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Subject
CASE STUDY - 1

: Hospitality Management.

A travel agency is a business that retails travel related products and services, particularly packaged tours to customers on behalf of third party travel suppliers such as airlines, hotels, tour companies and cruise liners. There are three different types of agencies-multiples, maniples and independent agencies. Multiples comprise a number of national travel agency chains often owned by an international: conglomerate. For example, Thompson Holidays a national chain is owned by TUI, the German multinational. It is quite common now for large mass-market tour companies to purchase t controlling interests in a chain of travel agents in order to control the distribution of their products. This is called vertical integration. The maniples are smaller travel agency chains that serve particular regions or districts. An Independent Agency is a single entrepreneur unit that usually caters to a special niche market or neighbourhood. Its most important role is to be the on-the-spot neighbourhood advisor on travel. As travel has become popular, we see independent travel agents in most neighbourhoods. They are recognized by the attractive posters of tourist destinations in their show windows. They sell dreams and are important partners of different agencies in any travel plan. The diagram below illustrates the number of other agencies coordinated by a travel agent to give quality services to a particular market.

ROLE OF A TRAVEL AGENT The role of the travel agent is that of a retail agent that sells travel plans and services. Their main function is to act as an agent for travel related products and services on behalf of the supplier who are the principals or tour operators. They do not keep stocks on hand but requisition them from the supplier on demand by the customer. They approach travel principals to get cheap rates for the facilities they offer. Principals would be those travel partners like the airlines, surface transporters, hotels, etc. who provide essential services. Travel agents get better rates because of the volume of the business they give to each principal. The agent's profit is the difference between the supplier's price and the price that they quote to the customer. The difference is called the commission which may vary from 10-20%. They also provide access to the principals in those regions where the principals would have to make heavy investments to get access on their own. Travel Agents therefore provide the distribution network that the principals crave for. A travel agent's typical role would be to: 1. Plan itineraries for wholesale operators in their region, including arranging hotel accommodations, surface transportation and sightseeing tours. 2. Negotiate favourable rates with surface transporters to provide coaches for airport transfers, sightseeing tours and inter-city travel. 3. Negotiate with hotels for favourable room rates and meal prices for FITS. 4. Negotiate with art centres for cultural entertainment. 5. Negotiate fares with domestic airlines and railways for inter-city travel by the most economical route. 6. Coordinate with various tourist centres for sightseeing tours. 7. Develop comprehensive local packages for tour operators and individual travellers. 8. Provide information on national and international tours. 9. Arrange international and domestic airline, railway, bus, river boat, ocean liner tickets to the public consumer. 10. Arrange hotel accommodation. 11. Arrange city and inter-city tours. 12. Arrange surface transportation including limousines and coaches. 13. Organise local sight seeing tours. 14. Make arrangements for passports and Visas for foreign travel.

Travel Agency chains may offer additional commercial services such as travel insurance, travel guides, timetables, car rental, on-site exchange bureau, etc. Travel agencies give confidence to their customers by enrolling as members of the national association (e.g. Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) and IATA (International Air Traffic Association) who set their own standards of commercial proprietary. Travel Agency Revenue Travel agents make money through commissions from the various principals. Principals work with travel agents as partners. Such partnerships are formerly cemented in an agreement that covers the following: 1. The amount of commission. Travel agents get as much as 20% from the principals. 2. Discounted tariff that they can pass on to the traveller or keep as their profit. 3. Reservation quotas to freely confirm rooms, seats, berths etc. in hotels, airlines and boats etc. 4. Policy on cancellation of bookings with penalty clauses. 5. Advance payments from travellers for services expected. TOUR OPERATORS Tour operators create package tours or package holidays. It consists of transport and accommodation advertised and sold together by a tour operator to the vendor. Package holidays are organised by the tour operator while it is sold by the travel agency. Vladimir Raitz, the co-founder of the Horizon Holiday Group, pioneered the first mass package holidays abroad with charter flights between Gatwick airport and Corsica in 1950. By the 1950s and 1960s, these package holidays, which combined chartered flights and accommodation, provided the first chance to the middle cl3SS in the UK to have affordable travel abroad. The package tour market is now in the hands of few large tour operators such as Thompson Holidays, Thomas Cook AG, My Travel and First Choice. Under these umbrella brands, there exists a whole range of different holiday operators catering to different markets such as Club 18-30 or Simply Travel. The changing profile of customers has led to another concept called Dynamic Packages. This involves booking procedures that enable customers to build their own package of flights, accommodation and car rental instead of pre-defined packages. The advent of budget airlines, budget car-rental and economy hotels have given the opportunity to all with a modicum of disposable income, to travel creating mass travel as never before. This type of customer is called the Free Individual Traveller (FIT). INFLUENCE OF E-TRADE With the advent of the internet, the public has access to travel information directly. With airlines and hotels linked to global distribution systems or with proactive websites, travellers do not need travel agents Principals too are dealing directly with travellers and saving on the commissions paid to the travel agents. Many pass on the benefit of discounted fares to customers which would have otherwise gone to the travel agent. Travel agents have responded by developing internet presence on the web with their own websites. Such sites are complex and require the assistance of outside travel technology solutions such as Travelocity, Patheo and Open Fares promoted by Global Distribution Systems like Sabre Holdings, Amadeus and Worldspan to provide up to the minute detailed data on tens of thousands of flights, hotel rooms and car rental availability.

