DGCA asks airlines to scrap zero commission rule for travel agents in India

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, March 5: The DGCA has issued a directive ruling out zero commission in India with respect to the airlines industry and has urged them to reconsider the decision of zero commission in India in consultation with the travel agents for the commission to be paid to them, according to Rajji Rai, President of TAAI (Travel Agents Association of India).

The directive stated “the zero commission system has proven to be detrimental to the consumer interest as the fare is loaded with a transaction fee, which sometimes may be exorbitant as charged by unscrupulous agents."

It said "there are also some big agents who are paid hefty amounts by the airlines in the name of productivity."

The directive read “The statutory position under the rule 135 requires airlines to determine tariff in accordance with law, including commission payable to agents. The existing law also requires airlines to display total fare and its components.” T

his directive orders the airlines to conform to the said rules. The directive also reads that the DGCA has contrived a mechanism to ensure compliance of the provisions of rule 135 by the airlines.

However the DGCA has left it to the discretion of the airlines to take a decision in this regard while in consultation with agents. While considering the commercial factors vis-a-vis market conditions, the cost of Agents’ establishment and statutory definition of ‘tariff’ among others.

IATO happy with Rail Budget

NEW DELHI, Feb 24: Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) President Vijay Thakur has expressed his happiness over the Rail Budget presented in Parliament on Wednesday.

Mr Thakur said “It is good that there is no increase in passenger fares and that will be motivation for tourists to travel by trains."

He complemented Rail Minister Mamata Banerjee for announcing introduction of special trains such as Janmabhoomi Train between Ahmedabad and Udhampur, 16 special 'Bharat Tirth' trains connecting popular tourist sites as also pilgrimage centres in different parts of the country.

He said Sanskriti Express across the country to mark 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, Andman & Nicobar Island getting railway line from Port Blair to Diglipur, Sikkim- Rangpo rail link, Kashmir rail link to be extended to Sopore in the North of the valley etc are good for opening new markets.

Mr Thakur said renewed focus on Upgrading of 94 stations with modern toilets at railway stations gives indication that Railways means business and which would hold us in good stead from rain Tourism point of view.

India to issue 'visa-on-arrival' to tourists from five countries

NEW DELHI, Dec 17: Union Tourism Minister Kumari Selja informed the Parliament on Thursday that the Centre has decided to introduce visa-on-arrival scheme for tourists from five countries including Singapore, Finland, New Zealand, Luxembourg and Japan on a pilot basis for a period of one year.

Kumari Selja said that this step has been taken to counter the downward trend of the inbound tourism.

The Tourism Ministry has taken several steps to counter the downward trend of inbound tourism and to promote tourism to the country which includes liberalizing the marketing development assistance scheme for service providers promoting India, organizing road shows in important tourist generating markets overseas, arranging familiarization tours to India for international travel trade and media representatives to keep them updated on safety and security conditions in the country.

Media campaigns are being organized in the print, electronic, online and outdoor media and a "Visit India 2009" scheme, in collaboration with all stakeholders including airlines, hotels, tour operators, State Governments for incentivising travel to India.

Selja said various countries have been issuing travel advisories from time to time, advising their citizens to avoid travel or to take precautions while traveling to areas in the country which are temporarily disturbed.

"The Tourism Ministry through its overseas offices and in collaboration with the External Affairs Ministry and Indian missions abroad takes up the matter regarding lifting of travel advisories as and when issued by different countries to avoid any adverse impact on tourism to the country," Kumari Selja said.

Vijay Thakur re-elected unopposed IATO President for second term

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, Dec 13: Mr Vijay Thakur has been re-elected President of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) for the second term. He was elected unopposed.

Elections of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) held its National Committee elections on Saturday at The Lalit, New Delhi.

As many as 145 members were present to cast their vote for the elections, according to Mr Gour Kanjilal, Executive Director, IATO.

Voting took place for the post of Vice President, five posts of Executive Committee Members (Active) and three posts of Executive Committee Members (Allied). Other officers were elected un-opposed as there were no contestants for those posts.

Besides Mr Vijay Thakur, the other members elected to the new committee include Mr. Arjun Sharma, Sr. Vice President; Mr. Pronab Sarkar, Vice President; Mr. Rajesh Mudgill, Hony. Secretary; Mr. Lally Mathews, Hony. Treasurer; Mr. Atul Rai, Hony. Joint Secretary and Mr. Subhash Goyal, Immediate Past President

The Executive Committee Members (Active) are: Mr. Jatinder S. Taneja; Mr. Naresh Sharma; Mr. Sanjay Razdan; Mr. Tony Marwah and Mr. Vikram Madhok.

The Executive Committee Members (Allied) are Mr. N.S. Rathor; Mr. Sunil C. Gupta; and Mr. Sunil Sikka.

Mr. Praveen Chugh was the Returning Officer who conducted the elections very efficiently and announced the election results on completion of the election process.

France reinforces tourism ties with India

Report and Pix By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, Nov 26: Atout France, the newly formed French Tourism Development Agency, held its seventh annual road show here and reinforced its strategic commitment to India. Speaking at this year’s French Connection 2009, the new Director for Atout France in India, Catherine Oden, said “India has been identified as a key growth area and the market trends seem to confirm the same.”

