South African Tourism Aims to Cross 100,000 Visitors from Across Indian Cities in 2020

Highlights

* Unveils evolved brand strategy for 2020~
* Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore continue to be top markets contributing footfalls for South African Tourism~
* Average length of stay saw a YoY increase of 8% in the first half of 2019~
* 1 in 4 Indian arrivals in 2019 were for MICE~
* Pune continues to be one of the fastest emerging source markets for South African Tourism in India~

South African Tourism ushered in the new year with its biggest travel trade initiative in India – the 17th edition of their Annual Roadshow. The roadshow intends to capitalize on the strong potential consumer demand in India in order to surpass the target of 100,000 Indian visitors to South Africa in the current year.

Recognizing the evolving demands of the Indian traveller and in continued efforts to enable trade partners, the 48-member South African trade delegation reiterated the tourism board’s emphasis on expanding the destination and product offering. In addition to experiences, representatives from accommodation establishments, destination management companies, airlines, tourism associations display their products and engage Indian travel and trade partners.

With heavy emphasis on boosting the local economy, the 2020 Roadshow saw the inclusion of 13 new SMMEs, which is double the number that participated in 2019. In addition to creating local job opportunities, the tourism board’s close association with SMMEs allows the introduction of unique products and thus, newer customizable Indian itineraries.

“India continues to remain one of our key focus markets globally and it is encouraging to observe consistent, upward growth from traditional regions like Mumbai, Delhi & Bangalore as well as rising visitor traffic from emerging cities like Pune. With more and more visitors citing South Africa’s scenic natural beauty as reasons to visit, we are focused in our efforts towards opening up newer geographies in our country. This will serve a dual objective of catering to this very consumer demand as well as offering a diversity of itinerary options for our trade partners to sell,” said Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head, MEISEA, South African Tourism.

Bangalore maintained its position as one of the leading source markets for South African Tourism in India. Between January to June 2019, around 6.5% of total Indian visitors to the Rainbow Nation were from Bangalore. 63% visitors from Bangalore travelled solo, while 10% travelled with their partners. According to market research conducted by the tourism board, travellers from Bangalore make the trip to South Africa to soak in scenic beauty (52%), engage with warm locals (24%), and explore wildlife offerings (56%) while also immersing themselves and making the best of the diversity of experiences (30%) offered by the Rainbow Nation. MICE travel (39%) is the primary reason for visitors from Bangalore to travel to the destination. Business travel (20%), leisure travel (18%) and VFR (6%) closely follow suit. The summer and winter holiday periods of April, May and December emerged as preferred travel months amongst Bangaloreans for their South Africa trips.

Sharing further insights, Ms. Nkani stated, “While South Africa has traditionally been perceived as a multi-generation, family destination, it is heartening to see the substantial share of solo travellers in the overall Indian traveller pie. Our evolved brand strategy will help us drive South Africa’s value proposition across stakeholders while creating customized engagement models showcasing destination product offerings to suit the unique requirements from each of our target regions within India.”

With 81,316 Indian arrivals as of October 2019, the destination board shared a positive outlook for the Indian market, noting that as of September 2019, total spends by Indian travellers in South Africa had reached a 4-year high. Average length of stay witnessed a year on year increase of 8% in the first half of 2019.

This year the Roadshow covered Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune paving way for interaction to allow an exchange of detailed market insights and Indian traveller specific trends, thus allowing both partners to deliver and serve better.

CBAN Drives Industry Collaboration by Defining Structure for Interoperable, Multi-DLT Settlement Environment

The Communications Business Automation Network (CBAN) has brought together over 20 carriers and technology developers to design an architecture that brings to life this revolutionary settlement platform.

The members of the Communications Business Automation Network (CBAN), a project initiated by the ITW Global Leaders’ Forum (GLF) in 2018, have today announced the structure and governance principles for the special purpose entity established to create a live Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT)-enabled automated settlement platform for the ICT Service Provider industry.