Some travel sites allow travellers to compare hotel and flight rates with multiple companies for free. They may also allow travellers to sort the travel packages by amenities, price and proximity to a city or landmark. Travel agents have used dynamic packaging tools to provide fully bonded (full financial protection) travel at prices equal to or lower than a member of the public who can book online. Travel agents in busy districts also negotiate quotas of airline seats and hotel rooms in order to give instant confirmations to customers who visit their sites. Earlier, customers had to wait for the confirmation till the travel agent had secured the seat or hotel booking from the principal.

Question : 1) Explain the role of travel agent. 2) Explain the concept of E-trade. 3) List the types of agency. 4) What is FIT and why it is called?

CASE STUDY - 2 CUSTOMER SERVICE BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER A SALE Before a Sale The first point of contact for most customers is over the phone. A reservationist of a hotel is the first point of contact for a hotel. 92% people feel their call experience will shape the image of the company over the phone. In a Mobius Management Systems Survey, the following were the results after the first call: 60% cancelled accounts with banks 36% changed insurance providers 40% changed telephone companies 35% changed credit card providers 37% changed internet service providers The question an organisation must ask is, "Am I one of those statistics?" A study done by Purdue University and BenchmarkPortal.com showed that younger people are more intolerant and likely to change their business to elsewhere. They need a 'Wow' experience to maintain their loyalty. People over 65 years were more demanding than middle-agers. Middle-aged people seem to have a better emotional account and are more likely to forgive. How can one know the age of customers over the phone? It is not possible. Therefore, the best way to ensure good customer service is to have a uniform customer-centric approach to every interaction. Telephone Manners The telephone we see is the preferred instrument of contact. It becomes J powerful marketing tool and therefore, needs some skills to be used effectively as a medium of providing good customer service. Here are some tips when answering telephone calls: Answer the telephone within three rings. A customer is impatient with a telephone that keeps on

ringing. It suggests" that the organisation is unprofessional and laidback. Identify the organisation by saying: "Good morning, Hotel XYZ, how may I help you?" Should an extension route through a telephone operator say, "Good morning, Reservation Department, how may I help you?" The Americans made such greetings more informal by saying, "Hi, Betty speaking, how may I help you?" The way one answers must be in keeping with local practices and sensitivities. The phrase "How may I help you?" shows care. The first interaction is like a handshake when two people physically meet. The cordiality shown at a meeting is the same that must be shown on the phone. Listen carefully to what the guest says. She hates having to repeat a request or instruction. Repeat the "statement to get it right. At this stage, it is preferred to get the name of the guest to personalise the subsequent conversation. The tone of one's voice is crucial here as the customer cannot see the server. It cannot be excitable nor dull and boring. The server should try to conjure up an image of professionalism and friendship. The best way to get the right tone is to smile while talking. The tone automatically shows warmth. A customer does not like someone very chatty. The customer prefers to do the talking and the server to do the listening. When responding to a customer's query, it is best to be short and to the point. Long statements can only confuse the customer. Often customers are too chatty themselves and speak about everything else but what they want. It is best, in such circumstances, to take control of the conversation by asking questions using the Ws and H What, Why, Who, Where, Which and How. Such questions immediately force the chatty customer to answer the question and get to the point. Do not rush the customer to disconnect. It gives the impression that the customer is a nuisance. It is prudent to be patient and a courtesy to let the guest disconnect first. Before disconnecting, thank the guest for calling and give any dates if required to call back. Remember to callback. With the advent of cyberspace, most organisations have their own websites which give complete information and contact for future transactions. The websites must be attractive and motivational for a customer to pursue the transaction. Home delivery is a potent way to 'lock-in' the customer. Airlines deliver air tickets home. Passengers can download their tickets. Hotels have the same feature with room confirmations. Customers can download their confirmations from the web. Restaurateurs have capitalized on this concept by delivering meals home thereby greatly enhancing their reach to a faceless customer. An important step before making any sales is acquiring product knowledge. A salesperson must be fully aware of every aspect of product and service features. A customer loses interest if the salesperson is unable to supply accurate information. Misleading a guest is also wrong. Sales persons must constantly update themselves on product and service information to be more effective. A hotel reservationist, for example, must know the features

