India has seen a growth in tourism as tourist inflow for the 11-month period (January - November 04) has shown a staggering 24 per cent rise to 2.98 million visitors while forex income is up by 37 per cent to US $4,311.92 million. According to industry sources, for the first time, India is set to cross the 3 million mark for the calendar year. Trade pundits expect to close the year with approximately 3.30 million international visitors. The growth in foreign visitors for the month of November '04 is up by 29 per cent to 0.36 million tourists against 0.28 million during the corresponding period last year. 

Fly from Ahmedabad to Malaysia direct:

Malaysia Airlines has launched return direct flights from Ahmedabad to Kuala Lumpur on December 16, 2004. The thrice-weekly flights from Ahmedabad operated on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.With the addition of the new flight, Malaysia Airlines now has direct connectivity from six different routes in India viz Chennai, New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and now Ahmedabad. 

2005 - Year of low cost airlines:

2005 will see the Indian skies being invaded by budget carriers. Three low-cost airlines - Kingfisher Airways, Go Air and Royal Airlines (former Modiluft) - are soon to take to the skies. The civil aviation ministry has already granted its no objection certificate to the three airlines. 
With the coming of these airlines a fresh fare war is set to hit the Indian skies. The introduction of these airlines is expected to lead to a 20-30 per cent drop in airfares. Out of the three, Go Air is set to hit the Indian skies in the first quarter of 2005.

India to Develop Rural Tourism Hub:

The Centre has asked State Governments to enact the Tourism Trade Act to take strict actions against unscrupulous elements and harassment of tourists. Moreover, states have been requested to deploy tourist police at important tourist destinations to curb cases of cheating and fleecing. Briefing members of the Consultative Committee on tourism on the initiatives and plans of her Ministry, Minister of state for Tourism Renuka Chowdhury said that in order to encourage setting up of tourist infrastructure in the country, states have been requested to set up single window clearance committees and similar tourism facilitation centres. 

Special emphasis is being given to rural tourism in view of its huge job generation potential and 31 villages have been identified all over the country to develop them as rural tourism hubs, she said. As for infrastructure development projects, Ms Chowdhury said the Ministry has identified 17 circuits for development of tourism related infrastructure. Development work had also been taken up at 41 important tourism destinations.

Beside this, the Government was also planning to promote medical tourism in a big way. Setting up of convention centres at Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa and Jaipur to promote India as a major convention destination was under active consideration. 

New Chief Executive appointed For IH&RA:

Mr. David McMillan has been named to the post of Chief Executive Officer of the International Hotel & Restaurant Association 
( IH&RA ) effective 3 January 2005. This appointment received unanimous approval by IH&RA Members at the Association's Annual General Assembly was held in Istanbul alongside the IH&RA 41st Annual Congress, 19-22 November 2004. 

British-born McMillan has had many years of international hotel and resort management & development experience with Hilton Hotels Corp & Hilton International, Hyatt International, Commonwealth Hospitality, Holiday Inn Hotels, Four Seasons Hotels and several independent properties including the Hotel Meurice in Paris, the Waldorf Astoria in New York and most recently with Cirque du Soleil.
As President of Axis Hospitality, a Canadian-based hotel & resort consultant group, David has led the development, acquisition, disposition, repositioning, launch and operation of many international projects in China, Malaysia, India, Israel, the Ukraine, St Kitts, Vieques, Cuba, the UK, Canada and the USA.

McMillan has also held several positions with Canada's largest hotel management company where, as Senior Vice President Operations & Development, he was responsible for the operation of 46 Hotels under various brands and for the growth of the company. Prior to this position, he opened and operated a number of first class hotels in Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Middle East. 
He was also elected to three terms as Chairman of the Board of the Hotel Association of Canada and is a former Director of The Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice Association. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the McLenaghan Centre for Hospitality Training of Hocking College and the Waldorf Astoria's Distinguished Alumni Award.

"I am honoured by this appointment and thank IH&RA members worldwide for their confidence and trust," said Mr. McMillan upon the announcement. "IH&RA is the only international agency defending and representing hotels and restaurants worldwide and I am committed to working with IH&RA President John Bell and my predecessor Alain-Philippe Feutré to build on the strengths of the Association to grow its membership, its validity and its influence across the globe."

Outgoing CEO Alain-Philippe Feutré will continue the main role of advocacy for the industry before the UN and its international agencies as a Special Advisor to the President. "Mr. McMillan's appointment to the role of CEO will be a great advantage for IH&RA and will give me the opportunity to concentrate 100% on monitoring and lobbying international organizations - a critical role for the industry and IH&RA's core business." Mr. Feutré, among other positions, serves as Chairman of the World Tourism Organization Business Council. "David McMillan is an outstanding leader with a proven track record who is going to bring added value to IH&RA membership and drive this Association into the future," commended IH&RA President John Bell.

