Category Archives: Agents

FCM Travel Solutions, the Indian subsidiary of Flight Centre Travel Group, Australia, can now undertake various permissible outward remittance activities for travellers across segments(leisure travel, business travel, medical treatment, education, emigration and employment).The upgrade comes into effect post receiving the Authorised Dealer Category II (AD-II) license, as granted by the Reserve Bank of India. In addition, FCM Travel Solutions will be able to release/ sell foreign currency in form of multi-currency prepaid travel cards, currency notes and Travellers Cheques for visas, emigration and emigration consultancy fees, employment and processing, assessment fees for overseas job applications, students who intend to study overseas or seek to apply for proficiency examinations, international film shootings and medical treatments abroad. Gagan Malhotra, National Head, Foreign Exchange at FCM Travel Solutions India Pvt. Ltd. said, “We are pleased to be a part of the few AD-II license holders in the travel fraternity. The elevation not just widens the scope of availability of foreign exchange through different channels but also makes the pre-trip process more convenient and hassle-free for our customers. It will also help us seek better currency rates.”

Starting May, Pacific Travels has become the solely authorised visa submission and processing centre for an Iran business and tourist visa. The centre accepts submission of business, tourist and pilgrimage visas currently with a processing time of 3 working days. According to Nasir Zaidi, Managing Partner, “Thanks to the increased connectivity between India and Iran, the centre receives nearly 600 – 800 visa applications on a weekly basis, with corporate and tourist visas accounting for nearly 30 % of the total visa applications.” Pilgrimage visa though still accounts for the bulk of the visa application for Iran.

Thomas Cook (India) Ltd has carefully curated a segment to address the unique needs of mothers and mothers-to-be (mother and baby-moon packages) and incorporates the special interests of India’s women travellers with engaging experiences like shopping, sampling global cuisine while learning to cook it, as well and local cultural tours and rejuvenating spa-wellness programmes. Thomas Cook India’s Mother’s Day tour packages feature easy to access short-haul International destinations like Singapore, Dubai (including a stay in the resort destination of Ras-Al-Khaimah), Thailand, Sri Lanka, Oman, Maldives and Mauritius. Rajeev Kale, Thomas Cook India’s President & Country Head-Leisure Travel, MICE, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. said, “India’s Mommy travellers are clearly the next growth drivers and our product teams at Thomas Cook India have developed unique packages, personalized to serve their needs. We understand that the Protagonist Traveller of today looks beyond the ordinary & likes to customize her packages, which is why we have taken into consideration not just accommodation and sightseeing, but also exciting elements like water sports, local cuisine & cooking, shopping; equally safety and cultural sensitivities of each country.”

Trawelltag Cover-More recently conducted a Travel Agents’ Engagement Programme (TAEP) for travel professionals based in Jaipur. This session was attended by 70 of the leading travel agents in Jaipur. Dev Karvat, CEO-Emerging Markets, Cover-More Group conducted this session on the emergence of disruptive innovation and its impact on the travel industry. TrawellTag Cover-More started TAEPs for its clients and associate travel professionals to impart practical insights of achieving higher quality of travel ancillary sales, increased penetration and improve cross-selling skills, in the year 2013. Commenting on the TAEPs, Karvat said, “The TAEP initiative began 5 years ago with a vision to enrich pioneering minds in the industry. Today it is known to be a platform to enable our clients tap various ancillary revenue generation opportunities. We are delighted that many industry bodies like ETAA are coming forward to extend TAEPs exclusively to their members.” TrawellTag Cover-More has strived, to not only find opportunities where there were none, but also identify the right prospect to accelerate business growth for their clients. Therefore, making it a preferred partner for global assistance & travel insurance in India.

Thomas Cook (India) through its wholly-owned subsidiaries Thomas Cook India Group announced its acquisition of Kuoni’s global network of Destination Management Specialists, covering 17 countries across the geographies of the Americas, Africa, Middle East, Asia and Australia. The transaction will be completed post customary closing conditions. The multinational acquisition creates a strong global network that will transform the Thomas Cook India Group into a globally integrated travel services provider with the ability to leverage inherent synergies across its global travel portfolio. The agreement includes premium brands with expert knowledge of their respective regions, including, ‘Asian Trails’, ‘Desert Adventures Tourism’, ‘Gulf Dunes’, ‘Private Safaris (East & South)’, ‘Allied TPro’ as well as ‘Australian Tours Management’ and extends across 17 countries – USA, Canada, South Africa, Kenya, Namibia, The United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Oman, China, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia and Australia. Madhavan Menon, Chairman & Managing Director, Thomas Cook India Group said, “In keeping with the Fairfax strategic intent of fair and friendly acquisitions, our agreement to acquire Kuoni’s global network of Destination Management Specialists in 17 countries, provides us a significant expanded global footprint with enhanced presence in The Americas, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia- all favoured destinations for tourists and business travellers worldwide.” He added, “This acquisition is a strong reiteration that the Thomas Cook India Group continues to invest and grow its travel businesses globally with a view to creating strong value for its customers.”

