September - October 2015

MYSTIC EAST unexplored horizon A bi-monthly magazine by HRAEI | Vol 1 | Issue 6 | September - October 2015

COVER STORY SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Dear Fellow Members, the best avenue to earn guest satisfaction and garner positive reviews. We The year 2015 has been quite good for must develop the required skills in the the hospitality business. The festive housekeeping staff to do so. season has taken off smoothly and is Finally, I would request all of you to expected to make things better. Ac- comply with the additional 0.5% ser- cording to the credit rating agency vice tax for Swachh Bharat for Prime ICRA, the growth of the hotel industry Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s noble in India will rise to 6 per cent to touch cleanliness programme. A clean India $1.8 billion by 2016. will help usher in more international In this situation I request all our guests to the country and its hotels members to improve their standards keeping in tune with our motto ‘Atithi of facilities and services and apply Devo Bhava’ (The guest is equivalent for classification for getting star cat- to God). egories for their hotels. The Ministry And may God bring us more wealth Sudesh Poddar of Tourism has a voluntary scheme and prosperity for approval in six categories and sub-categories for hotels. We at the The festive season HRAEI will assist you in the process. has taken off You can contact us for any help required to go ahead. smoothly and is I would also like to remind you that expected to make to improve the standards of services, housekeeping is one of the key as- Sudesh Poddar things better. pects. In the age of social media it is President, HRAEI According to the credit rating agency ICRA, the growth of the hotel industry in India will rise to 6 per cent to touch $1.8 billion by 2016

MYSTIC EAST | 3 SECRETARY’S MESSAGE

Dear fellow members, rive during the holiday season. So you have to make arrangements for the octa- Let me share some good news with you. A genarian grandfather or grandmother as new survey by the US-based travel web- well as the pampered grandchild. site TripAdvisor shows that as many as The survey also indicates a word of 44 per cent travellers from India would caution: online traveller reviews are increase their travel budgets in 2016. cited by 93 per cent of global as well as The key pointer for us in the survey is Indian accommodation owners as being that for Indian travellers, the most im- the most important element for the fu- portant factors for selecting a hotel in- ture of their business. So don’t take any clude air-conditioning, breakfast, room of the traveller reviews lightly as it can service and in-room Wi-Fi. This means make or break business. Try to address we hoteliers need to treat these factors each and every negative review with as a basic necessity for a domestic travel- care. Also don’t forget to thank the trav- ler. To attract more customers and gain eller who posts a rave review. Pranav Singh a positive or word-of-mouth publicity strengthen these basics if you wish to get The key pointer better business. Indian travellers also think of a hol- for us in the iday as a reward that their family de- survey is that serves. The sentiment is also a good for Indian pointer we should keep in mind while moving into 2016. Always keep in mind Pranav Singh travellers, the that an extended Indian family may ar- Secretary, HRAEI most important factors for selecting a hotel include air-conditioning, breakfast, room service and in- room Wi-Fi

4 | MYSTIC EAST Inside

Cover Story 24 September - October 2015

Hospitality companies need to harness the power of Internet technology to connect to customers

Special feature Interview Some portals manipulate customer reviews of 34 46 hotels unfairly

Mr Tejinder MUSICAL JOURNEYS Singh Walia, former Eastern India has a huge President of bouquet of music and FHRAI dance festivals to attract millions of tourists

MYSTIC EAST | 5 Inside 48 Special feature

RAW TALENT POOL North East India has a pool of skillful youth who can be assets to India’s hospitality industry

EDITORIAL BOARD This issue of Mystic East contains 56 pages including SUDESH PODDAR, cover and back cover PRESIDENT, HRAEI NAVIN SUCHANTI, All information in HRAEI’s Mystic East magazine is derived from sources we consider reliable TREASURER, HRAEI and a sincere effort is made to report accurate information. The publisher regrets that he RAVINDRA KUMAR KASHUKA, cannot accept liability for error and omissions contained in this publication that might have MANAGING COMMITTEE MEMBER, HRAEI crept in inadvertently. Similarly, opinions/views expressed by third parties in abstract and/ EDITOR or in interviews are not necessarily shared by HRAEI magazine. However, we wish to advise PROMIT CHAUDHURI our readers that one or more recognised authorities may hold different views than those reported. Material used in this publication is intended for information purpose only. Readers CHIEF DESIGNER are advised to seek specific advice before acting on information contained in this publication SOMU which is provided for general use, and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances. Contents of this publication are subject to copyright laws.

Hotel and Restaurant Association of Eastern No part of HRAEI’s Mystic East magazine or any part of the contents thereof may be India, 18A/1, Everest , 18th Floor, 46C, reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of Chowringhee Road, Kolkata- 700 071; the publication in writing. The same rule applies when there is a copyright or the article is Telephone- +91 33 2288-1742/43, 40035993. taken from another publication. An exemption is hereby granted for the extract used for the E-mail: [email protected] purpose of fair review, provided two copies of the same publication are sent to us for our Website: www.hraei.co.in records. Publications reproducing material either in part or in whole, without permission could face legal action. The publisher assumes no responsibility for returning any material, solicited or unsolicited, nor is he responsible for material lost or damaged. ‘Mystic East’ magazine is printed and published by Atikram Gupta on behalf of This publication is not meant to be an endorsement of any specific product or services offered. Hotel and Restaurant Association of Eastern India. The publisher reserves the right to refuse, withdraw, amend or otherwise deal with all Printed at CDC Printers Private Limited, No.45, advertisements without explanation. All advertisements must comply with Indian and Radha Nath Chowdhury Road, Tangra Industrial International Advertisements Code. The publisher will not be liable for any damage or loss Estate-II, Kolkata, West Bengal 700 015 caused by delayed publication, error or failure of an advertisement to appear.

6 | MYSTIC EAST NEWS September - October 2015

spective platforms. The largest online HRAEI CORNER player MakeMyTrip is confident of its budget brand Value . “With Value , MakeMyTrip intends to Excise fee structure of star change the game by giving its brand as- surance to the budget segment hotels, category hotels: A paradox and hence, capitalise offline to online shift for hotel bookings. MakeMyTrip’s Value offering is different from that of state to relook in the fee structure. he excise licence fees for star cat- competition,’’ says Magow. But this is The response from the state gov- T egory hotels is extremely high in not deterring budget hotel aggregators. ernment is awaited. West Bengal. The fee for a two-star Kavikrut, Chief Growth Officer, Oyo category main bar is Rs 70,000 and Rooms says, “Even if some of the on- for the additional bar is Rs 30,000. Entrance fee waived for new line travel agents (OTAs) have de-list- The main bar fee for a three-star and members ed us, there are others supporting us four-star hotel is Rs 1,00,00 and for In order to welcome more members like Cleartrip and Expedia. We have the additional bar fee is Rs 30,000. in the HRAEI fold, the association acquired supply of budget rooms and And for a five-star category hotel are has decided to waive the entrance technology to compete with them.’’ respectively Rs 15,00,000 and Rs fee for new members. Amit Taneja, Chief Revenue Officer, 2,50,000. The waiver period is October 1, Cleartrip, says, “As long as budget ag- These fees are immensely high 2015 to September 30, 2016. This gregators add value and give us com- with respect to business generated measure has been undertaken to in- prehensive content, we will continue in the year 2015 in which the state crease the number of members. to have them on our platform. There had observed 13 dry days. is demand for the budget category in In order to facilitate the growth 25 per cent discount on the sub INR 3,000 price range.’’ The of hospitality sector in the state, new HRAEI cards decade-old Cleartrip does not have a preparing to welcome a host of na- The discount on HRAEI card for budget brand of its own, but is willing tional and international delegates, members has been increased to 25 to give more choice to consumers look- the Hotel & Restaurant Association per cent from the existing 20 per ing for budget accommodation. “ Just of Eastern India (HRAEI) sent a let- cent on food and accommodation in about every budget aggregator is on ter to the Honourable Chief Minister member hotels. our site today ranging from Oyo, Zo to Mamata Banerjee apprising the situ- This will be effective for those who Treebo and Fab Hotels,’’ he adds. ation. The association requested the become members before July 1, 2016. Apart from Cleartrip, there are others like Expedia and Bookings.com who are willing to support such room aggregators. There are also a num- Some travel sites keen on promoting ber of small and new travel sites who own brands continue to list budget rooms. For instance, the three -year old Musafir.com is also getting ready to include budget aggregators as part of its offering. “We would be adding budget aggregators like Oyo and Zo on our site. We are not threatened by them unlike the bigger NLINE travel sites are divided on listing the budget room aggregators. players who believe they would be cre- O listing offerings from budget hotel Rajesh Magow, CEO of MakeMy- ating monsters by supporting them in aggregators. Companies such as Make- Trip, believes his brand of budget ho- the budget hotel category. In our case, MyTrip, Goibibo and Yatra, which tels under Value is superior to the cur- we are still small and would include have their own budget hotel brands, are rent brands of budget aggregators such them to give more options to our con- blocking offers from players such as Oyo as Oyo and Zo Rooms. Similarly, Yatra sumers,’’ says Vijay Keshavan, CEO, and Zo Rooms. Other online travel sites owns TG Rooms and TG Stays, while Musafir. like Cleartrip and Expedia, however, are Goibibo is backing Go Stays on their re- Source: Business Line

