Kaziranga National Park now to be open for 8 months in a year

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1 President s Desk Dear Friends, It gives me an immense pleasure in reaching out to you during this fes ve season where celebra on and happiness are in the air. I am sure all of you are having a great me and are gearing up for the fes vi es which are to con nue over the days ahead. I am sure, September has been a joyful month for all of us. On 5th September, we celebrated Teacher's Day. Teacher's Day mo vates us to be a student all through our life. This day, which is celebrated in the memory of a great teacher and our former President Late Shri Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, inspires us for con nuous learning and keeping us always updated in order to serve our guests with the best possible services. This will ul mately give us mileage and will help us generate more business. We all enjoyed the most awaited fes val of the year Ganeshotsav, which we celebrated in September. A very posi ve and notable change that was observed during this year's Ganesh Fes val was a greater awareness about cleanliness and eco-friendliness. Noise pollu on also seemed to be under control during the fes val. We really appreciate this increased awareness amongst the ci zens. In the second week of September, I a ended the Travel and Tourism Fair (TTF) in Surat, which was held on 9th September and in Mumbai from 16th to 18th September. Surat TTF indeed proved to be a great pla orm for interac on with Surat Local Travel Agents' Associa on. We are looking forward to more such interac ve events in the future. On 16th, 17th & 18th October, TTF was organised in Mumbai. It was a small but frui ul event. We were happy to see the presence of Lakshadweep Tourism Board. I hope most of our members visited the event and took the opportunity of good networking. On 22nd September, I had visited China to a end Technology and Travel Exchange (TT) event, organised by Sabre, at Beijing. At TT it was indeed a very good opportunity to a end various conferences during the event and to get updated with the future developments in the industry. All of you who are keen to know more about IATA and reserva on system can take guidance from Sabre, Mumbai. In September, various Tourism Boards visited Mumbai and had organised Roadshows and Interac ve Sessions. I am sure many of you must have a ended these shows. By the grace of God, there was good monsoon this year. This definitely rings in for a be er agricultural produce and an overall happiness and posi ve environment in the country. The holiday season is just around the corner. I appeal each and every one of you to deliver quality services to all the guests and welcome the upcoming season with open arms. Sudhir Pa l, President, MTOA Bangaram Island at Lakshadweep to re-open for tourists on 14th Oct The Union Territory of Lakshadweep has announced that it will re-open one of its island Bangaram island for tourists on October 14, A.M. Hussain, Assistant Director (Tourism), Department of Tourism, Union Territory of Lakshadweep, said, The highlight for for Lakshadweep is re-launching of Bangaram island resort, which was the flagship of Lakshadweep Tourism ll But a er the expiry of the lease period it had gone under a legal ba le and a er the hearing from High Court of Kerala as well as the Supreme Court, the resort has come back to us. The resorts at Bangaram and Aga islands two popular des na ons in Lakshadweep had been closed for the past couple of years as they were caught in legal ba les between the administra on and tourism operators. Kaziranga National Park now to be open for 8 months in a year The Government of Assam, Tourism Department has declared to open the Kaziranga Na onal Park from the first week of October this year ll middle of May Earlier, it was from November 1 to April 30 every year. The BJP-led government is taking steps to keep the Park open for the tourists for eight months instead of the normal six months with an aim to increase tourist inflow to UNESCO s world heritage site, which suffered due to the recent floods. 01

