How Incredible is Incredible India?

According to Indian tradition, tourism was first conceived as Tirthatan then as Deshatan and finally as Paryatan with the purpose of encouraging intermingling of people belonging to different cultures and traditions. Tourism also helps people to acquaint themselves with eating habits of natives and understands the way of varied life of the host countrymen. During visits to Incredible India, foreign tourists celebrate Indian festivals apart from visiting monuments and other similar sites in the city.

A glimpse of the Incredibleness of Incredible India

A tourist visits a country like India for various reasons. India is ‘all seasons’ tourist destination and the objective of travel has a wide range like:

•          Visiting monuments and historical places (Like Taj Mahal)
•          Business meeting
•          Purpose of Faith tourism
•          Medical treatment
•          Yoga / spiritual retreat (in Rishikesh)
•          Beaches (in Goa)
•          Nature trails (in Andaman and Nicobar islands)
•          Snow clad mountains of Himalayas
•          Backwaters (of Kerala)
•          White sands of Rann of Kutch
•          Shopping and buying souvenirs
•          Recreation
•          Visiting friends and relatives
•          Observing Indian traditions and customs on Indian festivals like Holi, Diwali etc

Today, the travelers discover everything online and chalk out a customized itinerary. Though the feedback and reviews available on the Internet are believed to be authentic, one cannot rule out the possibility of fudging data for vested interests. In hotels, the workers are professionals and will not be able to provide the traveler with detailed information due to the paucity of time and their defined scope of work. 

Experience Incredible India in a BnB

When a tourist comes to India, he finds that commercial accommodation is quite expensive because there are various taxes and tariffs applicable in commercial hotels. These taxes even amount to 20 to 25% of the actual cost of the room while in other Asian countries including China, Thailand etc and in western countries, the total taxes are not more than 5% to 6%. Therefore, the accommodation in regular Indian/Delhi hotel is quite expensive while on the other hand, the accommodation with same facilities in BNB stays in India has difference of 25 to 30% rates per night if one stays in BNB stay and therefore, the tourist can save a lot of money from their accommodation. This money saved from accommodation budget can be spent by these tourists in purchasing souvenirs, booking a heritage walk or visiting other places. 

A warm BnB in Jodhpur, Rajasthan

A hospitable BnB in South Delhi

Moreover, in the present scenario of rapid urbanization in India and the rising aspirations of Indian middle class, it is seen that both husband and wife are working and at times, they are working at odd hours. This has led to a gradual fading away of the joint family system in India and therefore, staying with family and friends is not practicable. On the other hand, in a BnB, the traveler is on his/her own. He/she can interact with the BnB host as much as he/she wants and can maintain his privacy. Furthermore, the guest can expect an optimum level of attention, emotional support, and bonding with the BnB host which makes it a win-win situation for the traveler as well as the BnB host.

I shall be posting multiple versions of Incredible India in my future and my findings and observations are elucidated in my recently published book titled, 'Indian BnBs: An emerging disruptor in the Hospitality sector'.

My book, 'Indian BnBs: An emerging disruptor in the Hospitality sector'

If you wish to grab a copy, send a mail on ambuj@bnbnation.com

Book on Indian BnBs: Hospitality sector overview

"So you hail from the city that I shall be visiting soon, huh"- he confirmed with her and continued "Do you know a good place to stay in the city?" 

"You mean a hotel??!"- she enquired. 

You generally notice that ‘Hotel” is used whenever ‘accomodation’ criteria are discussed, be it amongst tourism stakeholders or academia pursuing tourism courses/vacations studies.

With homestays and other experiential accommodation especially BnBNation (www.bnbnation.com) Airbnb etc. coming into the picture monopoly of hotels is going to be over. 

Beautiful and homely Bed and Breakfast accommodation in Delhi NCR

Furthermore, in U.K., the homestays provide almost 40% off accommodation for inbound tourists. The hotel industry, at least in India, is unable to cope up with the demand of incoming tourists mainly in the budget category. You may be thinking that hotels are generally lying vacant or there is less occupancy there, you may be right but it is true for 4 or 5 star or equivalent category hotels where occupancy rates may be less than 60% ( lesser occupancy makes hotel construction, an unviable proposition for hoteliers). The main problem is of non-availability of budgets /economy hotels or 1 to 3-star or equivalent category.