MYSTIC EAST | 7

NEWS

Forex from Foreign tourist arrival in Tourism drops even Nov 2015 witnesses 6.5% with rise in foreign arrivals growth over Nov 2014 NEW DELHI: Foreign exchange earnings from tourism have been inching up for the past five years, supported by the increasing number of overseas visitors. Calendar year 2015, however, is going to be different. Foreign tourist arrival to India saw an increase of 4.3 per cent in the first 10 months of the current year. The rise should have reflected in the foreign exchange earnings, too. But, earnings have declined 2.4 per cent to USD15.93 billion between January and October 2015. The decline compares unfavourably with a 10 per cent earnings growth (in dollars) during the first 10 months of 2014. If one takes into account the weaker rupee, the increase in rupee terms should at least have been higher to the increase in tourist arrivals. However, the earnings in rupee terms have grown by only 2.5 per cent in NEW DELHI: The Foreign Tour- (2.51%), Singapore (2.19%), Nepal the first 10 months to INR 1,01,348 ist Arrivals (FTAs) during the month (1.77%) and Thailand (1.58%). These crore. The rupee earnings had risen of November 2015 were 8.15 lakh as top 15 countries account for 74.66% 16 per cent during January-October compared to FTAs of 7.65 lakh during of total FTAs during November 2015. last year. the same period in 2014 and 7.34 lakh The top 15 ports that handled ma- Ajay Prakash, former President, in November 2013. jority of FTAs during the said period Travel Agents’ Federation of India, There has been a growth of 6.5% in were Delhi Airport (31.55%) followed who runs Nomad Travels, said he November 2015 over November 2014. by Mumbai Airport (17.71%), Chennai had not seen a slackening in demand FTAs during the period January - No- Airport (7.39%), Haridaspur Land for luxury holidays even though they vember 2015 were 71.03 lakh with a check post (7.09%), Bengaluru Airport account for only 10-12 per cent of growth of 4.5%, as compared to the (6.26%), Goa Airport (4.61%),Kolkata in-bound arrivals.“Maybe the larger FTAs of 67.94 lakh with a growth of Airport (3.91%), Hyderabad Airport inbound market is feeling the pinch 10.5% in January- November 2014 (3.25%), Cochin Airport (3.10%), somewhere.This one factor can only over January - November 2013. Ahmedabad Airport (2.63%), Tiruchi- explain the trend of decline,” he said. The top 15 source countries were rapalli Airport (1.64%), Trivandrum Experts say being a long-haul desti- USA (15.76%) followed by Bangla- Airport (1.62%), Gede Rail (1.44%), nation, India has to compete with top desh (12.27%), UK (11.00%), Canada Gaya Airport (1.10%) and Amritsar global tourist destinations to attract (4.52%), Australia (4.22%), Malaysia Airport (0.95%). These top 15 ports tourists from Europe and the US. (3.43%), Russia (3.42%), Germany account for 94.25% of total FTAs However, the country has not been (3.34%), France (2.93%), Sri Lan- during November 2015. able to match the experience offered ka (2.89%), China (2.83%), Japan Source: PIB, India by destinations such as Dubai and, to

10 | MYSTIC EAST

NEWS

some extent, even Oman. People from Europe and the US have an option to go to other long-haul destinations. “The high-end tourists are not directed towards India. The tourist arrival data still count people who are visiting friends and relatives as tourists. But, are these real tourists? It is December and the Delhi streets should be buzzing with tourists. But it is not so,” said Ankur Bhatia, Exec- utive Director, Bird Group, which has interesst in hospitality and aviation services, among other things. Of late, India has been seeing a sharp surge in tourist arrivals from Bangladesh and the neighbouring country has also replaced the US as the top source for arrivals in the first 10 months of 2015. Almost a million of the 7.67-million tourists who visited India last year were from Bangla- desh. But, most of them visit India for medical treatments and businesses, and are not tourists in the real sense of the term. Source: Business Standard

Padma Awards. This was informed by Dr Mahesh Sharma, Union Minister for Tourism & Culture, Government of India while inaugurating the second New Delhi Palate Fest. The Min- ister said that food is a vital compo- nent of tourism experience and chefs play a critical role in it. The Palate Fest is supported by In- credible India brand of Ministry of Tourism. Speaking about initiatives of Ministry of Tourism to promote Indian cuisines, Suman Billa, Joint Secretary –Tourism, Government of India said that the Ministry try to promote Indian cuisines in a “small way” at all the Fes- tivals of India that Ministry of Culture Tourism Ministry recommends Chefs for organizes in overseas markets. He said Padma Awards that the government would rather play the role of a facilitator by supporting NEW DELHI: Taking into account of Tourism, Government of India has private initiatives wherever possible to the long standing demand of the Chef recommended to the government to promote Indian food. community in the country, Ministry consider culinary artists for Civilian Source: HBI

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NEWS

Indian hotel industry to touch $1.8 billion mark by 2016: ICRA

MUMBAI: The domestic hotel in- In comparison, in Europe, 70% of the Apart from this, branded hotels op- dustry is estimated to touch $1.8 hotel rooms are booked through online erate direct bookings through their billion by 2016, from $0.8 billion booking portals while it stands between websites offering customers with loy- presently, buoyed by rise in online 35-40% in USA, the report noted. alty benefits. However, OTAs and on- bookings, an ICRA report has said. With increasing online competition, line accommodation booking services An estimated 8.4 million Indians are popular models that have come up in- have also started loyalty schemes of likely to book hotels online by 2016, up clude online travel agents (OTAs) offer- late, the report said. from 3.5 million in 2014, the report said. ing a single marketplace for all travel-re- The report cited that the gain in “The deepening penetration of In- lated needs, and meta search engines popularity of these channels meant ternet usage and smart phones in like Tripadvisor and Kayak, that operate that the number of bookings routed India has lead to increased booking like travel discovery platforms. through OTAs increased, thus im- of hotels through online portals and Among the key OTAs, Makemy- pacting hotel revenues. applications in recent times,” it said. trip holds 47% market share, while Therefore, to promote choice The report further pointed out that Cleartrip and Yatra hold a 20% share and avoid unfair competition, from hotel bookings is one of the least pene- each, followed by Goibibo, the report 2002-03 onwards, majority of glob- trated segments within the travel cat- said. al hospitality majors started imple- egories in India and online bookings Further, online accommodation menting strict rate parity rules re- account for 16% of the hotel bookings reservation services like Oyo Rooms, gardless of distribution channel, the currently. This is expected to grow to Stayzilla are gaining popularity, it report said. 25% in 2016, the report said. added. Source: PTI

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NEWS

Tourism ministry launches a Comprehensive Sustainable Tourism Criteria for India

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Tour- designs and material. The tour oper- constant dialogue with State Gov- ism has launched a Comprehensive ators approved by Ministry of Tour- ernments/U.T. Administrations, var- Sustainable Tourism Criteria for India ism have to sign a pledge for com- ious tourism related institutions and (STCI) for three major segments of mitment towards Safe & Honourable stakeholders for drawing up strate- tourism industry, namely accommo- Tourism and Sustainable Tourism to gies for development and promotion dation, tour operators and Beaches, fully implement Sustainable Tourism of tourism in the country including Backwaters, Lakes and Rivers sectors practices, consistent with the best Sustainable Tourism. The Ministry of during the sensitisation Workshop for environment and heritage protection Tourism supports from time to time Stakeholders on Sustainable Tourism standards, such that the present tour- various seminars and events that de- organised in August, 2014. This infor- ism resource requirements optimise liberate or focus on tourism in the mation was given by Mahesh Shar- both local community benefit and fu- country including Sustainable Tour- ma, Minister of State for Culture and ture sustainable uses. ism in rural areas. Tourism (Independent Charge) and The Ministry of Tourism holds a Source: HBI Minister of State for Civil Aviation in a written reply in Rajya Sabha. The criterion has been adopted by the stakeholders. Further, the Min- istry has guidelines for approval of Hotel Projects at the implementation stage and also guidelines for classification/re-classification of operational hotels under various categories. As per these guidelines, hotels at the project stage itself are required to incorporate various eco-friendly measures like Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), Rain Water Harvesting System, waste management system, pollution control, introduction of non- Chloro Fluoro Carbon (CFC) equipment for refrigeration and air conditioning, measures for energy and water conservation etc. Under the guidelines for project level & classification/re-classification of operational hotels it has been prescribed that the architecture of the hotel buildings in hilly and eco- logically fragile areas should be sustainable and energy efficient and as far as possible be in conformity with the local ethos and make use of local

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NEWS

Loss-making ITDC hotels may be first to go in strategic sale of PSUs

NEW DELHI: Pushing through with The Tourism Ministry is understood The move comes even as the Fi- its plan to sell a majority stake in sick to have identified eight loss-making nance Ministry is working to revive and loss-making public sector units, ITDC hotels, including properties in the Disinvestment Commission that the Centre is understood to be work- Jaipur and Bhubaneswar. was operational under the earlier ing on a list of about 50 such PSUs. Additionally, the government has NDA government. The Commission Hotels under ITDC could be the first reviewed a list of nearly 50 PSUs that is was mandated to identify sick PSUs on the block. can be considered for strategic stake and initiate strategic stake sale. Out- “A strategic sale of some ITDC ho- sale, the official said, adding that sick lining the Narendra Modi govern- tels could take place this fiscal. There units identified by the Department of ment’s intent to revive strategic stake is a case for their sale as these are Public Enterprises for revival and clo- sale in, and privatisation of, PSUs, loss-making units and non-core func- sure would also be considered for the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had tions taken up by the government,” purpose. set a target of raising `28,500 crore said a senior official, adding that the A policy is also being worked out to through such transactions in Budget Finance and Tourism Ministries have use the land-bank available with such 2015. been discussing the issue. sick firms, the official added. Source: CCI Newswire

