From chadar to Chadar

There was no logical explanation when, after almost a month of oscillation, I answered in the affirmative. I had agreed to go for a trekking expedition. To Ladakh. In the winter.

Even though Ladakh has been my dream destination for as long as I can remember, discounting Mount Everest of course, I never thought my first visit there would be in such conditions. I arrived at this decision using the only method I use to arrive at all major decisions in my life – sheer impulsiveness.

Rightfully, I’ve been warned. The fitter I am, the more enjoyable will be the trek – for everyone else too. And here I was worrying about the gear! Living in Bombay, the only altitude I am acclimatised to is the third floor of my building from sea level. And the lowest temperatures I am acquainted with is 20 degrees Celsius under as against -20 under on Zanskar.       

So after almost a month and a fortnight of worrying and buying, borrowing and stealing of gear, I’m not sure if I’m fit enough. I have almost a week before I get there so I have devised a regime of sorts. The only thing to do now is get out from the comfort of my chadar to get myself on the Chadar!      

At leisure in Germany

Note: This article appeared in the June 2009 issue of Express TravelWorld. For more read here: http://www.expresstravelworld.com/20090630/management04.shtml

Germany is popular for MICE the world over, and the recent German Travel Mart 2009 was proof enough. However, the main agenda of the B2B exhibition was to promote leisure tourism. By Hazel Jain

Some are of the opinion that Germans are very organised - almost to the point of being mechanical. Whether there is any truth in that, I cannot say, but this year's German Travel Mart (GTM 2009) did impress me. It not only exemplified a well-organised trade event, but also showcased the region's MICE capabilities while actively promoting leisure tourism.

According to German National Tourist Board (GNTB), there were 379 suppliers showcasing their products to about 650 representatives of the international travel market. Held in the little-known Hanseatic city of Rostock (on the Baltic coast) in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern from May 10-12, the 35th edition of GTM was clear on its agenda - to reach out to the international markets and promote its other side of tourism: leisure. For this, Germany will push itself as a mono destination instead of just being part of a European package.

These well-defined objectives are important to Germany, especially at a time when the global economy threatens to weaken its firm grounding. The destination had so far concentrated on its domestic market (which obviously earned it huge returns) and the rest of Europe. If the international market was mentioned, it was in the same breath as MICE. Not anymore. Germany wants to diversify its markets and is now eager to show its leeward side to the rest of the world. It has therefore chosen 'Active Holidays - Hiking, Cycling and Lifestyle' as its main theme this year.

India Pool

After a disorderly run in the Chinese market, Germany is approaching its Asian cousin with more caution and better planning. Hence the India Pool. The GNTB created an Indian pool with 14 German partners in 2008 through which it promotes campaigns in India. The partners intend to invest an additional 1.5 millioneuros in it over the next three to five years.

The GNTB has already started different marketing campaigns with a few Indian operators. One of them is a new image film that will be shown at all events staged by the partners. Petra Hedorfer, CEO of GNTB, says, "The use of endorsements, advertising and poster campaigns will further increase awareness of Germany in India as a leisure destination. The planned market-specific GNTB extranet and the new sales folder will provide in-depth information about German regions for the Indian trade as well as details of Indian restaurants and service providers in Germany. We have also launched 'activity weeks' with our partners this year in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Delhi."

The India Pool consists of Bavaria Tourism Marketing, Munich Tourism, Munich Airport, Tourism Marketing Company of Saxony, Berlin Tourism Marketing, Berlin Airports, Magic Cities Germany, Fraport AG, Accor Germany Smard, Stuttgart Marketing, Tourism and Congress Company Frankfurt am Main, Cologne Tourism, Top of Germany - Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the Zugspitze as well as tour operator Alpha Travel.

Roadmap for agents

According to Hedorfer, GNTB has a budget of 36.4 million euros for 2009 internationally. She, however, refuses to specify the size for India, indicating only that "our investments there are pretty high". She adds, "The focus of all our activities worldwide is on B2B and this also applies for the Indian market. Our most important partners are the trade and we are in steady contact with them through our Delhi office. India ranks number five among all our overseas markets with 4,22,000 overnight stays in 2008. We expect about 7,50,000 overnights from India for the near future as it is a very young market."

China isn't too far behind. "In Asia, China is growing fast and is one of the future markets. We expect it to get to the lead position in 2015 with 20,00,000 overnights," she reveals. For the B2C segment, it has 35 different websites in 22 languages worldwide with extensive information.

The biggest challenge in the Indian market, according to Hedorfer, is to position Germany as a mono destination. And here is where the agents come in. This year's GTM saw the largest-ever contingent from India with 17 operators. Agents will not only have to bring in more leisure tourists, but also convert business travellers. "A tool for this is already in place. Our e-book (www.germany-ebook.de), developed especially for the Indian market, shows the many sides of Germany in a very enjoyable way and is available in English, Hindi, Bengali and Punjabi," she reveals. GNTB isn't leaving out social networking sites in India either and is already present on Facebook in Austria.

