By Prem Kumar

Coronavirus pandemic has been devastating for every sector of the economy, and tourism is among the most affected sectors. Besides COVID-19 caused demand shock, the tourism sector has been hit hardest due to the nation-wide lockdown clamped to prevent spread the pandemics. The tourism industry is in a coma, airlines are grounded, railway services suspended, hotels empty, buses out of the road, destinations deserted for visits; the scenario is quite gloomy for this labour-intensive sector.

Within the large space of travel and tourism, it is micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) such as travel agents, tour operators, MICE planners and organisers, DMCs, TMCs, restaurants and tourist transporters are among the segments hit the hardest. All these companies have very important roles in managing, operating, and facilitating tourism. These companies work as coordinating agents between customers and suppliers. These companies were already stressed but the COVID-19 global pandemic has been catastrophic for them, most of these MSMEs are struggling to remain in business as no new business, bookings are coming and their cash flows are choked, they don’t have a war-chest to sustain their operations in the absence of cash flow. If MSMEs form the backbone of the economy, MSMEs of the tourism industry is the backbone of this service sector.
In India, across the sectors, there are about 51 million MSMEs operating in manufacturing, services and supply chain sectors.

According to the figures provided by the Federation of Associations in Indian Travel & Hospitality (FAITH), there are 53,000 travel agents, 1,15,000 tour operators (inbound, domestic, outbound), 15,000 adventure tour operators, 2700 MICE organisers, 19,11,000 tourist transporters, 53,000 hospitality and 5 lakh restaurants, all of them are currently facing the heat due to lack of cash flows. COVID-19 Pandemic has jeopardized India’s once hailed 5 lakh crores tourism industry and employment of an estimated 3.8 crore jobs. But now many of them are on the verge of collapse as they were unable to pay to meet their operating costs such as salaries, rents and interests. The immediate challenge before them is to survive this critical time.

There are already talks of the government offering package to MSMEs sectors. Similar financial package must be also offered to MSMEs working in the tourism sector, affected due to the coronavirus lockdown, and the demand shock.

MSMEs in tourism sector employs a huge number of people; therefore, they should not be allowed to get out of the business. They should immediately be offered easy access to credit. Besides financial packages, the government should pledge marketing assistance to these companies to regain market access post-COVID period. During this lockdown, entrepreneurship skills of people running these firms should be improved; professionals employed in these organisations should be engaged proactively, offered additional professional and marketing skills to empower them for the new travel & tourism world post-COVID pandemic. They should be encouraged to adopt more and more technology to reduce their costs and offer better services. Such measures will help boost these companies to gain confidence and resilience. In the good time, MSMEs can emerge a game-changer for tourism if rescued and empowered today. At this critical time, their fate can’t be left to be decided by the vagaries of nature.

Their survival is critical not only for the travel and tourism sector but for the whole economy and society.

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Indonesia’s tourism stake in the Indian market has witnessed a tremendous uptick in the last few years. At the end of 2017, India emerged as Indonesia’s sixth-largest tourism source market replacing South Korea. Indonesia recorded a robust over 43% growth in 2016, 29% in 2017 and a strong 20% in 2018 in tourist arrivals from India. Indian arrivals have grown from just over 262,000 in 2015 to almost 600,000 in 2018 and look set to surpass its target of 630,000 for the year 2019.

Commenting on the Indonesia’s participation at SATTE 2020 as the Premium Partner Country of the event, Sanjay Sondhi, VITO – India, New Delhi, said that the tourism board has been participating at SATTE from the past ten years and has increased its presence from a small booth 10 years ago to now almost 300 square meters now, making Indonesia one of the biggest pavilions at SATTE 2020.

“Over the years, we have seen some very good response not just from the buyers coming from across India but also from sellers who have been coming from Indonesia. They have been very happy with the meetings and that’s why there is an increase in the size of the booth and the number of sellers coming from Indonesia. Quality meetings and suppliers’ ability to generate more interest in their products and destinations, the visibility has been very high for us at SATTE,” he said.
Commenting on the association, Pallavi Mehra, Group Director of Informa Markets in India, said, “We are delighted to welcome Indonesia as the Premium Partner Country at SATTE 2020. Indonesia has been one of our longstanding destination-partner over the years. As South Asia’s travel and tourism fraternity gather to showcase, buy, network and learn at the year’s most anticipated event of the region SATTE in a few weeks, Indonesia Tourism as the event’s Premium Partner Country will be at the centre of attention of over 35,000 trade visitors, buyers from across India and the South Asia region as well as international buyers from different parts of the globe.”

