Category Archives: Agents

‘Tour to Feast’, powered by Cox & Kings has been launched to introduce travellers to unique handcrafted delicious journeys across India’s most popular culinary destinations, with a slice of history. Each of these journeys is designed and accompanied by hand-picked experts who will take travellers through the evolution of the indigenous cuisines of each region. To begin with, ‘Tour to Feast’ will offer journeys across the most popular culinary destinations in India like Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi, Jaipur, Agra and Goa. Travellers can choose from an array of customised culinary holidays. Speaking at the launch, Debolin Sen, Head, Tour to Feast said, “Our distinctly crafted tours take travellers beyond just restaurant tastings, give a taste of a region’s culture through its cuisine. Whether you want to taste food through bazaars, food walks or home dining experiences, cook like a local or just curious to know about the origins of the most celebrated cuisines, we have all that covered under Tour to Feast which promises to offer authentic culinary experiences like no one else.” Karan Anand, Head, Relationships, Cox & Kings said, “We see a substantial increase in the number of tourists integrating culinary tours as part of their travel experiences. In India, each state has unique flavours, delectable cuisines and such amazing stories of bygone eras and their influence on food – the richness of these experiences needs to be presented in a very unique way and through a niche offering like Tour to Feast.”    

Yatra Online been chosen as the preferred online booking partner for reservations by the Hotels and Restaurant Association (HRA) of Gujarat. In a meeting held in Ahmedabad recently, the association headed by Narendra Somani, President, HRA Gujarat, announced that Yatra.com would be their preferred online booking partner and all bookings coming through it will be honoured. The association has assured travellers that they can make their bookings through Yatra.com and continue to enjoy their stay in Gujarat. Commenting on the announcement, Dhruv Shringi, CEO & Co – Founder, Yatra.com said, “We are humbled by the HRA’s trust in us. We share a long standing business relationship with our hotel partners in Gujarat and will continue to work closely with them to help with online bookings of hotels in the state in order to ensure that no inconvenience is caused to any of the customers making hotel reservations in the state.”  

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has announced a partnership with Ola to run a campaign from December 1 to 15, 2018 across 19 cities in West and Central India for its customers to win a trip to Singapore. Ola users will have to take a minimum of three rides and enter the promocode “SINGAPORE” to participate in the contest. Three pairs of winners will be selected and will be notified via email by December 31, 2018. GB Srithar, Regional Director – South Asia, Middle East & Africa (SAMEA), STB, said, “Ola is an integral part of the Indian consumers’ everyday lives. This partnership is one of our innovative marketing efforts to engage with the Indian consumers and entice them to visit Singapore and experience our diverse offerings. India’s millennials, for instance, consider the digital space an extension of their social circle, their friends and relationships. They are increasingly defined by shared hobbies and passions, rather than physical proximity or other formal connections. Our tie-up with Ola presents an exceptional opportunity for Singapore to showcase experiences targeted at these different ‘Passion Tribes’”. Shekhar Datta, Business Head, Ola said, “We take immense pride in building great ride experiences for our customers. We are pleased to engage with the Singapore Tourism Board, offering our customers a chance to appreciate and immerse themselves in the culture, cuisine and varied offerings that Singapore brings to global travellers.”

Rudra Marketing, along with the support of African Eden DMC, East Africa recently concluded a limited-edition Familiarisation trip to Kenya for seven nights, covering Nairobi, Amboseli, Lake Naivasha and Masai Mara. Nikita Rawtani, Founder, Rudra Marketing and Rajiv Chadha, Managing Director, African Eden, were a part of the trip, along with five agents from Mumbai, Pune, Surat and Bengaluru. The exclusive trip was targeted at travel agents who sell luxury and experiential travel with an inclination to learn and sell a destination known for adventure and wildlife. The hotels were carefully shortlisted specially, Chui Lodge, Naivasha which topped the list. It is set in the heart of a private 18,000-acre wildlife sanctuary and is nestled in an indigenous forest overlooking the Mau escarpment. Other hotel visits included Tamarind Tree, Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge, Amboseli Satao Elerai, Mara Simba Lodge, LOYK Mara Camp, and the Windsor Golf & Country Club. Highlighting the experience, Rawtani said, “Chui Lodge is Naivasha’s best-kept secret. This all-inclusive lodge has everything one can ask for and the food is a gastronomic delight. The morning and evening game drives, sun-downers, flower farm visit, bush breakfast and the boat ride arranged by Chui Lodge was an experience that will last for a lifetime. We plan to create many such enriching experiences for the travel agents by conducting subsidised Fam trips and give them hands-on-experience about the destination.” The agents also visited the Giraffe Centre and David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage followed by an orientation and shopping tour in Nairobi. Besides, there were several game drives and hotel inspections throughout the tour.

Skål International India has opened its 12th club under the name Skål International Srinagar that will comprise 21 members from Srinagar as well as Ladakh. Ibrahim Siah is the Founder President of the club, while Nasir Shah is its Secretary. The chief guest for the Chapter night was Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, District Development Commissioner, along with other eminent dignitaries. Hosted by Fortune Resort Heevan, the event was well-attended by the Skål India National Board and All India Club Presidents/Representatives. Ranjini Nambiar, President, Skål International India, informed, “Club members consist of hoteliers, travel agents, tour operators and adventure specialists. The state boasts of great ski slopes, apple orchards, houseboats on the 24 sqkm famous Dal lake and is an absolute safe place to be. All members worldwide are welcome to interact with the Skålleagues of Srinagar.”