18 | MYSTIC EAST NEWS September - October 2015

Now, visa on arrival for Japanese tourists in India from March 2016

NEW DELHI: Recently Prime Min- and the private investment from Ja- Japan’s high-speed trains to the ister Narendra Modi announced visa pan is rising sharply in India. He Mumbai-Ahmedabad route. on arrival for Japanese tourists from termed Kyoto-Varanasi Partnership Earlier, addressing the India-Ja- March 2016 at Hyderabad House in as a great symbol of friendly mutual pan Business Leaders Forum here, Delhi on Saturday. relationship between the two coun- the Prime Minister emphasized that The visa on arrival will include tries. he wanted India and Japan to move those who come to India on business Meanwhile, India and Japan ahead together, not just in the sphere trips. signed multiple Memorandums of of high-speed trains, but also for India will extend ‘visa on arrival’ to Understanding (MoUs) on Saturday “high-speed growth.” Japanese citizens including for busi- for cooperation in the defence, trans- Recalling his Japan visit last year, ness purpose from 1st March 2016. port and civil nuclear energy sectors. and the commitment of $35-billion Modi said that the Visa on Arrival Stating that the India-Japan part- investment made by Japan, Modi is beyond the Electronic Tourist Visa nership had the greatest potential of said the figure had surprised many (ETV) that the country has extended any bilateral relationship, Japanese at that time, but today, within a short to visitors from 113 countries. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and In- time-span, “unimaginable progress” The Prime Minister said that India dian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been made, and the contours of “deeply value” its special strategic welcomed the signing of the MoUs this investment were beginning to get and global partnership with Japan, that will, among other things, bring visible on the ground.

MYSTIC EAST | 19 NEWS

Hotel aggregator Wudstay venturing into paying guest accommodation

UDGET hotel aggregator, Wud- cities are increasingly becoming un- corporate travellers. ’We are target- B stay, sensing the demand for ex- affordable. This has opened an alter- ing to take our PG accommodation to tended stay options among working native for startups such as WudStay, cities that attract a huge migrant pop- professionals and students, has ven- Grabhouse and Nestaway to enter ulation,” Mathur said, adding that the tured into this segment by introduc- the highly unorganised nature of the startup plans to double its inventory ing paying guest (PG) accommoda- shared accommodation market in under this segment in the next three tions. The startup has already signed India and bring in their expertise of months. up with 50 PGs in Delhi, Gurgaon, standardizing properties. Founded in April 2015, WudStay Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kota offering The accommodation startup works has a presence in over 40 cities and close to 2,500 beds. on an asset-light model — it partners plans to reach 65 cities over the next “A huge section of the Indian pop- with smaller hotels, brands them, and 18 months. Mathur said the company ulation move out of their home cit- aims to provide standardised services is now in talks to raise series A round ies for work or education and due to to budget travellers with room rates of funding and expects to close it in the unorganised nature of the space ranging from INR 999-4,000, with- the coming months. The company (PG), they find themselves struggling out owning any properties. These ac- raised a USD3 million funding from to find decent accommodation for commodations will be located in cities Mangrove Capital Partners and Vikas months,” said Prafulla Mathur, Chief with large corporate presence or mul- Saxena of Nimbuzz and also acquired Executive Officer, WudStay. Paying tiple educational facilities. offline budget hotel aggregator, Awe- guest and shared accommodations According to Mathur, the startup some Stays, in August this year. are picking up because rentals in big gets up to 40% of its business from Source: The Economic Times Oyo Rooms set to acquire Zo Rooms in an all-stock deal

YO Rooms is close to extending O its dominance in the budget hotel market by snapping up its main rival Zo Rooms, in an all-stock deal, according to three people aware of the transaction. The deal, structured as an asset sale, will give Zo Room’s seven founders and investors including Tiger Global a combined 7% stake in India’s largest budget hotel aggregator. The sale comes after Zo Rooms was unable to raise fresh capital from investors. ET reported the acquisition talks between Oyo and Zo on Decem- son said. The person added that Zo’s vendors and advertising and brand- ber 3. “It is an all- asset sale. In the cash-strapped parent, Zostel Hospi- ing firms. given deal structure, Oyo will not be tality will wind up after the deal and Zo’s assets include its technolo- taking liability of Zo’s dues,” one per- may default on some of its dues to gy and a network of 11,000 rooms

20 | MYSTIC EAST NEWS September - October 2015

in 1,000 hotels across more than 50 ness unit are transferred but where from listing and marketing hotel prop- cities and towns in India, which will corporate tax liabilities get left behind erties on their websites. give Oyo more muscle to hold its place with the seller. The other is piecemeal, “This deal is a clear example of cash against the new startups and larger which is tax-inefficient (but) where being the differentiator in the sector,” online travel companies that have en- assets can be cherry picked (and) li- said an investor on condition of ano- tered the hotel aggregation market. abilities can be left behind,” said San- nymity. “Reminds me of the Ola-Taxi- Oyo Chief Executive Ritesh Agar- jeev Krishan, partner and leader for ForSure deal.” India’s largest cab wal and Zo Rooms CEO Dharamveer private equity and transaction ser- aggregator, Ola, bought out smaller Chauhan did not respond to email vices practice at audit and consultan- rival TaxiForSure for about USD200 queries and phone calls from ET. All cy firm PwC. He declined to comment million in March, gaining a huge leap seven founders of Zo Rooms — Chou- specifically on the Oyo-Zo deal. over US-based Uber in India. han, Akhil Malik, Paavan Nanda, Ta- The Oyo-Zo transaction signals po- Zostel was founded in August 2013 run Tiwari, Chetan Singh Chauhan, tential for more aggressive consoli- with an initial capital of INR 20 lakh Abhishek Bhutra and Siddharth Jan- dation in India’s consumer internet as a chain of backpacker hostels pro- ghu — will exit post the transition. sector, where startups chasing big viding secure and centrally located About 40% of Zo’s employees will markets with aggressive discounting accommodation to young travellers be absorbed by Oyo, a second per- are starting to run out of money as in- in air-conditioned dormitories with son said. The deal is likely to close in vestors flock to the most dominant of laundry service, TV, internet and two weeks. The structure of the deal them. The deal also comes two months other facilities for under INR 500 a would allow Oyo to pick exactly what after India’s largest online travel agen- night. Eight months ago, the company it wants from Zo. “Asset sale can be of cies including MakeMy- Trip and Goi- entered the budget hotel market and two kinds — one is lump sum, where bibo blocked budget-hotel aggregators began spending aggressively. both assets and liabilities of a busi- such as Oyo Rooms and Zo Rooms Source: The Economic Times Vivanta by Taj Green Cove Kovalam wins top conservation Award

IVANTA by Taj Green Cove, V Kovalam, a property owned by Muthoot Pappachan Group, has won this year’s prestigious National Ener- gy Conservation Award in the category of Hotel Sector, for its innovative efforts in the field of energy conservation. The award was instituted by the Union Ministry of Power to recognize the benchmarks in energy conservation in different sectors. Vivanta by Taj secured the first place in the hotel sector (5-star and above category). The award was received by Mathew C Thomas, Gener- al Manager and Sivakumar K , Chief Engineer from Piyush Goel , Union Minister for Power at a function in Delhi as part of the National Energy Conservation Day. The hotel has initiated several steps

MYSTIC EAST | 21 NEWS

in the last three years for energy ixigo’s ‘super value hotels’ com- cation and by sifting through thou- conservation. In 2013, the hotel had pares deals across branded budget sands of reviews and photos on the received the Certificate of Apprecia- hotel providers such as Oyo rooms, web. Our team has also visited many tion from the Kerala State Pollution Wudstay, Zo Rooms, Vista Rooms as of our chosen 2500 hotels personally Control Board and last year, it won well as independent hotels in popular to ensure that only the best ones earn the Kerala State Energy Conservation locations in all major cities of India. the ‘super value’ tag. These accommo- Award. It also meta-searches the cheapest dations provide great value for money Ixigo launches 2500 handpicked rates across 20+ hotel-booking web- and hence we recommend them for ‘Super Value Hotels’ across 80 Indian sites for India including the brand’s price-conscious travelers. We will be cities own website for most of them, allow- rolling out super value hotels on our ixigo, a travel search marketplace, ing travelers to find the best rates apps very soon, and will also double has announced the launch of a new for ‘super value hotels’ across web- the number of cities and super value meta-search across curated budget sites such as Booking.com, Makem- hotels we cover by December.” hotels on its website. Aptly named ytrip.com, Hotels.com, Goibibo.com Google estimates the online ho- ‘Super Value Hotels’, ixigo’s curat- and Agoda.com. Travellers can also tel booking market in India will be ed collection of 2500 budget hotels compare hotels in a tabular manner $1.8 billion by 2016, up from $0.8 across 80 cities in India has affordable across their prices, ratings, reviews billion in 2014. A large part of this room-rates ranging from INR 599 to and amenities. growth will be driven by the growth INR 2499. This standardised collec- Aloke Bajpai, Co-Founder & CEO, of smartphones in Tier 2 and Tier 3 tion of hotels provides super value for ixigo said, “We are making the lives of cities. ixigo has recently received in- money by providing amenities such travellers simpler by narrowing down vestment from Micromax, an Indian as clean beds, air-conditioning, TV, to the best budget hotels in India from smartphone manufacturer and has a good location, room-service, break- among the 12,000 in our database. also forayed into cabs aggregation fast and Wi-Fi at a great price. We’ve filtered them by amenities, lo- and meta-search.