“SATTE being the biggest international travel show in this part of the world has provides the perfect platform to launch or showcase a destination to buyers from across India and the South Asia region. Indonesia’s decision to be the Premium Partner country for SATTE 2020 is a testimony to that. We are confident the show will provide tremendous partnership opportunities to Indonesian suppliers with buyers from the region,” Mehra further added.

Popular for the resort island of Bali, Indonesia is keen to showcase its diversity of products and destinations at SATTE 2020 to attract Indian visitors to places beyond Bali as well. “At SATTE this year, our message would be priority destinations and the segments that we want to focus on. Bali is very strong. It’s a brand. But now we will also showcase new destinations like Lake Toba in Medan, Komodo Island, Labuan Bajo, among others. We are also looking at Lombok and also Borobudur (A 9th century world’s largest Buddhist temple and a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Prambanan (Another 9th century UNESCO World Heritage Site and Indonesia’s largest Hindu temple dedicated to Trimurti – Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva) in Yogyakarta because of cultural connect,” Sondhi said. He further informed that the tourist islands of Bintan and Batam will also be in the spotlight as the area is in close proximity to Singapore.

In the last three years (2016-2018), India’s outbound growth to Indonesia has been almost 3.5 times more vis-à-vis India’s overall growth in outbound travel. Indonesia’s has registered 43%, 29% and 20% growth in visitor arrivals from India in 2016, 2017 and 2018 respectively as against the overall outbound travel growth from India that has been recorded at 7.3, 9.5 and an estimated 9.8% (provisional) for the three years.

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By Shayan Mallick

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly emphasized the economic benefits of travel and tourism, particularly stressing the need to build modern state-of-the-art infrastructure like convention centres to host large scale events. The PM has delved deeper too in his addresses on the events’ impact on the local economy and profile of the destination. A world-class event venue in Varanasi, PM Modi’s parliamentary constituency, for instance, is integral to transforming Varanasi into the Kyoto of India.

SATTE’s role as a catalyst of the Prime Minister’s vision is significant. The expo is probably the most important events in the country that, apart from highlighting India’s outbound tourism potential, is also dedicated to showcasing India and the region and positioning it across different spectrums of travel and tourism, from leisure to MICE, within and outside the country and the region. SATTE is after all the biggest and the most important tourism show in this part of the world. The UNWTO too hails SATTE as the year’s first major international tourism event and an integral part in South Asia’s growth as both, a tourism destination as well as the source market for destinations across the world.

The Chief Guest of SATTE 2019 earlier this year, former Tourism Minister and the then Minister of State (I/C) for Culture, Mahesh Sharma was extremely keen to play host to SATTE in his parliamentary constituency not only because of the focus and attention that the event brings to the destination but also because of its tremendous economic impact. While sharing facts such as that the sector contributes 6.8 per cent to India’s GDP and earns over 1.56 lakh crores in foreign exchange, an elated Sharma had profusely thanked the event organizer for bringing the show to the India Expo Mart in Greater Noida.

In its recent report, Allied Market Research pegs the overall MICE sector at a staggering US$ 805 billion in 2017. The report further estimates the MICE industry to reach US$ 1245 billion by 2023, registering CAGR of 7.5% between 2017 and 2023, pegging the sector at over US$ 1 trillion by 2020. According to another study, the exhibition sector alone is estimated to have surpassed US$ 55 billion in industry size globally.

SATTE’s economic impact is massive. The event itself creates huge demand across accommodation, travel and transport from road to air and tourism business for the destinations especially in the Delhi NCR, Agra and Jaipur etc. Furthermore, the event also supports exhibition structure companies, stall design agencies or logistics and audiovisual companies among others.

Commenting on SATTE’s economic impact, Sudeep  Sarcar, CEO of India Expo Centre & Mart, says, “SATTE is a big-ticket event and the big daddy of travel, tourism and hospitality industry in the whole of South Asia. India being the host country, SATTE sends out a highly refined message on India and the region’s readiness to host global events of repute to international industry stakeholders and decision-makers besides also cementing India’s profile as a destination which is equipped for high profile events, congresses, conventions and exhibitions. Furthermore, at the local level, SATTE also impacts businesses right here in Greater Noida, from hotels to various other service providers and contractors as well as across the Golden Triangle region of Delhi-Jaipur-Agra.

