By Akash Raha
Conde Nast Traveller completed its first anniversary in the Indian market. The magazine was launched in India in October 2010. The anniversary issue of the magazine is on stands at a price point of Rs 100. Conde Nast Traveller is the third magazine from the group in India, after Vogue and GQ. Whereas Conde Nast Traveller is concerned, it is the sixth international edition of the brand.  Even though Traveller’s stay in India has been only for one year, it has been there for a long time in UK and US. MxM India got in touch with Divia Thani Daswani, Editor, Conde Nast Traveller to know more about the magazine’s year-long journey.
Q: Conde Nast Traveller has completed one full year in the Indian market. How has the journey been so far?
For my part, I can say this has been an incredible first year for Conde Nast Traveller! When we were launching it, we believed this would be a very niche magazine with a print run of about 15,000 copies. Our print run for the anniversary issue is 40,000 copies, just one year in.  It’s a wonderful reflection of the enormous passion for travel that we have in this country—and also the sophistication of the Indian traveller. But numbers aren’t the only thing that matter: the feedback has been tremendous.
Q: How do you think Conde Nast Traveller has fared vis-Ã -vis its competitors in India?
Readers follow us with an acute eye; they read us closely; they love the visuals; they take our recommendations seriously. More so than any other publication I know, Conde Nast Traveller is a magazine people save for years—it doesn’t become irrelevant or less interesting when the month ends. Finally, I’m very proud of the fact that some of the greatest writers and photographers in the world—from Suketu Mehta, Pico Iyer, Amitav Ghosh and William Dalrymple to Julien Capmeil and Prabuddha Dasgupta—have worked with us so enthusiastically. It’s the power of travel, really. It brings out the best.
Q: What are the content and product innovations you have done for the anniversary issue?
The anniversary issue is especially close to my heart because it’s our first India Special. This is an idea we’ve been working on for many months; in fact, ever since we started doing our research back in January 2010. We discovered that there’s a collective desire among discerning travellers to discover more of our own homeland. It seems the further away we go, the more we jet-set around the world, the greater the longing to explore India. So this anniversary issue is a tribute to our ‘incredible India’. It’s full of secrets and surprises from each corner of the country, from New Delhi to Tamil Nadu to Bihar to Mumbai. Even the international destinations we’ve covered have been captured by Indian voices. The lineup in this issue is superb; it’s been the collaboration of the great talent and hard work of dozens of people across the world, from Amitav Ghosh in China, Hari Kunzru in Los Angeles and Rashmi Uday Singh in Paris to Michel Figuet in Delhi, Julien Capmeil in Bihar and Ruskin Bond in Mussoorie. And of course, there’s a healthy dash of glamour, with Frieda Pinto, Tina Ambani and Rahul Khanna! Another favourite of mine is the photo essay featuring some of our favourite unseen images from the first year of Conde Nast Traveller—images so glorious we couldn’t help holding on to them. There are other innovations, of course, from a printing and production perspective, but to me, this issue is special because of the dozens of gems inside.
Q: What are the other campaign initiatives you have undertaken around your product to highlight your brand among others in the space?
I think the focus has been to create a magazine that appeals and talks to the affluent well travelled  Indian audience which is really been the biggest success story for us. Apart from this we have focussed on a targeted marketing plan via outdoor in key locations, targeted subscriptions program and of course working on the signature event which is the Conde Nast Traveller Reader Travel Awards. We also have a program to reach out to the key influencers in the industry by hosting small events.
Q: What do you think about the travel magazine space? Do you see it growing in the years to come?
As far as the travel industry is concerned, the future is India and China. Outbound travel from India is set to grow to 50 million people by 2020. Already we are among the top spenders in the world when it comes to hotels, shopping, food and nightlife—and of course, destination weddings!
Q: What has been the response to your anniversary issue?
The anniversary issue is already out and has received an extremely positive response on the newsstand. The cover price continues to be INR 100.