The CBAN has published a whitepaper outlining these principals as well as the first release of the Reference Architecture and the initial set of definitions for Data-on-Demand and International Voice settlement that will be offered via the platform.

The publication of the reference architecture, the business product definitions and the whitepaper are a culmination of extensive collaboration between the members of the CBAN, the GLF and a group of leading technology developers. Such collaboration is unique in the industry as it represents the first time that many different ecosystem players have combined efforts to create an interoperable framework that can support multiple business products running on multiple different DLT implementations.

The CBAN Reference Architecture describes the design of the chains, services and solutions endorsed by the CBAN special purpose entity that has been incorporated as a membership organisation in Singapore. The objectives of using the CBN Reference Architecture are to:

Maximise the choice of technology solutions available to ICT Service Providers
Increase the CBAN’s longevity ('future-proofing')
Maximise the CBAN’s scalability in terms of the supported business products, number of technology providers developing solutions for the platform and the number of ICT Service Providers able and prepared to use it.

The CBAN Reference Architecture and the business product definitions were developed through the collaboration of the current CBAN members A1 Telekom Austria, BTS, Colt Technology Services, Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier, IDT, Orange, PCCW Global, Tata Communications, Telefónica International Wholesale Services, and Telstra, together with AT&T, Sparkle and Verizon, and a group of leading technology providers Amartus, Clear Blockchain Technologies, ConsenSys, CSG, Difitek, Internet Mobile Communications, Orbs, R3, Subex, Syniverse and TOMIA.

Commenting on the release of the whitepaper and the CBAN Reference Architecture, Louisa Gregory, lead of the CBAN working group and Chief of Staff at Colt said: “We set out in June a vision of the benefits a DLT-enabled automated settlement can deliver to the ICT Service Provider industry. The period of intense collaboration between carriers and technology vendors since then has only reinforced the strength of that vision, which has now culminated in the creation of the CBAN entity and the publication of its role, governance principles and technical framework. We are as convinced as ever that an automated settlement platform to benefit the whole industry can and will become a reality in the coming months.”

Marc Halbfinger, CEO of PCCW Global and Chair of the GLF, said: “We have taken a major step closer to achieving automated interoperability and settlement of ICT Service Provider traffic. We agreed early on that this transformation can be most successful if adopted by the whole industry. That is why we are assuring complete transparency by sharing everything we are doing to allow anyone to ask questions and to engage. This published whitepaper and the first releases of the technical documents will further drive ICT industry engagement.”

Jussi Makela, Director of the GLF and project manager of the CBAN working group said “The level of support and engagement from every carrier and technology developer involved over the past six months since we launched the CBAN project has been incredible. This has allowed us to transition this very quickly from a study group into an actual development project that is expected to be in-production and delivering real value to participating members before the end of 2020.”

Tata Motors Opens Bookings for its New Tata Altroz BS-VI Passenger Vehicles Range

Tata Motors has announced the bookings open of its completely refreshed product portfolio, which will consist of the BS-VI models of the Tiago, Tigor, and the Nexon. With this portfolio launch, Tata Motors officially migrates to Bharat Stage-VI in the passenger vehicles segment. The new range of BS-VI products will sport revamped designs with all-new features and is set to be priced higher than their predecessors.

Customers can book these products with an amount of INR 11,000 by visiting the nearest Tata Motors authorized dealership or their respective product websites. The said BS-VI range of products will be launched nationwide later this month.

Commenting on this occasion, Mr. Mayank Pareek, President, Passenger Vehicles Business Unit, Tata Motors, said, “Tata Motors has been vigorously working towards a seamless transition to BS-VI. We are delighted to have reached this milestone and are elated to be the first in the business to announce the introduction of an entire range of BS-VI products at once. This newly designed and refreshed range is in alignment with sustainability guidelines while still delivering segment leading performance. We hope that our new range will contribute towards a cleaner and greener India while providing innovative transport solutions to customers and industry alike.”

