Category Archives: Agents

Ark Travels, a B2B company specialising in cruise representation business, has penetrated further into the non-cruising space with the acquisition of Outbound Konnections, spearheaded by Anjum Lokhandwala, who will continue as its Director. Kishan Biyani, MD, Ark Travels, says, “I felt this was the right time to enter into the non-cruise space. Along with Ark Travels, we can have a bouquet of products besides cruises, Club Med Resorts and Europamundo Vacations to offer to their B2B network without increasing overheads.”

TAT India’s TogetherThailand digital campaign has entered today in its 4th and concluding week where the key theme focuses on new destinations in Thailand. Agents have to make an itinerary with 2 nights 3 days or 3 nights four days and post on social media platforms about Khao Yai / Chiang Rai/ Trat + Koh Chang/ Phangnga.   

The Globus family of brands is showing its solidarity to its partners by empowering them with vital destination knowledge. Realizing that ultimately one of the concerns faced by frontline sellers is not only lack of good destination knowledge but also it being present with them as a ready reckoner of information and tips that can be used to convince clients. The Globus family of brands has therefore re-launched its destination programmes with ‘I Know South America’ and ‘I Know Europe’ certifications based on popular demand. Globus family pioneered destination specialisation in 2008 with the launch of ‘I Know Europe’. Varesh Chopra, Regional Director, Globus family of brands, says, “A vacation should be absolutely stress-free and unique for every traveler. This is where a travel agent steps in as a partner. We chose these destinations for the re-launch of our certification programs due to little knowledge on these countries and the fact that our opinion poll pointed out these regions as a top choice amongst sellers.” The programs were overwhelmingly successful with over 500 agents from India, Srilanka, Mauritius and the Middle East taking part in each session. Program attendees were put through an extensive training schedule over three days in May, June and August.    

MakeMyTrip.com has launched a new platform that will allow travel agents access to its entire inventory. Rajesh Magow, Co-Founder and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip, said, “We have built our inventory over the years especially in the hotel space. The idea behind this new product is to give access to this rich content to the travel agents. This B2B2C foray will allow agents to use our technology to service their customers. Agents will get a log-in and it will be at no fee at the moment. Any booking changes can be made on myPartner by the agents and our back-end will take care of that.”

Kaushal Bhuva, Founder, World of Vacations, believes that Thailand is a wonderful self-drive destination. “Firstly, Thailand is one of the best places to enjoy vacation. It is a beautiful and hospitable destination. Thailand is really popular among first-time international travellers, and a wonderful self-drive destination for Indians,” he said.

According to a research and analysis conducted by CAPA India recently, all funding options need to be on the table and fully explored by the Indian airlines to identify the most appropriate and viable for implementation. It includes the element of Original Equipment Manufacturing compensation. The industry’s financial challenges will become increasingly apparent from September-October. Promoters, bankers, private equity and the government are all unwilling to provide support given demand risk and uncertainty.

As part of the panel during a webinar on risk management recently, Anoop Kanuga, MC Member of Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) and Head of its Tourism Council, said, “Training existing talent to improve efficiencies will take precedence in the current situation. Digitization will play an important role and travel agencies will have to ensure that they are equipped with appropriate digital infrastructure to be ahead of the curve. Those who are nimble and are able to move quickly and address the changing needs of the traveller will emerge as winners in the long run.”

The Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), along with its Managing Committee, has decided to reduce its annual subscription for its agents by 25 per cent across the board in view of the current situation. Pradip Lulla, President, TAFI, says, “We realise that there isn’t much business for the trade right now. Keeping this in mind we decided to reduce our fee.” The association is looking to conduct its virtual convention in November and will shortly finalise the details.

Sharing his experience and perception of Thailand as a holiday destination, Rajeev Sabharwal, CEO, Gaurav Travels, says, “We have had wonderful experiences on our trips to Thailand over the years, whether it is destination weddings, MICE movements, or holidays with family and friends. The Thai hospitality and its cuisine are the reasons that make Thailand a great destination.”

Yatra Online has announced its collaboration with Amazon Business, in an effort to provide hospitality partners with products, catering to the hospitality segment.- Hospitality partners can access over 15 crore products ranging from commercial-grade kitchen appliances, home décor products, large appliances, consumer electronics, office supplies and much more with GST invoice and with discounts linked to bulk volume purchase. Commenting on this association Dhruv Shringi, Co-founder & CEO, Yatra.com, said, “We are glad to announce our association with Amazon Business to help our hospitality partners for all their daily and monthly product requirements. This is another step towards diversification of our portfolio beyond travel. Backed with our extensive network of hotels across India, we are moving ahead to extend our portfolio through seamless integration on the Yatra partner platform. Amazon has been a market leader in the e-commerce space and through Amazon Business, we want to offer an avenue to our partners where necessities are just a ‘click’ away.” Sharing his comments on the tie-up, Peter George, Director, Amazon Business, said, “We are happy to partner with Yatra.com and help its hospitality partners get access to a one stop destination for all their emerging operational needs. Amazon Business marketplace helps business customers conveniently discover and save on over 15 Cr products ranging from commercial grade kitchen appliances, Large Appliances, Home Décor, Office supplies and storage solutions and more with the added advantage of GST invoice for input tax credit and bulk purchase discounts. The partnership will help our sellers reach lakhs of hotels across the country as they kick-start operations again.”     This initiative is live on Yatra’s hospitality partner platform and is available pan-India. Extending the company’s purpose of …