So, apart from the little issue of direct connectivity (with direct flights only to Munich and Frankfurt from India), Germany seems to be all set to woo India - it even has the affordability angle in place. Germany has always been among the more cheaper destinations in Europe and it is now being promoted as 'Affordable Hospitality: Destination Germany. Great deals. Easy booking.' Let's see if India takes the bait.

Supplier Speak

Kai-Michael Stybel Wismar Tourism How was GTM 2009 for you? It was very successful indeed. Wismar Tourism attends the GTM every year but this year was special as it took place in our home state, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. This is the former East of Germany, which means it has been in existence only since the reunification of Germany in 1990. It is popular among domestic tourists but the international market does not know it as a tourist destination in Germany. It will therefore be a challenge for us to gain international publicity. But its title as UNESCO World Heritage site will obviously help.   Did you meet any Indian buyers? Yes I did. The Indian buyers appeared very interested as all of them had made prior appointments for the workshop. Of course they hadn't heard of Wismar before but they showed a lot of enthusiasm. I am already negotiating tours with a few of them. What can Indian travellers looks for in Wismar? As a UNESCO World Heritage site by the sea, we can offer guided city tours, harbour cruises, presentations on sparkling wine or beer with tastings with more than 200 old breweries in Wismar. Vegetarian food is a precondition, I suppose. The German cuisine might not be famous for its vegetarian food, but this could definitely be worked out. What interested me a lot was understanding vegetarianism as a religious fact. Do you have specific plans for the Indian market? Yes I do. Wismar would definitely be too small as a single destination for somebody coming all the way from India. And accessibility is a crucial precondition for tourism. Therefore it would be important to promote it together with neighbouring destination like Hamburg, Berlin and Schwerin. Rostock itself is the most metropolitan place in Meckleburg-Western Pomerania and less than an hour’s drive from Wismar. It is also the gateway to Denmark, which is just two hours away by ferry. To promote this kind of product, we would need partners in India. How will you sell your product in India? I am unaware of the preferences of Indian travellers. So we will need our partners in India who, first of all, need to be convinced enough to promote Wismar. They will have to educate us about the basics we would have to achieve to meet the expectations of Indian travellers. Therefore, I cannot describe Wismar to Indian travellers. But I am willing to find out how. We can offer perfect accommodation, products for leisure activities, culture, impressive architecture of Red-Brick-Gothic, which is something unique in the Baltic region and the authenticity of a medieval township in northern Europe. How much will be achieved is anybody's guess but at least we will have paved the way.

 

Why we travel

Every traveler, having experienced the bliss of traveling, at one time or another asks themselves this question. So why do we travel? There is no one answer – rather there is no real answer – to this.

Many have ventured to get to its root with pen upon paper. Born to Indian parents, British writer Pico Iyer has written a masterpiece of an essay with the same title that delves deep into this addiction for traveling. But once the proverbial bug has bitten, we don’t really need a reason to travel, we only need an excuse.

So what is it that moves us to pack our bags and move out of our comfort zone into foreign lands and among people we don’t know? There is adventure, yes. But what lies beyond the adventure? What hooks us on even after the adrenaline buzz has died down? There is curiosity, yes. But what edges us forward once our thirst for knowledge has been quenched?

A line often quoted in travel articles about sums it up for me: First we travel to lose ourselves, and then we travel to find ourselves. Because when you lose your way in a strange land, you tend to forget your troubles and the life you left behind while trying to get back on the right path. 

And when you finally find your way, in many ways you have found the answers you have been looking for. Because when you leave your life as you know it behind and peek into a new culture and someone else’s way of life, you learn something you hadn’t learned from your history or your geography textbooks. You realise that you’re too insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

So go forth and discover the world - one person at a time.

I’ve been poked!

Ouch! Luckily, it only hurt my sensibility. Not wanting to be the only person in my demographic to be on the wrong side of Facebook, I finally succumbed to it.

I should’ve known better though. I get poked for no fault of mine, am asked to play games and use applications I don’t want to, get invited to Farmville parties without a venue and dress code and get requests to throw snowballs of which I see no signs around. It’s all so confusing.

Facebookers send each other virtual cakes and whatnots, but what good are they when you can’t eat them. What really gets my goat though is reading Facebook messages in my inbox and then signing into Facebook just to reply to them. It feels like I’m working backwards and spending more time instead of less to communicate. Either that or I’m doing it all wrong.

I guess different people use it in their own different way. A friend has synched his GTalk status with his Facebook and Twitter and god knows what else just so his friends know what he’s doing at precisely that minute. Another friend is on Facebook but undercover. No, I don’t mean he’s inactive, he’s just undercover.

Facebook was probably meant to supplement rather than substitute our ‘real’ life. And many have succeeded in doing that – not making it an end in itself but a means to an end. Don’t get me wrong – there are many things I love about it. It has brought people closer and it’s more like two and half degrees of separation these days. It prompts me about my friends’ birthdays so I no longer have to depend on my failing memory. But what I love most about it is the fact that it lets me appear more interesting than I actually am!      

I’m wondering whether I should be rude and poke back the person who poked me or should I refrain and appear rude.