of all types of rooms, hotel facilities, rates of products and services, options, etc. Guests expect the person in the front to be knowledgeable and will not tolerate any ignorance. Should a situation arise that a server is unable to answer a specific question, she -should be honest but promise to call back with the required information. She must call back thereafter. During a sale The above translates itself into behaviour that promotes the best customer service. Such behaviour is as follows: First Impressions: We have heard that "First impressions leave lasting impressions". The first impression sets the standard for future experiences. If the first impression is good, then it takes ages for it to be changed to a bad one. If the first impression is a bad one, then it takes a lot of effort to convert it into a good one. So the first impressions must be right to leave a good impression. In the hotel industry, owners build excellent edifices with striking landscapes and lobbies to create the first impressions. That is the physical dimension. Employees give the non-physical dimension. People who provide service should be immaculately dressed. The service industry stresses on grooming and hygiene. They control this aspect by providing uniforms. People serving must be dressed with well-pressed clothes that are clean. Then are the next steps of first and continued impression. Prompt acknowledgement: As soon as the guest approaches a person for service, she would like to be given attention immediately. This attention can be an eye contact, in the first instance, followed with a smile. Should the server be busy, it is best to say, "I will be with you shortly". This recognition and attention, as simple as it seems, gives the guest selfesteem and the emotional security that he is being attended to. A guest simply hates being ignored. If a guest is ignored then he or she will make a gesture to attract attention sometimes unpleasant. A smile cannot be underestimated_ A smile shows friendliness and puts the guest at ease. Friendly greeting: The server attends to the guest with a smile, saying. "Good day, welcome to (name of company), how may I help you?" Here, the guest has shown courtesy by wishing him or her the time of the day. The server is also helpful by offering help. In a global world there is another problem- languages differ. An English greeting may be alien to Japanese. However, the smile and gesture shows the greeting. It is more emotive than the words. A non-English speaking guest may reply in his or her own language. It is the cue for the receptionist to find someone on her team who speaks the language. Progressive organizations maintain a multi-lingual team in customer-end jobs based on the expected profile of guests. If the language-specific person is not in the team, then the future transactions would have to display warm emotion and helping gestures. Giving importance: Nothing is more important and precious to a guest than his or her name. It is important for the server to get the name of the guest immediately by simply asking, "May I have your name please?" Thereafter, it is vital for the server to address the guest by the name. It breaks down communication barriers and makes future transactions more personal. It also enhances the customer's self-esteem. Another way to give importance is to give full attention to the customer during that transaction. Listen patiently: This is a quality that needs to be developed in order to give good customer service. Listening is different to hearing. We hear a Lot of things at the same time including