22 | MYSTIC EAST NEWS September - October 2015

Indian hospitality congress invites nominations for annual IHC awards

NDIAN Hospitality Congress the nominations are invited include Legends’ Award from last year. This I (IHC), an organization of the tour- IHC Educators Award (IHCEA), an award recognizes legends from hos- ism and hospitality educators and award to recognize teachers/educators pitality and tourism industry. The academia in the country, as part of who have demonstrated excellence in debut award was bestowed on PRS the preparations for their Annual teaching and research in tourism and Oberoi last year. Similarly, IHC also conference, has invited nominations hospitality; Young Teacher Welcome recognises individual contributions of for IHC Awards. The awards will be Award that recognizes new entrants industry figures conferring Honorary announced and distributed at the into the teaching profession; Prom- Life Membership Award. Last year, seventh Indian Hospitality Congress ising Training Manager; Aspiring the Life Membership awards were which is scheduled on February 10 to Researchers of Hospitality & Tour- given to Chef Manjit Gill, Corporate 12, 2016 at Banarsidas Chandiwala ism Award, an award to recognize Chef, ITC Group, and NS Bhuie from Institute of Hotel Management & Ca- young researchers; Budding Hoteliers NCHMCT. The last date for nomina- tering Technology in Delhi. Award; Face of Future award, etc. tions for IHC annual awards is Janu- The categories of awards for which IHC has introduced ‘Gallery of ary 15, 2016.

business environment. There are opportunities in different micro-markets as opposed to an overall generic demand, depending on the products, services and brands on offer, as these factors play a pivotal role in the hospitality industry in particular,” said Zaid Sadiq, Executive Director, Li- aisoning and Hospitality, Prestige Group, a property developer. The company is building 3 hotels in the city under the Marriott, Sher- aton (owned by Starwood) and Con- rad brands. Sadiq said Prestige intends to invest about INR 750 crore to increase its hospitality play over the next 3 years. Sensing demand for Prestige Group set to bring mid-market hotels in the country, Prestige also plans to develop its own brand in this segment, apart from Conrad Luxury Hotels brand associating with international hotel chains. to Bengaluru “If one looks at the masses, one of the main requirements among them EVVING its hospitality play in ed to come up in the second quarter is for mid-segment hotels and this R India, Prestige Group is all set to of 2016 at a cost of INR 370 crore, a sector is currently quite disorgan- bring the luxury brand—Conrad Ho- top company executive said. After its ised,” Sadiq said adding that there is tels & Resorts, a part of Hilton World- launch in Pune, this will be the second a huge potential for mid-segment ho- wide, to Bengaluru. The Conrad Hotel Conrad Hotel in India. tels in the 3-star and 4-star categories is being developed in central Benga- “The hospitality industry is on the in the country. luru’s Ulsoor locality and is expect- threshold of growth with a positive Source: The Economic Times

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COVER STORY

SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS It’s time hospitality companies harness the power of Internet and social media to enhance customer engagement, customer satisfaction and improve retention rates

HE 21st Century is the age of India is showing signs of coming out erated online rating meant as much Internet technology that has of a long hiatus, courtesy the online as it does now. Digital referrals, and T been touching all spheres of booking trend. The room occupancy the power of what’s posted on the our life. A majority of the hospitality rates and revenue growth are esti- web via user-generated review sites sector has recognised the power of mated to touch $1.8 billion by 2016, – digital word of mouth – can dras- online inventory and the necessity from the present $0.8 billion, riding tically impact a business’ revenue. of a strong social media presence. on the wave of the online booking There are 3.3 billion brand mentions According to the credit rating phenomenon. in 2.4 billion brand-related conver- agency ICRA, the hotel industry in Moreover, never has a user-gen- sations within the US every day, and

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the typical American mentions brand names 60 times. India is catching up the trend, if not faster, with an unprec- edented growth of the smartphone market and increasing internet penetration. Now the Millennials—a person reaching adulthood around the year 2000— have become the core customer for the the majority of airlines, hotels and travel companies. As they enter into their peak earning, spending and travel years, most policy decisions have to taken keeping this generation in mind. Within this group of GenY travellers, there are many different markets considering the fact that exploration, interaction and experience are the major focus of Millennials. Willing to pay more for a greater experience, these ‘travel junkies’ and ‘foodies’ have their own specific choice based on different subsets of this market. They look for a unique, novel experience and will command change within the market. Given the rampant use of social media, it’s clear that tremendous benefits can accrue for companies that enable effective social media interventions, including conveying information about their service, maintaining brand perception, encouraging highly satis- fied customers to speak well of their experience, and offering immediate response to negative experiences. This is particularly true for travel and hospitality companies, given he propensi- ty for people to use social media when researching their vacation destination, sharing their vacation experience, and reviewing the places they’ve stayed. Consider that 52% of Facebook users said their friends’ photos inspired their vacation choice and travel plans, and 55% of travelers said they changed their travel plans after researching their trip on social media. Customers’ posts, likes and other digital activities are so important that hotels can gain valuable insights from these highly personalized and con- textual customer experiences to have

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Impact of Social Media on Hotel Reputation

Content Generation Content Aggregation Content Consumption Hospitality is an People use social media Prospective travelers to express views. rely on social media.

A hotel stay is an experience. Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, TripAdvisor, etc. Word-of-mouth (WoM) is the single most are used to narrate experiences. After a important factor in selecting a hotel. The quality of the experience is hotel stay, 46% of people post an online determined by the condition of the For instance, 84% of people trust review.* physical facilities (room, amenities recommendations from family and provided, etc.) and the level of service Travelers tend to update their experiences friends above all other forms of (concierge service, room cleaning, etc.). in real-time, including hotel stays, advertising, and 68% believe in online restaurant visits, etc. customer reviews.*** People tend to share their experiences on social media, particularly negative This generates a tremendous amount of ones. content on social channels.**

Source: Cognizant 20-20 insights (www.cognizant.com)

a competitive edge. The influence of commonly used hotel social media have started with this new approach to social sites such as TripAdvisor, Kay- marketing platforms that let custom- promote their hotel and services. Since ak, Expedia and Yelp, it has become a ers get to know about the hotel and its the market is too competitive, it is nec- business imperative for hotels to em- services in much detail. These days, no essary for the entrepreneurs to dedi- brace social media. one prefers to visit the website of ho- cate their time to the promotion work Engaging customers through these tels individually to check out the ser- and recognize their platforms is not a big deal now for both vices offered. leads and competitors in the market. large and small scale hotels. Numbers Since, this generation is always Because the number of users is going of methods are applied for hotel social found online on the social media plat- on increasing with each passing day, media marketing. Starting from brand forms, reaching them is not that diffi- all these platforms are are expected to building to gaining as much guests cult and in fact, they like to get infor- be the new Google of this century. you can, all are done through this mation with ease rather than searching Technology and traveller behaviour advanced system of marketing. Face- for them here and there. is evolving at a dizzying speed, and book, Twitter, etc. are few of the most Large numbers of hotels and resorts keeping up with changes can be a dis-

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traction from taking care of guests and your social media posts and write super generating revenue. Important Cues from short sentences (a max of 2 sentences). To help ensure you allocate time and Social Media For example, when promoting a pack- resources in all the right places, here’s age at your property, don’t list out all a look at trends that will shape online the benefits or the full package descrip- • Photo sharing (pinterest, instagram or face travel marketing in 2014 and beyond: tion in your social media posts. Instead, book): Images will be playing a vital role. take just one detail, such as one includ- Turn content into snacks • Mobile (Tabs or Smart Phones): More ed amenity, and post about that. Con- According to recent research, an & more people are sensing this as their tinue to do that for other pieces of the adult’s average attention span is only comfort zone. Keep your Apps or social package in future posts. networks in place. Want to grow, your 8 seconds long. Combined with today’s phone/tab is your weapon. endless flow of social media content, The new norm of sharing expect people to take fleeting glances • Customer Service More & more customer In 2014, expect your social media – not thorough reads - at your posts. service will be handled via social media. It followers to share even more about You need to make every second is happening already & definitely will get their travels and hotel experiences. count by making your social media bigger & stronger. As we engage more and more in a posts brief, mobile, shareable and easy • Stay on top of your game by internally digital lifestyle, people are opening to digest. formulating a management strategy on how up more and stressing about pri- Hotels can create these types of to respond & how often. vacy less. While they are not losing ‘snackable’ content by taking a larger • Statistics Need to know which social their desire for privacy entirely, the piece of content and breaking it up into Networks work for you and get you traffic threshold has changed. The more smaller pieces of information. Best way for your website or turn into a sale/ people share online and the more to do this is to ALWAYS use visuals in customer their friends and families react to it,

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the safer they think they are to con- travellers are using smart transformed travel by creating plat- tinue sharing but Social networks phones to find places to stay, eat, forms for travellers to exchange in- have proven disappointing as a sales drink, shop, explore, and relax while formation and advice with the people channel. The real decisions are be- on the go. That can have a signifi- they trust most. Online reputation ing made on review sites and OTAs. cant impact on your same-day and management is a critical new function People go to Facebook to socialize; walk-in business. You need to have a in the hotel industry that grew out of they go to TripAdvisor and Expedia mobile-compatible site to help trav- the explosive popularity of social net- to shop. And despite all the chatter ellers find you. Ensure that rates, de- working. It is the process of tracking, on social networks, your website re- scriptions, and location information analyzing, and reacting to reviews and mains your single most important are easily navigable. Check that your feedback as well as actively partici- tool for marketing your hotel. At a address, directions, and location pin pating in social networking to build minimum, set up alerts on Google, are accurate on Google Maps, the awareness and shape perceptions of TripAdvisor, Twitter, and Facebook backbone of many location-based your hotel. to monitor and react to commentary. applications. Be sure to test out how There will be good reviews and your property is displayed on Apple, chances are there will be negative re- Smartphone contribution Android, and Blackberry devices. views too. A negative review related to The use of smart phones is proliferat- a specific personal experience is often ing at a staggering rate and travellers Reviews form your reputation best dealt with privately whereas a gen- are leading the charge. Increasingly, The Internet and social media have eral Internet has become the best way

