TravTalk India Online Magazine
The time for Indians to see India has arrived. Never has there been so much thirst to see our own land as now, and it bodes well not just for the destination but also for the travel trade. Sudhir Patil, Founder & Director, Veena World, shares his thoughts on the subject as he gives out details on the company’s new campaign for group tours.
Hazel Jain
A remarkable thing happened when Veena World opened a few of its branch offices in November and December of 2020. It started seeing a good jump in bookings for domestic packages, especially during Christmas and New Year holidays. In those two to three months, the company saw more than 500 passengers travelling with them on an individual basis to various parts of India. “This was not just over the weekends but for a proper seven-day itinerary. Maharashtra and Gujarat are the top two states that are showing a high propensity to travel,” says Sudhir Patil.
This gave the team at Veena World an idea. Patil shares, “When we saw this uptick, we felt we needed to launch something new. During the Makar Sankranti weekend we launched a new campaign called ‘Dekho Apna Desh – Veena World Style Se’ borrowed by the Ministry of Tourism campaign title. These are escorted group tours for pan India destinations, keeping in mind state and Central government travel regulations.”
Patil explains that while there were travellers who were going to nearby destinations by road, his team noticed a large percentage of leisure travellers, particularly honeymooners, who wanted to take a proper holiday, take a flight, while observing all safety and security protocols.
“The new normal is that there is no need to tell anyone to take precautions while travelling. Everyone knows and understands that it is mandatory. Under this campaign, we decided to give one tour manager for every
group with 10 guests per group, so it’s easy to take care of them. Each group is escorted in small vehicles,” he says.
The company is seeing huge demand for packages to Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir, Kerala, Coorg, and Gangtok and Darjeeling.These range anywhere between five and eight days. “We also offer flexible date changes and cancellation options to clients. However, airline cancellation rules will be applicable to all packages. We also work with a network of Preferred Sales Partners. We are always looking to expand our network. We will welcome anyone who is interested in joining us as our PSA. We understand that we have to walk together in these times,” Patil adds.
