TravTalk India Online Magazine
The OTOAI Convention in Russia left an indelible mark on the minds of the delegates who attended the event and the knowledge sessions at the convention were about more than just telling the attendees what to do to boost their business. They focused on elevating the membership, not just in terms of sharing knowledge on Russia, but also sharing best practices and knowing how to fill the gaps.
Nisha Verma
A panel discussion was held taking forward the convention’s theme — Fast Forward Future – The Intelligent Travel — which saw dignitaries from all sectors of travel industry share their views. Moderated by SanJeet, Director, DDP Group, the discussion touched upon a number of issues and presented the offerings by Moscow City Tourism Committee for the trade, while stakeholders from the industry shared their product advantage and how they are catering to the trade. Aptly titled ‘Connected Travel: Building Speed, Safety & Scale for the Intelligent Traveller’, the panel saw a lot of engagement with the trade.
Tech plays big role
SanJeet asked Anastasia Popova, Head of Business Tourism Development Department, Moscow City Tourism Committee, about their navigation tools and how effective they are in the complex city of Moscow. Starting by defining intelligent traveller, she said, “What makes intelligent traveller different is the information and the level of preparation, as well as a desire to make it special. Moscow is one of the most developed metropolises, which pays a lot of attention to sharing information. While this information can be available on many platforms, what makes this service special is personalisation. Response is a digital ecosystem in Moscow and Russia, which has personalisation at its core, and has transformed from being a travel planning service into a digital ecosystem.
“Apart from offering B2C services, it also offers B2B services and uses AI to offer personalised information. One can find partners for their companies, including hotels, tour operators, and other service providers. You can use this platform to bring groups to Moscow. We have even created a partner service for MICE industry where one can find many hotels using a filter. It is easy and convenient, making it the best service for travellers and travel companies.” India market
Claiming that the India market is the second largest market in terms of tourist flow for them, Popova revealed, “We see that the growth is 40 per cent as compared to 2023 and 2024. To boost the numbers, we use many initiatives — business meetings, familiarisation trips, and participation in travel fares.
What makes a destination click?
When asked what makes one destination attract more tourists than another, Rahim Aslam, Founder & Consultant, OA GLOBE DMC, shared that accessibility does the trick for Indians. “Today, Russia has made it easy for Indian travellers in terms of visas and flexibility, which is the most important thing to choose a destination and sell. The country is the best example, offering fantastic flight connectivity and electronic visa. In fact, in terms of MICE, I can see it as one of the top 5 for the Indian market,” he claimed.
Unified approach
Agreeing with Aslam’s view, Irshad Dadan, Director, OneAbove, claimed that to cater to all types of clients, they are collaborating with a variety of stakeholders and creating a one-stop shop for the travel industry. “We are trying to connect with every possible vendor and put them through the APIs. All the hotels are there on the platform through the APIs and bed managers. However, we are also trying to connect all the suppliers, as well as putting insurance on the platform. As a DMC, we are trying to include insurance from our side because until that is not a compulsion at a destination, people will not take it,” he revealed.
Make insurance integral
Insurance is vital for travellers. Are agencies doing enough on this front? Commenting on the issue, Dev Karvat, Founder & CEO, Asego, said, “We have got better than what we were 10–15 years ago. There is awareness now that it is an essential and revenue-generating product. But are we doing enough? I don’t think so. The industry is always talking about the number of tickets, hotels, or visas. However, insurance is not considered high priority. Unless it is a high priority for travel agency owners, they can’t get every customer to buy an insurance product.”
Working in tandem
OTOAI signed an MoU with VFS Global at the convention as well. This initiated structured dialogue with the Moscow City Tourism Committee and other Russian travel partners, laying the foundation for strengthening long-term cooperation between the two nations and creating a structured framework for future collaborations.Sharad Gowani, Regional Head – West & South India, VFS Global, also addressed the panel and shared that while they work closely with the travel trade, things in their business depend on how the embassies function.
