COMPACT TRAVELS/IHCTM participates at TTF/OTM in Mumbai-offers new destinations for 2008 for the Indian outbound traveller and great career deals for travel aspirants. The travel season is approaching and so is the time for vacations which commences after the exams come to a conclusion in March. Keeping this in mind, IHCTM - India's leading authorized training centre for IATA/UFTAA travel and IATA/FIATA air cargo qualifications along with Compact Travels - leading FIT and incentive travel specialists, participated in TTF/OTM travel fair held between 9th and 11th February at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai.

Compact Travels enlightened the visitors, comprising of the trade as well as end consumers, the exciting range of destinations for 2008 and for aspiring students who frequent such exhibitions, IHCTM had exciting career plans for those aiming to get into the exciting field of travel and tourism. A couple of IHCTM students also participated in the fair as volunteers for some of the trade partners who were also present at the TTF/OTM. This year, the main thrust of Compact Travels was to highlight three great regions to spend your holiday- Southern Hemisphere, Central Europe and Exotic Countries which went well with the destinations that Compact Travels specializes in. Starting with Southern Hemisphere, Compact Travels made the visitors wary of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Brazil amongst the destinations to look out for to spend the Indian summer which would be spring and/or winter in the aforementioned countries and hence greater value for niche travellers. The popularity of these places can be gauged form the fact that flights are hard to get even during the off peak periods as India outbound is indeed travelling in a big way. So book early with Compact Travels to get the best deals was the message to all visitors.

Although, U.K., France, Spain & Italy seem to be the top destinations for Europe, Compact Travels also focussed on Central and Eastern Europe including Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland. The other piece of good news for visitors planning to travel to these countries is that all these countries are now part of Schengen States and you can with one common visa travel to any of the combinations of these six countries with excellent connections on Austrian which flies daily from Mumbai and Delhi. For those who wish to stop on the way in Helsinki using services of Finnair can travel with a common visa as Finland is also part of the Schengen States. There was great interest for Czech Republic and Poland, especially Poland as the Poland Tourist Organization (PTO) was also present at the TTF/OTM which complemented the packages being promoted by Compact Travels.

Likewise, there were members of the trade from South America who volunteered to keep some of the brochures on Brazil like the PTO who had the Compact Travels brochures on display at their very attractive stand. The emphasis of Compact Travels which many of the visitors to Europe too agreed was to explore Europe on their own. Hence, the customized options were there on offer to travel Europe as you like rather than being forced to visit 10 countries in 12 days as offered by guaranteed departures and is popular mainly for first time visitors to Europe. However, Compact Travels has seen a shift and interest in first time travellers too, to Europe as many prefer exploring places on their own.

The main thrust is to cover one or maximum two countries extensively rather than covering several countries in a span of 10 or 12 days. It was encouraging to see the positive acceptance of this unique concept of travelling which is fast catching up in India like the rest of the world. Although Central Europe was the main thrust, it was not surprising to get queries for popular destinations such as U.K., France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland which continue to be amongst the hot favourites with travellers.

Amongst the exotic destinations, Egypt and Turkey were the top favourites as there were representations of Egyptian Tourism Authority and Turkish Tourism with a large number of delegates who had especially made it at the fair. From the land of ancient wonder in Cairo, the Nile Cruise and the red sea resorts of Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt to the city in two continents and F1 special interest tours in Istanbul, to the fine beach resort of Antalya - the tourism capital of Turkey and the cave hotels of Cappadocia to the open air museum of Ephesus, the visitors indeed had a lot of information on these exotic countries which are fast gaining in popularity.

The training side IHCTM offered the entire bouquet of IATA qualifications and for the first time students had the opportunity of enrolling before end of February and getting substantial reduction in enrolment fees due to the revision in the fee structure by IATA across all the IATA programmes. Seeing the popular demand, IHCTM had extended a concessional enrolment facility for travel, airline and air cargo aspirants for all enrolments during March although the concessions won't be as substantial due to the revision in the course fees. Visit www.rbcsgroup.com for details.

Every visitor at Compact Travels went with a smile as each one was given a complimentary copy of Opportunities Today loaded with lots of reading material comprising of travel diary, client testimonials, success stories and positive reading. More importantly, the interaction of visitors with the friendly team of Compact Travels and IHCTM made their visit a truly memorable one for them to carry promising career plans and exciting holiday options for the vacation ahead.

Those who were unable to make it to TTF/OTM can also visit us at www.rbcsgroup.com and www.compacttravels.com or email ihctm@rbcsgroup.com or tours@rbcsgroup.com for great deals this summer. Dial +91 (022) 22828208, 22812593, 22830133, 22853081 or 22830728 for further details.

