M!CE show views rejuvenation
The Sixth edition of Travel M!CE Show 2021 brought an eclectic mix of professionals from the hospitality and travel sectors together on December 16. With its theme of "Connect, Converse, Collaborate", the participants at the two-day show hoped to conduct good business in the New Normal.
There has to be a collaboratiion between suppliers and travel agents to ensure the cost are kept under control and offer a competitive pricing to the clients. If that happens, they will hike spending. Business is going to come back to the normal anytime in the next quarters in the New Year, once the pandemic subsides, hopefully. I see an increase in travel, meetings, and domestic conferencing.
"The biggest challenge we face today is rebuilding ‘trust’. Every travel and M!CE partner needs to work towards rebuilding ‘trust’ among travellers, clients, and employees. As an industry, we should focus on data, insights, intelligence, analytics, search engine optimisation and artificial reality. Keeping hybrid M!CE events in mind, the hospitality sector should look at the return on investment than just the cost. From what I can see and expect there will be a 50 per cent revival of the industry in the New Year. I am hoping 2022 will be successful for everyone.
The M!CE Show gave a platform to reach out to the corporates and help them understand our programmes in a better manner. We will get to know their concerns in the new environment and seek to deliver them. We must continue to be innovative and creative using technology. It is always good to start with smaller groups and pay attention to details. We must be realistic and work together to face challenges such as COVID-19 and its variant Omicron.
It was a pleasure to see so many corporates at the M!CE Show. We had a great panel discussion, and the M!CE events are important for every corporation. I feel that in the coming months we will see more of the M!CE events happening. Hygiene and safety will continue to be accorded top priority for all stakeholders in the industry worldwide. There should be a 50 per cent revival in the New Year 2022.
It is wonderful to be at the Travel M!CE Show. The international travel sector has been suffering for the past 18 months, but clearly there are several offerings on the platter and we are all looking forward to it. I believe there is a lot of scope for the hospitality industry to innovate. I trust the industry has to think beyond what they have been doing during the pre-COVID-19 times to succeed.
The wedding segment has come back significantly. November and December have gone very well for us, and we expect January and February to be strong too. We are expecting good business in the first quarter of 2022. The hotels should start selling at their optimum price and get out of the ‘cheap price’ mind-set pushed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Selling at the right price is most important thing at the moment. We are hoping for a full-fledged M!CE revival in the coming year. The main reason for us to participate in the event is to tell everyone that we are fully operational here and taking all proper safety measures
It is a fabulous platform where you get to meet many hotels and travel agents. It works like a directory. In the coming two to three years, there are going to be lot of meetings and travel for corporates as companies want their employees to be rewarded. Though, travellers are looking for new experiences, and price is not a factor here. The industry should keep corporates up to date on the best deals, new M!CE spots, technology, and destination advice. In the last six months we have done two big events with 3,500 packs travelling, because we believe employees need to be kept motivated.
Overall, the M!CE show was very well-coordinated. The appointments were put together in a very organised format. The discussions during the show were also relevant, and the people who came for the show made a lot of sense for my organization. As we are aware, we have fallen back by two years due to the pandemic. So this has been a good start for us to be future ready and the New Year looks positive for our organization. But we have to be careful about COVID-19 variant Omicron. We have been talking a lot about technology, so I am very excited to see how well we combine destinations, travel, and leisure in particular with technology in general.
My experience with the M!CE event was quite good. After a long time of interaction with the tourism boards and hotels, we are looking forward to more such events, which become an easy access platform for good business. We are expecting the central government to do away with travel restrictions in the New Year. We are hoping against hope that the travel restrictions get lifted and air bubbles open up. We are looking forward to that. With the double vaccinations and vaccine booster shots leading to a safer environment for travel, I also believe that for dealers and distributors, it is very important to maintain safety and hygiene after Corona virus.
I quite liked the platform because it's a closed-door event where everybody gets to meet everybody. This time the selection of buyers was corporates, which is actually and precisely what we were looking for at the moment." We got the chance to make a healthy selection of buyers from different cities, therefore, we are definitely quite satisfied. We are optimistic about the coming year, 2022, and plan on taking a long-term approach when it comes to restarting the M!CE. We want to start slowly and steadily. Therefore, we are keeping a window of one and a half years where we are going to promote the country of Korea as a destination for corporates.
