Northstar

FEATURE www.travelweeklyweb.com The Indian Invasion The pool side at Fortune Select Excalibur, Gurgaon India has evolved to offer more, for both inbound and outbound travels. Leading the way to assist travel via improvements in roads and airline infrastructure, India has offered that avenue for its 1.2 billion populations to travel, and for international travellers to visit their lands. According to Priya Paul, chairperson, Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels, in relation to the recent International Luxury Travel Market Asia in Shanghai, 12 million Indians travel overseas each year and with its current growing population, the potential for the number to increase takes on a multitude of possibilities. "There has been exponential growth in domestic and international connectivity after huge improvements in airport and associated infrastructure. Airlines are working together regarding fl ight routes and there is an explosion of outbound travellers," said Paul. These improvements have had a tremendous impact on travel industry, giving travel providers that much needed room to expand their programmes and itineraries to cater to a wider realm of travellers' needs. NEW TECHIES India exports some 90 billion of the world's software and the fi rst point of contact for global citizens, according to Ashwini Kakkar, executive vice-chairman, Mercury Travel, are cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Technology moves people, providing easier access to mobilise transactions, be they for fl ights or hotel bookings, purchases are made seamless and the demand to know more and provide more are moving the new techies to places, both domestically and internationally. The developments in India in this aspect have encouraged people to travel and share the progress with the world. In Asia alone, media explosion such as through the use of forums on TripAdvisor, check-ins via Facebook or prompt updates through Twitter, has proven to push that ease for travel, via immediate answers, honest reviews and fi rst 4 | ■ TRAVELWEEKLY ASIA | 19 JUNE 2012 hand information that is transparent, providing that window of online interaction, making India and Asia more reachable, at a swipe or touch of a fi nger. But does this mean that agents and hospitality providers are at risk of becoming redundant? Certainly not. At a forum attended by the media, hotels and destinations managers as well as agents, which discussed the factors that motivate the Indian travellers, a pertinent point was brought up. The role of agents and providers still remain important for travellers to and from this region due to the existence of language barriers to places such as China (which holds much potential for the Indian travellers) and Europe, VISA management, and the very basic nature of the ease for planning that they very much prefer. NEW GROWTHS Being the hot spot for growth and development, many hotels and travel providers are going beyond traditional venues to reach out to inner cities of India (where travellers will require more hand-handling), where according to Kakkar, travellers spend 30 per cent more, as compared to the Tier 1 cities. Singapore-based Abacus International, Asia-Pacific's leading provider of travel solutions and services, has just opened two offi ces in Mumbai and Bangalore late last month. The move is a result of demand from mobile technology and internet users in India. Hotel chains are also following suit. Fortune Hotels, part of the ITC Hotel Group, is not only taking its guests 'places' but is also offering them an excellent value for money in each location. Whether the hotel is located in a metro, mini-metro, a business location or a resort cum leisure destination, the brand is now widely recognised for the quality of its product and services. Its 'mid-market to upscale concept' has generated confi dence among its promoters and the chain is being credited as the best 'First Class Full Service Business Hotel' chain in India. www.travelweeklyweb.com

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