the hum of the air-conditioner, chatter of conversation, slam of a door, etc. Listening, on the other hand, is deliberately giving attention to one. Therefore, Listening to a customer is a deliberate action giving the customer importance. Speak clearly: In a global environment, vocabulary becomes critical. Many hotels hire multilingual staff to bridge the barriers of Language. English is a universal language but regional centres may be handicapped with Language. It is important, therefore, to speak slowly so make sure that the guest understands. Communication is hampered by the use of jargon or official terminology. This must be avoided. A sentence Like, "I am giving you a twin room on MAP". This is not acceptable. It should be replaced with, "I am giving you a room with two single beds. Your room rate will include a breakfast and dinner, each day". The idea is to simplify the Language so that there are no errors in comprehension. Keeping Promises: In a server-customer relationship, some products and services often may not be immediately available. The server promises to satisfy the need at some future time. Good customer service means keeping the customer informed about the progress of that need and must fulfil it as soon as it is available. Take for instance, a receptionist who may not have a room readily available for a guest who has a confirmed' reservation. The server may expect a twenty minute delay for the next free room to be available. The receptionist should be honest about the status of the room and tell the guest to wait in the lobby. She should keep the guest appraised about the progress and allot the room as soon as the room is available. The guest should not be put in a position to follow-up with the receptionist. If a meal is promised in twenty minutes by the order-taker of room service then the meal" must be delivered to that guest room within the promised time. Guests dislike promises not kept. After a Sale A customer experience does not end with a sale. The after sale service is equally important that seals the loyalty to a product or service. Organisations that sell physical products like televisions, cars, mobiles, etc have After Sales Service Centres. The service centres provide support for faulty products. The way they respond to service requests make the final difference between a good organisation and a bad one. As the name suggests, the service centre provides service and must embrace all the qualities of customer service. Service after sales is the opportunity to rectify any bad feelings that a customer may have towards a product. How does the after sales concept apply to the service industry? A hairdresser may call his client to find out if she was satisfied with her hair style after she visited his salon last. He calls to find out if she needs any further modifications. A computer engineer may call the customer after a few days to find out if the computer was working to his satisfaction. The Guest Relations Executive may call a guest after he has checked out to find out if he had any suggestions to improve his stay. All these examples shows care even after a service has been provided. A customer would prefer to patronize those who care after a sale.

CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TECHNOLOGY Organisations are increasingly using technology to serve their customers better. They call the total process as Customer Relations Management (CRM). There are three aspects of CRM each of which can be implemented in isolation: Operational CRM

Operational CRM provides support to front office business processes including sales, marketing and services. Each interaction with a customer is generally added to a customers contact history which can be retrieved from the database as necessary. Such guest histories respond to customers in a much more individual way than in a 'blanket' manner. For example, when a guest checks in a hotel at the reception, the receptionist can pull up his history card and learn about a customer's personal preferences, habits and behaviour. A receptionist can respond by saying, "Would you like your favourite blue room facing the golf course?" A room service order taker can do the same when a guest calls for a meal by saying, "Sir, will you have the pepper steak you ordered the last time?" Customers are indeed astounded with such personal detail. Collaborative CRM Collaborative CRM covers all the technology used to interact with customers like internet, phone systems, speech translation systems, interface systems with suppliers, business partners and hotel associates. The objective of collaborative CRM is to save time and cost, and improve service. For example, a: hotel guest needing baby-sitting services would contact the housekeeping desk. The attendant is immediately hooked up to a baby care company through the net with rates, times and schedules to be able to confirm the service to the guest. Similarly, a guest requiring a bouquet makes a request to the receptionist who gets hooked to an associate florist who delivers the order. Hotels have associate hotels in the area and may need to check-in a confirmed guest into that property because of their own high occupancy. The receptionist is able to call up the room status of the associate on her computer to confirm a room there. Analytical CRM Analytical CRM analyses customer data for a variety of purposes, including: Design and execution of marketing campaigns to target markets. Cross-selling, acquisition, up-selling and retention campaigns. Analysis of customer behaviour for pricing decisions, new product development, etc. Profitability analysis of past customer sources for management decision-making. Credit evaluation of customers Predictive analysis of future customer behaviour. Question : 1) What are the service which are given to the customer during the sale. 2) List the various types of aspects of Customer Relation Management and explain any aspect. 3) Why it is said First impression is last impression. 4) Explain the tips while answering telephonic calls.

CASE STUDY - 3 HOTELS IN MODERN TIMES The advent of the industrial revolution in England brought ideas and progress in the business of innkeeping. The development of railways and steam ships made travelling more

