Ancillary, the way forward

In an effort to stay relevant in the industry, Manoj Samuel, Director, Riya Travels, is providing ancillary services to clients apart from ticketing.

Being in the travel industry for four decades, Riya Travels is an established name. Manoj Samuel, says, “We have created a bond with our clients, who trust us to deliver the best services and we do just that. Thus, our experience and credibility in the market is one of our USPs. We are one of the very few companies to actually provide end-to-end travel solutions. Lastly, we have a wide network as we are spread across the globe.”

Samuel reveals that conventionally, 80 per cent of their revenue came from ticketing. However, he insists that future of this industry lies in offering ancillary services like travel insurance, foreign exchange, visa, airport assistance and many more. “We are encouraging our employees to take an initiative and to start cross-selling. That’s an unchartered territory,” he adds. The year 2016 turned out to be quite fruitful for Riya Travels. “2016 has been a year where the number (turnover) has grown and there has also been a realignment in the internal structure. In the coming year, we are expecting a great deal of growth in our other ancillary services. We are also promoting Riya connect so as to penetrate smaller business like queue ticketing via our online portal,” he informs.