Current scenario of Indian Hospitality sector

In the year 2012, India was short of about 1,90,000 hotels rooms while inbound tourist arrival (8% per year growth) was more than world tourist arrival (3%to to 4% per year growth). Above it, domestic visitors in India are growing at the rate of 15% and there are already 1.25 billion such tourists visiting other places in India. These tourists too are not staying with friends and/or relatives. Thus, there is more demand for budget accommodation but the question that comes to the mind is where are the rooms?!

Another scenario is that today’s tourists including foreign individual tourist is not keen to stay in 4 or 5-star hotels but prefer good quality authentic haveli type of stay. Are haveli type homestays available in India? When did you stay in a haveli last time? Do you remember? 

A type of Haveli BnB in Rajasthan offers a beautiful view of Jaisalmer

Homely haveli BnB accommodation in Rajasthan

Haveli type BnB accommodation in Rajasthan

Havelis are only available for stay in Rajasthan and a few are available in Delhi. As per my experience as one of the authors of the book (Secy. Tourism Andaman Nicobar Island or MD & CEO of DTTDC), there was exclusive demand from country’s tourist operators” to provide havelis”. We have a long list of foreign tourists who visit India and want to stay in Haveli type accommodations.

My co-authored book titled, Indian BnBs: An emerging disruptor in the Hospitality sector. It is co-authored by co founders of BnBNation

In India, we are unable to meet demand in the response of adequate supply. So, what is the solution? The need of the hour is to construct and reconstruct the heritage of India by taking care of our tangible and intangible heritage sources. 

BnBs as an alternate mode of accommodation

Among the alternatives in the accommodation, the sector is BnBs / homestays, which are carved out of existing rooms in the homes. At present, there are about 10,000 rooms all over India are registered to be used as  “stays option for tourists”. 

India is always bubbling with activity be it a fair, religious event, conference, sports extravaganza like the IPL or for medical facilities etc. Such events and activities attract larger footfall. Naturally, organizers and stakeholders are in search of homes where incoming guests/spectators/participants would be accommodated. Such homes converted into BnBs/Homestays could be a very useful way of matching demand and supply of rooms. No authority or agency can create temporary hotels to meet the intermittent demand of rooms in the wake of such fair/festivals/tourist meets.

So as tourism expert, I can foresee the future of homestays as a disruptor in accommodation aka hospitality industry. This demand is being met by international players like Airbnb which court controversy on and off. It is claimed by Airbnb that there are already 75000 rooms listing in Indian cities through hardly 5%  or so are registered or authentic. Can you stay in a home who is not accountable to the government? Thus, registration of BnBs is a necessary prerequisite.

Staying in a BnB has its own set of benefits such as cultural exchange and since the bond between the guest and the host gets deeper as time passes, the guest not only gains a friend in a foreign country but earns a loving and caring Indian family. 

The bond of love is intangible and deeper than a monetary transaction! 

Are you ready to embrace a new experience, a new culture and a new home? 

Satyamev Jayate: Extraordinary tales of Ordinary People

“In a gentle way you can shake the world” – Mahatma Gandhi

I have always been a firm believer in doing social community some good while I have the power and ability. Everybody earns respect through his/her body of work but very few think about doing good to the society. In my opinion, medical doctors and teachers are a rare breed that constantly serves the society through their daily work.

Just a few days back, I overheard somebody saying at a party “It feels so much better now with Narendra Modi in power, no bureaucrat dares to hang out in Golf clubs wasting time and money of the people”. Do you also agree with the same? While I agree that a majority of bureaucrats may be taking avoidable time span in decision making or for that matter delaying decisions, but what about the remaining bureaucrats who toil away 40 years of their lives to the service of people and nation? Such bureaucrats hardly have time to feast a month in a year and engage in their own business without caring for the society. I feel it was wrong on one’s part to form a judgment against the entire community of bureaucrats while observing only a select few.  I am not saying this because I’m a retired bureaucrat but because I find it unfair. But yes, there is a dire need to change the perspective about bureaucrats by the bureaucratic community by working hard and producing tangible results.