There were several corporate clients who wanted to come to the M!CE show and interact with us and wanted to know the way forward—how the hotels are implementing the guidelines and taking the business forward, and what they can expect in terms of safety and business plans for the New Year. Overall, it was very good experience. After a very long time, we gathered on a single platform at a physical event. We were very excited catchimng up with our colleagues and interacting and exchanging information with them. On the whole, the experience was very good. We are looking forward to more such events.
Many experts believe that international tourism will stabilise only by 2023. These realities should shape the planning and strategy of tourism and hospitality in 2022. It will be the year of building blocks for the future and utmost importance should be given to devising innovative policies for long term revival. It should be built on a robust PPP strategy and measures that encourage full blossoming of enterprise in hospitality sector. The government should thoroughly review the roadblocks sapping the industry’s growth potential and remove them. In addition to this, the new Omicron variant has raised several concerns.
The tourism and hospitality industry is still in recovery mode and there are clear indications that travel will continue to rebound in the New Year. Many people are keen to travel within the country or to short-haul destinations. Besides, travel restrictions, including testing requirements and quarantine, are also forcing people to opt for domestic travel. However, we expect international borders to open slowly so that more countries allow fully vaccinated people to travel freely with. Business travel is also expected to get back to normal with borders opening. Travelling with friends and family will increase. We have high expectations for 2022 as a successful year.
Last year was very challenging for members as the laws and protocols kept changing, and every country had their own rules. The business was hardly around 15-20 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. Business travel has still not taken off, and in'l travel is also still a challenge. The new team has started working closely with the govt. agencies. My focus is to give every member a platform where they can learn and educate themselves. We are doing this by having focused, destination training at our meetings. This helps build better synergies between all industry stakeholders. 2022 will be better for all of us.
We will continue engaging with the govt. for the development of the tourism and hospitality sector. The industry is still in survival mode, and hence our priority will be to intensify these engagements to revive the industry at the earliest. Over the next year, we plan to hold capacity building training and workshops to sensitise members on various schemes for MSMEs and FSSAI seminars on food safety. We are also charting out plans to encourage students to pursue a career in hospitality. We will reach out to industry stakeholders to join hands to improve the growth prospects of this sector.
The travel industry is innately optimistic and resilient, and we believe in 2022, at least from the second quarter of the calendar year, when we should be able to plan our upcoming inbound season beginning October 2022. The lessons of 2020 and 2021 would be put to use in 2022, making our businesses chart a growth trajectory once again. As a tour operator, we intend to add new destinations, introduce new products to our portfolio and to re-connect with our existing clients and establish ourselves in the new markets. We shall start behaving like start-ups and just be happy with that first ` 100 profit that we got.
The major inflow currently is from domestic tourists. We hope it translates to inbound too. Firstly, health conditions continue to be normal. Once the medical scenario is normal, businesses will grow. We expect that all segments of tourism start operating and that we get a good share of the pie. We have been training ourselves and our staff also to follow the new health protocols and request that all our copartners in serving our clients and tourists abide by the set of new rules which were laid out for their protection. Secondly, and most importantly, the marketing campaigns should be stepped up.
As we start 2022 with the evolving Omicron situation, we need to remain vigilant and put in place necessary safeguards to ensure travel safety and experiences at destination. We will continue engaging the travel trade and consumers to position Singapore as a must visit destination as travel conditions stabilise.