B A continue to dominate Indian skies amongst U.K. Airlines:

The UK CAA chose to maintain British Airways' dominance of the UK-India market, allocating to the carrier a third of the 21 frequencies available under a new bilateral between the Countries. BA currently operates all 19 weekly services available to UK airlines and received seven additional frequencies, while Virgin Atlantic was allotted 10 and BMI four. BA will add four weekly flights to Chennai and inaugurate new thrice-weekly service to Bangalore starting next summer. Virgin Atlantic, which until Nov. 30 operated three weekly services to Delhi under a commercial arrangement with Air-India, now has authority to operate seven weekly flights to Delhi and three to Mumbai, while BMI won the right for four flights to Mumbai. "This simply isn't enough--BA utterly dominates, carrying 75% of first and business class passengers flying directly between the UK and India," Virgin Chairman Richard Branson complained. He said the airline will appeal to the secretary of state for transport against the fact that it was not granted a daily service to Mumbai and was "denied the chance to launch new services to Bangalore." 
Virgin will commence three of the Delhi services immediately and plans to launch daily services from Feb. 1. Its thrice-weekly service to and from Mumbai also is scheduled to start Feb. 1, subject to Indian government approval. 

Airbus gets authorization to offer A350 to customers:

Airbus shareholders EADS and BAE Systems gave the go-ahead for the company to begin making "firm commercial offers" to potential launch customers for the A350. 

Although the new model is to be a derivative of the A330, it will not enter service until the first half of 2010, two years after the all-new 7E7 with which it will compete. Additionally, at least initially it will be offered with only one engine type, the GE Aircraft Engines GEnx being developed for the 7E7. Airbus officials previously had indicated that the aircraft would be offered with both Rolls-Royce and GE engines. 
The A350, which will be common type-rated with the A330, will be offered in two versions: The dash 800 typically seating 245 passengers in a long-range, three-class configuration and having a range in excess of 8,600 nm (15,900 km), and the dash 900 seating 285 passengers in three classes with a range of more than 7,500 nm. According to Airbus, the A350-800 "is optimized to become the smallest economically viable aircraft for long-range commercial operations." The overall cost of the new program was not revealed but is believed to be around eur4 billion ($5.3 billion). 

IATA sees traffic gains continuing with China & India leading the way:

IATA estimates that 2004 international passenger boardings will have risen 11% by year end, the strongest year-over-year improvement since the 1992 recovery from the Gulf War-induced downturn. 

The organization forecast 6% annual growth in international passenger traffic for the period and 6% yearly rises in international cargo tonnage. 
China and India will be the main engines of increasing passenger traffic, according to the IATA analysis. "International markets within Asia/Pacific are expected to grow 8.3% over the forecast period. Europe-Middle East growth, while from a much smaller base, will also be exceptional at 7.3%, reflecting rapid expansion plans by Middle Eastern carriers." 

The 10% gain in freight volumes forecast for 2004 "is set to be the peak growth rate in this current business cycle, which began with the sharp decline in trade in 2001," according to the executive summary of the cargo report. While the steep passenger growth was attributed by IATA largely to a recovery from the impact of SARS, underlying factors included the most robust economic expansion in 30 years, accompanied by "increasing liberalization and intense competition in many markets [that] is driving growth with declining yields." 

The 6% freight growth forecast by IATA through 2008 is dependent heavily on Asia/Pacific markets linked to demand involving China and India: "Europe to Asia/Pacific will be the fastest-growing [cargo] market with 7% annual growth. Traffic within Asia/Pacific and between the Middle East and Europe will also be above the global average at 6.1%."

Fedex profits rise sharply in second quarter:

FedEx Corp. reported net income of $354 million for its FY05 second quarter ended Nov. 30, much improved over income of $91 million in the year-ago period. The company said second-quarter results included a one-time charge of $48 million related to the US Dept. of Transportation's recent decision rejecting FedEx's arguments for additional 9/11-related compensation and directing it to repay a portion of the compensation already received. This was offset partially by other factors. Last year's second-quarter results included $283 million in business realignment costs associated with voluntary early retirement and severance programs. 

Company revenues during the period rose 24% to $7.33 billion while operating expenses climbed 17% to $6.73 billion, resulting in operating income of $600 million, up significantly versus operating income of $183 million in the prior-year period. The FedEx Express division posted a 13% increase in revenue to $4.83 billion, which was offset slightly by a 5% growth in operating expenses to $4.5 billion. This produced operating income of $333 million, a sharp increase versus a $33 million operating loss last year. The company said the improvement was driven by revenue growth, savings from business realignment programs and ongoing cost-control efforts. 

Phinda zuka lodge opens in South Africa:

We are delighted to announce that Conservation Corporation Africa's (CC Africa) intimate, exclusive-use Phinda Zuka Lodge opens for guests today! The newest addition to the game-rich Phinda Private Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa is the Zuka Lodge comprising of just four delightful bush cottages with private verandas overlooking a busy waterhole. The sole-use camp is perfect for families or private parties of up to eight people. Phinda is one of the locations which has some of the finest properties by CC Africa.