Five Applications of Social Media for Hotels

Marketing Service

1 1 Information Dissemination 4 Extending Concierge Service Use social media channels to share Enable customers to information, i.e., videos on Y ouTube, seek service from any photographs on Flickr and Pinterest, location using social updates on Twitter and Facebook, etc. channels like Twitter to enhance customer satisfaction. 2 Ongoing Customer Engagement Create a buzz around the brand by conducting contests and employing gamiﬁcation strategies on social networking channels like Facebook. 5 Service Recovery Ensure that unfavorable opinions expressed in social media forums are 3 Just-in-time Marketing addressed in a timely and transparent manne r. customers in real-time that are personalized and contextualized to customer situations. Source: Cognizant 20-20 insights (www.cognizant.com)

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to promote or market business. Espe- cially with the introduction of several social media platforms, it has become much easier to market your business that reaches directly to the target audience at a large scale. For hoteliers, it is really a powerful platform as almost all the target audience is easily found on these social media platforms. There- fore, an effective hotel social media marketing is very much important for all the hotels and resorts. Youth, middle-aged people or straight away the travel lovers, all are easily grabbed on these platforms and hence you can put forward your offerings to them directly. These days, social media has become so powerful that majority of people now believe more in the social presence of a hotel rather than believing what the its website talk about. Travellers have now started evaluating and trusting a hotel by checking out its social media presence, fan following, reviews of guests, complaint or suggestion can be addressed on a public forum. Address negative comments in a positive manner without coming across as defen- sive or trying to further the argument. Keep in mind that you’re not only responding to a guest, you’re repre- senting your property to thousands of potential visitors who read the reviews of your hotel. Always encourage your happy guests to leave a good review on travel sites.

Fans/followers count You may have read a lot about brands buying fake fans or followers just to inflate numbers. But the question is, why is it bad? Yes, fake fans can nev- INDIAN LUXURY HOTELS ON SOCIAL MEDIA er form a relevant target audience for your hotel or restaurant but the purpose of a huge fan base is not that. Fans attract fans. When you go to a Facebook a page, via a recommenda- tion or a search or after viewing an Ad, the first thing that stands out is how many fans or followers a brand has. If the number is high, chances

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so think how can you boost your fans’ ego. Paid reach is easy to get but is neither sustainable nor recommended for SOCIAL MEDIA a long tenure. Any paid social media NUGGETS FOR F&B campaign should be crisp, short and • Dining out is a must: 99 per cent people to the point. The longer you run paid dine out when on vacation campaigns the lesser you focus on your organic and viral reach and that • Frequency of dining out: Over 30 per cent defeats the entire purpose of building people dine out over 10 times when on a a community week-long vacation, seven times (14 per cent), five times (13 per cent) People talking about this • Eat it, flaunt it: 55 per cent people have This is one of the most important pa- taken a photo of their food and posted on a rameter which gives you clear under- social network. standing of how your social efforts are • Chef, who’s he? For 75 per cent chef of a paying off. Every time a user takes any restaurant does not influence one’s decision kind of action on your page, the action to dine there generates a story. • Dining out intentions get stronger: 30 per This includes someone liking your cent people plan to dine out more than last page, checkingin, liking a post / image, year commenting on your posts, responding to an event and so on. You may Source: Internet Moghuls have a hundred thousand fans but if your PTAT is low it shows that either your relevant fan base is low or your content is not interesting. If PTAT is low, your reach will be low as well. So, of converting that user into your per- if your content pillars are not assisting manent fan or follower is higher. Till in better PTAT, change your focus. you are aware there is a difference between genuine and fake fans and the Make it viral numbers are just for a show, you are Though a little ambiguous, it is a safe. clear indicator of how well do you engage your fans. While PTAT will Expand your reach let you know how many people took Most relevant to Facebook, the reach an action on your page or tagged you of your content should be your prime outside of your page, Virality indi- focus. Why print or TV ads which are cates the percentage of such people broadcast nationally more expensive who were reached and then took an than the local ones? Wide reach. All action. This method cancels out fake your efforts should be directed towards or dormant fans and lets you know enhancing your reach and especially how well you are engaging your rel- to the regions from where you expect evant fans. However, the purpose of more guests for your hotels. For organ- monitoring the virality is not limited ic reach you need a big (and genuine) to this. Virality lets you know how Facebook fanbase and it needs to en- good your content is and thus you gage with you else your content will not can create more such content. But the travel beyond your fan base. For viral biggest mistake a marketer can make reach, make content that is shareable. is to feel good about a virality rate of It is to be noted that users share 4% to 5% while (industry standard only that content which makes them being 2.5%) while the reach is only a look better in front of their friends, fraction of total fan base. So, keep in

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tone. It never hurts to announce the Admin of the page and even put a few pictures up. It will generally assist in people talking less negatively about any mistakes or oversights and will enhance conversations. So the real objectives for a hotel or a restaurant include increase in brand awareness, increase in brand recall, increase in revenues via more roomnight bookings and / or footfalls to the F&B outlets or other services open for non-residents like Spa or a Gym. As is the case with most of the marketing strategies, you may not be able to correctly or directly quantify these objectives as there are depen- dencies on the marketing platform to generate the correct or relevant data. Hence, when it comes to social media marketing, the real objectives are generally converted into visible objectives which are nothing but the structured data provided by the social networks including engagement levels, total followers or fans, overall sentiments of the content created by users, demographics of the audience connected with you and so on so forth. As visible objectives can be easily assessed, it is important that the link with real objectives is carefully thought out so as to avoid any ambiguous results when you analyze the per- formance of your social media marketing campaigns. The relation between the two is subject to deliberation and is dependent on your experience in offline marketing to correlate the total spend, total users reached, conversion ratio and finally the cost per acquisi- mind that your organic reach should a social network, your tone should tion. So, it is better left to the Revenue steadily increase and should definite- not be explicitly official. Yes, the ver- Managers or Sales & Marketing heads ly be upward of 15% as Facebook dis- biage should reflect your brand posi- to define and correlate the real and vis- plays your content only to less than tioning but your fans are looking for a ible objectives. 10% of your fan base. The rest can be fun and an interesting page and want Once you have established the rela- reached only if they are actively par- to feel a human connection with you. tionship between the real and visible ticipating on your page. When your fans communicate with objectives, your focus should only be you they know their words are being on achieving the visible objectives as Be and stay social read by a person on the other side the real objectives will be achieved au- Last, but not the least, stay social. On and they want the replies in a human tomatically.

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CULTURE MUSICAL JOURNEYS Festivals have been generating a significant amount of tourists and are being recognised as a form of cultural tourism, by the Ministry of Tourism and state tourism boards. With millions of tourists attending major Indian festivals each year, eastern India has a veritable bouquet of music and dance festivals to attract them

ULTURALLY India is the most Keeping an eye on the trend, Gov- dia—the hub of a diverse culture and diverse place in the world. It is ernment tourism departments across people—is slowly taking a centre stage C a vivid kaleidoscope of land- India have been marketing the festivals in festival oriented tourism. scapes, magnificent historical sites to lure the global tourist. As a result The Odisha Tourism Development and royal cities, misty mountain re- festivals have changed over the years. Corporation (OTDC) has been a pio- treats, colourful people, rich cultures, Earlier festivals were associated with neer in developing dance and musical and festivities. key calendar moments, linked specifi- festivals to showcase the state’s rich As in the last decade cultural tour- cally to particular seasons and heritage cultural heritage. Nagaland’s Hornbill ism has developed into a significant sites. Over the last decade, these have Festival has also been a top draw for avenue of tourism across the world changed and developed, and there is international and domestic tourists. India has the potential to be a hotspot now a broad and diverse range of fes- Following are some of the prominent of cultural tourism. According to the tivals and events taking place all over festivals that have been drawing hun- World Tourism Organization (WTO) India throughout the year. dreds of thousands of foreign and more than 40 percent of all interna- When one observes the marketing domestic tourists to witness the mi- tional tourists are “cultural tourists” as campaigns used to promote India, the crocosm of culture and diversity in all study of festivals have become an im- fairs and festivals of this country are colours. These have the potential to portant way of learning about a nation some of the key contributors to the draw thousands consumers of hospi- or its ethnic characteristics. image of Incredible India. Eastern In- tality business.

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KONARK, MUKTESWAR AND RAJARANI, ODISHA and Odisha as a tourist destination. A celebration of Odissi, Bharathnatyam, Manipuri, Kathak and Chau Dances; the festival truly comes as a lavish feast for the eyes and ears. The Mukteswar Dance Festival, which concentrates on Odissi dance and music, offers solo, duet and group Odissi performances. It takes place in the courtyard of one of Bhubaneswar’s most prominent and well-preserved temple complexes. The beautiful ar- chitectural works of the temple add to the splendor of the Mukteshwar Utsav. In order to show case the glorious URING the cooler winter state’s most well known temples. tradition of Indian classical music, months, Odisha comes alive Konark Dance Festival is a festival every year Rajarani Music Festival D with festivals devoted to tra- held every year in December in back- is organised by the Department of ditional music and dance. The state is drop of the Sun temple in Konark. Tourism. The festival is celebrated in home to Odissi, one of the eight clas- Many celebrated dancers from all over the Rajarani Temple complex in Bhu- sical dance forms of India. It also has the country perform at this venue. Since baneshwar. Various famous vocalists many forms of folk and tribal dances. 1989, this festival has been organized in and instrumentalists from across the Odisha Tourism plays a key role in the state jointly by Odisha Tourism and country came to perform at festival. organising three festivals to witness Odissi Research Centre to promote the Along with music ancient temple mesmerising music and dance per- diverse Indian dance heritage as well complex provides a dramatic atmo- formances, held amongst some of the as the popularity of Konark Temple sphere with its beautiful sculptures.

