Talking to media at its office today, president of the front, Bheigyachandra Shamuphaba stated that the well-orchestrated publicity carried out by the forum induced spectators to turn out in thousands hoping to be dazzled by professional players from Japan. Sadly, they returned home feeling cheated after watching a farcical contest between an assorted team of native Japanese who are employees of different firms in India and a far superior Manipur XI, he stated.

Promotion of sports tourism festival is an endearing subject for the party and formed a part of the party’s election manifesto, he stated. However, the party’s interpretation of such festival is bringing revenue for the local people, not to earn at their expense, he stated.

He forwarded his opinion that the forum could show their sincerity by prudent investment of the revenue earned from the exhibition match in promoting sports activities in Manipur.

In this regard, the expertise of officials of Indian Olympic Association and All Manipur Football Association among others could be utilized, he suggested.

He expressed his desire that the forum arrange another match, this time featuring real professional footballers from Japan, for the satisfaction of the football lovers in the state. The MSCP will extend its fullest cooperation in contacting the players, he stated.

Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) president Iqbal Mulla said: “The aim is to have a bigger and stronger voice, with a coherent body to work for the interests of the industry.”

FAITH consists of 10 of India’s travel industry associations, including the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI), TAAI, Travel Agent Federation of India, Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India, Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI), India Heritage Hotels Association, Indian Tourist Transport Association (ITTA), India Convention Promotion Bureau, and Hotel Association of India (HAI).

A four-member interim group consisting of ADTOI’s Subhash Verma, Nakul Anand of HAI, Tejbir Singh of ATOAI and ITTA’s Sarabjit Singh will work on the process of registering FAITH as a formal society within the next few days.

FAITH aims to become active before December, when India launches the inaugural Global Travel and Tourism Mart.

IATO president Subhash Goyal said: “FAITH will create a lobby along with media to fight common issues faced by the industry. Visa on arrival for more countries and introducing e-visas to encourage easy access will be among the first issues to be taken up with the government.”

High-end international hoteliers including Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Park Hyatt Hotels, J.W. Marriott and Relais & Chateaux plan to significantly expand their presence in India in the next several years.

An increase of high-end travelers to the country is one incentive, but the main reason is India’s rising global importance to the business community, hotel executives and travel analysts say.

“Like China, India is shaping up to be one of the main growth engines in the world, and as India’s economy continues to grow, business travel into and within India will expand,” said Christopher Wong, regional vice president of development for Four Seasons in Asia.

Recent figures support that prediction: According to the government’s Ministry of Tourism, there were around 270,000 business travelers to India in 2007. That number jumped to more than a million in 2010.

Forecasts from the World Travel and Tourism Council predict overall business travel spending in India will rise by 8.8 percent a year between 2011 and 2021 – growing from $26 billion to $72 billion.

Part of the growth comes from American companies adding outsourcing and back office operations in Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Mumbai, according to Adam Weissenberg, vice chairman of Deloitte and leader of the company’s travel sector. This is resulting in a boon for high-end hotel brands seeking to build properties in India, he said because outsourcing often involves high-end business travelers going to India from the West who expect luxury accommodations.

Thus, a mushrooming number of high-end hotel rooms: The Toronto-based Four Seasons is opening a 230-room property in Bangalore in 2014 and a 260-room one in New Delhi in 2015. Both hotels will have high-end retail stores as well as private residences, which will cost between $800,000 and $3.2 million to purchase. The Bangalore location will be secluded within elaborate gardens.

Shangri-la Hotels and Resorts, which is based in Hong Kong, is set to open its second India property in Mumbai by the middle of this year and has two developments in Bangalore set to open between 2013 and 2014. The 410-room Mumbai property will have views of the Mahalaxmi Racecourse and the Arabian Sea and a private helipad on the roof top. Park Hyatt Hotels out of Chicago, which already has a location in Goa, has a property slated to open in Hyderabad and another one in Chennai this year. And, JW Marriott, which currently has locations in Mumbai and Chandigarh is opening in Bangalore, Chennai, Gurgaon and the New Delhi airport this year and next year.

Fairmont Hotels and Resorts from Toronto, Canada, will enter India for the first time. The brand is opening a 199-room property in March in Jaipur that will include a “hotel within a hotel” called “Fairmont Gold” will offer complimentary amenities like hot breakfast, a lounge with computers and tablets, happy hour cocktails and an elaborate spread of evening hors d’oeuvres like tandoori prawns and sushi. The hotel will also have 45,000 square feet of conference space. Room rates for the hotel reflect the luxury: prices start close to $400 a night.

While foreign hotel names may become more widespread in India in coming years, these brands have made limited financial investment to do so, according to their spokespeople. These foreign hotels act primarily as management companies for most of their properties globally, and each location is individually owned. The chains partner with the owners to hire and train staff set down standards for service and luxury.

The Relais and Chateaux boutique property group, which has invested $14 million to partner with local hoteliers to build new properties in India is the exception. The Paris-based hotel company, which lends its name to upmarket small, historic properties that are independently owned (it currently has 518), says it is planning a big push into India.