2 Munich Tourist Office launches 'Munich travel Guru a specialist-training program for the agents Munich Tourist Office, India, has launched a specialist-training program called Munich Travel Guru for the travel trade. The programme builds on the theme Simply Munich and engages the travel trade through 10 online informa ve modules. The par cipants will have to score a minimum of 90 per cent in each module to proceed to the next level. Once the par cipant clears all modules and becomes a Munich Travel Guru, cer ficate will be issued online and the early birds will be rewarded. SanJeet, India Representa ve, Munich Tourist Office, said, We have been ac vely working with our travel partners with an objec ve to create the buzz and help build business for Munich City. The program has also been designed specially to enhance knowledge of the frontline staff through extensive educa on and sell packages to Munich more effec vely. As per the latest sta s cs, Munich has recorded a year-on-year growth of 21 per cent during January June 2016 in Indian visitor arrivals and 14 per cent growth in Indian overnights. Gear up for an experience of a lifetime! Witness a show which perfectly blends Indian art, culture, history & entertainment A me travel 7D experience par excellence that takes you on a twis ng and turning journey of the Pallava Dynasty. A dynasty that ruled this land from 600 to 750 AD with Kancheepuram as the capital city. Authen c rich historical informa on is presented in the most interes ng way with the perfect mix of the best of the breed technology and years and years of research by renowned historians. This approx 30 minutes feature not only revolves around Mahabalipuram but also traces the path of the Pallavas from Mamandur to Kancheepuram covering the early scriptures, marvellous temples and astounding me defying sculptures. Is there a be er way to enjoy history? we don't think so...! Operating Hours : All days - 9am to 9 pm Show Duration : Approx 30 mins Language : English & Tamil Capacity : 50 pax Location : Mahabalipuram Bus Stand Facilities : Wheel chair assistance & lavatories 02

3 Air Canada to operate direct flights on Mumbai-Toronto route from 1st July, 2017 Air Canada has announced another direct connec on between Mumbai and Toronto star ng July 1,2017. India financial hub Mumbai and Toronto will now get a thrice a week direct non-stop service star ng July 1, 2017 as part of the airline s global expansion plan. The new announcement comes just a er the news of its non-stop flights between Delhi and Vancouver beginning October 20, which too is a three- mes weekly flight. Air Canada has also made its Delhi-Toronto flight a daily connec on star ng November 6, All these announcements from Air Canada have come within a year of launching the direct flights between Delhi and Toronto on the 3rd November Customer response to our Toronto-Delhi service has been extremely posi ve and hence its becoming a daily service from 6th November With the new Vancouver route we are strategically increasing our presence in the important Asia-Pacific market. said Duncan Bureau, Vice President, Global Sales. The non-stop Dreamliner flights from the Vancouver hub will also offer the shortest elapsed flying me from Delhi to Calgary, Edmonton, Sea le, Portland and Los Angeles.Together with our extensive Western Canada domes c and western US trans border network combined with the seamless connec on experience through Vancouver s US in-transit pre-clearance facili es, posi on Vancouver to be the preferred gateway hub for trans-pacific travel to and from North America. Air Canada will be the only carrier to offer a direct non-stop service between Canada and Mumbai. These routes will operate year-round with Air Canada s state-of-the-art Boeing Dreamliner. The aircra feature 29 Interna onal Business Class lie-flat seat suites, 21 Premium Economy and 247 Economy Class seats, with upgraded in-flight entertainment at every seat throughout the aircra. Turkey is a safe destination for Tourism: Consul General The abor ve military coup in Turkey has failed to deter tourist arrivals to the na on in Eurasia. This has been possible due to pragma c and quick response by the Turkey government. Turkey during the first seven months of this year a racted 14.2 million tourists from across the globe. Throwing light on the current situa on in the country, Erdal Sabri Ergen, Consul General, Turkish Consulate General in Mumbai, India, said, A day a er the coup, delegates from the Turkish Ministry of Tourism met the President, and reiterated the importance of the tourism segment, an important contributor of the Turkish economy. Every country goes through poli cal instability at some point and Turkey is no different. Despite the a empt to overthrow the ruling government and the unfortunate blast at Istanbul airport, emergency measures were put in place by the government immediately and no tourists were harmed in Turkey. The country is absolutely safe for tourism ac vi es. Turkey has witnessed a sizeable and consistent growth in Indian tourist arrivals in the past six years. However, to regain the confidence of tourists from India a er the unfortunate events during the months of June and July, the Consul General is in constant touch with the travel trade community. Turkey is among the top 10 global tourist des na ons. Travel agents from Turkey visited India during the Travel Shop Turkey in early August, a few days a er the coup a empt, to engage with their counterparts. The response from the trade fraternity in India was comfor ng and encouraging. Travellers from established markets con nue to visit Turkey, but India being an emerging market, we are taking all efforts to communicate the right message about the ground situa on. The Consul General said that tourists from India should explore des na ons like Istanbul, Antalya, Ankara, Cappadocia and Pamukkle, and take a peek into the rich heritage of Turkey, which is home to a number of World Heritage Sites. 03

