AGENTS

“Tourism has mostly survived on the dynamism of entrepreneurs who have strived to make the industry the second largest in the country today. However, the government does have a big role to play in promoting the industry and giving it that extra push to help make it the largest in …

“We want that for tourism, the cascading effect of GST should be controlled. The five per cent tax levied on the entire package along with individual services in the package, which are taxed separately, should be done away with. This is making the package costlier for the customer. Secondly, tourism …

To stay relevant in the wedding space, one needs to evolve and stay ahead of the curve. Adopting technology in this space will make the process of implementation much more effective, says Mahesh Shirodkar, Managing Director, Tamarind Global. The wedding business is extremely demanding and customisation is required in every …

Ahead of the upcoming Union Budget 2018-19, the trade demands a higher budget allocation for infrastructure and hopes for GST reforms to ease day-to-day business of tour operators and hotels. TT BUREAU “We expect a higher budget allocation for the tourism sector to undertake extensive promotional activities, develop and promote …

Adding to the attractions’ spectrum in the national capital, Madame Tussauds is now open at Connaught Place. The attraction expects a footfall of 2000-2500 visitors per day. TT BUREAU Meeting the stars comes with a cost! The entry fee for adults at Madame Tussauds is `960 while for children above …

With 250 senior travel professionals in attendance, the second edition of Thomas Cook’s ‘The India Travel Summit 2017 – The New Age of Travel’ at Le Meridien, New Delhi, was a grand success. TT BUREAU Madhavan Menon, Chairman & Managing Director, Thomas Cook (India) The India Travel Summit was conceptualised …

Udaan India recently celebrated its silver jubilee in the industry and is set to expand its reach with new additions to its portfolio. TT BUREAU Boasting a strong reputation in the travel fraternity, Udaan India focused on FITs and then evolved by dealing with B2B agents and corporates. Udaan has …

Domestic tourism is said to be the backbone of the tourism industry. However, stakeholders feel that challenges like demonetisation, GST, lack of infrastructure, connectivity and advent of OTAs have stalled growth. SIMRANJEET S. ARORA Deepak Khanna, Chief Operating Officer Travel Boutique Online Challenges in domestic tourism are short-term like GST and demonetisation. …

STHI Group has been driving good amount of business from Tier-II and III markets and looks forward to penetrate deeper into smaller markets. TT BUREAU STHI Group recently hosted two roadshows in December 2017 as part of their regular activities for Tier-II markets. The roadshows were held in Raipur and …

Going by travel agents’ and tour operators’ jargon, it seems the tourism industry has become unwieldy in terms of ‘real time earnings’. Has the time come when travel agents should concentrate on special client segments? INDER RAJ AHLUWALIA “One of the mega trends in the tourism industry today is ‘specialisation’ …