Tag Archives: Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is planning to build and operate budget hotels across the country, primarily focusing on tourist destinations. IRCTC is in talks with various state governments for the same and the company has earmarked Rs. 500 crores in the first phase of the project.

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is set to run a deluxe AC tourist train for Jyotirlinga and Statue of Unity tour on February 27. A spokesperson of IRCTC said, “In continuation of several tours, IRCTC has decided to run a deluxe AC tourist train on Jyotirlinga and Statue of Unity tour. The Jyotirlinga and Statue of Unity tour will start from Delhi’s Safdarjung on February 27 and will cover two prominent Jyotirling temples – Mahakaleshwar in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain and Omkareshwar along with the tallest statue of world – Statue of Unity – in Gujarat’s Kevadia.”

Amazon India has joined hands with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), allowing customers to book train tickets on the e-commerce website. For the introductory period, the company has waived off service and payment gateway transaction charges. Amazon is also offering 10% cashback of up to Rs100 on first booking while Prime members can avail 12% cashback of up to Rs120.

Today, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) e-ticketing service accounts for approximately 66 per cent of reserved rail tickets booked online. A total of 434 million passengers were booked through e-tickets on the IRCTC website in 2017-18, translating to around 132,500 tickets per day as compared to 40,752 tickets per day in 2016-17. Currently, the mobile app accounts for 20 per cent of the total rail tickets booked online in the country. There are several modernisation initiatives being implemented to improve rail travel in India, such as upgrading railway stations and signalling, expansion of the Wi-Fi facility, electrification of network, introduction of high-speed trains (like Train 18) and wider use of energy-efficient equipment, among others.  

PATA India Chapter has announced that it will organise The Tourism PowerHouse from August 5-6, 2018 at The Park New Delhi. The announcement was made at PATA India Chapter’s 7th Update and Outlook Meeting in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism at The Claridges, New Delhi, which saw in attendance, Rashmi Verma, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Chairman – PATA India Chapter; Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and MP Mall, Chairman and Managing Director, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). The PowerHouse will be presided over by Verma and Mario Hardy, CEO, PATA. Speaking about the PowerHouse, Verma said, “We hope to draw eminent speakers from all over the world to speak on contemporary issues like responsible tourism, sustainable tourism, marketing, digital marketing, etc. Eminent speakers will be invited from various countries who will be sharing global trends, initiatives and the best practices required to emulate in our country. We are hopeful that apart from the industry, state tourism boards, other organisations and stakeholders will also be participating because it is going to be a very useful interaction for us as well as all the stakeholders who have a stake in promoting tourism to this country.”  

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will be reducing the prices of luxury trains, informs Sarab Jit Singh, MD, Travelite (India) who recently attended IRCTC’s 1st Tourism Interactive Session with Travel Trade Partners and Associations. Singh informs that Ashwani Lohani, Chairman, Indian Railway Board, had a meeting with the major stakeholders in the travel trade, where he revealed this news. “Mr. Lohani is looking at rationalising the rates of luxury trains, which are extremely high at the moment. They will be starting the lowering down of rates with Maharaja Express. This is the first ever meeting by anybody from Railways with the travel trade. They had taken all notes and they will be taking necessary action which will benefit both tourism industry and railway board. It’s a very positive sign and we are very hopeful with Mr. Lohani taking such initiatives,” informed Singh.

The Indian Railway PSU, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has decided to start two new circuits of their flagship luxury train Maharajas’ Express, this year. These two new trips have been named as ‘Southern Sojourn’ and ‘Southern Jewels’ which will cover prominent destinations in West and South India. The Southern Sojourn will cover Goa, Hampi, Mysore, Ernakulam, Kumarakom and Trivandrum. The Southern Jewels will cover Chettinad, Mahabalipuram, Mysore, Hampi and Goa. Though the regular trip of these two new journeys will take place in September 2017 for this year, however two new tour circuits with a view to cater especially to domestic travellers are being planned during monsoon period of June-July 2017. The Southern Sojourn-Monsoon Special shall start from Mumbai on June 24, 2017, & stop at Goa, Hampi, Mysore, Cochin, Alleppey before terminating at Trivandrum. The Southern Jewels-Monsoon Special shall depart from Trivandrum on July 1, 2017, and terminate at Mumbai covering Chettinad, Mahabalipuram, Mysore, Hampi and Goa. Each journey shall be of 8 Days/7 Nights duration. The regular trip of Southern Sojourn will start from Mumbai on Sep 9, 2017, and Southern Jewels will start from Trivandrum on Sep 16, 2017. In addition to visits to monuments and sight-seeing at each destination under these trips, the guests shall have an opportunity to enjoy traditional cultural performances at Cochin, visit a Coir Factory and enjoy a cruise with lunch at Alleppey, savour traditional Chettinad Cuisine demo and much more on these fabulous journeys. Tariff in Indian Rupees has been introduced for the Monsoon Special itineraries. Lucrative offers to attract domestic travellers have also been planned. On the booking of first adult on twin sharing at full cost, …

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is offering an aerial view of Mumbai for 20 minutes at a cost of Rs 2,995 per person. IRCTC has tied up with private chopper company, Aman Aviation, which will use the US-made Robinson R-44 helicopter carrying three passengers at a time. To book a helicopter ride, passengers can log on to www.irctctourism.com. In the initial phase, the rides will be operated to facilitate an aerial view of the suburbs of east and south Mumbai. Helicopter rides for south Mumbai will likely be undertaken on Mondays and Thursdays whereas joy rides for east Mumbai will be available on any given day except Wednesday. Booking will be closed four days prior to departure of the flight. Thirty seats will be available every day.

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is planning to tie up with a string of self-help groups (SHGs) and include the famed culinary skills of Indian women to the food served on the country’s trains, in order to enhance its e-catering portfolio. The empanelled SHGs will be displayed on e-catering websites with their menu and prices. Passenger may choose meal or food items offered by SHGs and place the order. This will help in sustainable development of SHGs. “The proposed association with SHGs is part of our plan to empower women,” said IRCTC Chairman and Managing Director Dr AK Manocha. “The initiative aims to develop local communities and ensure all-inclusive growth,” he added. He noted that India has no less than one crore SHGs, mostly functioning in rural and semi-urban areas with 10 to 20 members (majority women) per group. “We plan to collaborate with some of them which are into making food items,” he added. “The finer points will evolve clear in the weeks to come.” Currently, IRCTC provides e-catering facility in all the trains passing through the most important 45 stations of Indian Railways. It also provides food to 1516 trains without pantry cars. The food is directly delivered by the vendor on the berth/ seat of the passenger. In its e-catering service which facilitates supply of food on ordering two hours before boarding the train, IRCTC is already in a collaboration with Foodpanda, KFC, Domino’s, Street Foods, Wimpy, TFS, Jan Aahar, Mio Amore, Alibaba, Cafe Lite, Hello Curry and Ratna Cafe besides IRCTC Food Plaza and IRCTC Fast Food Units. The e-catering facility allows passengers to have food of their choice at agreeable prices while travelling. …