Approval and subsidy for private guest houses

Guest house owners in Delhi will be provided with temporary licences, announced by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India for renovation/modernization of their properties before the Commonwealth Games. This information was given by Sujit Banerjee, Secretary Tourism, Government of India.

Banerjee said that Additional Commissioner of Police – Licencing, Delhi Police has been asked to issue the licences to the guest houses, who want to avail the scheme. There were reports that majority of the guest houses in Delhi cannot avail the subsidy scheme as most of them did not have proper licences.

He said, “We want the guest house owners to avail this facility without further delay. Weekly special camps are being set up in Karol Bagh and Paharganj to sort out application processing related with the subsidy scheme.” When asked about the slow and poor quality of civic work being undertaken by the civic agency in these areas, Banerjee said that he is ‘concerned’ with the progress of work in Karol Bagh area.

Commenting on the delay in relation to ‘single window’ approval for Tourism schemes, Banerjee said that Group of Secretaries has already given the approval for the same and is awaiting the approval from the cabinet. To a specific question on government’s stand on extending the ‘tax holiday’ scheme for hotels opening even ‘partially’ within the deadline, i.e., July 31, Banerjee said that government has not taken a stand on it. “We will take a call on that,” he informed.

Delhi government issues guidelines for tourists

With about 90 days left for the Commonwealth Games to start, the government of India has come out with a set of guidelines for foreign tourists.

Delhi government is investing a lot of time in ensuring that the visitors feel at home in Delhi. At the same time, Commonwealth Games federation has urged visitors to respect cultural sensitivity of the locals. Delhi is a cultural and social melting pot with numerous faiths and believes being nurtured here. To this extent, Commonwealth Wealth Games along with local government has prepared following guidelines:

• Local organizations will promote awareness on the code among vendors, contractors, taxi drivers, tour guides, event management companies etc. Those violating the code can be blacklisted.
• Local people to help and guide visitors especially those visiting from other nations.
• Foreign nationals to carry information regarding their respective embassies. To this extent, Delhi Police will interact with visitors on ad hoc basis.
• Foreign tourists will be encouraged to respect local customs.
• All visitors to carry emergency contact numbers in their handbags at all times.
• Locals and visitors not to engage in any sort of violence and abusive behaviour.
• Visitors will be encouraged to make use of guided tours to be arranged  by government in Delhi.
• No visitors will be allowed to use public transport while under the influence of alcohol.
• Foreign tourists to be encouraged to engage in business only with travel agencies with valid permits.
• Visitors hiring vehicles must ensure that they have international driving permit accepted in India. To this extent, visitors will be encouraged to hire vehicles with drivers which are easily available in India.

15,000 radio cabs for Delhi

It will be a smooth ride for tourists and citizens during the Commonwealth Games in Delhi as the government has estimated that around 15,000 radio taxis will be on the roads by October.

"There is no hurdle to obtain licences (to operate radio taxis). Anyone who satisfies the criteria can get it without difficulty.

We are encouraging people to travel by buses and radio cabs instead of using personal vehicles," transport minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said. The cabs will be in operation before the Games and will offer a safe mode of transport, he added.
Earlier, chief minister Sheila Dikshit flagged off a new radio taxi service 'YO Cabs'.

4,000 tourist guides across India

Nearly 4,000 regional tourist guides would be employed keeping in mind the expected rise in demand during the Commonwealth Games in October, a tourism ministry official said Tuesday.

The guides will be distributed in five regions across the country - northern, southern, eastern, western and northeastern - and will be given licences under the tourism ministry’s scheme of Regional Level Guides.

“The number of Regional Level Guides until 2007 was 1,930 of which 1,154 were in the northern region alone. Thereafter, 602 such guides have been trained during 2009-10 by the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM), Gwalior,” the official said.

“In addition to this, there will be 1,400 foreign language guides. Thus the total number of guides available before the Games will be 3,932,” he added.

Hassle free stay for tourists, no touts allowed

In view of the forthcoming Commonwealth Games, the Federal government of India has asked state governments in the National Capital Region, comprising parts of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, to enact legislations on the lines of the proposed Delhi Prevention of Malpractices and Touting Bill, 2009, to make their areas tout-free and ensure hassle-free and safe movement of tourists during the mega sporting event in October.