It is heartening to see that Television and Bollywood has also taken a significant step in the direction of social cause.  Here are a few shows that I can recall:

The most prominent amongst them is Satyamev Jayate, which is a joint venture 
between Aamir Khan Productions and Star Tv. 

Satyamev Jayate

There are others that have made a mark in their own right: 

Crime Patrol- It was one of the earliest shows that shed light on a lot of crimes that otherwise go unnoticed.

Crime Patrol

Change Aayega Hum Laayenge- It shows good guys in the youth and how they bring about change in the society.

Change Aayega Hum Laayenge

The world has witnessed many celebrities who have taken up social causes close to their heart and have made a difference to the society. 

Notable amongst them is Robert Redford who has been closely identified with the Green Movement.

Robert Redford
Photo credits: http://archrecord.construction.com/

George Clooney is helping forge the emerging model of 21^st century celebrity activism through his relief telethon during Haiti Earthquake.

George Clooney
Photo Credits: http://cdn.sheknows.com/

As a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations since 2001, Angelina Jolie has used her celebrity status to shine attention on the struggles of refugees everywhere from Cambodia and Thailand to Sierra Leone.

Angelina Jolie talks to Syrian refugees via The Guardian

In India, Aamir Khan is the celebrity that comes to my mind who can cut through all strata of society and bring about a significant change in the mindset of people.

What I particularly like about the concept of Satyamev Jayate is its level of interactivity. People not only talk about their lives to Aamir Khan during the Television slot but also have a chance to post their views and opinions after the show gets over in ‘Mumkin hai’ segment.

I have been following the promos of Satyamev Jayate and I particularly like the one in which the office clerk who gets a bribe offer and instead of taking the bribe asks bribe-giver to watch Satyamev Jayate.

Satyamev Jayate promo

Satyamev Jayate promo

Satyamev Jayate promo

One of the episodes that I fondly remember is the Criminalization of Politics in which Dr. SY Quraishi, Chief Patron of Delhi Heritage Foundation, was invited and he enlighted the gathering about the malpractices in Voting process: http://www.satyamevjayate.in/criminalization-of-politics.aspx.  It was a true eye-opener.

Dr SY Quraishi, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India sharing his experience
with Aamir Khan during Satyamev Jayate

Mr Aamir Khan and Mr Rajkumar Hirani were in Delhi for the shoot of upcoming Bollywood movie P.K last year. During the interaction with Mr. Khan, I told him that he may keep anchoring the show as people see him as a “change agent”. He replied in affirmative to do so.

Aamir Khan with me in delhi during the shooting of Peekay 

Here is a preview at the insights of Satyamev Jayate:

Satyamev Jayate Insights: Actions taken

Satyamev Jayate Insights: Donations

Satyamev Jayate Insights: Word Cloud

Satyamev Jayate Insights: Votes

Satyamev Jayate Insights: Social Footprints

I hope that Satyamev Jayate’s new episode starting from today shall keep the momentum going and shall bring to the fore the extraordinary contribution of the ordinary people.

I request you to take a moment and think what social good did you do today?

Source:

http://www.satyamevjayate.in/

www.india.com

Swachata Abhiyan: The ideal way forward!

"Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen."- Michael Jordan.

After many years, today I feel very contented. This morning when I woke up and was getting through my daily chores, I heard slogans by nearby school children in my residential area, "Thoda toh haath badhao, Bharat ko Swachch banao" which in English means 'Do your bit to make India clean'.

Cleanliness drive by students via avenuemail.in

It was indeed heartening to see those young children imbibing the values of a clean India. Fortunately, our PM Narendra Modi has the vision of a clean India and has stressed it as the way forward. During his speech in USA, he said that he was asked by others to have a vision and he translated the Vision into a clean India vision. As rightly pointed out by PM Modi, every family shall be saving Rs. 6000-7000 a month by saving on on medical expenses due to lack of unhygienic conditions and since bread-earners will not fall sick as frequently due to clean environment, he/she will be able to avoid absenteeism from workplace and earn more. This shall be beneficial to the nation, as it will increase the productivity of the entire nation.  The cleanliness drive around religious places shall increase the number of religious tourists and will provide employment opportunities.