permanent. Travel also changed from social or government travel to business travel. There was a need for quick and clean service. The lead in Hotelkeeping was taken by the emerging nations of Europe, especially Switzerland. It was in Europe that the birth of an organised hotel industry took place in the shape of chalets and small hotels, which provided a variety of services and were mainly patronized by the aristocrats' of the day. Aristocrats received their education by travelling through Europe for periods ranging from three to six months. They needed accommodation for these travels which was made possible by chalets and superior inns of the day. During this century, food drink and rest which were the combined services of inns broke into hotels, pubs and restaurants. Hotels in Europe, as we know today, began in the Napoleonic wars, providing accommodation for officers on leave. They were generally run by French refugees. Into the 19th century hotels became distinctive with ornate fronts, polished wood, brass and mirrors. A good example is the Red Lion, Ritz, Claridges and Browns in London. Rail travel in Britain produced bigger hotels like The Pancreas, Victoria, Charing Cross and the Great Eastern in England reflecting Victorian architecture. HISTORY OF HOTELS IN AMERICA With the discovery of the new continent, inns soon proliferated into America. Samuel Cole is credited with the opening the first inn in 1634 A.D., in Boston, called Cole's Ordinary. Inns such as this provided beer and rum and plentiful cheap food. Taverns and Inns modeled themselves in the European style. While eateries were established, the hotels came much later. The real growth of the modern hotel industry took place in the USA, beginning with the opening of City Hotel in New York in 1794 A.D. New York then was a busy seaport with a population of 30,000 people. This was the first building especially erected for a hotel and had 73 guest rooms. This eventually led to great competition between different cities and resulted in frenzied hotel building activities. The Exchange Coffee House in Boston came first followed by the second City Hotel in Baltimore, then the Mansion House in Philadelphia and the Adelphi Hotel in New York. These soon became the centres of social activity in their respective cities. At best these were ordinary lodgings for the middle class. In 1829, The Tremont House in Boston had the distinction of being the first luxury hotel in America. It was the first to offer private rooms with locks, a wash basin, pitcher and soap. It had a French restaurant and uniformed service personnel. This signalled the development of luxury hotels in the USA during the 1800s. The Grand Pacific in Chicago, The Palmer House and Sherman House in St. Louis and the Paxton in Omaha were such luxury prerunners in luxury hotel development. In 1874, William Chapman Ralston established a super luxury property called the Palace Hotel in California during the Gold Rush. It was built on the lines of a European palace with domed glass roof, marble floors, own water supply, fire sprinkler system and airconditioning. It had 800 plush rooms spread over seven floors. In 1908, Ellsworth M. Statler saw the need for providing accommodation for a new segment the business traveller. He created the Statler Hotel in Buffalo, New York, built specifically for the commercial sector. It involved big investments, big profits and trained professionals to manage the business. The Statler Hotel provided private baths and full-length mirrors in each room. His engineering, architecture and service ideas became the standard for future commercial hotels. The Statler went into chain operations and can be credited to be the first

hotel chain. In 1927, the Stevens Hotel, a 3000 room hotel (later renamed the Conrad' Hilton) became the largest hotel in the world. The depression in 1930 had a disastrous effect on the hotel industry, 85% of the hotels. went bankrupt. It was felt that the industry would never recover. One hotelier who kept afloat: was Conrad Hilton who made the Mobley, Cisco, Texas a profitable venture. The outbreak of World War II brought a tremendous upsurge. This prosperity continued through the war years into the fifties when two new concepts emerged: a) Motels and b) International chain operations. HISTORY OF MOTELS AND ITS FEATURES The first motels called tourist cabins were established in Western United States during the early 1900, when people began to travel by automobile and could not travel the long distances between towns in one day. Automobiles by then had come a long way from the first steam car in 1770 A.D., invented by Nicolas Joseph Cugnot of France followed by the car with the internal combustion engine by Jean Joseph Etienne Lenoir of France in 1860. These cars were the privilege of a few then. In 1885, Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz of Germany developed the petrol engine the forerunner of what we have today. The technology was brought to the US in 1890 by Charles and Frank Duryea. It was only Henry Ford and Eli Olds who created the concept of mass production of cars in 1908 that made automobiles a household possession. People were now mobile for long distances because of the car. Initially Motor Inns served fishermen, hunters besides vacationers in remote areas in the early 1900s. The great increase in automobile travel in the 1940s and 1950s led to the development of motels (short form of Motor and Hotel) situated at busy interchanges and on highways. Motels are also called motor hotels, motor inns' or motor lodges. The United States alone has over 20000 motels. Motels provide free parking facilities from which the guests can reach their rooms directly. Some motels have garaging facilities, restaurants and swimming pools. Over the years motels became chain operations and in 1970, we saw the budget mote with rates half that of regular motels. Budget motels have small rooms and provide fewer services. While most motels were 'mom and pop' shows with 50 to 100 rooms, a Memphis businessman Kemmons Wilson thought of standardizing motels into a chain operation. He created the first Holiday Inn on the outskirts of Memphis, Tennessee, which remains the headquarters of the Holiday Inn chain. It {had 126 rooms, swimming pool, free ice, free parking and dog kennels. It became a standard for all Holiday Inn motels. Holiday Inns today has 315,000 guest rooms and is expanding at the rate of one every two and a half days. The Holiday Inns, 1982 onwards, built Embassy Suites, Crowne Plazas and Hampton Inns which are segmented chains within a chain. The holiday Inn is now a subsidiary of a British Hotel group, the Bass Company. Another innovator was Cecil 8. Day, who in 1970, opened budget motels and saw an opportunity with the construction of Disney World and Epcot Centre in Orlando, Florida. 8y establishing a chain of motels around the modern wonder he created one of the worlds largest motel chain - the Days Inns. A modern motel will have the following standard features:

