Tomorrow’s World - The Great Tariff

Point Blank

By Hugh & Colleen Gantzer

Tourism is about to be battered by seven decisive factors which will determine yields in every segment of the industry. The success of any tourism business will be pegged to an effective juggling of these elements.

Terrorism

Terrorism and kidnapping have become hi-tech industries. The rich and famous will, increasingly, demand virtual fortresses for their security. Hoteliers will then have to consider creating high-security floors, numbered check-ins like numbered bank accounts, limited access elevators like those that already exist to some executive floors, and high-speed escape routes in case of attack. It is also likely that they will have to refuse admission to nationals of countries specifically targeted by terrorist groups, because a single attack, even though unsuccessful, will ruin the hotel's reputation. Trend Setter: None, as yet

The Great, Growing, Grey Market

There are more fit, rich, demanding, adventurous senior citizens today than there ever were in all of world history. They will have no hesitation in paying for good value but they would like: good illumination in the room with, perhaps, the option of dimming the lights; adequate and well-lit dressing and make-up areas; non-slip surfaces in the bathroom; hand-rails in the shower and bath area; a magnifying shaving mirror; emergency buttons in the bed and bath areas to summon help. Remember that they are high-potential, long-stay, repeat, customers. who are likely to be loyal, word-of-mouth, publicists.

Trend Setter: None as yet

Eco-Friendliness

To qualify for this increasingly important category, ask yourself: Is all my paper recycled? Do I have potted plants instead of cut flowers in the room; do I give guests the option of reusing their linen; do I use low-consumption lighting; is all my food organic; do I recycle all waste water and garbage; have eco-friendly materials been used in the construction of my facility? If you answer these initial questions satisfactorily then you have won a dedicated client who is willing to pay more to use your eco-sensitive services, and will pass the word around among his fellow 'greens'.

Trend Setter: Bombay's Orchid Hotel

The Experience

More and more people want to experience India; and that does not mean watching the safai-wallas and wallis, in Bollywood 'tribal' costumes, doing a bogus jig. Nor does it mean living in pseudo-sophisticated designer décor with a mishmash of ethnic trappings They want the authentic live-in experience in reasonable comfort and with excellent standards of hygiene. You can't create it, you have to feel it; and if you can't feel it, don't try.

Trend Setter: The Neemrana Hotels and CGH Earth

Wilderness Resorts and Camps

People living in a high-tech world want to run away from their mouse-pads. They can become your captive clients if you focus on the wilderness and all it has to offer, and employ trained naturalists to guide your guests into the wild places of your region. Refuse to install TVs in the rooms or offer room service. Remember, however, that you are not running a forest rest house but a very specialised up-market hotel. If you can walk the tight-rope between rusticity and sophistication, successfully, expect high, year-round, occupancies.

Trend Setter: Karnataka's Jungle Lodges and Resorts

No Frills Hotels

They are gentle on the wallet but they are not grotty, hippie, doss-houses. They offer safe, clean and comfortable accommodation and they are meant for busy people who are not hung-up on status symbols because they realise that they shouldn't pay a bomb for what is, virtually, sleep-over accommodation. If these hotels have a cyber cafe and restaurant attached, they will make a major dent in both the, so-called, business hotels segment and, consequently, in the commissions generated from them.

Trend Setter: The Taj's Indione

Low Cost Carriers

We have flown in low-cost carriers in the UK and Europe and they have been great. They were like travelling in a comfortable, air-conditioned, coach with wings. On these short-haul flights we did not miss the over-rated meals of many other high-priced airlines, or the hostesses. We did appreciate the savings in the air-fare. Such carriers, however, will diminish the earnings of agents who depend on commissions.

Trend Setter: Deccan Airways

Health and Wellness

Keep-fit centres are mushrooming, so there must be a demand for them. Sadly, many of these places are rip-offs. Kerala has tried to regulate standards in its Ayurvedic establishments by offering them a classification and this system is likely to be followed by other states. A well-run Ayurvedic therapy centre can be a gold mine. But if you don't have trained therapists to run even your gym, spa or wellness centre you could be sued for culpable negligence if your guests are injured.

Trend Setter; Kairali Ayurvedic Health Resort

Those, then, are the seven direction markers to the future of Indian tourism. All of them have financial implications. Now craft your own journey into a bright tomorrow.