India #2 for Rail Europe

India has managed to climb to number two position in terms of turnover for Rail Europe this year, says Florence Pasquier, Chief Commercial Officer, Rail Europe. She is excited about the growth form the market in the new year

Hazel Jain

Florence Pasquier, Chief Commercial Officer at Rail Europe, recently visited India to reconnect with key trade partners after a long gap. “It has been an amazing year in India for Rail Europe and we owe it all to our network of GSAs. We have 10 GSAs here in India, some of whom have been with Rail Europe for the last 20 years. We have a very strong network here and they are all using our APIs, making them extremely tech-savvy. As we know, many B2B markets are still hybrid and not fully digital, and that is where we need the expertise of GSAs. India is one of the rare markets that is highest in B2B business for us — almost entirely B2B business. This reflects the dynamism of our partners and our network,” she says.

Underlining this with numbers, she reveals that this year India managed to climb to number two position in terms of turnover, just behind the US. “It is normally always in the top five or top six. But this year has been very strong and we did even better than 2019, in fact we did  plus 9 per cent,” Pasquier adds, attributing this success entirely to the travel agents. She is expecting a minimum of 10 per cent increase next year from the India market.

Training is important

Rail Europe has successfully managed to train more than 5,000 agents this year together with its NTO partners and GSAs. “We have visited more than 20 cities already this year through roadshows. In addition, we conduct webinars every month. Education is key and it’s one of the reasons for our success here – it is because of our network in India, our local marketing, education, and, of course, technology,” Pasquier says.

New products for promotion

Pasquier believes there is still a lot of scope for growth and plenty of opportunity for the company in India. “India is a dynamic market. Indians love to travel, and they love Europe. That is why we are working closely with all the NTOs here like France, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, to inspire Indians to travel to new places, or travel differently to the same place in Europe, or even combine different countries with Rail Europe. We will add new products soon. We are adding the Austrian Railways, which will prove to be a key product in India. We will also add Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and a bit of Denmark, offering the possibility to combine journeys,” Pasquier adds.

Changing travel behaviour

Highlighting some shifts in the way travellers from India make travel bookings, Pasquier notes that one growing trend is point-to-point journeys. “The Swiss Travel Pass remains an iconic and strong product in India. Switzerland is beautiful and there is a lot to see. We also have a lot of repeat travellers to Switzerland. So, that remains the number one product for us. But we are also selling a lot of French, Italian, and Spanish, and, of course the Eurostar between London and Paris. All these products are growing in popularity,” she adds.

Rail Europe is also working to promote group travel post pandemic. “We have big numbers from groups from India and we are now trying to add more segments – with certain groups we are doing only coach. We are encouraging our partners to incorporate at least one segment by train. It’s more comfortable, convenient, provides a better experience, and is sustainable. So, may be keep the coach where they cannot replace it, but add one leg like London-Paris,” she says.