Irish Minister endorses new drive for attracting Indian visitors to Ireland
Tourism Ireland welcomed Nigel Dodds OBE MP MLA, Northern Ireland's Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment to India, who hosted a lunch with top Indian travel trade and media representatives in Mumbai. The Minister was in India as part of a 3 day trade mission and took the opportunity to meet with key influencers from the world of travel and tourism as part of Tourism Ireland's desire to attract more Indian visitors to Northern Ireland. Mr. Dodds said; “To date Northern Ireland has attracted encouraging growth in visitor numbers from core markets such as Great Britain, Mainland Europe and North America and we have now set ambitious targets to ensure this trend continues. However if Northern Ireland is to realize its true potential and secure ongoing success, the tourism industry must expand its focus beyond traditional core markets and look to the opportunities presented by New and Developing markets, such as India.

The Indian economy is booming and currently over 8 million Indians holiday overseas each year; this figure is expected to rise to over 50 million by 2020, according to the World Tourism Organization. London is, already, one of the most popular destinations and it makes sense for Tourism Ireland to target those Indian visitors who travel to other areas of the UK or to Europe, to encourage them not to miss out on visiting Northern Ireland as part of their trip”. As a part of Tourism Ireland marketing campaign in India the Giant Causeway in Northern Ireland was among the images chosen for the campaign which highlights the beautiful scenery, world class golf, rich and diverse history and culture, as well as vibrant cities and nightlife. Most people who have visited Northern Ireland have loved Belfast city and the Giants Causeway said Huzan and Beena who represent Tourism Ireland in India. For more information on Ireland please contact Ms. Huzan Fraser and Beena Menon on toll free number 1800 22 3473 or E-mail info@tourismirelandindia.com

The Leading Hotels of the World Ltd, Celebrates 80 years of Quest for Excellence
The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd., the prestigious luxury hospitality organization will mark its 80th anniversary in 2008. For eight decades, it has set the international gold standard, offering discerning travellers exceptional levels of comfort, service and style. Throughout 2008, there will be many novel and exciting events to celebrate this 80 year milestone anniversary, including charity benefits, auctions, contests, special rate promotions, regional parties and receptions all culminating in November at the 2008 Annual Convention. Formed in 1928 by an entrepreneurial group of forward-thinking Europeans, the company was initially known as The Luxury Hotels of Europe and Egypt, representing 38 hotels with approximately 9,000 rooms and suites.

Today, with nearly 450 members in 80 countries, The Leading Hotels of the World is the largest collection of the finest hotels, resorts and spas in the world. Each hotel has a unique and distinct character and provides an authentic travel experience, while adhering to exacting levels of quality. The glittering collection includes grand palaces, intimate city hideaways, luxury tent enclaves, expansive self-contained resorts and private island retreats. This unparalleled portfolio offers guests an unrivaled breadth and depth of choice for both business and pleasure travel.

Recognizing the need for today's luxury traveller, for more personalized service delivery, the company established the Leaders Club guest loyalty program which offers enriching, exclusive benefits at Leading Hotels when club members reserve through The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd., including: room upgrades, arrival and departure time considerations; local gift; special recognition from luxury travel partners and Leading Spas. Only the world's most distinguished properties are admitted to The Leading Hotels of the World, thereby assuring a constant adherence to the organization's exacting standard of high quality. In India, the Taj Group of Hotels and the Uppal's Orchid in Delhi belong to the Leading Hotels of the World.

The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd. is the prestigious luxury hospitality organization representing nearly 450 of the world's finest hotels, resorts and spas and is the operator of the online sources for your luxury lifestyle. For further details visit www.lhw.com and www.lhwspas.com. Indiva Marketing (www.indivamarketing.com ) has been appointed as the public relations consultant in India for THE LEADING HOTELS OF THE WORLD. You can book any of the leading hotels of the world in Mumbai with Compact Travels E-mail pervizmenon@yahoo.com or dial +91(022)22828207.

“CATCH IT” Tangalooma dolphins feature in Indian ads
QUEENSLAND: The wild dolphins of Tangalooma Island Resort graced the living rooms of homes throughout India when they were featured in televised vignettes during the International One Day Cricket Tri Series. The ESPN network filmed the wild dolphins while visiting Tangalooma Island Resort. The footage was used in television 'postcards' that were broadcast during program breaks and highlighted some of Australia's best known and loved holiday and leisure experiences. Resort Director David James said the film crew had spent the day experiencing everything possible from quad bike riding along great stretches of sandy beach to the desert safari and dolphin feeding. “This was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the remarkable natural environment of Tangalooma and the Moreton Bay region to Indian audiences everywhere,” he said.

“We welcome around 2500 Indian visitors each year, who come to the Resort in search of that magical feeling of getting close up to wild dolphins. “And it's not just dolphins they get to see. “Moreton Bay is one of Australia's precious regions with Tangalooma Island Resort playing a significant role in the protection of its marine and wild life. “Home to dugong, turtles and migrating whales as well as a host of other marine life, Tangalooma offers easy access to experience these marine animals in their native habitat. “We hope the ads would inspire people to come and witness personally the extraordinary marine and wild life of Tangalooma and the Moreton Bay region.” 

Contact: Galina Burgess, Tangalooma Island Resort, +61 7 3637 2155 or email burgessg@tangalooma.com In India contact your Aussie Specialist Agent at Compact Travels for bookings. Dial +91 (022)22828208 or email: compacttravels@gmail.com

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