Tag Archives: holidays

Viacation Tourism on expansion spree; plans to 100 stores in 3years pan India

Mumbai-headquartered Viacation Tourism Private Limited is keen to expand its presence across 100 locations in India in the coming 3 years.

Talking about this, Jatinder Paul Singh, Global CEO & Co-founder, Viacation Tourism Pvt. Ltd., said, “Over a period of 2-3 years, we want to have close to 100 outlets across India. Our idea is to build as a home grown full-fledge brick and mortar travel services company, pan India. Barring one or two, there is not a global Indian travel brand. We intend to claim the space over time since we know the business and understand the pain points. Our intention is to operate in the B2C space where we directly engage with the consumer.”

Singh was talking to TravelBiz Monitor at the opening of their new retail outlet in the Ghatkopar area of Mumbai, an all-women operated branch to tap the growing demand for holidays.

Viacation Tourism was launched in May 2023 in Mumbai with Andheri office, and currently has a footprint across 10 owned retail outlets – Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Raipur, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Amritar, with Bengaluru outlet coming up. The outlets in Siliguri and Guwahati are set to open via franchise model next month.

Currently, Viacation Tourism is in talks with yacht operators to offer experiential luxury to clients. “GIT is a part and parcel of our product line, with our Europe and Australia series departures. Apart from this, we have customised tours, private van tours, and third party product lines like cruises, coach tours, ClubMeds, etc.”

Backed by an angel investor, Viacation Tourism will look at second round of funding. “Before we go to the market, we want to strong on the books, and have a tier-wise presence across cities, with select outlets offering ultra-premium products,” Singh said.

The new Ghatkopar store, occupying 300 square feet, offers an extensive range of travel services, including air ticketing, escorted group tours to Europe and other international destinations, domestic holiday packages across India, and MICE services.

“We are thrilled to launch our first walk-in retail outlet in Mumbai, a city that epitomises vibrancy and diversity. This store represents a significant milestone for Viacation as we continue to bring our exceptional travel services closer to our customers. We aim to make the travel planning process seamless and enjoyable,” said Singh.

The Ghatkopar store will serve as a comprehensive travel hub, offering everything from flight and hotel bookings to organising group tours and corporate travel. With this new addition, Viacation continues to solidify its reputation as a trusted travel partner in India, meeting the growing demand for personalised travel services.

Indian Travellers Increasingly Embracing Unique Experiences Over Traditional Holidays

According to a report by The Economic Times, Indian travellers are increasingly embracing adventure, from biking tours in Malaysia’s Penang and paragliding in Thailand’s Chiang Mai to treks and safaris within the country. Travel and hospitality companies are witnessing a significant surge, reporting up to a 30% year-on-year increase in demand for adventure trips. This trend includes CEOs and CXOs of India Inc, who are also joining in on the thrill-seeking experiences.

Many travellers are expressing interest in seeking unique experiences in the Himalayas, said Vaibhav Kala, founder and director of Aquaterra Adventure, an adventure tour operator. “Outdoor activities like trekking, hiking, and biking have also seen a significant rise in popularity,” he said. “We had the pleasure of hosting Rajan Amba, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, on a private trip to Dodital Hanuman Chatti with his family,” Kala said. Suresh Narayanan, managing director of Nestle India, and Red Bull CEO Bhaskar Sharma have completed solo treks in Tosamaidan, Kashmir, he said. While Kala’s company specialises in Indian treks, it also organises treks outside of India amid increasing demand.

India’s outdoor enthusiasts are combining their spiritual darshans with experiences such as white-water rafting, zip lining and paragliding at Rishikesh, said Rajeev Kale, president and country head for holidays, MICE and visa at Thomas Cook (India). “Rameswaram, which forms a part of our Ramayan trails, is an emerging hub of water sports,” he added. For overseas trips, Thomas Cook, which is seeing an up to 30% uptick in demand for such trips, has designed itineraries ranging from a biking tour in Malaysia’s Penang to the Hoerikwaggo trail in South Africa and alpine trekking in Switzerland. Shahzad Aslam, head of sales at Leisure Hotels Group, said the demand for adventure travel has increased 15-20% this year.

“We have actively pursued partnerships and expanded our range of adventure offerings across all locations,” he said. MakeMyTrip cofounder and group CEO Rajesh Magow said the travel portal has seen a 30% year on year increase in bookings for adventure-specific holiday packages between January and May. Amit Damani, co-founder of StayVista, said the company has seen a rise in bookings for paramotoring in Jaisalmer, river rafting in Rishikesh, treks in Uttarakhand, and Kayaking in Goa.

SOTC Travel has included adventure activities like kayaking, zip trekking, snowmobiling and glacier hiking in its travel packages based on a demand uptick of 25% year on year since the Covid-19 pandemic, said Daniel D’Souza, president and country head for holidays at the travel agency. “We have planned high-octane biking trips across the Himalayas, South Africa, and New Zealand. The machines preferred by this segment include Royal Enfield, Harleys and BMWs,” he said. Many tourists coming to India, too, are seeking adventure trips.

 

SOTC Travel launches digital campaign for Durga Pujo holidays

SOTC Travel’s consumer data reveals high travel intent especially during the festive season – across multiple segments driven by multigenerational families. West Bengal and East India feature as a key source markets for the Company and are witnessing over 50% surge in demand YoY for Durga Pujo Holidays. Therefore, with a focused intent to maximise on the significant demand, SOTC Travel, has unveiled its new campaign targeting the Pujo season.

The Company’s consumer insights highlight that art, culture and poetry are core to a quintessential Bengali traveller. Keeping this in mind, SOTC Travel’s Durga Pujo brand film features a Bengali family, where each member describes their perfect holiday and how they would plan each day of Durga Pujo.

SOTC Travel’s campaign is being extensively promoted across digital & social platforms, primarily YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

Daniel D’souza President & Country Head – Holidays, SOTC Travel said, “West Bengal and East India are leading source markets for us, and we are witnessing over 50% surge in demand YoY for festive travel for the upcoming Durga Pujo season. Also, with schools and offices closing for Pujo break, the most awaited festive season makes for an opportune time to take a much needed holiday with loved ones. To cater to our customers from these valuable markets, we have carefully designed holidays to domestic and international destinations, based on their unique preferences. We have added special touches like a Bengali speaking Tour Manager, special Bengali cuisine for our customers from Kolkata; also guaranteed departures from Kolkata for our Durga Pujo special tours. Our tours come with Best Price Guarantee, discounts up to Rs. 60,000/- per family, on spot offers and gifts on booking. This is our gift to our Bengali customers – enabling them to indulge in their passion for travel while celebrating their favourite festival.”