With class leading design aesthetics, the entire range brings into play the Impact 2.0 Design language. A brief description of the products is as follows:

Tiago:

The new Tiago sports a more confident and mature look. Providing a thrilling experience along with comfort and convenience, this hatch is sure to lure its customer set.

To book the new Tata Tiago customers can visit https://www.tatatiago.com/

Tigor:

The new Tigor is confident yet understated and offers an executive-oriented design to its customers. With its stylish look and enhanced technology, the Tigor delivers absolute performance while providing regal comfort to its occupants.

To book the new Tata Tigor customers can visit https://tigor.tatamotors.com/

Nexon:

With its aggressive, sporty and modern look, the Nexon is one of the most popular Compact SUVs that has been well received all. With a complete new face, this new Nexon will be revolutionary not only in terms of technology but will offer its customers with enhanced convenience in all aspects.

Vishal & Shekhar, Sunil Grover Rock Bangalore at the Imperial Blue Superhit Nights

Imperial Blue is proud to present its 6th season - ROCK & LOL, an extensive 11-city tour across India. The tour kicked off in Guwahati on 24th November 2019 and after rocking Jorhat on 30th November, Asansol on 1st December and Jaipur on 14th December, it came to Bangalore on 11th January 2020. Through this new concept, audience witnessed true ‘Men Will Be Men’ moments where the energetic live music was sandwiched between an overdose of comedy making it a perfect one-stop for a memorable night. Superhit Nights has performances by some of the most talented bunch of musicians and comedians on one stage, and with thoughtfully curated integration of both, it made the audience Rock ‘n’ LOL.

Season 6 artists Vishal & Shekhar, Sunil Grover, Zubeen Garg, KK-Mohan, Jassi Gill and B Praak are all set to create a new benchmark in live entertainment. The tour now moves on to Ambala, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Dibrugarh, Mangalore culminating in Vizag.

Bangalore concert witnessed capacity crowd at White Orchid Convention Centre, Hebbal where the audience danced on the enthralling numbers of Vishal & Shekhar such as dared disco, gulabo, slow motion mein, desi girl among others and laughed on some of the specially curated comic acts by Sunil Grover.

Announcing the new season, Ishwindar Singh, General Manager Marketing, Pernod Ricard India, said, “This year’s Superhit Nights is targeted towards the two passion points of our consumers - Humor and Music. This concept truly activates the emotion of ‘Men Will Be Men’ giving our consumers an electrifying experience with the combination of Bollywood superhit songs from Vishal & Shekhar and endless humor from Sunil Grover.”

Prior to the event, “The dynamic music director duo, Vishal & Shekhar said, “We always try to give our fans a unique experience which we can all cherish together, and that’s what's most exciting for us about Imperial Blue Superhit Nights season 6. A seamless combination of music and comedy coming together on one stage will be an all-new level in live entertainment! “Performing for an audience alongside Sunil Grover’s unbeatable comic acts will be an experience to look forward to. Can’t wait to show the audience what we 3 have in store for them. We are ready to Rock and LOL”

Known for his memorable characters and impeccable comedy timing, Sunil Grover also said, “I am very thrilled to be a part of Imperial Blue Super hit Nights season 6 and hoping to make the audience Laugh out Loud (LOL). I am curating some unique acts for the audience, something they will instantly connect with. Bringing together two genres is going to be very entertaining and a one-of-a-kind experience for both Vishal & Shekhar and me. I am eagerly looking forward to meeting lot of people and interacting with them on stage in this mind-blowing event”.

Previous season of Imperial Blue Super Hit Nights had seen the queen of dancing numbers, Neha Kakkar perform across 7 cities where more than 100,000 audiences attended the concerts of Imperial Blue Super Hit Nights and were left entranced.

About Seagram’s Imperial Blue
Seagram’s Imperial Blue is the largest brand of Group Pernod Ricard by Volume. The brand was born in 1997. The brand has become synonymous with the word Man thanks mainly to its iconic communication line ‘Men will be Men’ built on the insight – Confident men take on life with optimism.

