YouTube will complement an already content-rich site www.incredibleindia.org by posting 18 films and television commercials on an exclusive channel www.youtube.com/india.

Launching the channel here, Tourism Secretary Shilabhadra Banerjee said,” Online videos will increase the penetration of Incredible India campaign, especially among those who remain glued to the internet and computers.”  “ We have only started. We will keep evolving the campaign further," Banerjee said.

To begin with, 18 commercials have been launched on the themes of Generic India,  Adventure and Wildlife, Indian Heritage, Buddhists Heritage, 'Walk with Buddha', 'Timeless India', 'Central India', 'Only In India' and  '150th Years of India's Freedom Struggle'.

Commending the Ministry's initiative in using internet as means of promoting "Incredible India", Shailesh Rao, Managing Director, Google India, said “YouTube is an apt platform for promotion as online videos are gaining popularity very fast.” "In using YouTube for their campaign, the ministry becomes the first in the world for its innovation in promotion," Rao said. The initiative shown by the Ministry of Tourism will enable people around the world to experience and enjoy the marvels of India through the power of  these 'Incredible Videos'!

In its internet-based initiatives, the ministry has already floated an e-commerce platform on its flagship portal www.incredibleindia.org in collaboration with its UK-based technology partner, Eviivo. Tourists wanting to travel to India, can book accommodation and pay for travel packages, by directly getting in touch with the service provider on the site.

Foreign tourist arrivals to the country have increased by 78 per cent in the last five years and foreign exchange earnings from tourism during the same period have grown by 122 per cent.

More on YouTube: As per Nielsen NetRatings www.youtube.com has about 48 million unique users in US alone and it is the 8th most trafficked website in the world. More than 200,000 videos are uploaded everyday with six hours of videos loaded every minute.
 
Courtesy: PTI

"A patient opting for medical tourism not only gets the best medical treatment the Indian doctors have to offer, but also as a post-treatment fare, he or she gets to see the best of India's destinations," Leena Nandan, Joint Secretary (Tourism), said.

The tourism ministry is also giving a big push to medical tourism highlighting its low-cost advantages. Nandan said, "Just like the IT expertise of India, the medical expertise of country too is well recognised abroad. And eventually this too translates into tourism in India."

As part of measures taken by the government to promote this segment is introduction of medical visa that is issued for a specific purpose to such foreign tourists. This visa is initially issued to a patient with a companion for a period of one year and can be extended up to three years after fulfilling certain conditions and recommendations from the accredited medical authorities.

In 'New York Times Travel Show' in February this year this segment was promoted through a session organised by India Tourism Office, New York, Indian High Commission and CII to promote Indian healthcare services and invite investment in India.
   
The Ministry also participated at the World Travel Mart (WTM) 2006 in London in November last year and at International Tourism Bourse (ITB) at Berlin in March this year to promote India in a big way as the new emerging healthcare destination and disseminate information on 'Medical Value Travel.'

Ministry sources said the response was positive. A lot of queries were generated from the potential tourists, medical tourism companies, health insurance companies, and travel and tour operators.

Courtesy : PTI

Notwithstanding concerns about transparency in real estate transactions JLL is expected to stay bullish on markets like India in the Asian context. It must be mentioned that JLL's Asia pacific revenue in the January -March quarter rose by 49% with India, Japan, China, and South Korea being significant contributors The two new entities are entering India at a time when JLL Property Consultant India has seen a leap in its operations with over 1'800 employees now, compared to around 250 three years back.  The company has been expanding services bandwidth, and Retail Plus, a service for the just developing organized retail sector is the newest addition.

JLL Hotels is entering India at a time when the hospitality sector is in the midst of an unprecedented expansion with estimates suggesting around 54000 rooms under development currently.  It is learnt that the domestic market by 2013-14 could absorb upwards of 15 million rooms, which could call for significant fund flows. JLL Hotels rendered advice on 186 hotels transactions worldwide carrying a value of $9 billion in 2006. This entry with a 250-world wide team is considered to be one of the most profitable businesses under the JLL Umbrella. Vincent Lottefier, Country Head, JLL Property Consultants (India), said the Hotel entity was likely to set up shop within a year.  However there was no confirmation on the entry of LIM, which informed sources said could happen in the next 18 months.   

With the Capital facing an acute shortage of rooms, does it make good business sense to renovate Centaur Hotel, that is next door to Indira Gandhi International Airport to make it fully operational as it has to be demolished in the next few years? The aviation ministry is grappling with this issue as 100 of the 376 rooms in this Asiad 1982 era hotel remain locked simply because they have now become unusable. The GMR ed Delhi International Airport Pvt. Ltd. (DIAL) has said the hotel would have to be demolished within a couple of years after phase-1 of airport development is over in 2010 as it comes in the way of future plans. The ministry has now started discussions with DIAL over where an alternative site would be made available as also the compensation that would be paid for rebuilding the hotel.

Meanwhile the Hotel Corporation of India (HCI), a subsidiary of Air India, has started implementing a Rs.10 crore project to totally renovate 100 rooms, refurbish 50 others and modernize the Flight Kitchen. "Since there's a question mark on the hotel's future, we are investing just the amount that could make the place operational and make the most of the tourist boom till it remains here.

DIAL has been asked to give the exact year in which it has to be demolished, said a senior official.  Interestingly, HCI, through AI, has asked the Ministry not to hand over the property to the private Airport Consortia to be run by them. The Hotel had been built in the run-up to the 1982 Asiad Games and had become quite a hit with its huge pillar less lobby and glass elevators. AI has also decided to refurbish the loss making Flight Kitchen at Centaur. Only Indian Airlines and a couple of others get their catering requirement from this place. "This unit is being modernized so that AI can also benefit from the growing air traffic as long the hotel remains here," said the official. In a bid to cut losses, the management has even allowed hosting of functions at the hotel   The decision got a favorable response since there is a paucity of such venues in the city and the MCD sealing drive has further limited the options.  But now the hotel faces an uncertain future till the Government finds an alternative site for it in the new airport master plan and also the compensatory amount with which it would be rebuilt. 

Of late, the bureaucrats in Orissa have become luxury conscious and five-star-friendly.  The Government Circuit Houses do not figure in their check- in list any more. Especially for the young District Collector, the simple and accommodating "Special Circuit House" (SCH) in Bhubaneshwar has lost its charm.  This was once again proved when 16 Collectors of the State recently come here to attend a daylong workshop. Barring a lone officer the rest of them were staying out side, revealed a quiet survey.

Now with the investment flow to the state, various the corporate sector has opened their 'five star joints' in the capital city. And the collectors prefer to stay in those private places rather than in the dreary rest house like the SCH. While in the SCH or SGH life is dull and drab, in the corporate Hotels the décor is beautiful from the front desk right into the rooms. And wow! All services are free with no one watching and the cost being borne by the obliging public sector organizations said a vigilance sleuth.