Delhi government has issued mandate to allow only licensed operators to arrange tours in Delhi.

The Centre is bringing the Delhi Prevention of Malpractices and Touting Bill, 2009, designed with tourism-specific initiatives of the Delhi Government. The Tourism Ministry considered the draft in February and requested the Ministry of Home Affairs to take up the proposed Bill well ahead of the CWG. The Bill is with the Home Ministry after being approved by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Tajender Khanna.

Sources say the legislation not only empowers the police to arrest touts but also has provisions for making them “out of bound” from the city for six months to one year. The Ministry of Tourism had written to the chief secretaries of three NCR states, asking them to consider the need for enacting similar legislations in their states “for the sake of hassle-free movement of tourists and provide them better safety”.

The government is expecting around one lakh tourists during the CWG and some estimates even peg the figure at two lakh. The proposed Bill mandates that touts fleecing shoppers, tourists and others face speedy trial. In fact, just a complaint by affected tourists will be enough for effecting an arrest, with the provision of imprisonment of one to two years, along with fine.

Room rates to remain flat

Hotel room rates are expected to remain flat at last year's levels during 2010-11, despite some moderate increases planned by industry players for the October season, coinciding with Commonwealth Games. One of the reasons for this is the new room supply to be added during the next one year, which will keep occupancy and room rates for the industry under pressure.

According to a Crisil report, the industry closed 2009-10 at average room rate (ARR) of Rs 9,255 (pan-India) for premium hotels, with an occupancy rate at 63.9% during the period. Room supply is expected to grow at a compounded average gross rate (CAGR) of 10% during 2009-10 and 2011-12, resulting in the addition of over 7,000 rooms.

Among all cities, Bangalore was the worst impacted with a drop of 33% in ARRs during 2009-10 to an estimated Rs 8,231 from Rs 12,227 last year. The city is mainly driven by business travel and, of late, has been seen as overrated. This year, Bangalore is expected to see some recovery in rates on the back of improved business environment. Crisil forecasts an ARR of Rs 8,378 for Bangalore for 2010-11.

Industry players are expecting a rise of just around 10% in room rates for the peak season and feel the current summer season will be a tough one for the industry.

“The summer season will be a difficult one for the industry due to the additional supply that comes in, that too, this being the first summer season after the financial crisis," said Trident Hotels president Rattan Keswani.

He added that sentiments in the market are strong and October season is expected to bring back the confidence into the market.

"Though it would not be as strong as in 2006-07, it will be good enough," he said. Hotel Leelaventure senior vice-president Rajiv Kaul adds: "The fourth quarter of 2009-10 has ended on a high note and we expect rates to be at sustainable levels."

He added that there will be a 10-15% revision in rates by hoteliers in October, the peak season.

Typically, the hotel industry revises rates every October, but last year, many players had shied away from revising peak season rates as occupancies were at low levels.

For the first three months of 2010, foreign arrivals have seen strong growth with January showing 17% growth, February 10% and March 13%. This is over a drop of 17% in January 2009, 10% in February'09 and 8% in March'09. Ministry of tourism secretary Sujit Banerjee has said that the forex earning has grown by 15% during January-March.

Monuments to be illuminated during CWG

The tourism ministry would finance the illumination of 20 centrally protected monuments in the national capital in time for the October Commonwealth Games.

'With financial support from the ministry of tourism, 20 centrally protected monuments in Delhi have been identified for illumination for the Commonwealth Games 2010,' said a statement issued by the ministry Tuesday.

The monuments identified for illumination come under the protection of the Archeological Survey of India (ASI). They are Purana Qila Complex, Khairul Manzil Mosque, Sher Shah Gate, Subz Burj, Safdarjung Tomb, Khan-i-Khana Tomb, Bara Khamba (Hazrat Nizamuddin), Najaf Khan Tomb, Kotla Feroz Shah, Biran Ka Gumbad in Green Park, Dadi Poti and Chhoti Gumti in Hauz Khas, Humayun's Tomb Complex, Delhi Gate, Jantar Mantar, Red Fort Complex, Ajmeri Gate, Qila Rai Pithora (Conservation Centre) and the Qutb Minar Complex.