The 5th edition of Travel Business Show, an exclusive MiCE B2B show, is all set to take place on Dec 1 and 2, 2018 at the Hyderabad Marriott Hotel. The two-day event will see networking and business meetings between approximately 30 exhibitors and 60 buyers from across the country. With an expected 1700 pre-scheduled meetings within two days, the event is aimed to provide the perfect platform for service providers, destinations and hotels to connect with selected MiCE operators and agents participating in the event.

Cox & Kings India is now promoting Qatar as the group’s new preferred destination. The marketing and promotion campaign comes as part of a strategic partnership with Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) aimed at boosting the destination’s profile to attract luxury, business and independent travellers to visit Qatar. Rashed AlQurese, Chief Marketing and Promotion Officer, QNTC, commented, “We are pleased to be partnering with Cox & Kings group for the destination’s first-ever integrated campaign in India. Qatar is an easily accessible destination within a few hours from most Indian cities making it an attractive destination for travellers looking for short city getaways or a convenient stopover when heading further West.” In Qatar, Cox & Kings group is offering visits to tourism hotspots and activities that explore both the traditional and contemporary sides of the destination. Karan Anand, Head-Relationships, Cox & Kings said, “Qatar is an easily accessible destination within a few hours from most Indian cities. Every week, there are 176 flights connecting Indian cities to Doha offered by Qatar Airways as well as IndiGo, Jet Airways and Air India Express. Since January this year, Qatar has welcomed more than 335,922 Indian visitors till October, representing a 25 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.” Every week, there are 176 flights connecting Indian cities to Doha offered by Qatar Airways as well as Indigo, Jet Airways and Air India Express. Since January this year, Qatar has welcomed more than 335,922 Indian visitors till October, representing a 25 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands has awarded VFS Global the global tender to provide visa services in eight out of nine regions worldwide. It will operate for the Netherlands government in Africa, North America, Central and South America, Asia and Pacific, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Western Europe, and India. VFS Global has worked with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since 2006 and will provide Schengen visa services, Caribbean visa services, long-stay national visas, Dutch Travel Documents and Civic Integration Exams under the new contract. Chris Dix, Head—Business Development, VFS Global, said, “VFS Global is delighted that we will continue to serve the Netherlands Government. We have enjoyed a strong partnership with the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs for well over a decade, and welcome this opportunity to enhance our service capabilities on their behalf. We look forward to opening our facilities in 40 new locations to offer Netherlands visa applicants best-in-class visa solutions and a seamless application process.” Since August 2018, VFS Global has signed visa service contracts with nine existing and new clients, and governments from Europe to extend their visa service network. This includes contracts to provide additional visa services for client governments such as Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Slovenia, Slovakia and The Czech Republic.

Travstarz Global Group has announced their entry into cruises by partnering with Genting Cruise Lines as their new Preferred Sales Agent (PSA) for both Dream Cruises and Star Cruises. Announcing the development, Pankaj Nagpal, MD, Travstarz Global Group, said, “We had been eyeing the cruise business for some time now and are elated with our new partnership with Dream Cruises and Star Cruises. This completes our product portfolio as we will get cruises on our online reservation system in.rezb2b.com which already has flights, hotels, tours, transfers, insurance and visas. “Cruising is definitely picking up at a fast pace in India and we hope to see some robust numbers from our Cruise vertical as well. We already have Vani Singh with us who had been a part of Star Cruises in the past and will help drive this vertical, along with Ramanpreet Singh, our GM – Sales, in North and East India and Hema Manghnani leading the team in Mumbai for West and South India. I would specially like to thank Michael Goh,  Naresh Rawal and the entire Genting C ruise Lines team for their faith and trust in Travstarz and look forward to a long partnership”. Naresh Rawal, VP – Sales, GCL, said, ‘Travstarz is one of the fastest growing B2B company in India and we are very glad to have them onboard with us. We are sure that with their dedicated approach and a strong top leadership, this partnership will prove mutually beneficial for us. We assure our full support to Travstarz Team and wish them luck in this new endeavour.”

FCM Travel Solutions, the Indian subsidiary of Flight Centre Travel Group Australia, has launched its two new stores in prime locations of Nashik and Aurangabad in Maharashtra. This strategic expansion augments FCM Travel Solutions’ distribution and reach to seven outlets in the state of 40 Travel Money outlets and 32 Travel Tours stores across India. FCM has identified Maharashtra as a high-potential market and the company has thus chosen Nashik and Aurangabad and the state as a key driver of its all-around strategic plan. This includes focused expansion in viable metros/mini-metros and tier II and III markets of Maharashtra, and offering consumer-empowering Product-Service portfolio. Commenting on the aggressive expansion, Gagan Malhotra, Vice President- Foreign Exchange, FCM Travel Solutions, India, says, “The latest additions in Nashik and Aurangabad is a reinforcing of our strategic intent at FCM Travel Solutions- to expand our footprint across key markets. Maharashtra has been a powerhouse in our success story and these new outlets in prime retail locations will take us a step closer to our consumers’ doorstep! With our distinctive and innovative consumer-centric services witnessing a strong uptake, our foreign exchange business is witnessing an impressive 133 per cent growth over last year.”