HORNBILL, NAGALAND AGALAND’S Hornbill Festi- val is the perfect place to go N experience the rich, diverse culture that of Northeastern India. In December all the tribes from Naga- land congregate to celebrate the festival in Kohima, the state capital. This is essentially a music and dance festival. Since tribes remain scattered across in different villages it is not very easy to get a glimpse of such dance. The week-long festival unites the tribes and people enjoy the colourful performances, crafts, sports, food fairs, games and ceremonies. Traditional arts which include paintings, wood carvings, and sculptures are also on display. Organized by the State Tourism and Art & Culture Departments, Horn- bill Festival can be an ideal model to showcase a mélange of cultural dis- plays under one roof.

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ZIRO, ARUNACHAL PRADESH HE pristine Ziro valley festival features acts from around in Arunachal Pradesh is the country that have become stan- T inhabited by the Apatani dard fixtures of a hit lineup. tribe whose spiritual beliefs and While there are local homestays customs have enabled them to and a handful of lodges/ hotels coexist harmoniously with na- available for tourists, the event ture for centuries. organizers set up a camp site The four-year-old event that near the festival grounds for a sells itself as India’s greatest out- more immersive experience and door music festival draws a few late-night cultural exchange. thousand people for a period of Unlike in Odisha and Naga- four days in September, and a host land, the Ziro Festival of Music of international and local musical has developed into a top tourist talent. Besides bringing local mu- attraction with private support sical talent into the spotlight, Ziro from music lovers .

KENDULI BAUL FAIR, WEST BENGAL

HE annual fair held at Jaydev km from Shantiniketan on the banks sic of these wandering minstrels who Kenduli celebrates the unique of the River Ajay, is believed to be the believe in the simplicity of love and T musical art of the Baul com- birthplace of the famous poet Jaydev. life. munity—a group of mystic minstrels. An annual fair is organized here on Thousands of people from all over Every year, during the month of Janu- the occasion of Makar Sankranti from the world flock to Jaydev Kenduli ev- ary, Birbhum, the land of the red soil, January 14 to 16. ery year to witness a piece of ancient comes alive with the lilting strains of The three-day fair provides a won- rural India being brought alive in Baul music. Jaydev Kenduli, about 42 derful opportunity to savour the mu- front of their eyes.

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BIHU, ASSAM

HE Bihus, the national festi- middle of January) marks the end of Bihu songs. The Bohaag Bihu lasts for vals of Assam, comes in three the harvesting period. Bohaag Bihu is several days during which “the young T hues based on the farming cal- also called the Rongaali Bihu or the people in the village may be seen endar. The Bohaag Bihu marks the Festival of Merriment, Maagh Bihu is moving about in groups gaily dressed New Year (Baisakh, the middle of also called Bhogaali Bihu or the Fes- or forming circles” singing songs of April) at the advent of seeding time, tival of Food, Kaati Bihu is also called love and romance. the Kaati Bihu (in Kartik, the middle Kongaali Bihu or the Festival of the It’s time tourism and hospitality of October) marks the completion of Poor. business take appropriate steps to sowing and transplanting of paddies, The folk songs associated with the connect tourists to the splendours of and the Maagh Bihu (Maagh, the Bohaag Bihu are called Bihugeets or Assam.

YAOSHANG, MANIPUR

aoshang is a festival cel- Thabal Chongba or dancing in ebrated in spring season the moonlight (literal meaning: Y starting from the full moonlight jumping or leaping), moon day of Lamda (March) for is a popular Manipuri folk dance six whole days by the Manipuris. associated with the festival of The premier festival combines Yaoshang in India. The literal Hindu and indigenous traditions meaning of Thabal is ‘moonlight’ of the region. It is identified with and Chongba means ‘dance’, the festival of Holi and is consid- thus ‘dancing in the moonlight’. ered the most important festi- So if you are planning a trip val in Manipur.Thabal chongba, to Manipur in the month of Feb- a Manipuri folk dance is per- ruary, don’t forget to be a part of formed during this festival. Like the Yaoshang festival and car- Holi, the Hindus of Manipur play ry home the memories you will with colours during this festival. cherish all your lives.

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SARHUL, JHARKHAND

arhul is one of the grand main traditional dance Sarhul festivals of tribals in dance is performed. S Jharkhand. This festival Tribes all across Jharkhand is celebrated on Chaitra Shukla celebrate this festival with great Tritiya, the third day of bright fervour and joy. Tribal men, half in Chaitra month (Febru- women and children dress up ary-March). Tribals celebrate in colorful and ethnic attires ‘Sarhul’, a festival marking the and perform traditional dances. beginning of New Year, by wor- They also drink a locally made shiping trees. This annual festival beer, called Hadia, brewed out is celebrated during the spring of a concoction of rice, water and season when trees and other el- some tree leaves and then dance ements of nature are worshiped. around the trees. Sarhul literally means ‘Worship The State Tourism can take of Sal’. Sarhul is celebrated for appropriate initiatives to attract several days during which the tourists during Sarhul.

BIDESIA AND KAJARI, BIHAR

VER thousands of years various traditional dance and music forms have evolved in O Bihar. Most of the folk dances are religious in nature, in which, gods and goddesses are invoked through dance, performed to the rhythm of folk songs and music. Bidesia is the most popular folk dance of Bihar people. The dance is said to have originated in the 19th century. It is a folk theatre form that is prevalent in the Bhojpuri-speaking regions of Bihar. Kajari songs are basically sung during monsoon season. The dance form called Kajari Dance accom- panies these songs. The dance starts in the month of ‘Shravan’ or the starting of the monsoon season every year and lasts for the entire duration of rain. These songs describe how wonderful earth has become due to rain and how happy and pleasant people are. Tourism boards across the world have used festivals for generating opportunities to promote tourism. This recent trend is turning into a big advantage for the In- dian tourism industry and the major stakeholders believe that with the correct marketing and positioning of the festival or event, this particular segment may prove to be the biggest tourist pull for India.

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FEST DELIGHTS OF NORTH EAST INDIA Festivals of North East India are colorful and full of cultural delight. And these festive occasions are the perfect time for tourists to get a glimpse of the rich cultural heritage of the region. Here are some of the top festivals of North East India that will simply amaze you. And, if you are planning a trip to visit North East India, you must make sure you get a chance to attend one of these festivals.

Assam Brahmaputra Beach Festival – It’s a cultural and traditional extravaganza of Assam’s unique heritage with a tinge of modernity. The festival backed and supported by the ATDC is held every year during the month of January and February on the banks of mighty river Brahmaputra. Bihu – Bihu is the festival of prosperity and harmony and widely accepted as the chief festival of Assam. Irrespective of caste, creed religion or faith, the festival is celebrated with much fanfare and jubilation by the Assamese people. Three types of Bihu festival is celebrated every year in the months of Bohaag (mid April), Maagh (mid January) and Kaati (mid of October). Rongali Bihu or Bohag Bihu celebrated during mid April is considered as the most important Bihu festival.

Mizoram Anthurium – Anthurium is one of the major festivals of Mizoram and is celebrated every year during the month of September. It’s a festival for promoting the tourism potential of the state. The main function of the festival is held at the Reiek tourist resort, located in an idyllic and scenic locale of Reiek village in Aizawl, the capital city. The place is located some 70 km from the main commercial hub of the Aizawl.

Tripura Kharchi Puja – It is a sacred religious festival observed during the month of July or August on the eight day of the new moon. During this day, Kharchi puja is performed on fourteen deities that are regarded as the dynasty deities of the Tripuri. The word Kharchi is a Tripuri word which closely means cleansing and hence Kharchi puja is observed to cleanse the people or the kingdom from sins or evils.

Sikkim Guru Rimpoche’s Trungkar Tshechu – On the tenth day of the six month of Tibetan calendar, the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambva, also known by the name as Guru Rimpoche, is observed in Sikkim. Guru Padmasambva introduced Buddhism for the first time in Sikkim and throughout the Himalayan region during the 8th century.

Arunachal Pradesh Namdapha Eco-Cultural Festival – Namdapha Eco-Cultural festival is a cultural fair of the various ethnic people of Miao sub-division of Arunachal Pradesh is held every year since 2004.

Nagaland Hornbill Festival – Hornbill festival is celebrated on the first week of December every year. The festival is organized by the Nagaland government to showcase the rich vibrant cultural heritage of various ethnic groups of Nagaland. The main events of the festival are held at Naga Heritage village, located in Kisama which is about 12 km from the state capital Kohima.

Manipur Sangai Festival – Sangai festival is the tourism festival of Manipur, designed and organized by the state government. The festival showcases the unique cultural and traditional heritage of the people the state.

Meghalaya Wangala Festival – Wangala Festival of Meghalaya which is also known as the “100 Drum Wangala Festival” is an enchanting winter festival. Practiced traditionally by the Garos, it is the annual harvest festival of Meghalaya and is celebrated in the honor of Misi Saljong, The Great Giver. Wangala Festival signifies the beginning of winter and also marks the end of labor in fields ushering in a period of relaxation and merry making.