About Pernod Ricard
Pernod Ricard is the world’s no. 2 in wines and spirits with consolidated Sales of € 8,682 million in FY16. Created in 1975 by the merger of Ricard and Pernod, the Group has undergone sustained development, based on both organic growth and acquisitions: Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and Vin &Sprit (2008). Pernod Ricard holds one of the most prestigious brand portfolios comprising of : Blenders Pride, Royal Stag, Imperial Blue, 100 Pipers, Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin and well known wines like Jacob’s Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo and Kenwood. Pernod Ricard employs a workforce of 18,500 people and operates through a decentralized organisation. Pernod Ricard is strongly committed to a sustainable development policy and encourages responsible consumption. Pernod Ricard’s strategy and ambition are based on 3 key values that guide its expansion: entrepreneurial spirit, mutual trust and a strong sense of ethics. Pernod Ricard is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN code: FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 index.  

Cycle Pure Agarbathies Unveils Incense Customization Service to Cater to Individual Customer Preferences

Cycle Pure Agarbathies, the world’s largest manufacturer of incense and prayer products, introduces Mylncense, a first-of-its-kind offering in the market that enables customers to customise every attribute of their incense to suit personal preference. Launched by Ramesh Aravind, Indian Actor and Arjun Ranga, Managing Director, Cycle Pure Agarbathies the product aims to create a unique experience for consumers through hyper-personalization.

Available on Cycle.in, the brand offers customisation in four different categories: Fragrance-based, Deity-based, Festival/occasion-based and Experience-based. All aspects of the incense can be personalised- the of the stick, the fragrance and the intensity of the fragrance. The brand also lets you choose your own label and message on the package delivering a sense of ownership to the users.

Speaking about the latest offering, Arjun Ranga, Managing Director, Cycle Pure Agarbathies said, “FMCG as an industry has been rooted firmly on the concepts of standardization, mass manufacturing, and economies of scale. Also, conventional thinking always says that incense is a low involvement product for consumers. With Mylncense, we intend to change this and cater to each individual’s personal preferences. One unique pack of custom incense at a time.”

He further adds, “Nowadays, personalisation has become a way of life, people love exclusivity, especially, when it is tailor-made to cater to their taste. Hence, we truly believe that our consumers will definitely love the process of designing their incense with a few clicks and having it home delivered. For us at Cycle Pure Agarbathies, custom incense is a way of home delivering happiness to our consumers. We want to enhance every experience in our customer’s lives that we are a part of- from offering prayers to connect to the divine or tuning into one’s spirituality. Mylncense ensures greater consumer engagement and satisfaction on many levels. We believe that Mylncense is the future of fragrance”

Commenting on Mylncense, Ramesh Aravind, said, “This is a truly unique initiative by Cycle Pure Agarbathies. In an age where almost everything can be customized, the time has come for incense to be personalised. As a consumer, I would love to experience a fragrance of my preference, something 1 can associate with, on a daily basis. The experiences that the brand is delivering just through customised fragrances are incredible and totally enjoyable.”

After studying man psychology in-depth for years, Cycle Pure has listed out various scenarios that users would like to experience in order to relax and distress themselves and offers a wide range of exclusive fragrances for creating a similar experience. Mylncense ensures greater consumer engagement and satisfaction at all levels and the creation of incense catered to individual needs and purposes.

Create your own custom fragrance at https://www.cycle.in/custom-incense-products.

TECNO Revolutionizes the Budget Segment by Launching the Segment-First Largest Screen with Spark Go Plus

* TECNO SPARK Go Plus brings a Super Big 6.52” HD+ Dot Notch display, massive 4000mAh battery, AI-enabled 8-MP selfie camera & and fingerprint sensor at just INR 6299

* With TECNO SPARK Go Plus, the company strengthens its ‘For India’ philosophy by introducing a product that is customised to enhance the life of the local Indian consumers

TECNO, the global premium smartphone brand, today launched 2020’s first smartphone ‘SPARK Go Plus’ for India market.  With the new product, the company became the first player in the 5-7K segment to provide a giant 6.52-inch HD+ screen. The large screen will now give the first-time buyers and those upgrading to a smartphone a best-in-class, immersive viewing experience.