4 Introduction of Flexi Fare system for Rajdhani/Duronto and Shatabdi trains Ministry of Railways have decided to introduce the flexi fare system for Rajdhani/Duronto and Shatabdi trains as per details given below:- 1. The Base Fare for Rajdhani, Duronto and Shatabdi class of trains will be on flexi fare system. 2(a). The base fares will increase by 10% with every 10% of berths sold subject to a prescribed ceiling limit as indicated in the table below. There will be no change in the exis ng fare for 1AC and EC class of travel. In the tables given below stands for the present base fares. Other supplementary charges like reserva on charges, Superfast charge, Catering charges, Service tax etc., as applicable shall be levied separately. (b). Vacant berths le at the me of char ng would be offered for current booking. Tickets under current booking shall be sold at the last price sold for that class and other supplementary charges like reserva on fee, superfast charges, catering charges, service tax etc., as applicable shall be levied in full. Charge s % of berths Fare Structure for Rajdhani and Duronto category of Trains 10 % 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 2S SL A A A = Base Fare Charge s % of berths 10 % Fare Structure for Shatabdi category of Trains 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% CC EC = Base Fare (c). The informa on should also be displayed to the passenger during the booking in case the fare of lower class becomes higher than the higher class to exercise op on to travel by the higher class. (d). The last price for every class of ckets for the par cular train should be printed in the reserva on chart for the purpose of charging of difference of fare in the train or charging the passengers of the train without cket etc., 3. The opera on of various quotas available in these category of Trains shall be as under: (a). Tatkal Quota: The present limit of berths set aside for Tatkal quota in these trains shall be operated as per the exis ng guidelines. However, no addi onal charges as Tatkal charges will be levied. The berths assigned under the Tatkal quota shall be booked at the rate of mes of the base fare for all classes (2S, SL, 2A, 3A and CC) except 1AC and EC. Other supplementary charges like reserva on fee, superfast charges, catering charges, service tax etc., as applicable shall be levied in full. (b). There shall be no Premium Tatkal Quota in these train services. 4. Concession: Normal concession as applicable for respec ve concessional cket will be admissible on the base fare of the cket at each stage as per the table above. 5. Refund Rules: There will be no change in the exis ng refund rules. 6. Other Charges: There shall be no change in charges for reserva on fee, superfast surchargeetc. Such charges, wherever applicable, shall con nue to be levied addi onally as per exis ng instruc ons. 7. Service tax will con nue to be levied as applicable as per instruc ons issued in this regard. 8. All other rules and condi ons pertaining to the above category of trains shall be con nued without any change. 9. The changes in fares as above shall come into force w.e.f The revised fares will not apply to ckets already issued in advance for journeys to commenceon or a er In the case of ckets already issued at pre-revised rates, the difference of fare shall not be collected from the passengers. 12. These changes should be carried out in manual cke ng system and in PRS, UTS etc., 04

5 Trigun Tour & Travels - Wada Swapnabhumi Resort Mr Atul Mohile General Secretary (MTOA) with The Officials of Kenya Tourism Board MTDC Stall at TTF Surat HOTEL MERIDIEN TEAM AT KTM 2016, COCHIN Solanki Holidays Received Best tour operator West India Travel Awards in Pune Tariq Thomas IAS - Secretary Tourism Lakshadweep during TTF Mumbai Only for private circula on among members of MTOA Extracts from various reputed publica ons in Travel Industry MTOA Newsle er has been published by MTOA at its Office Veena World, Mahalaxmi Estate, L. J. Cross Road No. 1, Mahim (W) Mumbai President Shri. Sudhir Pa l Gen. Secretary Shri. Atul Mohile Chief Editor Shri. Amol A. Hendre 05