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CHEF TALK

I wish all five-star hotels focus a bit more on regional cuisines

Madhumita Mohanta, The Lalit Great Eastern’s executive chef, has created a unique ‘Regional Speciality’ in the menu card that reflects cosmopolitan nature of Kolkata cuisine

Well, first things first. When quite a few luxury hotels, have come eration appreciating their local cui- did you start out in hospitality? up in the city in the past 16 years. I sine. They are feeling proud of their Where did you work before you can also find a large number of fine culinary tradition. joined The Lalit Great Eastern, dining restaurants. Some Mughlai Kolkata? restaurants have expanded their foot- Probably this is kind of a I started out in 1998 after having prints with a number of new outlets yearning for our lost cuisine. passed out from IAM, Kolkata. First across the city and beyond. But more Don’t you think the younger I joined The Park Hotel, Kolkata. surprising is the fact that we have so people are turning revivalist? Worked there for about four years many restaurants specialising in Ben- Yes. As women are stepping out of and went overseas. Then came back gali cuisine. Even five star hotels have their home to build career or earn the to India in 2010 and was back in Kol- at least a page dedicated to Bengali daily bread they don’t have time to kata last year as I joined this hotel. cuisine. When I left the city we had cook traditional dishes which takes just Suruchi at Eliott Road run by a time and it’s cumbersome. In good old How did you feel in Kolkata group of women (All Bengal Women’s days in the kitchen of a joint family after 16 long years? What are Union) and Aaheli at Peerless Inn. with so many women in the household the changes you observed in But now you have about a dozen fine it was not a problem. But tell me when the hospitality sector after over dining restaurants that serve Bengali did you last enjoy dumurer dalna ( cur- a decade and half? food exclusively. This is such a wel- ry of green raw figs) or bok phul bhaja A number of new hotels, including come change as I find the young gen- (agati blossom fritters)? How many

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CHEF TALK

people have even heard of pui metuli Calcutta in these dishes. You’ll find It seems a lot of research chorchori (a mixed vegetable dish with Anglo Indian food in Bangalore, has gone into the Menu Card, tender-crisp buds of pui Malabar spin- Chennai, Mumbai and so on. But especially the part that deals ach)? There are so many types of shaak Calcutta’s Anglo Indian food has its with Regional Speciality? (leafy greens) and cuisines based on own imprints. The Railway Mutton Yes. We worked hard to showcase them. As a society changes the eating Curry comes with eggs and potatoes. culture and history of the city. We habits change and some cuisines go on Mutton Istew (not stew) and Mixed looked into historical recipes and the verge of extinction. You need to ei- Grill London House Steak also has also spoke to the chefs of many ther preserve it or revamp the endan- got the Calcutta touch. And in case restaurants across the city. We have gered cuisines because they represent of Nizami/Mughlai also you’ll have exchanged notes even with many leg- a culture. Each of these dishes were a regional variant. Biryani here is endary street food makers, such as, developed through centuries of trial lot more subtle, dry and light unlike Chittoda of Dacre’s Lane. The mut- and error in the traditional kitchen. its Hyderabadi or Lucknowi version. ton or chicken stew they make is re- They are so full of nutrition and eco- Similarly, Chinese Tangra style in- ally wonderful. It’s economical too! nomical too! It’s good that the young volves a lot of saute and frying. You However, when we do it we make it people are appreciating this. And it’s won’t find the typical Chilly Chicken more scientifically. As a result you’ll a duty of chefs like us to offer tribute or Manchurian Chicken in tradition- find it consistent and same all the to these endangered cuisine. I wish all al Chinese cooking. time. five-star hotels focus a bit more on regional cuisines.

Do you serve any of these at The Lalit Great Eastern Hotel? Yes. We do try out some of these in our Ajker Niramish (Day’s Special Vegetar- ian Delicacy) section of our menu. Un- like most other five star hotels you’ll see four pages of our menu card dedicated to ‘Regional Speciality’. Among Bengali delicacies you’ll find Sorshe Die Palong Phoolkopi (cauliflower and spinach simmered in mustard gravy) and Peyaj Postor Bora (Pan fried poppy seed and onion patty). In the non-vegetarian side you’ll find Gondhoraj Mangsher Chop (Crumb fried lamb croquettes scented with gondhoraj lime), Borishali Chigri (Prwan cooked in the style of Borishal in erstwhile East Bengal) and Posto Murgi (Poppy seed paste and marinated chicken laced with mustard oil). You’ll get some lost cuisines from both sides of Bengal. Not just Bengali delicacy, you’ll also find Anglo Indian, Chinese (Tangra style) and Nizami/Mughlai dishes. This represents quintessential Calcutta in its cosmopolitan hues.

You mean Anglo Indian, Calcutta style? And biryani with potatoes and eggs? Exactly. These are signatures of

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RECIPE: REGIONAL SPECIALITY

METHOD DOI MAACH Fry the fish in hot oil until just brown. Keep aside after draining well. INGREDIENTS In a pan (karai), heat ghee and add the bay leaves and garam masala. Stir fry for a couple of mins. Then add sliced onion. Fry stirring from 4-6 large pieces of rui or any white-flesh fish time to time until onions turn brown but are still soft. oil for frying fish Add the onion paste and all the other masala pastes. Stir and fry till 2-3 tbsp. - Ghee masala changes colour. Bay Leaves Sprinkle with a little water as you fry masala. Blending the curd well 1 onion, halved and minced with water, pour into karahi through a sieve. Simmer gently. 2 Onions ground to a paste Add salt, sugar and green chillies. Simmer, stirring for 5 mins. 1/2 tsp - Turmeric paste Add the fried fish, placing in one layer in the karahi. Spoon gravy 1 tbsp. - Ginger paste over fish. Sprinkle with raisins. 1/8 tsp - Garlic paste 1/2 cup Curd blended with one cup of water Simmer over a very gentle fire shaking karai from time to time until salt to taste fish is quite cooked, gravy has thickened and oil risen to the surface. 1-2 tsp - Sugar Note: 6-8 green chillies, Heat should be carefully controlled when cooking the fish. If cooked slit a few raisins, over high heat, the gravy will curdle. soaked in water It is also difficult to stir the pan without breaking the fish during the Garam Masala final stages of cooking.

MYSTIC EAST | 45 INTERVIEW

SOME PORTALS MANIPULATE CUSTOMER REVIEWS OF HOTELS UNFAIRLY

Mr Tejinder Singh Walia

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MR TEJINDER SINGH WALIA, former President of FHRAI, expects more tourist arrivals in eastern India in 2016

How has been the year 2015 for There’s a negative perception rooms. East has the least number of the hotel industry in the eastern on east, especially the North rooms. By 2020 the country must region of India? And for HRAEI? East among many people. have at least 1,80,000 rooms to ac- The year has neither been good nor Yes. There’s a negative image in the commodate the rising number of for- bad for the hotel industry in the east mind. They are scared of safety, secu- eign tourists in India. Foreign Tourist as well as whole of India. But com- rity and insurgency. But not all places Arrivals (FTAs) rose by 7 per cent in pared to last year (2014) the business have these problems. Shillong, Itana- 2014. It has further gone up in 2015, is surely looking up. gar, Agartala, Guwahati and Silchar as over 5 lakhs of footfalls were re- This year the hospitality industry in are quite peaceful places. Well, con- corded by May 2015. In 2016 we are the eastern region was in the limelight, nectivity and availablity of enough expecting over 8 lakhs FTAs. To wel- courtesy the Golden Jubilee Conven- rooms is surely a problem in some come these tourists we’ll need more tion of the Food Hotel and Restaurant places, but in Shillong, Guwhati and rooms, especially in eastern India. Associations of India (FHRAI). For us Kaziranga these are not a problem at Revival od policies like NEIPP will it was a big achievement for several all. To solve the connectivity issue the help us take this forward. reasons. I had been the President of central government is taking steps as FHRAI when this happened in Sep- the Prime Minister has shown active Many young travellers choose tembe (now a Vice President). First, it interest to develop the area. Unfortu- a hotel based on reviews in the was not very easy to convince members nately all new schemes under the am- social media. Are hoteliers ready of other regions to hold this important bitous North East Industrial and In- for this new technology trend? event in a tier 2 city like Bhubaneswar. vestment Promotion Policy (NEIPP), Technology, especially those based Before the event we presented our case 2007 was abruptly stopped in 2014 on Internet, is slowly becoming an in an investor’s meet in New Delhi. We though it was supposed to run till important aspect in the hospitality were able to make them aware of the 2017. NEIPP was introduced to make business. This is largely a positive tremendous potential of eastern India, the region competitive with other trend, but we also have come across a especially the North East, in tourism parts of the country. Some of the key negative aspect. There are some por- and hospitality. After the presentation features of the policy was waiver of ex- tals that manipulate reviews of hotels 10 investors were ready to sign MoUs cise duty and income tax exemption on and restaurants unfairly. Some are for new ventures in Odisha. Out of finished products in North East. Not upgraded while others downgraded them five of them visited the conven- just the scheme was stopped, HRAEI based on sham reviews. At the Bhu- tion in Bhubaneswar, but the state members haven’t got benefits due to baneswar FHRAI meet some of our government was not ready for this. them. As an FHRAI President (until members had arguments with the the However, we hope all these projects September 30) I have sent letters and portal owners over this issue. This is- will happen in the long run. Simply proposals to reinstate NEIPP and help sues need to be fixed. The internet is put, for hoteliers in eastern India it’s them get the due benefits. surely revolutionising the hospitality, been a great achievment. We were able there’s no doubt about it. Now one can to change the perception on eastern As you mentioned we do not book a room so easily through a mo- India.The event was a big success as it enough rooms for tourists in bile application, complete the check- was held so smoothly, despite the fact the North East. But I think the in formalities quickly and step into a that Bhubaneswar is not a Metro city. number of rooms available for room within minutes. You can also At HRAEI we have been able to in- tourists are too few in the choose a room on your own without crease the number of members sub- entire country. much hassles. Technology will bring stantially. We have introduced a drive Right. In cities like New York, Bang- about more changes. For instance, to have more members and as a result kok and Singapore you’ve over you can have lights that change based in the last couple of years we have 1,25,000 rooms. But such a big on your mood. You can enjoy movies done exceedingly well in this front. country like India has only 1,50,000 or music as per your taste.