The city has added new attractions. These include the Museum of Ice Cream (MOIC), SkyHelixSentosa, Singapore's first open-air attraction that allows visitors scenic views of Sentosa and Southern Waterfront. We remain confident in the long-term prospects of Singapore's tourism sectors – both for leisure and MICE and business travel. We will work closely with our travel trade partners to present our offerings to their clients
We already have a lot up our sleeve as we prepare to embrace the New Year with charged energy and positive enthusiasm. Having announced our membership to GTRA (Global Travel Representation Alliance) last month, we are in the process of bringing new and exciting global tourism products to an Indian audience. Furthermore, recently being appointed as the India representative for Outrigger Mauritius Beach Resort, we have an exciting first quarter 2022 ahead and we are likely to announce two to three new additions to our portfolio. Also on priority, as soon as borders open, we want to restart our agent famil program. We are already in the planning stages for famils to Russia, Morocco, New Zealand, Mauritius, and Fiji, just to name a few. I am hopeful that the New Year would certainly bring new opportunities
I will continue to be cautiously optimistic and would like to see the New Year 2022 to be totally different from 2021. Definitely, I believe the situation will heal much before the onset of the travel season, which will be a huge benefit for the industry. Apart from the fact, as an industry, we have to come together to help customers navigate the complexity of travelling in a post-pandemic world. The New Year will undoubtedly see new trends focusing on sustainable tourism and slow travel, with the travellers now looking to explore and soak up solo destinations. We will continue to reach out to all our customers of B2B and B2C segments by creating awareness and visibility for all our destination clients and products. I am, however, optimistic and hope to see the new opportunities for business with a lot of positivity in the New Year.
In the last year, there has been an increase in demand from Indian tourists to visit short-haul destinations. However, I do believe that it will take at least another year before outbound tourism levels equate to pre-pandemic travel from India. While the world is still trying to understand the full impact of COVID-19, the countries are being cautious about opening their borders and resuming incoming tourism. Travel patterns have also changed now, with travellers becoming more selective about the destinations they will travel to and experiences they can get. I am optimistic that the situation will improve next year, though gradually. Hence, I expect there will be demand for Israel. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, the tourism team has focused on maintaining relationships with our various partners and stakeholders.
In Los Angeles we are feeling optimistic about the future. For travellers, there are more accommodation options with the opening of new hotels including the iconic Fairmont Century Plaza and a crop of boutique properties in Downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood. Los Angeles remains fully committed to the Indian market. To better help trade partners understand our destination, we offer a refreshed version of the L.A. Insider training program, found at insider.discoverlosangeles.com. This highlights Los Angeles with three chapters and educates the trade on selling and promoting Los Angeles. We also have a dedicated B2B Facebook page to keep them updated. Moreover, we continue working with the travel trade to ensure that itineraries are structured and customized to suit Indian travellers.
As we stand on the brink of 2022, we are optimistic about the future, especially as vaccination rates and consumer confidence surge. We believe that international travel has a very good chance of going back to normal. The Indian travel market will continue to be the focal point of interest for us at the South African Tourism. In the New Year, we specifically expect our new regions to be a big hit amongst Indian travellers, given the demand for open spaces or rural holidays and outdoor activities as travellers actively seek out socially distanced holidays. Reflecting this demand for offbeat, non-tourist experiences, we are packaging and selling itineraries that include the new regions of South Africa, which go beyond the popular cities of Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban.
The year 2021 was a global pandemic disaster for the tourism and hospitality industry, not just in India but across the world. We are hopeful that 2022 will give us some lease of life and hence we have worked towards having a successful 36th IATO convention in Gandhinagar, Gujarat and that to after a long gap of 20 months. However, now we are all quite disturbed because of the new Omicron variant. There are many challenges which are now plaguing the industry. We must overcome all these challenges and keep fighting to get back to normal. At the same time, we will be successfully doing more events, and we are hoping that 2022 will be a great year for everyone in the travel and hospitality industry.
For inbound tour operators, the year 2021 did not prove to be very good, but it was good for domestic tourism. During the pandemic, it has been proven that a lot of people want to see their own country. It was during this difficult period that everyone got an opportunity to discover the various facets of India and experience its hospitality. This also means that we should not depend on one segment and must plan for multiple segments. I am sure in 2022, once international flights open, inbound will be very good, and between 2022 and 2024, it’s going to boom for inbound tour operators. I am confident that by the beginning of 2025, we will be at the same level in terms of business as pre-COVID in March 2020.
As we bring in the New Year, we believe that the worst period is behind us. Longer stays, a preference for private experiences, and an emphasis on sustainable tourism were found to be more commonplace in the last one year. We foresee these trends continuing into 2022, with rising demand for immersive cultural experiences, a strong focus on wellness during holidays, and dedication towards sustainable tourism by travellers. Travel bookings are bound to increase in the new year, and we are optimistic that the upcoming years will usher in that muchneeded growth and stability for the hospitality industry. As always, our team will continue to follow all government mandates and guidelines with stringency for the safety of our customers and our staff, making sure that guests get a safe experience.