And it does not stop there! Priced at INR 6299, TECNO Spark Go Plus is loaded with class-leading features like modern Dot-Notch design, a full vision + full horizon (20:9) aspect ratio with category-defining 480 Nits brightness, a massive 4000 mAh battery, AI-powered 8MP rear camera with a dual flashlight +8MP selfie camera with front flash backed by a powerful Quad-Core 2.0 GHz CPU processor, face unlock and smart fingerprint scanner, 2GB RAM and 32GB ROM along with Android 9.0-Go version .  The product is designed to cater to the needs of the  ‘Greater Bharat’ which is on the verge of transformation. They are the aspiring, value-seeking consumers who want a taste of the premium features at an affordable pricing.

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Arijeet Talapatra, CEO, TRANSSION India said“Stepping into 2020, TECNO will continue to focus on ‘For India’ smartphones to disrupt the entry level and mid-budget markets with products customized to cater to Indian sensibilities in a better way. From that standpoint, Spark Go Plus will help us reach out to our customer base with a phone that is customized to meet the needs of the citizens of new Bharat. This phone is an embodiment of our relentless effort to reach every possible consumer in tier three and below markets from where the next wave of smartphone revolution will emerge. As per Counterpoint report, following the launch of “SPARK’ series of smartphones in Aug’19, TECNO has joined the elite ‘Top 5 smartphone brands’ club in the INR 5,000-7,000 offline category. In 2020, we will further consolidate our position to build a strong portfolio across 5-15K smartphones category providing customers with a wide range of options across price points.”

Key USP’s of SPARK Go Plus which makes it a ‘Big B’ of budget smartphones

* Big Entertainment on Super Big Screen in the segment

SPARK GO PLUS has Super Big 16.56cm (6.52) HD + DOT NOTCH display coupled with 89.5% screen to body ratio and 20:9 aspect ratio. The immersive display will add new spark to your movie watching and gaming experience. So, flaunt in style and enjoy your BIG entertainment anytime, anywhere.

* Big Security for safe user experience

TECNO SPARK GO PLUS’ comes with enhanced big security for you with the Fingerprint Sensor, which unlocks the device in 0.27seconds. It can perform other functions also like accept calls, record calls, click pictures and dismiss alarm. Also, it comes with Face Unlock 2.0 which is even further secured as it prevents the phone to get unlocked with closed eyes. So, be rest assured now, SPARK GO PLUS is big on security!

* Big flashlight for enhanced camera experience

Spark Go Plus comes with 8MP AI Rear camera with Dual flash which makes your pictures clear and crispier, even in low light. Also, it has 8MP AI Selfie Camera with Front Flash with 7 level AI beauty mode to give an artistic touch to your selfie. So, get ready to hog the limelight.

* Bigger Storage

Spark Go Plus has 32GB internal memory which lets you effortlessly keep a track of every little detail in your life. So, go BIG in your infotainment and make a BIG Impression.

* Big Battery that lasts long

TECNO SPARK GO PLUS comes with a 4000 mAh high-density large capacity battery. Once fully charged, it will run for the whole day. With Spark Go Plus, you can watch 6 hours of videos, enjoy 110 hours of music, play games for 6.9 hours, browse the web for 5.7 hours, call for 26 hours, standby time 343 hours. So, go all-out on BIG Multi-tasking, specially for you. The big battery comes with other AI features like AI power saving, full charge alert and automatically cuts the power when phone is fully charged to avoid overcharging. So, put all your worries to rest, now.

* Bigger value & availability

TECNO Spark Go Plus  is available in two attractive colour schemes- ‘Hillier Purple’ and ‘Vacation Blue’. Priced at INR 6299 (MOP) the phone is available for purchase at 35000 retail touchpoints across PAN India staring from today.