The ministry said the illumination work is targeted for completion ahead of the commencement of the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games.
'The Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) has been entrusted with the responsibility of lighting by the ministry of tourism directly and hence ASI is not incurring any expenditure in this regard except the recurring electricity charges,' the statement added.

ITDC's preparations for Commonwealth Games

The India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), the official hospitality partner for the upcoming Commonwealth Games 2010, is all set to make the much awaited sports extravaganza, the most memorable experience for the global tourists. From re-designing the hotel interiors, to impart training to support staff and hiring volunteers, ITDC is undertaking massive preparations for this mammoth event.

To start off, Hotel Ashok-the pioneers in the Indian luxury hotel industry has been designated as the official “Games Family Hotel” and has undertaken extensive renovation. From interiors to furnishings to upholstery every thing has been revamped. Keeping the Indian tradition in mind, the hotel now boasts of Indian extravagance combined with the minimalistic European feel. The entire renovation took place within a stipulated period of five months with a budget of Rs 146 crores. In addition to the renovation at The Ashok, ITDC is also conducting training for support staff such as drivers, taxi drivers and dhabawallas to make them efficient to handle international clientele.

ITDC will also hire 700 students from the top 10 colleges in Delhi and other hospitality institutes in India. These students will be designated as “Hospitality Executives” and will act as volunteers at different venues. In order to promote night tourism in Delhi, ITDC is further undertaking the task of lighting major monuments in Delhi so that tourists can visit these monuments in their fully lit view.

“The entire makeover and other initiatives undertaken by ITDC will give a magnificent international touch both in terms of appearance, services and comfort and ensures that the visit turns to be a truly pleasurable and enriching experience for visitors during CWG-2010,” said an official spokesperson from ITDC

Registration mandatory for Delhi tour operators

With barely eight months left for the Commonwealth Games, Delhi government has made registration mandatory for travel and tour agents in the city to ensure safety of tourists.

"Lakhs of foreign travellers are expected to visit the capital during the mega event, and registration will streamline the travel operators," a senior Delhi government official said.

With the extravaganza drawing near, several agents have launched new deals to attract domestic and foreign travellers for sightseeing tours in Delhi and nearby states.

The government's move is aimed at cracking down on fly-by-night operators who bring a bad name to the tourism industry by cheating travellers and tourists.

"We want to encourage serious players as well as instill confidence among tourists. Hence, we will allow only license holders to carry out their business. Non-license holders will be strictly dealt with," he said.

This will also help the government access a vast database, creating an avenue for revenue and curbing malpractices.

According to the recent studies and surveys by business chamber, ASSOCHAM, around 10 million international tourists are planning to visit India during the Commonwealth Games

10,000 student volunteers for 2010 Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games volunteer programme is turning out to be a big hit among students of various Delhi colleges and universities. Nearly 10,000 students from Delhi have registered as volunteers for CWG2010.

Registration process for Delhi Commonwealth Games began about two months ago will conclude by 31-Jan.

Nearly 10,000 students from Delhi University, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi Technological University and Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology have registered as volunteers. Indian Institute of Technology is not sending volunteers as it has examinations in October.

Secretary Culture and Managing Director Delhi Tourism Corporation, Rina Ray said: “The Games will provide an excellent learning ground for volunteers who will gain in self esteem, acquire improved communications skills, learn collective responsibility and cooperation. They will also become part of the nation-building process. This is a once in a life time opportunity for students.”

“We need 18,000 student volunteers from Delhi. Some institutes have examinations going on and people have not come forward yet. Once these examinations are done with more students will volunteer,” she added.

“The hub of volunteering activity will be the Volunteer Operations Centre (VOC). We have identified space building behind Lady Shri Ram College as the VOC where the initial interaction with the volunteers will take place. The VOC will be the central point for catering, uniforms and other matters related to volunteers,” Ms. Ray added.

Volunteers will be trained for four days spread across the year beginning in April. The training will be in two parts - general and specific.

In the general training sessions, students will be briefed about basic hospitality, courtesy and knowledge about Delhi.