Union Minister Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad during Cleanliness drive

Ok so here is an exercise for you, take 2 minutes to think of 10 countries that might be the cleanest in the world. When I did the exercise, I could only think of countries such as Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, Iceland etc. Were you able to think of any Asian or African country in the 10 cleanest countries list?

In a study done by Forbes.com in 2010 to rank the World's 10 Cleanest countries, one would expect the list to be full of European countries. However, to my surprise, there were 3 countries in the list that were of smaller size and having lower GDP than India.

Costa Rica: That such a relatively poor and developing country ranks third in the EPI is testament to the natural endowments of Costa Rica, with dense forests, plentiful water and abundant wildlife.

Costa Rica- Forbes 10 cleanest country

Mauritius: A tiny island nation in the Indian Ocean to the east of Madagascar, Mauritius is far and away the highest-ranking nation of Sub-Saharan Africa!

Mauritius- Forbes 10 cleanest country

Cuba: Researchers doubt the veracity of Cuba’s data, which shows higher levels of public health, (including almost universal access to sanitation and clean water) than GDP would suggest.

Cuba- Forbes 10 cleanest country

In my opinion, the above mentioned countries have earned their place in the ranking by making optimum use of the available resources. But do you think that India cannot achieve the same? Is India not endowed with dense forests, water, abundant wildlife? Instead, I feel that rich cultural heritage of India is an add-on.

Mt. Everest

Sunset at Radhanagar beach

Varanasi ganga

In my opinion, it is just a matter of mindset and a spark that shall pave the way for a Clean India. The spark has been provided by the Prime Minister, now it is up to us to follow suit and make India more live-able and more like-able.


Let us take the<strong> Swachata pledge: </strong>

Take the pledge

1. I shall not spit in public and discourage others from doing so.
2. I shall not litter in public and discourage others from doing so.
3. I shall not urinate in open areas and discourage others from doing so.
4. I shall not encroach area.
5. I shall not write anything on monuments of historic significance and discourage others from doing so.

If each of us follow the pledge, we shall serve ourselves and the community.
Most importantly, we will be able to sleep satisfactorily.

Season of 330 million Gods is here! Incredible India!

The concept of Tourism started with Tirthatan, Deshathan and presently Paryatan. In India, religious tourism has its own significance, as it is generally a high-volume, low-end tourism.

About Navratri:

Navratri in Sanskrit means 9 nights. Shakti or feminine power is celebrated or worshiped during the sacred time of Navratri. Forms of Shakti worshipped during Navratri are: Durga, Bhadrakali, Amba, Annapoorna Devi, Sarvamangala, Bhairavi, Chandika, Lalita, Bhavani and Mookambika.

Colors of Festivity

In Gujarat, Navratri is celebrated with great fervor with men and women dressed up in traditional Gujarati attire play garba every night during the navratri.

Garba in full swing in Gujarat

In West Bengal, Durga Puja is celebrated during the same time and images of Durga slaying the demon buffalo Mahishasura are built and displayed in temples.

Durga Puja in West Bengal

About Dussehra:

Dussehra is the tenth day of Navratri and celebrated as the day Lord Rama defeated the demon king Ravan in Lanka.

Effigy of Ravana, Meghnad and Kumbkaran.
Credits: www.newzstreet.com

In Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, Dussehra has its origins dating back to 17^th century. One won’t see effigies burning. Thus, celebrations are a bit different but nothing less than spectacular. The 10 day event preceding Dussehra begins with the Rathyatra of Lord Rama to the Dhalpur maidaan. Then, the various Gods with processions and bands arrive and the Gaddi shepherds come down from their homes in the hills to sing, dance and praise the gods.

Dussehra celebrations in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh

Bed and Breakfast during Dussehra

Foreign tourist particularly from Europe and USA, visit India during this time to witness the celebrations and become part of such celebrations. This is where the importance of Bed and Breakfast comes in as the they like to visit Ramlila, Durga puja pandals, burning of effigies of Ravana, Meghnad and Kumbkaran and have real feeling of existence of 330 million Gods of Incredible India!