Carlson Wagonlit Travel has launched a business travel solution specially designed for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in India called ‘CWT For You’. The solution will give SMEs access to CWT’s specially negotiated airfares and hotel rates, as well as added benefits like in-flight meals, preferred seat selection, flight changes and cancellations at no extra charge on various low-cost carriers. Typically these benefits can add up to close to 20 per cent of the ticket price. Geeta Jain, CEO, India, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, says, “Indian SMEs and start-ups have seen tremendous growth in recent years, with many expanding nationwide and some even venturing into international markets,” said. “Yet most of these companies have very little control over what they spend on business travel – a significant chunk of their total spend.” With no minimum spend threshold or applicable transaction fees, this new service is available through a web-based registration and is focused on giving these growing businesses access to some of the benefits of managed travel that larger corporations enjoy.

Garuda Indonesia recently hosted an Open House for the travel trade in Mumbai in association with Visit Indonesia Tourism Office. The airline has appointed Bird Travels as its GSA that has eight offices across India. The purpose of the event was to create awareness about the airline’s new office in Mumbai and informing the trade about the various opportunities available to promote Indonesia as a destination. Garuda Indonesia recently inaugurated its office in Mumbai. Product presentation was given to the travel fraternity to update them more on Garuda Indonesia Services and to promote Indonesian destinations beyond Bali. To enable passengers to take advantage of the summer holiday season, Garuda Indonesia is running a special return promotional fare valid for travel until April 26, 2017. Mumbai to Jakarta and Denpasar (Bali) all-inclusive Economy class return fares starts from Rs. 22,000 and Business class from Rs. 58,000. (T&C apply) The fares are available for purchase from the Garuda Indonesia, Mumbai sales office and the appointed travel agents. Garuda Indonesia’s Jakarta-bound service operates on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and is operated by Garuda’s state-of-the-art 162-seater, Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

Celebrity Cruises is eyeing the Indian cruise market for its newly introduced ship-Celebrity Edge, which will begin sailing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Eastern and Western Caribbean region in December 2018. Represented by TIRUN Travel Marketing in India, the cruise line has opened its early bird bookings and is luring the ultra luxury market in India. Talking about the expectations from the India market, Ratna Chadha, Chief Executive, TIRUN Travel Marketing, says, “We are not looking for the masses. It is those customers who see value in our offering and are looking for an experience that only we can offer them. The industry and in general and our distribution partners in particular are required to break the myths surrounding cruising in India. It is only then will people see the value in this segment, which is definitely not a niche product.” The new ship has introduced a new concept of Infinite Staterooms that take the entire room right to the vast sea’s edge, informs, Apple Woo, Head- Sales and Marketing, Celebrity Cruises. The ship offers 1467 staterooms with double occupancy capacity of 2918 out of which 918 are Edge Staterooms with Infinitive verandas. The ship also has 176 suites, an increase to 12 percent from Celebrity’s other ships, adds Woo.

The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), in collaboration with Visa International (Thailand) Company Limited, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Thai Airways, Thai Smile Airways Company Limited, and Department of International Trade Promotion, Ministry of Commerce, has launched the Spice Up Thailand 2017 campaign for the fourth consecutive year. The campaign offers special privileges for MICE travelers, such as 10 per cent hotel discounts, 50 per cent discounts for car rentals and airport transfers, Bt500 cash coupons for shopping, 25 per cent restaurant discounts, and 50 per cent off golf course green fees. In addition, other hotel, shopping, dining, wellness, activity and transportation promotions have been made available.  In 2017, the Spice Up Thailand Campaign is working in alliance with registered organizations with more than 60 exhibitions in total. Nopparat Maythaveekulchai, President,  TCEB, said,  “Promoting MICE-related business through adopting an online marketing strategy has been a significant tool applied by TCEB, aimed to boost the domestic and international market of MICE travelers. Consistent with the government’s Digital Economy policy, this will drive the growth of Thailand’s MICE industry, while also supporting the overall economic growth of the country.” TCEB has developed the Spice Up Thailand campaign together with five partners in order to promote and create awareness of the MICE industry overseas, as well as delivering a first-class experience to MICE travelers; in turn,  help to increase spending and encourage MICE travelers to extend their stay in Thailand. The campaign has been carried out for the previous three years and is continuously developing in terms of adding new privileges for domestic MICE travelers, and targeting the MICE industry in Asia, specifically CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) countries. In the previous year, …

AVIAREPS  has been appointed as the sales and marketing representative for  Budget Car Rental in India. Under the agreement, AVIAREPS will run a self-drive information centre which will enable consumers to book budget for self-drive reservations outside of India. Speaking on the occasion, Sandra Hutchinson, International Commercial Manager, Avis Budget Group EMEA said, “We are thrilled to be working with AVIAREPS on the launch of Budget Car Rental.  It is an exciting time for Indian travellers and adding a Budget Car to European and worldwide travel itineraries will provide the flexibility and enjoyment for a trip to remember.  With competitive leisure rates and more than 3,500 locations around the world, Budget is great value and an excellent choice for the international traveller.” The company will work closely with the Indian travel trade to tap the fast-growing outbound self-drive segment, informed,  Puneet Singh Pesricha, Sales Manager, AVIAREPS India. Commenting on the partnership, Joseph Fernandes, General Manager, AVIAREPS India, explained, “We are elated to be appointed by Budget Car Rental as their representative in India. They have a global presence and are well-known for rendering value for money. In addition, self-drive vacations have seen an upward swing in the recent years thanks to the growing inclination of Indian travellers who want to experience the freedom of renting a car when travelling overseas.”