In the second phase specific training will be given to volunteers who will be allotted duties related to tourism, culture, sports events and crowd management while some will be stationed with the police, at media centres, hotels and the airport.

Skills of students will be considered while allotting responsibilities during Delhi games. Training will take place at halls and auditoriums in various colleges across Delhi.

Volunteers will be typically expected to work for approximately 10 days during the Games. They will be given specially designed uniforms, meal tickets and free transport for the duration of the Games. Though no stipend will be given, volunteers will receive a certificate acknowledging their work.

30,000 volunteers are required from Delhi of which 18,000 will be from Delhi colleges and universities. The rest of the volunteers will be drawn from government organisations. Senior citizens and disabled people will also be made volunteers.

“Many former military personnel, retired bureaucrats, housewives and resident welfare associations have shown interest in the volunteer programme,” Ms. Ray said

Click here to read more about Commonwealth Games Volunteer program.

Request to extend tax holiday for CWG hotels

Indian tourism ministry has urged the finance ministry to extend the benefits of the five-year tax holiday for budget hotels under construction in the national capital region (NCR) up to July 31, 2010. The current deadline is March 31, 2010.

Currently, there are many projects going on in Delhi in preparations for Commonwealth Games. Looking at the macro-economic situation over the past year, most of the hotels will take a little longer to complete.

Extending the tax holiday would be an incentive for hotels to speed up the process of development and start operations soon, adding to the country’s preparedness for the Commonwealth Games.

The five-year tax holiday for budget hotels was introduced to attract hospitality chains to build more hotels in the NCR region before CWG 2010. However, the economic downturn put a spanner in the development of a majority of properties raising concerns of a shortage of rooms during the Games, which are expected to attract around 1,00,000 tourists from across the world. According to estimates, there is a requirement of around 40,000 rooms in the NCR region to host the guests.

The tourism ministry has also urged the finance ministry for “non-inclusion of inter-state passenger tax, state road tax and toll tax in GST as a result of which seamless travel and uniform road tax would not be possible”.

Stamp duty, vehicular tax and toll taxes are part of the exemptions demanded by the empowered committee of state finance ministers, which is negotiating the GST rate and structure with the centre. States receive a consolidated Rs 10,000 crore annually from vehicles, according to the estimate of the 13th Finance Commission task force on GST.

The ministry has also demanded the restoration of Budget grant to Rs 1,000 crore, which was reduced to Rs 950 crore in the revised estimates of 2009-10. The ministry has also reiterated its demand to allow the exemption of 50% of the profits earned from the services provided to the foreign tourists from tax, and further exemption of 50% of the profit it it was re-invested in tourism sector. This benefit was discontinued from the financial year 2005-06 and the revivals of the benefits would set a path of growth for building up much needed tourism infrastructure in the country.

CWG impact: Visa on arrival for tourists

In a major boost for Commonwealth Games 2010, the government has introduced for the first time `visa on arrival' scheme for tourists from five countries starting first quarter of 2010.

Tourists from Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, Finland and Luxembourg and will get visa on arrival facility on a pilot basis for a period of one year. The scheme will be applicable at all international airports as well as ports across the country. The visa on arrival scheme is expected to provide a quantum jump in foreign tourist arrivals to India from target countries.

The decision is taken considering the boost required to promote incoming tourism from these countries which are potential source markets for India. There is also a suggestion to government for extending this facility further to tourists from seven more countries. These countries including Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Netherlands, Laos, Cambodia and South Africa be allowed to avail this facility.

Visa on arrival facility is offered by several southeast Asian countries and proves popular with foreign tourists looking for a short break. Germany and Japan are among the top 10 source countries for India while Brazil and Netherlands have shown encouraging growth over the last year.

Due to security reasons, countries like the US, UK and Pakistan are out of the list of countries that will be accorded the facility, officials said. But this could change once airlines offer advance passenger information.

Incidentally, India has already introduced long-term multiple entry visa for 18 countries including France, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Spain, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Vietnam in 2006.

London idea: Double decker buses before Commonwealth Games

The commonwealth games, to be held next year has become boon for the national capital, as various departments and pumping funds for infrastructural development.