MYSTIC EAST | 47 SPECIAL FEATURE

THE PERFECT MATCH A huge talent pool of skillful youth and an unexplored natural beauty in the Northeast India can make the region a hotspot for the hospitality Industry

48 | MYSTIC EAST September - October 2015

Many youths from Northeast are fluent in English

SKILLS

ORTHEAST India is consid- the Northeast because of its starkly ered to be one of the most fa- beautiful Himalayan landscapes and N voured tourist spots in India cultural variety. by Globetrotters and Discovery Net- Besides tourists from other parts work’s Travel & Living channel. Peo- of India and the world, tourists from ple are attracted to the region by the south east Asian countries also flock richness of its culture and the sheer to the region. The Inner Line Reg- variety of its festivities, dress, cuisines ulation of 1873 and the Restricted and ethnicities. Area Permit (RAP) is revoked by the The Barail and the Patkai ranges, central government to facilitate tour- and the eastern Himalayas offer ad- ism in the Northeast. The Guwahati venture activities like rafting, trek- airport is a world class international king and mountaineering. airport and the infrastructure of oth- Shillong and Cherrapunji in Me- er regional airports in Imphal and ghalaya are frequented by tourists Dimapur is good. Budget airfares are because of their pleasant climate and also available with private airlines picturesque landscape. Assam has de- like Indigo, Spice, Jet Airways etc. veloped many new tourism spots in competing to attract travellers. areas like Tezpur, Kaziranga, Shona- pur and Karbi Anglong. Jatinga in Scopes for hotel industry North Cachar hills with its romantic To encourage tourism the state gov- setting amidst the Barail ranges and ernments have undertaken reforms rich variety of migratory birds be- and taken steps to develop eco-tour- comes a destination for ornithologists ism projects in the area. But still, the around the world. Haflong and Di- region has a huge untapped potential. phu, the two hill towns of Assam, join A well-developed tourism industry the list of hill stations with their pic- can act as a key revenue generator in turesque landscape, trekking routes the area. Tourism infrastructures like and lodging facilities. The states of hotels and resorts with involvement Nagaland and Manipur also attract of the local people—especially the tourists for their culture, landscape youth— can go a long way in solving and world-class resorts. Arunachal the teething problems in the area. The Pradesh is considered the queen of infrastructure required by tourism—

MYSTIC EAST | 49 Youths in the region have good soft skills

transport, communications, water higher in the the region compared to supply and health services—also ben- the rest of India, the huge number of efits local communities and can be The youth from unemployed youth makes it easier for used for other activities like speeding insurgent groups to get them recruit- disaster relief, providing for the local Northeast India ed for anti-national activities. population and fuelling the overall have huge demand According to the 2011 census the development of the region. youth dominated the population. in the hospitality With proper training and employ- Catalyst to peace industry for their ment, this talent pool can be har- The Northeast India is plagued by nessed as a workforce for nation multiple problems, from poverty to good school building. Interestingly, a majority of insurgency and ethnic violence, which education, fluency the workers in the service and hos- have rendered it poorer and less con- pitality industry in New Delhi, Pune, nected than the rest of the country. in English and Bangalore or Hyderabad, consists of These realities, have thus far, pre- superior physical youth from the Northeast. vented the region from realising its Since the majority of the youth are full tourism potential. fitness born and brought up in hilly tracts Tourism and hospitality industry they are physically fit and hardwork- can play a catalyst to peace, harmo- ing from childhood. They also have a ny and economic development by penchant for games and sports. The engaging the youth in the area. Since ability to communicate fluently in the level of literacy and education is English—due to the sheer presence

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of a large number of English medi- um schools—and a superior soft skills picked up in course of education make them ideal candidates for the hospitality industry.

Hospitality training for youth To help train the youth a number of private training institutes have opened centres in these areas. Kolk- ata-based Orion Edutech, a Nation- al Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) partner company having trained over 14000 candidates in hospitality and tourism, has a strong focus on developing employable skills among the youth in the Northeast. Says Manish Agarwal, the CEO of the company, “The manpower in these states are very good for the hospitality sector. In Northeast we have trained 7000 candidates in the last seven years for tourism and hospitality.” af- firms Agarwal. The training in hospitality includes front office, housekeeping, guest rela- tions, food production, F&B services, etc. The courses vary from two months to a year. The minimum qualification is 10th pass. However, for housekeeping and front office drop outs from 10th class are also inducted. Though there is a student pay model, about 70 per cent of the courses are subsidised under various government schemes. “The different state government schemes, for instance, in Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal and Manipur provide fees to us, along with many central government schemes,” mentions Agarwal. “There are two ways of imparting training – the training centres in different Northeast locations; also training centres in Guwa- hati, Kolkata with residential facilities where students mobilised from dis- tant Nagaland and Arunachal and are trained,” informs Agarwal.

Placements galore These candidates are placed with The young in Northeast are physically fit partner hotels and travel companies

MYSTIC EAST | 51 The region has a wide diversity in cuisine

in Bengaluru, Delhi, Pune, Hyder- didates join the hospitality industry dates as many as 35 to 40 per cent of abad, and other cities. “We have an is the growth opportunities, accom- the people we are going to train will be industry partner called Leonia Resort modation facility and food. If a candi- from the hospitality sector,” he adds. in Hyderabad. We have also partnered date from the Northeast enters the IT The company also promotes with major hotels like Swissotel, The sector, he/she has to take care of his self-employment, for instance wom- Park Group, JW Marriott where our own lodging, which a hotel company en candidates who have done food students are working,” states Agar- provides if he was working for it. Also, production have started their own wal, adding that, the company has a hotels provide a secure environment bakery. “We also try to encourage placement office in Dubai for hospi- for female candidates. It is easier for married women to start food home tality students. These students are them to adjust in this sector.” delivery system so that they can earn trained in India and given interna- “Our major focus has always been without having to leave their home,” tional placements in the Middle East. placements, so they do on-the-job remarks Agarwal. Agarwal mentions that in the hos- training and post the completion of pitality sector more than 90 per cent the course they get placement,” states Training the trainers candidates get jobs. Acknowledging Agarwal, adding that he has big plans There is also a train the trainer pro- that there is a huge demand for North for the hospitality and travel sector. gramme. About 10 to 15 per cent of east candidates across hotels in India, “Six million people are required by the students are trained further and he says, “The reasons why these can- the industry. Out of two million candi- inducted as trainers within the com-

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SPECIAL FEATURE

in a great position to help train local talent and increase the proportion of employable workforce for the hospitality industry. We do this through IHG Academy which is a core pil- lar of our Corporate Responsibility strategy. Over the next 12 months our target under our IHG Academy partnership with IL&FS is to train 100 students across the country. With this rebranded centre in Kalimpong we are confident of drawing more young local people from Northeast India to undergo our high standards of hospitality training and we are delighted to be able to do our part in skilling local talent to support the growing tourism industry in India.” IHG currently has 22 hotels open across four brands in India: InterCon- tinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express. A further 47 hotels are due to open in the next three to five years.

Hospitality schools NIPS School of Hotel Management, Kolkata, a leading hospitality education institute has training centres in the East Khasi area of Meghalaya. The institute also offers short term training course to youths from the Northeast in their inhouse residential Radisson Blu, Guwahati, is Northeast’s premier new hotel facilities in Kolkata. With more such skill development pany. There are 700 people directly the rural areas of Northeast India. programmes the youth in this region employed by Orion Edutech, apart IHG Academy is a pioneering global can certainly get jobs in the growing from those working with franchisees. collaboration between IHG and local hospitality sector across India. With InterContinental Hotels Group education and community providers improved tourism infrastructure in (IHG), one of the world’s leading ho- which aims to provide local people the region along with the develop- tel companies, and IL&FS Skills, one with skills development and employment more premium and budget ho- of India’s largest skills development ment opportunities at more than tels, the local youth can be employed organisations, have launched a IHG 4,900 IHG hotels across the globe. close to their home. Academy branded training centre There are now over 900 IHG Acade- Last year Radisson Blue was the under their partnership in Kalim- my programmes across more than 60 first 5 star hotel to have forayed in pong, West Bengal. The first branded countries globally, and 25 IHG Acade- Guwahati and the Northeast. If you training centre was launched in New my programmes across India. visit the city, the hub of the region, Delhi last year. you won’t miss colossal structures of a The Kalimpong centre is set to be Local talent pool number of upcoming 5 star and 4 star one of the largest talent development Shantha de Silva, Head of South West hotels. In days to come, these proper- centres under the IHG Academy pro- Asia, IHG said, “As one of the largest ties will be managed by the talented gramme, attracting young talent from hotel companies in the world, we are youths trained to welcome you.

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