Apart from the consistent 10 to 15 per cent growth in the influx of Indian tourists in France year on year, she said “there is also a clear progression in the profile of the Indian traveller. The average spends, number of nights, regions visited have all developed very favourably for France.”

She said it was our endeavour to continue to facilitate this growth towards which our annual showcase French Connection plays an instrumental role.

The five-day road held at Delhi and Mumbai showcased a multitude of French tourism products through its 23 exhibitors.

Of these, eight exhibitors represented the region of Paris, spearheaded by Paris Ile-de-France Regional Tourist Board, while the other 14 exhibitors represented various other regions of France.

Paris Ile-de-France Regional Tourist Board was the Guest of Honour for French Connection 2009. The spotlight this year was on Paris and its surrounds and the myriad attractions of this world tourism capital.

Nicolas Barret, Deputy Director, Paris Ile-de-France, Regional Tourist Board said, “Paris Ile-de-France is the world capital of "Art de Vivre" and culture. Famous for the magic of its lights and monuments, it’s also a city which is constantly evolving and where there’s always something new going on".

The exhibitors portrayed an eclectic mix of what France has to offer in terms of tourism opportunities, including high end destinations and products, ski and sea side resorts, transportation and hospitality partners.

Atout France aimed at highlighting the capital city of Paris and its surrounds as well as the country’s various unexplored regions as options for Indian travellers to France. While bolstering its ties with key tourism partners and business associates across India, this road show aimed to strengthen France’s position as a leading lifestyle destination for the affluent traveller.

Catherine Oden has returned to India after a gap of four years and witnesses the evolution in the already burgeoning outbound market over this period of time.

She said “this has been an important year in the history of ‘French Tourism’. Erstwhile Maison de la France has been re-christened Atout France, but the new entity entails much more than a name change."

She said "We have now under our fold, a slew of strategic aspects such as development of infrastructural and tourism projects lending French expertise in international markets.”

Nicolas Barret said Paris Ile-de-France is the world’s most visited tourist destination (14.4 million arrivals in 2008).

A fabulous destination which is widely admired for the diversity of its natural and cultural richness and its historical heritage, Paris Ile-de-France boasts a calendar of cultural and festive events of the very highest order which bear witness to its vitality and creativity, he added.

As the capital of French "art de vivre", the Paris Ile-de-France region has helped spread the cultural values which have consolidated France’s international reputation.

The creative energy of Paris Ile-de-France, one of Europe’s youngest and most multi-cultural regions, continues to shine in numerous fields, such as art, design, fashion and music.

To illustrate this dynamism, the tourist destination rebranded itself as "le nouveau Paris Ile-de-France" (the new Paris Ile-de-France) signifying a blend of heritage and modernity, history and creativity, in a melting pot of cultures and a convivial atmosphere.

By adopting an international brand, it reveals its purpose and its ambition: a destination rich in history which is able to reinvent itself, offering the very best to the millions of French and international visitors who are here for the first time or those looking to explore the region from a new perspective.

This was complemented by the launch of a new official website, www.nouveau-paris-idf.com, which is truly innovative both in terms of its design and content.

Its editorial perspective, which is closer to that of a tourism magazine, showcases the richness and diversity of the region’s tourism facilities and attractions, as well as its huge cultural vitality and the myriad events which take place in the region.

At the same time, it provides reliable, up-to-date information which is adapted to the needs of its visitors, both in terms of accommodation and leisure activities and transport and local services. It is available in 4 languages: French, English, Spanish and German.

Besides Paris-Ile-de-France Regional Tourist Board, the other Parisian partners for the road show were Centre Georges Pompidou, Château et Parc de Thoiry, Cityrama, Dream Castle Hotel, Galeries Lafayette, Lucien Barrière Hotels & Casino, KTS France and Paradis Latin.

There were 14 French partners represented various regions of France.

Partners from North-West, North East, South East, South West France and partners of Transportation and All Inclusive Holidays participated at the French Connection 2009.

Present at the road show were upscale sea side resorts like Nice, Deauville and Saint Tropez; The seat of European parliament Strasbourg; Region of Rhone Alps represented by gastronomy capital, Lyon; ski-resorts like Chamonix and Val D’lsere; Spiritual capital of France – Lourdes; Famed region of Burgundy represented by Dijon. For the first time in India is Castle country represented by the Loire Valley with its stunning castles and wine country.

Sheetal Wadhwa Munshaw, Deputy Director, Atout France, said the best way to get around France is with Rail Europe and All Inclusive Holidays by Club Med.

She added that the best way to get to France is with Air France with a wide reach of 32 destinations.

The partners for the road were Lyon Tourist and Convention Bureau, Nice Convention and Visitors Bureau, Chamonix Mont Blanc Promotion, Dijon Tourist Office, Lourdes Tourist Office, Strasbourg Tourist Office, Val D’lsere Tourist Office, Rail Europe, Rhone Alpes Tourisme, Air France, Saint Tropez Tourisme, Club Med India Pvt. Ltd., Deauville Tourist Office and Loire Valley Regional Tourism Board.

France Atout Gala Evening