Rooms: The rooms are reasonably furnished with twin beds. Quality motels may have two queen sized beds recognizing that families travel together and need more bedding space. The room will have an attached bathroom with hot and cold water. The room is centrally heated or cooled. Facilities in the room will include an electric kettle with satchels of coffee, tea, creamer and sugar. The ensemble will have cups and saucers to serve two. The room will also have a microwave. Services: A contracted housekeeping will come in the morning to clean the rooms and may not provide turndown services in the evening. The floor, pantry is equipped with an ice dispensing machine; snack dispenser of chips and candies and perhaps a shoeshine buffer machine. There are no bellhops. Guests have to carry the luggage themselves. Most travellers leave heavy luggage in the car taking only carry cases into the room. We must remember that motels are not meant for long stay but are stops on long journeys to some final destination. Recreation and Food: Most motels are equipped with a swimming pool. A bar is an essential feature and may have an optional contracted diner on premises. This may be essential in remote locations. In locations besides a town or city, the motel may have a tieup with local restaurants that provide a home-delivery service. The reception may keep a range of menus of local restaurants and permit food delivery to the rooms. Those with a captive food facility may have an all-purpose diner that closes by 8 p.m. Motels recognize that travellers, especially families will bring their own food which they will re-heat in the room microwave. Check-in: Most motels have independent access to the room. The guest will have to pay for the room in advance at the reception and is given an access key to the floor where the room is located, and the room. The reception normally charge room bills to the guest credit card. Very few people in North America pay by cash. The process for check-in is simple with least fuss. There are ample parking facilities most often opposite the room itself in single storied structures. Initially motels provided garaging facilities because of car breakdowns of old cars. Modern cars are more dependable. Moreover, nowadays a petrol station may be found at shorter intervals down the road. Question : 1) How was the Hotel in modern times? 2) List and explain any two features of modern Motel.

CASE STUDY - 4 Future Trends in Travel INTRODUCTION Travel Technology experts has identified the following market segments that will travel the most: Global Executives: They are elite business travellers that want a private jet-type experience, predominantly from emerging economic markets such as Brazil, Russia, India and China which will see significant growth in the next decade.

 Active Elders: They will be the wealthy, healthy, older travellers, aged between 50 to 75 who will travel for cultural and leisure pursuits, driven by large disposable incomes . Cosmopolitan Commuters who will live in one city or small town and work in a metropolis. They will use fast trains or air taxis to commute to work. Global Clans who are people that will increasingly use air travel to visit globally dispersed extended family members that will increase due to the explosion of global migration for employment or study. SPACE TRAVEL Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson's space tourism venture, Virgin Galactic and the National Aemnautic Space Administration have announced plans to activate hypersonic travel between earthbased cities. The Cosmo Plane will be a successor to the Concorde and will. make adventurous travellers to go further and faster. Hypersonic speeds are five times the speed of sound. An aircraft flying that fast could theoretically reach London from New York in less than an hour. This will need the planes to fly at extreme altitudes necessary for hypersonic travel. A "budget rocket" is being developed by PayPal, founder of the internet financial services. The 68-foot booster rocket called Falcon has already blasted off from the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands and successfully arrived in space minutes later. This is the forerunner of a reusable launch vehicle that will take tourists into space by 2012. Constellation Services International and Space Adventures Ltd. are working to send manned spacecraft on commercial circumlunar missions by 2008. Their offer would include a weeklong stay at their Space Hotel, the ISS and a trip around the moon. The initial price would be $100 million but will soon reduce as re-useable transport is developed. We have seen that space hotels are a reality in the future. They will be connected by Space bus for transporting tourists and supplies to and from space hotels.