Burning of Ravana effigy during Dussehra

Buddha Religious circuit

Keeping in view the tremendous potential of Religious Tourist arrival, Ministry of Tourism, Govt of India, has launched Buddha circuit that includes sites of significance related to the life of the Buddha and is sacred to 500 million Buddhists and also attracts non-Buddhist tourists interested in historical heritage sites such as Bodhgaya in Bihar, Sarnath and Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, and Lumbini in Nepal.

Buddha Religious Circuit

Swachata Abhiyan

Small things make big impact! Prime Minister, Narendra Modi announced Cleanliness drive on 2^nd October. As Prime Minister, he was advised to expand his vision but he understood the importance of cleanliness and hygiene to attract more tourists besides raising the standard of living. I could not have agreed more! 

Swachata Abhiyan

In India, Dussehra, Diwali and Holi are celebrated with fervor and gaiety. This festive season of Dussehra and Diwali is no less important than Christmas celebration in December. Delhi bustles with activity and one can find frequent traffic jams all over the city but it does not lessen the enthusiasm of the people. In India, the tourism season starts from mid-September and goes on till March in most of the regions.

Month	Foreign Tourist Arrival, 2013	Change in FTA from previous month	%age change in FTA from previous month
September	453561	-	-
October	598095	144534	32%
November	733923	135828	22%
December	821581	87658	12%

As the data shows, the months of Sept-December account for almost 60% of Foreign Tourist Arrival in India.

As a closing remark, I hope that during this festive season and pro-active governance, there will be an increase in Foreign Tourist and Foreign Exchange Earnings.

Credits:

www.tourism.gov.in | www.wbginvestmentclimate.org | www.india.com

Ahoy! Happy World Tourism Day

Many people associate tourism with a recreational activity but as per UNWTO, Tourism is a people-based economic activity built on social interaction. It prospers if it engages the local population by contributing to social values.

World Tourism Day

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) declared 27 September the World Tourism Day with the purpose to raise the awareness of the global community about the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, economic and political value. World Tourism Day (WTD) is a global observance to highlight tourism’s social, cultural, political and economic value.

The theme of this year's World Tourism Day is Tourism and Community Development which is sync with the Bed and Breakfast scheme. 

World Tourism Day; Tourism & Community Development

Tourism and Bed & Breakfast industry

The Bed and Breakfast industry is not a new concept in the world though it is adopted as a novel idea in the B&B scheme of “Incredible India” over the age old practice of “paying guest accommodation in India”. As per figures of foreign tourist arrival as mentioned in (MoT, Statistics at a Glance, 2012), in countries like France (8.02%), USA (6.3%), China (5.57%), Spain (5.57%), Italy (4.48%) where maximum percentage of foreign tourists arrive every year the shortage of regular commercial accommodation is met by the B&B stays prevalent in these countries but in different modes.

According to Caroll Cathy, an author of “Travel Weekly”, the utility of B&B type accommodation is increasing as many business travelers are finding that B&B inns suit their needs, and owners are furnishing these guests such equipments as private telephones and computer connection.

The ‘B&B stay’ concept helps in saving huge additional infrastructure costs towards construction of hotels, recycling of waste water, electricity generation ,and  cutting of trees etc. and other materials required for creating additional facilities for accommodation.

In a country like India, additional land for constructing more hotels is made available by shrinking of forest land, cutting of trees, generation of more electricity & water etc. In Delhi, there is always a shortage of accommodation particularly in budget category during the period of various festivals, carnivals, conventions, functions, national and international conferences etc. These events are generally planned from September to March every year where large number of foreign and domestic tourists arrive in Delhi thereby increasing the demand for more accommodation.

This day last year...

I remember clearly that on this day, last year, as the Managing Director, Delhi Tourism (DTTDC), our Department had facilitated the shooting of the upcoming Rajkumar Hirani’s Bollywood movie PK (Peekay), best known for its Nude-Aamir-Khan poster, in the bustling streets of Delhi by getting the various permissions from various departments. 

PK poster

To appreciate our effort, the crew of Peekay held a dinner for Delhi Tourism where we interacted with Aamir Khan, his son, Mr Rajkumar Hirani, Anoushka Sharma and other members.

With Aamir Khan