Category Archives: Agents

Bengaluru-based OTA, Via.com has partnered with seven state-operated corporation buses to offer real-time online booking on its agents’ outlets, its website and mobile App for a range of State Road Transport Corporation bus services. Currently, it has tied up with seven state corporations, including Gujarat, J&K, Odisha, Punjab, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu and Goa. With this move, Via.com is expecting an increase of 30 per cent in its overall bus bookings by the next quarter. Currently, VIA sells bus tickets worth of Rs 10 crore every month. To increase its presence in the land transport sector, the company is also looking at tying up with other state-run bus operators, including Himachal Pradesh, Rajashtan, Uttar Pradesh and Maharastra in the near future. Apart from the state-run buses, Via.com offers bookings across categories such as Volvo, air-conditioned, non-air-conditioned, deluxe, semi deluxe, sleeper and semi sleeper buses. VIA will offer competitive prices on bus tickets through over 5,000 bus operators and more than 75,000 routes across India, the company said. Swaminathan Vedaranyam, Chief Executive Officer, VIA said, “We are seeking to strengthen our portfolio of offerings and ensure that we remain the one-stop shop for travel solutions. With this integration, we aim to open this channel for a section of travellers who are loyal to state-run buses to make life hassle-free and easier for them.” The ticket prices for most routes range from Rs 650-1500. From April-July 2015 to April-July 2016, the growth in terms of sale bookings from the bus segment has grown 3X on Via.com, the CEO added.

Thomas Cook Tours (TCT)’s Centre of Learning, also the education and training vertical of Thomas Cook (India), intimated its holding company that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between Sharad Nautiyal, General Manager Training, representing the Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation Limited and Smeeta Gulvady, Vice President & Head, Centre of Learning, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. in the presence of Hari Ranjan Rao (IAS,) Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation. Under the MOU, Thomas Cook’s Centre of Learning will impart training programmes – ‘Explore Madhya Pradesh’ via engaging learning modules to over 660 travel agents, covering 20 cities (Kolkata, Noida, Gurgaon, Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Pune, Nasik, Nagpur, Mumbai, Goa, Raipur, Chennai, Hyderabad, Cochin and Bengaluru) in the next two months. A qualifying evaluation will be followed post the training session and top 2 winners from amongst the 660 travel agents across 20 cities will be hosted for a 2 nights/3 days hotel stay by Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation Limited.

Thomas Cook (India), in its bid to improving tourist infrastructure and promote better sanitation-hygiene at tourist destinations has announced the pilot launch of pre-fabricated sanitary installations. Udhagamandalam (Ooty) was chosen as the first site for this initiative. The Thomas Cook India toilet units can be used free of cost. Abraham Alapatt, President & Group Head-Marketing, Service Quality, Financial Services & Innovation, Thomas Cook (India), said, “Through this initiative, we at Thomas Cook India, intend to improve the sanitation and hygiene of prime tourist locations across India. While the choice of location depends upon various factors like community need, land availability, clearances/approvals from local administrative bodies, availability of resources, etc., we are looking at targeting major tourists hubs to further the Government’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. We have identified prime destinations in India that receive high tourist footfalls but face a deficit of sanitation facilities for this.”

Travstarz Global Group continues its growth spree after India and Thailand Offices with the opening of its DMC Office in Mauritius. This was announced by Sucheta Nagpal, Director & CEO, Travstarz Global. “As we look to spread our wings further, we are always looking for Strategic Partnerships and Acquisitions with established local DMCs across the world to bring them under the Travstarz Banner. Travstarz Mauritius is another step in the direction. The Mauritius Office will not only be an inbound DMC for Mauritius but will also look after the Sales & Marketing of our Online Portal www.travelrezonline.com for the Mauritius and other African Markets”, Sucheta Nagpal added. Fardeen Ebrahimsaib, the Director for Travstarz Mauritius says “We have had a strong presence in Mauritius for the past several years with our own fleet of Vehicles, Permanent Airport Representatives and almost all major contracted hotels and we are very glad to be a part of Travstarz Global Group now, which in recent years has been the fastest growing Travel Wholesaler & DMC in India driven by the young and dynamic couple duo of Sucheta and Pankaj Nagpal”.

Destination Management Company Sen Travel Group has appointed Absolute Hospitality Services as its sales office in India and looks forward to servicing the Indian clients. The group services tour operators and travel agents worldwide. It specialises in tailor-made travel itineraries for both individual and group of travellers seeking to provide authentic experiences in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. The founder of Sen Travel Group, Tran Thi Xuan Nguyen is passionate about travelling and has turned this passion into business. The company aims to provide top quality and great value travel products to tour operators and travel agents in India. Team at Sen Travel Group is professional, dedicated and good at what they do. Their local knowledge and first-hand experience enables them to customize and create the most suitable products, itineraries and experiences as demanded by agencies partners and their guests. People still view Vietnam through the lens of war, however Tran says, “in reality Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos are blessed with fascinating natural beauty; tranquil village life, ravishing coastline, emerald-green mountains, breathtaking national parks, dynamic cities, outstanding cultural interest and above all the world’s best cuisines.” Anuradha Singh and  Randhir Narayan – Directors of AHS, welcome Sen Travel Group to the portfolio of International DMCs. Anuradha commented “we are always excited to introduce new destination & new experiences to Indian Travel Trade ”.