We expect to see increased business-leisure travel in 2022. We will see more guests combining work and leisure during business trips. Hence, hotels will need to cater to these demands. Conventional customer-facing services will take a backseat in favour of the contactless, to contain the virus transmission. Mobile checkin or check-out and contactless payments will become order of the day. Hotels will deepen their efforts in personalisation by offering tailor-made customised services. Despite international travel resuming in bits, COVID testing requirements, quarantine protocols, airline price hikes and complicated bureaucracy have made some travellers opt for staycations. Till it regains pre-pandemic momentum, domestic travel and short haul staycations will top the vacationer's agenda.
We are running full and have bookings till first week of January. We have eco-tourism mostly concentrated in certain parts of Karnataka, like in the Mysore belt, but we also have destinations in the Northern Karnataka, which are not that popular amongst tourists. However, they are equally beautiful and offer a great experience. Hence, my target in the New year 2022 is to ensure that the tourists who are unable to get reservations in prime or popular properties can go to other properties and enjoy themselves. Hence, we are designing a package wherein if you spend two days at one of the popular properties, then you will get one day at another property. The idea is that all the destinations get equal attention and visitation from tourists.
Though we have good expectations from 2022, however at present situation is unpredictable due to the new variant of COVID- Omicron. We are hopeful that the pandemic situation gets resolved and inbound travel starts soon along with unfettered hotel operations in restaurants etc. As per current situation, 2022 might be slightly slow on inbound in the beginning however situation will not remain same. We are also optimistic that the domestic tourism will not be affected much. We are planning to launch staycation packages as well as food promotions in 2022. With the reducing number of cases and the fact that more and more people have got vaccinated, guests have regained confidence, especially in hotel brands which are known for their strict adherence to hygiene.
TRADE
At TravelBullz, we are very clear that it is going to be a good year for domestic and international business. Charter flights took off very well at first, and then, of course, Omicron news came in, and hence it has slowed down a little. However, it's all packed for New Yea and Christmas. We also have started to see test-and-go packages being booked every day now and the numbers are also rising regularly. Thus, it's quite a healthy sign, but again, we have to watch out for what we are going to face in January and February. Otherwise, I think Thailand, Singapore with the BTL flights is going to come back in a good way. In addition, I strongly believe that everything is going to build up to the second quarter of 2022, and things would look up.
Travel is going to completely rebound in the year 2022, with vaccinations and booster shots creating greater consumer confidence. We expect our travel partners to encourage their clients to start planning their trips. Travel agents who can provide detailed information about the proposed travel plans to customers will be able to build their confidence to a great extent. We are helping many travel agents to go online by having their own end-to-end interactive website/customer portal to connect with their customers and showcase their products on a virtual platform. We are also building a ‘Partner with Us’ initiative for the travel trade and it is aimed to support our registered travel professionals to get access to global suppliers. We are confident that the New Year would bring new opportunities for the entire travel industry.
Business is going to come back to normal anytime in the next couple of quarters of year 2022. I see a huge surge in corporate travel, meetings, and domestic conferencing. Domestic travel would see a rise, both for leisure and business. Indian destinations have a lot to offer for corporates and they are getting popular. My advise to the travel fraternity and my colleagues in the industry is to stay relevant and no to try too much. One needs to stick to the basics, because in pursuit of trying too much, one can end up burning a lot of money and cash. It’s time to preserve your cash and wait for better things to happen. I am sure that the New Year will be a precursor to new beginnings for the industry in all aspects. Right now, everyone needs to hang on and work towards a better future.
Unfortunately, the policies of the government are always knee-jerk, and we are working in a market that requires timelines. Hence, every time there is a policy change without notification, we can’t plan. If they don’t open up scheduled airlines, it’s going to be difficult. As a company, we have learnt that focusing on only doing one segment is not going to be good in the future. Therefore, in the New Year, we are looking at multiple facets of doing business. In the absence of inbound business, we have entered the domestic market, and in a short time, we have successfully been able to develop some good business. Currently, we do not plan to do domestic busines in the short term but want to continue it in the long term. We are hoping that the New Year would finally light up that road to recovery, which the industry is aspiring for.