SEA TRAVEL Cruise Liners will be much in demand for the future. The romance with the sea will continue but with mega ships under construction. Four cruise liners-Carnival, Norwegian, Princess and Royal Caribbean-are expected to take cruise liners into a different dimension. The Norwegian Pearl a 93,000 ton cruise liner will have a simulated golf link and a climbing wall high above the waves for the cliff hangers! The ship will have a skating rink and a bowling alley with four full-length lanes and a sports bar with flat screen TVs, and an ultralounge experience. It will have ten restaurants, 14 bars and lounges and accommodation for almost 2400 passengers. The ship will sail the Caribbean islands and between Seattle and Skagway, Alaska. The Carnival Freedom will have 13 decks, 1160 foot long and 110,000 tons displacement will carry 3000 passengers. It will have exotic decor. Each public area will evoke a different era. London circa 1880 in the Victorian Show Lounge; 17th century France and the court of

Louis XIV in the Sun King Supper Club; a casino recalling ancient Babylon with the hanging gardens and the Ishtar Gate; and a Las Vegas styled strip. The liner will cruise the Mediterranean Sea. The Emerald Princess will also offer a 12-day itinerary in the Greek islands and the Western Mediterranean. The 113,000 ton vessel will feature amenities from a piazza-style atrium to a night club of 15 decks above the waves. Her 3100 passengers will have access to 11 restaurants, at least as many bars, and dozens of other public spaces. Other amenities will include an Asian-style spa, Gatsby-themes casino and Movies under the Stars on a 300 square foot outdoor screen above the pool. It will also have a fitness centre, jogging track and five-swimming pools. Liberty of the Seas, a 160,000-ton ship with accommodation for 3643 passengers will be the largest cruise ship in the world. It is longer than the height of the Chrysler Building, wider than the White House and heavier than 32,000 adult elephants. It will offer a seven-day Caribbean Cruise. The ship will have a five-story theatre, two storey discotheque, and 20 restaurants. It will also have a climbing wall, boxing rink, indoor skating rink, and a Flowrider surf park which uses a high-powered stream of water to create a continuous wave for ten surfers. While the above have been introduced in 2006, Royal Caribbean, a gargantuan 220,000 tons for 5400 passengers, is being planned for a launch in 2009. The cruise liners will only get bigger and more exotic holiday havens in the future. AIR TRAVEL The air travel industry is on the verge of a new era. Rising fuel costs, shrinking services, and a severely stressed air traffic system have called for a new solution. It comes in the form of Airbus 380 and Boeing 787 and microjets. The Airbus 380 is 80-feet high, 240-feet long and 260-feet wide from wing-tip to wing-tip. Like an airborne double-decker bus, the super jumbo jet will offer 50% more floor space than the largest plane today. It will carry 550-850 passengers (based on the model) making it the biggest passenger plane ever built. It will fly at 650 mph and can cover a distance of the range of 8000 miles. The plane will have a cocktail lounge, fitness centre, fullystocked duty-free shop. Some flights will also have an onboard casino. In addition, there are lobby-like lounges with sofas and big screen TVs, conference rooms with AV equipment and high speed internet. Private suites have a living room, separate bedroom and shower equipped bath. On the flip side are the microjets that will act as air taxis. Hopping a microjet will be as easy someday as hailing a taxi. Air taxis already exist using turbo-prop planes and smaller airports to provide on-demand service for regional travel. The future will have "very light jets" (VLJs). Outfitted with four to eight seats, these jets are designed to provide direct, ondemand service to destinations up to 1300 miles away. However, most trips are expected to be 500 miles or less. VLJs will opt to go to local and regional airports instead of competing with major air hubs. Often close to both home and destination, they are the kind of airports where parking is free, security easy and rental cars next door. Suddenly, resorts and distant weddings will be saved of cumbersome surface transportation to get there. They will be used

by upcountry business travellers and vacationers. Requiring a national blue skies policy, it will be an ideal vocation for individual entrepreneurs as microjets require only one pilot. The airline industry is already pursuing flying-cars and airplane-helicopter hybrids. Question : 1) Compare Sea Travel with Air Travel. 2) Explain the advantages of Space Travel.