* Big Offers  In line with the brand philosophy of ’Expect More’, TECNO has been consistently pushing the envelope to deliver to the customers a complete ‘Smartphone experience’.  TECNO SPARK Go Plus is a complete ‘Value Package’ which along with the ‘All-rounder’ smartphone brings in the combination of unique offers

Tata Motors Kick-Starts the Year 2020 with An All-New Product Portfolio

Highlights

* All set to transition into BSVI from January onwards
* To showcase an extensive range of future commercial and passenger vehicles at the Auto Expo 2020

Tata Motors, one of India’s leading automobile manufacturer, is all set to roll out a product offensive in 2020. The company today announced that it will commence the introduction of its all-new BSVI range of products with passenger vehicles, starting from January 2020. This will be demonstrated by a grand showcase with 4 global unveils, 14 commercial and 12 passenger vehicle displays at the upcoming Auto Expo 2020, at Greater Noida.

Tata Motors has entered its 75th year in 2020 with a rich legacy in contributing to the nation. It is building a sustainable future by providing aspirational, innovative mobility solutions for a Connected India. This intent will be represented as the theme at the Tata Motors’ pavilion.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Guenter Butschek, CEO and MD, Tata Motors said, “We are delighted to announce the theme for our pavilion at the Auto Expo 2020 - Connected India: Responsible and Sustainable Mobility Solutions. This theme will bring alive our future focus on CESS, which is - Connected, Electric, Shared and Safe. The future of efficient, green, sustainable mobility solutions needs to translate into reality. As a responsible corporate, we are doing every bit to contribute to this agenda and are gearing up to bring a new generation of products faster to market. We are excited to unveil our extensive range of future portfolio at the Auto Expo 2020 which are not only BSVI ready, but are designed and developed to truly enhance the value proposition for our aspiring customers.”

Tata Motors is building a common Connected Vehicle Architecture, which will serve the entire portfolio across Commercial, Passenger and Electric Vehicles, to enable the extended digital eco-system of its customers. The Electric vehicles will support the government's e-vision of promoting a clean and green India. To leverage the Shared mobility ecosystem, Tata Motors will be providing innovative solutions in people and goods transport. In support of the Indian growth story, it will provide the safest range of vehicles to set new industry benchmarks.

In addition to product showcases, the Tata Motors pavilion at Auto Expo 2020 has been conceptualised and designed to provide visitors with an interactive experience. With the help of an engaging digital interface, customers visiting the hall will indulge in games and stand a chance to win an exciting experience like never before. As part of its sustainability mission, the company has also taken steps like going paperless and increased the green cover at the pavilion. Keeping the growing start-up culture in mind, Tata Motors will use this platform to also crowd source and engage with the start-up communities.

Ready for the new portfolio transition

BSVI transition has been the single largest focus area for Tata Motors. It established a state-of-the-art ‘Advance Power Systems Engineering Tech Center’ at its Engineering Research Center (ERC) Pune, which has played a key role in engineering, testing and developing cutting-edge powertrain solutions for its product portfolio, including comprehensive electrification.

Rather than limiting the scope to only emission migration, the company has streamlined its portfolio with enhanced features, offering superior performance and added value enhancers for the benefit of the customers.

The deployment of modular product architecture across its vehicle platforms has ensured a higher commonisation of parts, quicker time to market and lower costs for its vast range of offerings.  The company is ready with its entire range of drivetrain combinations, including gasoline, diesel & CNG engines with manual, automatic and automated-manual transmissions for BSVI emission norms.

Mr. Rajendra Petkar, President & CTO, Tata Motors said, “The Tata Motors team has tirelessly worked towards a seamless transition to the BSVI regime. With the customer at the centre of our plans, we have designed & engineered our products keeping in mind the duty cycles and growing aspirations. From January 2020 onwards we will be introducing over 100 lead models with over 1000 variants. These will cover options of powertrain combinations, body styles, chassis configurations plus technologies imbibing connected, electric, shared and safety. Significant front loading of activities, use of digital product development tools and early involvement of globally reputed technology & supplier partners has helped us to accelerate the portfolio migration.”