The year 2022 is set to witness the rise of rural travel entrepreneurs in India. With the intervention of technology, aspiring entrepreneurs in the rural travel sector can now start their own business with effectively zero investment. This will not only open up new revenue streams for these new-age travel agents, but it will also result in higher profits and a greater contribution to the overall sector. In the New Year, rural travel agents are set to take the lead towards growth. With the assistance of technology, rural travel agents will now have access to tech-driven solutions for inventory, competitive prices, and direct aggregation from airlines, railways, hotels, and wholesalers. This will bring some much-needed order and organisation to the sector. The future certainly looks bright for this sector.
We are quite optimistic and have plans to open three more branches of our company. We have been in inbound business for the last 35 years, but it’s the first time we looked seriously at domestic, and the last five months have been quite exciting for us as a business. We have set up a team of 20 people to do domestic marketing and the results have been phenomenal. However, we have new challenges because our branches in Varanasi, which cover Ayodhya, Prayagraj, etc., are getting lots of advertisements and publicity. Bodhgaya is also coming up as a destination. Hence, a lot of new markets have opened up for us, and we are sure that it will do well. We are keeping our fingers crossed for the New Year and hoping for the best in terms of business.
While 2021 did begin on a positive note, there was a huge setback in the middle of the year. By December 2021, it all looked promising and we were very excited to welcome foreign tourists on our shores. Our company even reopened its branches in Chennai, Bengaluru, and all other places. However, with the new variant Omicron spreading, everything has just crashed and all plans went down. At the same time, we at Marvel Tours have moved into the hospitality sector as well. We have started new villas called Moksha Villas. In fact, now we have several villas around the state of Kerala, which is giving us a lot of business. Hence, the New Year made me wear a new hat to survive this crisis. We hope that in the New Year, things will start to get better for us, as well as the industry at large.
Year 2021 was a disaster for everyone, and the last 21 months have been without any business for all players in the industry including us, and personally, none of us could even meet our friends. This crisis made us realise that at this time, the most important thing was to stay alive. It is only then that one could think of doing anything. It is only then that we will be able to survive, revive, and thrive in our businesses. The future seems to be bright. We need to accept that in just one year, we won’t be able to reach 2019 figures. However, even if the situation remains unchanged and the government opens up visas, flights, and other facilities, people would be able to travel, and we may surpass 2019 numbers in the next three to four years. I am very optimistic about the future of travel and tourism industry.
The financial year 2020–2021 was a learning experience for the entire travel and tourism industry. We have had enough chances to learn from what happened and understand the mistakes that we have made in the past and how we are looking forward to the days to come. In the New Year 2022, we are looking forward to having COVID-free tourism and getting back into action with full vigour and zeal for our respective businesses. After having a great and well-attended IATO Convention in Gandhinagar, we are looking forward to having the next IATO convention in Bengaluru, Karnataka in 2022. I hope at that time, tourism will be back in its full form. While we wait for flights to open and tourists to return, we remain hopeful towards a good future of our industry and everyone who is part of it.
At Minar Group, we operated tourist charters to Goa in 2021. We received our first flight on December 16 from Kazakhstan, which in the prepandemic times used to start at the end of October and continued through the season. This time, we only had one weekly flight from Kazakhstan and one weekly flight from Russia, which started on December 29. Earlier, we used to have around 10 weekly flights into Goa from these destinations, and that too on large body aircraft like the Boeing 777 or 747. Now, it is only 10 per cent of the volume we used to receive. Since we don’t have any experience other than travel and tourism business, we are waiting for the skies to clear and things to improve. As Minar Travels, we represent 7-8 airlines as their GSA, and some of them have started flying again. We hope to survive this year too.
As a company, we did get bookings after the announcement of e-visa resumption, but things have changed after the news of Omicron variant spreading in various parts of the world. We are hoping that 2022 is going to be a good year, but how this new variant is going to impact is still unknown. Although I feel it’s a knee-jerk reaction. However, considering the experience after the second wave, which saw multiple deaths in India, I think the government of India is being more careful this time. We are just hoping that the new variant dies down or slows down. While it’s not that dangerous yet in India, but until our source countries don’t get over it, and restrictions are not lifted, I don’t think tourists are going to come to India. Hence, I feel after two-three months are gone, we can only look at some traffic by March 2022.
