beaches and mountains if it’s able to exploit its potential,” an industry source said.