With effect from August 08, 2016, all applicants can schedule his/her appointment through Interactive Voice Recorder (IVR) across 24 hours, all 7 days at any of the seven Netherlands Visa Application Centres across India. The service will be available in English and Hindi languages and applicants can upgrade the appointment into Premium Lounge by just a click. Applicants can also check the status of an existing application on the IVR. Payment can be done through IVR Payment Gateway and applicant can also provide feedback through the system.

The global leader in guided holidays Trafalgar, is delving deeper into Asia with the introduction of three new destinations — India, Sri Lanka and Laos. Travelling in groups of up to just 26 guests, each journey offers clients an in-depth and intimate exploration into this part of the world where modern meets ancient. Boasting nine new itineraries and three new destinations, Trafalgar’s Asia 2017 programme features an expanded range of Mini Stays to provide agents with options to sell Asia’s most exciting urban centres to clients looking for an immersive city experience. The new 13-day Leisurely Rajasthan with Mumbai is Trafalgar’s first itinerary exploring the riches of India with stays in vibrant cities such as Jaipur and Mumbai and the chance to see how #TrafalgarCares is helping Delhi’s street children through its support of the Salaam Baalak Trust. Trafalgar will also be heading across the Palk Strait on the new 11-day Wonders of Sri Lanka. From learning how Ceylon tea is made to rehabilitating orphaned elephants with #TrafalgarCares, there is no better way to explore this tropical island. The bite-size South East Asian gem of Laos completes the trio of new destinations and features on the 11-day Secrets of Cambodia with Laos. Learn about the exceptional work being done at the ‘Lao Friends Hospital for Children’ with #TrafalgarCares and immerse in local customs at a family hosted dinner in beautiful Luang Prabang.

Cox & Kings has curated a travel guidebook titled ‘Dubai: An Experience’ that gives a glimpse of the city’s offerings and details about places to see, hotels and restaurants. The guidebook was launched by actor Emraan Hashmi and Karan Anand, Head, Relationships, Cox & Kings at Crossword bookstore in Mumbai. Anand said, “Dubai continues to be one of the most preferred overseas’ destinations for Indian travelers and caters to every taste, budget and age group. With the launch of this travel book, we want to help travelers plan their trip better and experience Dubai in a whole new light. The book is well attuned to the needs of both first-time and experienced travelers and offers in-depth information on hotels, attractions, restaurants and activities along with tailor-made itineraries for different periods of stay and interests.” The book is published by Times Group Books and is available at leading bookstores across cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, and Bangalore along with shopping portals like Flipkart, Amazon, and Infibeam.

Sri Lanka is emerging as a high potential incentive destination and corporate venue for employee incentive trips and business meetings, having witnessed an impressive growth of over 15 per cent YOY, with over 233,000 MICE visitors from India in the past six years, according to data from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority. Thomas Cook (India) recently hosted an exclusive corporate event in collaboration with Sri Lanka Convention Bureau and SriLankan Airlines to harness the demand for MICE travel to Sri Lanka across mid and large Indian corporates and SMEs. TCI’s internal research and consumer analysis reiterates the significant and growing opportunity of India’s corporate segment, with interest for Sri Lanka as a MICE destination having grown by 15-20 per cent YOY over the last three years. The exclusive corporate event in Mumbai was attended by the crème de la crème of the corporate world, Saroja Siresena, The Consul General of Sri Lanka in Mumbai, and Bollywood celebrity Jacqueline Fernandez.

After a 40-year break from operating product in the region, Contiki has launched an Indian itinerary titled ‘The Eternal India’ that will take intrepid young explorers on a journey through India: from Delhi to Agra to Jaipur to Goa. ‘The Eternal India’ trip is on sale now, with trips running from December 2016. The Eternal India trip will take place over 12 days, following Contiki’s more relaxed ‘In-Depth Explorer’ pace. Travellers get the chance to visit Delhi, Agra, Ranthambore, Jaipur, Udaipur, Mumbai and finally the beach paradise of Goa. It will include excursions to heritage sites, a safari and special stay at Ranthambore National Park and a trip to the world famous Taj Mahal. Some of the optional activities include a cooking demonstration and local family supper in Jaipur, a Bollywood tour in Mumbai, a tour of Mumbai at dawn and a Yoga class on the beach. Director of Sales & Marketing for Contiki Asia, Sam Morrah, says the new trip is not only a fantastic way to showcase India to young travellers from around the world, but will also help increase brand awareness in the India market where bookings to other destinations such as Europe have increased by 30 per cent this year. “It’s unlikely we’ll see many Indian travellers looking to travel on a Contiki trip in their own country. However young Indians will see just how many travellers from around the world choose Contiki to show them the best travel experiences and this will no doubt result in more young Indian travellers seeking to travel with us to other destinations,” he adds.