The year 2021 was not good for this fragile industry, but we have good expectations from the New Year because people want to come out of their homes and visit places. Today, in J&K, we do not have hotel rooms available since those going for international holidays from India are flocking our Union Territory in large numbers. In fact, Gulmarg is getting many high-end tourists, staying at its various hotels and resorts. We also think there should be more budget tourists in J&K. The Department of Tourism of the UT has also notified 78 unexplored destinations in J&K, which could result in itineraries going beyond the regular five to six days as well, so that people stay for longer duration. We hope that the Union Territories will have great business and that we will have a bright future in the year 2022.
AVIATION
We expect 2022 to be a travel-positive year. While Etihad Wellness will be a major focus, ensuring the highest standards of hygiene and comfort for passengers, we expect sustainability to take centre stage. The nature of aviation industry is quite dynamic and adapting with the times is the best way to weather any unfavourable situation. We plan to accelerate our focus on implementing sustainable measures like Etihad Wellness, with safety and hygiene being utmost priority, coupled with technological innovation and agility in response time. We have also launched a series of sustainable initiatives to reward members for making ‘green’ choices, providing them with options to reduce their carbon footprint.
Recently, the Secretary of Tourism Ministry, Arvind Singh, mentioned 10 key markets for inbound development for Indian tourism. Seven are covered well with a mix of Indian carriers (Air India and Vistara) and flag carriers of the countries in question. Three are totally unserved (Australia, Spain, and Portugal). So, is Air India looking at these connections? Madrid had been one of its routes in the past, but, with no date for return. Madrid invested heavily in the link with India. Outbound from Spain to India, will Iberia be interested? As for Portugal, TAP Air Portugal is in a restructuring process. In essence, can the new Air India work with the Ministry to push inbound to India from these key markets and sustain an Indian airline strategy to bring in the demand. In reality, they are markets unserved.
TECHNOLOGY
With 2022, all hopes will be converted into positive business for all our markets and partners. We are launching a new range of products, which will come with more functionalities, giving them more power and a special focus on mobility, because we want everyone, right from drivers, to guides, to the heads of organisations, and the customers, to be connected to mobility like they are connected to social media. That will be our focus throughout the year - simplifying the technology for all our customers and helping them penetrate and focus on cost reduction in their operations. Our key role would be to help them focus on their business while we take care of their issues.
What we have observed during this period is that general aviation is booming, and we have around six private jets that have come into India now. People are looking at buying their own private jets. We are now focusing in a big way on BookMyJet, our app to book private jets. Considering the scare that COVID has created in the minds of HNIs or flyers, this market, according to me is in huge demand and the only thing that players need to keep in mind now is that they should meet the demand of the customers quickly, because the customer in our business doesn’t wait. Hence, we are spending a lot of time on BookMyJet right now, and focusing on upgrading the technology, hiring people on the team, and trying to take this industry and our business to new heights.
When it comes to expectations from the New Year, as things stand today, we are quite optimistic about the future. At the same time, we do expect the same to continue going forward as well. We believe people will prefer short haul travel over long haul travel and we will explore more domestic destinations. We also believe that yields will improve for the entire industry in the coming year. We have been planning to enter the hotel booking business for some time, and we are expecting that it will be executed very soon. This new portfolio will surely complement our already existing airline and car representation businesses that InterGlobe Air Transport (IGAT) is well-known for. Overall, we will continue to be looking at the New Year to bring in new opportunities for us and we hope to do well.
It’s been rough times for the entire Industry. DEX Group’s business verticals operate within the travel, tourism & hospitality sectors. COVID-19 has had a big impact on our business activities. As the world learns to live with this pandemic, we hope to see the travel and tourism sectors make a big comeback soon with the restart of scheduled operations of international airlines flying to India. The Indian economy is expected to remain one of the fastest growing in the world; and the purchasing power of Indians is also expected to continue growing rapidly. These macro indicators are very favourable for our industry, as we look to recover from COVID-19 losses. Our focus will be on client retention and the acquisition of new accounts. Hopefully, it will also mean travelling again, which I sorely miss.