“The boutique hotel side in India hasn’t really existed, and we see an enormous opportunity for development,” said chief executive Jaume Tapies.

Co-organized by the Visit Korea Committee and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, the event follows the wildly popular one earlier last year. Over 21,100 shops (72 types of businesses) including major department stores, duty free shops, hotels, discount stores, and convenience stores are participating in the event, offering significant discounts.

Following the recent shopping trend, visitors will enjoy a variety of shopping experiences (food, tourism and culture). The event will be more than a shopping event. Rather, it will offer full-scale tourism experiences for visitors.

More than 14,000 shops from 57 different types of businesses joined the Korea Grand Sale 2011. It produced more than $12 million in revenue. Still, tourism revenue exploded by 32.7 per cent ($17.5 million) and tourism revenue per tourist also increased by 28 per cent ($1,399). It is no doubt that the Korea Grand Sale played a significant role in boosting revenue.

To differentiate it from sale events, the festival will host a variety of exciting events (K-POP concerts, Hallyu star charity bazaars, Korean movie events and fan meetings), offering not just shopping but also cultural experiences for international tourists. In addition, profits from Hallyu star charity events will be donated to multi-cultural families in Korea. The Korea Great Sale is ultimately a great opportunity to learn and share Korean culture and experience great hospitality and generosity.

The Hallyu superstar, Choi Ji-Woo has joined the Korea Grand Sale 2012 following this year’s as a promotional model. The event launched with the grand opening on January 9th, followed by a fascinating array of festivities including the Hallyu Concert and Korean culture experience programs.

There were special welcome events that were held at Incheon International Airport for a week from January 9th onwards, such as taking a picture with Pororo, a mascot of Visit Korea Year, and a 100 per cent – winning scratch lottery ticket (free hotel stay, Korea Pass, free theater ticket).

Diverse programs are in place for international tourists to fully enjoy the Korea Grand Sale 2012 like the One More Night Promotion program. The program offers international tourists who stay in Korea for more than three nights one more night, free of charge. Over 42 major hotels will participate in the program. Visitors can also find a wide array of promotional services including free food and drinks during the event.

During the event, a free shuttle bus will operate and tour major attractions including the Gangbuk area (Myeong-dong, Dongdaemun, and more) and the Gangnam area (including Cheongdam-dong, Apgujeong, and more), three times a day (one in the morning and two in the afternoon) for three days a week.

Mr. Jae-Sang, Lee, Director, Korea Tourism Organization, said, “The Korea Grand Sale 2012 will be even more successful than the last one as we are adding experience programs for tourists and we are actively working on marketing activities to attract shopping lovers from India to visit Korea.”

The two-month Rajasthani Festival, from February 1 to March 31, celebrates the cuisine of an ancient Indian princely state and ‘land of Maharajas’ where 132,151 square miles cover just over 10 per cent of the country.

It is poetically referred to as ‘the land of kings’ or ‘the land of colours’ but it’s also known for the tough people who live in an uncomprising northwest region that contains most of the inhospitable Great Indian Desert.

The festival is part of an initiative that brings together Dilli and Mela’s other three restaurants – Mela Redhill in Surrey, Mela West End in London’s Shaftesbury Avenue and Mela Spice in Droxford, Southampton.

“Rajasthan has developed a unique cuisine that reflects an area where food ingredients are often not plentiful and can struggle to survive,” says award-winning Chef Kuldeep Singh.

Chef Kuldeep is one of Rajasthan’s own. He trained at the prestigious Rambagh Palace, a palace of the Jaipur Royal Family, before going on to work at a number of prestigious Rajasthani heritage hotels including the famous Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur.

It already has16 properties in locations as far flung as Australia, the UK, the US, Maldives, Malaysia, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Africa and West Asia.

“We will be launching our 17th overseas property in Morocco in the next few months. It will be followed by one in Beijing,” says Mr Raymond N. Bickson, the CEO and Managing Director of Indian Hotels Co, which owns the Taj hotels.

Right now, the Group earns 70 per cent of its revenues from domestic operation. Going forward it is targeting a revenue ratio of 50:50 from its domestic and international businesses.

The plan is to take the total number of overseas properties to at least 50 in the next few years. However, Mr Bickson, speaking on the sidelines of the launch of the Vivanta property in Coimbatore recently, said the growth outside India will be mostly through the asset-light model. “At best, we may go in for a partial ownership in those markets,” he said.

According to Mr Bickson, in China alone, Taj plans half-a-dozen properties in the next few years. The group will launch its first China property – Taj Temple of Heavens in Beijing. The 200-room property will be in the luxury segment. It is also planning a 300-room Vivanta by Taj property in Hinan. And it has signed a pact with the Yunnan Tourism Co for two more properties in that province. “Talks are in advanced stages for a couple of more properties in China,” says Mr Bickson.

Taj is also on the lookout for properties in markets such as Paris, London, Frankfurt, Zurich, Melbourne, Singapore, Brazil, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and sub-Saharan countries. Mr Bickson believes that to compete with multinational brands effectively, the brand needs to have considerable number of hotels in global destinations.