With a dedicated ranger, tracker and butler, and a private game-viewing vehicle, guests will be able to tailormake every minute of their day. A range of exhilarating safari activities can be enjoyed, from interpretive twice-daily game-drives and guided bush walks to boat cruises and canoeing along the Mzinene River. Meaning sixpence in Zulu, Zuka Lodge offers guests a unique experience of Phinda's pristine wilderness. The Lodge's four intimate cottages feature air-conditioned bedrooms and en suite bathrooms with a circular stone bath chamber, single shower, separate w.c and twin hand basins. Guest areas include an interactive café-style kitchen, indoor sitting and dining areas, an intimate library with Internet access and a swimming pool with extended wooden decking overlooking the waterhole. Characterised by hues of blue and stone, emphasising shape and texture, the overall effect of the Lodge is that of cool, coastal bush style - the sophistication of simplicity. To book any of the exotic Game Reserves in Phinda, contact COMPACT TRAVELS , e-mail tours@rbcsgroup.com 

Air travel demand outstripping airport growth:

A new report gives warning that Europe's airports will be congested by 2025 because expansion cannot keep up with demand for air travel. It says that if traffic demand keeps growing at the current rate of 4.3 percent a year, airports will be unable to find accommodation for over 3 million flights, even if airport capacity increases by 60 percent over that that time.The report paints a gloomy picture for the possibility of expanding trans-Atlantic flying should Europe and the USA eventually agree on an open skies deal in the near future. It implies that European airports may not be able to cope with the level of demand that would result from deregulation. The study published this week by the European air safety organization, Eurocontrol, and the European Civil Aviation Conference, says three-quarters of Europe's airports see no possibility at all of building new runways in the next 20 years. And only limited capacity increases will be possible because of constraints such as lack of space on the ground for airport expansion, environmental concerns and other restrictions of air space and geography.

The result is a bottleneck in air transport capacity with more than 60 airports totally congested, and the top 20 European airports saturated at least eight to ten hours a day. The strongest growth is forecast to be in Eastern Europe, for example, with traffic in Romania tripling by 2025 in the highest-growth scenario; traffic to Asia is forecast to grow by up to 6.8 percent per annum, mainly because of China's strong growth. The "Challenges to Growth" study reveals that on average, 30 percent of existing airport capacity remains unused at today's typical peak hour traffic levels.Under the highest-growth scenario of 4.3 percent annual increase in demand, even with the maximum capacity enhancements as reported by airports, this situation is expected to deteriorate into a capacity imbalance, with a shortage in some parts of the airport network and surplus in others. 

According to the report, extra flights will only be possible at secondary airports, generally at less favorable times. There will also be strong pressure to accelerate the switch to larger aircraft, in order to accommodate more passengers while keeping the number of flights constant. In this way, the study reports, it could be possible to find capacity for up to 2.6 of the 3.7 million unaccommodated flights.

The tallest bridge in the world:

French President Jacques Chirac has opened a spectacular new road bridge in southern France, which is being hailed as an architectural triumph and one of the engineering wonders of the 21st century. The project is an Anglo-French cooperation, designed by the London architect Lord Norman Foster and constructed by the company that in an earlier age built the Eiffel Tower. The bridge known officially as the Viaduc de Millau will carry 10,000 cars a day and up to 25,000 vehicles during the summer season on a key route to the holiday resorts of France's south coast and promises to become a tourist attraction in its own right. It is predicted to become the second most visited tourist site in France, after the Eiffel Tower in Paris. 

The bridge is the world's tallest viaduct with the largest oits pillars standing 1,130 feet (343m), which is higher than the Eiffel Tower. It spans one and a half miles (2.4 km) between two plateaux of the Massif Central, across the Tarn Valley above the town of Millau which is notorious for the build-up of traffic jams during the summer. It forms the final link in the A75 highway, which is an important route from Paris to the Mediterranean and Barcelona. The roadway over the bridge has two lanes andan emergency verge each side. A toll station has been built at 6km north of the Millau Viaduct, complete with a pavilion to welcome visitors with information about the building of the viaduct and tourist activities in the Languedoc region. 

The Tarn Valley is renowned also for fog and low cloud and motorists using the new viaduct some 885 feet above the ground may expect to enjoy the sensation of driving above clouds. The bridge has been designed to look as delicate and transparent as possible. The Millau Viaduct has a slight curve in it, as a straight road at this height could induce a disconcerting sensation of floating. The road also has a three per cent slope which will improve visibility and reassurance for drivers.The Millau motorway viaduct was built by French engineers to a design by the British Architect, Lord Norman Foster. He said his aim had been to create a sculpture in the landscape. "The bridge could not look as if had been tacked on to the scenery" he said. "It had to rise out of the landscape with the delicacy of a butterfly."

President Chirac described the project as the new flagship of French civil engineering and a marvel of art and architecture. The bridge was built in three years at a cost of £276million (US$530million). The developers have a contract to collect tolls for 75 years to pay for the construction. Drivers will pay a toll charge of six euros to use the bridge. The French Post Office has issued a commemorative 50c stamp to celebrate the construction of the Millau Viaduct.

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