Delhi can expect to have its own hop-on-hop-off heritage tourist bus service modeled on the lines of the London counterpart. Delhi government has proposed to introduce specially designed double-decker buses, which will be run on tailor-made routes taking tourists not just to monuments but also museums, shopping venues, theater and even typical Indian weddings for the foreign clientele.

The buses will be luxury coaches with large window panes to enable a clear view of the city from every seat. To make them attractive, they will be painted in bright colors and the exteriors will be designed by professionals to reflect the character of the tours on offer. Every bus will have a guide on board to keep the visitors updated on the sites as they pass by.

In a joint collaboration between Delhi Tourism and Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC), the government is eager to introduce these buses before the Commonwealth Games kick off in October. But the service is not just aimed at the foreign tourists expected in Delhi during the Games. The government is also targeting the average Delhiite who can take a hop-on hop-off tour in place of going to a cinema or a restaurant, which officials said will also take away the burden of parking and planning. The routes are being chalked out by Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) and Shahjahanabad Development Corporation, and Intach will also provide trained guides and printed literature to be available on board.

The concept of hop-on-hop-off popular in European countries, has buses running on predefined routes at regular intervals. Tourists can choose a route and board any bus. They will have the option of getting off at a place of their interest on the way and have the choice of taking any of the later buses on the same route. The ticket will have day-long validity. ‘‘The idea came from a meeting on heritage sites and walks. Intach had suggested we should have these kind of buses specifically for tourists so that they can walk around sites and cover a larger number of heritage areas and other places of interest,’’ said chief secretary Rakesh Mehta.

The tourism department has started work on identifying themes for the tours and so far identified Mughal, Colonial, Independent India and Mehrauli area. Said Reena Ray, MD, Delhi Tourism: ‘‘DTC will provide the buses and we will take care of the tourist and culture part. Each tour will be a full day package with its share of monuments, shopping, and places of interest like Dilli Haat and then culminate with a theatre performance in the evening. There is even a suggestion to introduce a typical Indian wedding in the schedule for foreigners but the main focus will be heritage.

DTC, meanwhile, is scouting for the perfect double-decker bus for the service. Currently all the double-decker buses run on diesel, but Delhi is interested in a CNG variant. There are issues regarding where the cylinders will be accommodated in the bus design. Also, the model needs to suit Delhi's climatic conditions and dust in the city.

Spurcing up Delhi's Heritage

What happens when one of the most arcaeologically rich cities hosts a sporting event second only to the Olympics? Tourists get twice the fun for the price of one. While attending Commonwealth Games 2010, they can slip out any time to visit any of the 1,200 heritage monuments this city has to offer.

With as many as three world heritage sites — the Qutab Minar complex, Humayun’s Tomb complex and Red Fort complex — to boast of, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is getting ready to showcase the legacy of the Capital during the Games.

Of the 175 ASI-protected monuments, work has begun on sprucing up 46 of them.

"These monuments are mostly important ones like the world heritage sites and also those on the routes of Games venues. The list also includes a few lesser known monuments,” said KN Shrivastava, ASI director-general.

Conservation and/or repair work will be carried out at most monuments. For instance, the Tughlaqabad Fort wall and the Siri Fort wall are being restored to their original glory.

The ASI is carrying out chemical treatment at a few monuments that need cleaning up. “The residents and regular visitors to the Hauz Khas area are witness to how the black colour on most of the monuments due to moss has given way to a clean sandstone yellow (or the original colour of the monuments) after chemical treatment,” said an ASI official.

“The landscape around helps build its ambience. So we are focusing on environmental development like lawns and other horticulture interventions,” said an official from the horticulture branch.

Tourists can also enjoy ‘Delhi at Night’. India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) has identified more than 20 monuments and these are being lighted up by ITDC.

While the world heritage sites have basic public utilities like toilets and drinking water, they aren’t available at all 46 monuments. Plans are afoot to provide these facilities at all of them. Uniform brown stone signage would also come up at all sites.

“The additional facilities would include publication counters that will have brochures telling the history of the place, audio guides, cafeterias and the like as available at the three world heritage sites,” said another ASI official.

Source: Topnews.in