Permitting foreign investment could bring much-needed capital for India’s cash-strapped Kingfisher, Jet and other airlines which have been battling to stay aloft in the fiercely competitive aviation market.

“The question was to allow foreign airlines to participate in foreign direct investment (FDI),” Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh told reporters following a late-night meeting in New Delhi.

“I discussed it with the finance minister (Pranab Mukherjee) and he has agreed. We will bring out a note for the cabinet (to approve) now.”

He did not disclose when the proposal would be submitted to the cabinet.

Foreign airlines are currently banned from owning stakes in Indian carriers although non-airline investors from abroad can hold as much as 49 percent.

Indian carriers have been seeking a cash lifeline by demanding a change in policy.

India’s airlines may lose a total of $2.5 billion in the year ending in March 2012, according to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, an industry body.

On the surface, India’s population of 1.2 billion should make the airline industry a success story, and the passenger sector is estimated to be growing at between 15 and 20 percent each year.

But all of India’s six main airlines — barring budget carrier IndiGo — announced steep losses in the financial quarter to September as they contend with price wars, high fuel costs and an economic downturn.

“This announcement is a welcome step and a much-needed relief for the Indian carriers,” Amber Dubey, Indian director of aviation at global consultancy firm KPMG, told AFP.

“Apart from the much-needed fund infusion, it would also provide the carriers access to global routes and managerial expertise.”

“There is huge potential for airline growth,” he added, noting the low airline passenger penetration — just four percent — in India.

“If the management can strictly implement ‘no work, no pay’ principle then in all fairness we should be entitled to adopt ‘no pay, no work’. We ask all our employees to be in readiness for any form of agitation including strike to press for payment,” said the notice which was reviewed by ET.

The airline has also not paid sustenance allowance and productivity-linked incentives, to employees for five months. Cabin crew, who get 70% of their salaries in the form of sustenance allowance, is struggling to survive as they travel frequently to international destinations.

“We are in an overseas destination for 24 hours to 72 hours. How do we sustain when the airline is providing only bed and breakfast? We require atleast $50 everyday to survive in an overseas destination,” said a cabin crew, requesting anonymity.

The first sign of turmoil erupted on Monday as 89 flight attendants, who were rostered on international flights, refused to fly. More than 100 cabin crew did not report to work. This is bound to grow as more cabin crew is likely to join the agitation shortly, said employees close to Air India employees unions.

A joint meeting of the various employees unions was also held on January 8, forcing the management to release part of salaries. Air India CMD Rohit Nandan is meeting represenatives of unions on Tuesday to discuss issues relating to pay parity and non-payment of salaries. The new civil aviation minister Ajith Singh is likely to meet the union represenatives this week to resolve the crisis.

Though the Aviation Industry Employees Guild sent the notice on December 31, the law requires atleast 5 days before the strike can start. The Air India management has reached an agreement with pilots from the erstwhile Indian Airlines on the issue of pay parity. This was mainly to stall strike from Indian Commercial Pilots Association ( ICPA) which could have put the airline into disarray.

Union Tourism Ministry in a statement said that India welcomed 6.29 million tourists in 2011 comparing to 5.74 million in 2010. However India could not sustain 11.8 per cent growth of 2010 and came down to 8.9 per cent for 2011.

Despite that growth remained in line with 9 per cent projection for Asia Pacific by the UNWTO. Indian tourism remained strong despite travel advisories during Diwali and global economic slowdown. While visa on arrival remained non factor throughout the year, several road shows and new markets like Gay tourism helped India post strong growth for 2011.

The December alone was great month for tourism with growth of 5.2 per cent comparing to 4.7 per cent in November. In December 715,000 foreign tourists visited India. In 2010 680,000 tourists visited for the same month.

Tourism Ministry as well the tour operators expects another strong year for India tourism despite growing economic worries around the world.

Avis, the only such agency with a self-drive car fleet in India, says that the segment has doubled to around 10,000 bookings this year. Up to 40 per cent of the demand is from inbound tourists.

“Around two-thirds of the inbound tourists are foreigners, while the rest are non-resident Indians. People are taking longer trips now, with most of the higher demand coming from the cities of Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore,” Sunil Gupta, CEO, Avis India, told Business Line.

The company is present in 17 cities and has 1,400 vehicles, most of which are available for self-drive.

An industry expert said that overseas tourist arrivals with plans to drive could have risen as road infrastructure has improved in the country and many routes are now mapped on GPS-based navigation devices.

Also, the variety of holiday options in India makes it an exotic destination for foreigners with tight budgets, especially when the rupee is weak.

Avis’ advantage is its global network and presence in the European and North American markets (170 countries in all).

This makes it easier for tourists from these regions to book vehicles in India through their local branch. Also, through global tie-ups with hotel chains and travel agents, it can offer complete holiday packages.

“Oberoi (joint venture partners) is a high quality brand, as viewed by corporates, and they offer exotic vacation packages. So we have a strong clientele stream coming from there. With travel agents like Yatra.com, we have the whole chain working with us.

The Avis brand is also well recognised globally, which helps,” Gupta said.

However, Gupta lamented that the overall inbound leisure traffic is yet to come back to 2008 levels because of the global slowdown.