Media Transasia launches ‘Travel+Leisure’, South Asia, in India

Media Transasia is ready to launch a travel magazine in the Indian market. The magazine, called ‘Travel+Leisure’, is licensed by American Express Publishing Corporation, a subsidiary of the American Express Company and managed by Time Inc. While it hit the stands in Delhi on August 24, it will be out in the rest of the country by this weekend.

This will be the sixth international edition of ‘Travel+Leisure’. The other five editions are published from China, Turkey, Mexico, Russia and Australia. There is also the parent edition in the US.

Payal Kohli is the editor-in-chief for ‘Travel+Leisure’, South Asia.

The Indian edition, which will also reach other SAARC countries such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Bhutan, will be a 160-page monthly magazine with a cover price of Rs 150.

The magazine will begin with an initial print order of 80,000 copies, but it claims to have already booked an advanced subscription of 19,500 copies.

Internationally, the magazine claims to sell around 1.3 million copies to over six million readers.

Piyush Sharma, CEO and associate publisher, ‘Travel+Leisure’, South Asia, explains that the travel magazine targets the sophisticated, modern and discerning reader with a high disposable income and consumption. “We have positioned it as a magazine for travellers and not tourists,” he says.

Sharma says, “‘Travel+Leisure’ is clear in terms of its positioning wherein it steers ahead of regular travel magazines by giving heed to the ‘lifestyle behind the travel’, rather than ‘the destination’, as the specific editorial thrust. Elucidating on this, he goes on to say that the magazine will make the South Asian traveller relate to it as a reader, regardless of region, nationality, etc.

The inaugural issue focuses on Goa. The cover story, ‘Goa Unseen’, goes beyond the usual write-ups on Goa and portrays it as a place that is a well-rounded mixture of the ex-Portuguese colony that it was and the modern tourist destination that it is now. Author and journalist Sonia Faleiro, who is a Goan herself, shares her experiences. Accompanying the article are photographs by renowned photographer Prabuddha Das Gupta.

With content sourced from the international editions along with localised content, the magazine is positioned as the apt guide for travellers based out of South Asia. This includes generating curiosity about new tourist destinations and rebuilding the charisma around all-time favourites.

Besides, there will be the usual fare of the latest trends in the world of food, wine, architecture, design, technology and luxury.

The magazine is being published on paper that is 50 per cent thicker than that used for regular magazines in India and claims to be the highest priced magazine in the travel space.

For promotions, the magazine claims to have spent Rs 3 crore on print, online and outdoor and, as Sharma says, the spends are likely to go up in the coming years.

© 2006 agencyfaqs!