Beyond the economic impact, SATTE is probably the biggest catalyst of the social, professional and talent development of human resource and job creation associated with the travel and tourism sector and beyond by creating a great melting pot and a showcase of global best practices. Global profiling, innovation in travel and tourism businesses, enhancing partnership, business development and foreign investment, cultural exchanges, and more importantly, putting India and the region in the global spotlight, serve as additional benefits to the event’s direct economic impact.

PallaviMehra, Group Director, Informa Markets in India, also draws attention to the SATTE’s far-reaching impact that goes beyond tourism. “SATTE’s economic impact on India and the South Asia region is tremendous. Other than being itself an impactful event for the local economy, SATTE being India and the region’s foremost travel and tourism event provides the biggest showcase and marketing platform for the global travel and tourism community to discover this part of the world. The show’s impact on the region’s overall tourism growth, showcase and tourism revenue is massive. Furthermore, I believe SATTE’s key economic impact also lies in triggering destination and infrastructure development like that of hotels, convention centres, social, professional and talent development, among others.”

“PM Modi envisions to put destinations like Greater Noida that has a facility like the Expo Center as a hub for global events. SATTE, given its tremendous global reputation and reach, sends this message out most effectively. As a tourism industry event SATTE is the biggest showcase platform of India,” said Sarcar while concluding.

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 The winter in India is traditionally regarded as the peak season for the country’s Inbound tourism. For foreign nationals, the season is the best time to visit the country as the weather in most places is pretty cool and pleasant. With the onset of the winter season, the country’s travel and hospitality industry is all set to welcome the expected seasonal influx of foreign visitors. Some are also betting on the certain recent steps by the government such as a cut in GST rate for hotels and visa liberalization to give a fillip to tourist arrivals in India. But there are challenges, the biggest one probably is the state of the global economy, which is witnessing a slowdown, then is the conundrum of the Brexit affecting businesses from the UK,  therefore, not everyone is upbeat about the inbound season.

As the Inbound tourism sets in, TnH spoke to experts and entrepreneurs in the travel and tourism to know their expectations from the season and gauge the impact of the government’s recent steps to promote tourism.  At the outset, we spoke to SN Srivastava, President & Co-Founder of Clarks Inn Group of Hotels. Recounting the tourism story of the last decade, Srivastava said, “The last financial crisis over a decade ago had put a stop to the great juggernaut India tourism had witnessed during 2003-2007 period in inbound arrivals. With a state of recession already looming large, I don’t see the inbound season to be much promising.”

Anil Kumar Prasanna, CEO of AxisRooms also shares a similar sentiment. “Things are not quite well at present for inbound tourism, most of the chartered tour companies are not doing well. The collapse of Thomas Cook UK is also affecting our business from the UK. The recent measure to encourage tourists from China and easing visa norms for Chinese travellers is a good counter-strategy but we still need to see how much this measure would boost the inbound arrivals. The addition of the new overseas routes by airlines may help the industry to focus on new markets.”

According to Visha Khosla, General Manager, Novotel Goa Dona Sylvia, the Tourism industry in India has become the latest victim of the global economic slowdown. “The slowdown in India, Brexit in the UK, fears of recessions in Europe and the US have are discouraging people to travel. Flexible and low-priced  VISA offered by destinations like Thailand, Sri Lanka and Vietnam and their better infrastructure and hygiene, coupled with economical accommodations give them a competitive edge over India, making our country less attractive,” said Khosla. However, he noted that recent VISA reforms and cut in GST rate are good steps to encourage inbound tourists and will benefit Goa and his hotel in a big way.

A few like Aditi Balbir, Founder and CEO of V Resorts, is optimistic about the new inbound season. According to her, the friendly and liberal visa initiatives by the government will boost demand and foreign tourist arrivals in the new season.

Robust market plan needed

Noting that there is immense potential in the tourism sector for investment, growth and employment generation, Srivastava emphasized that there is a need for a stronger enabling environment that will help propel this sector. “We have definitely witnessed an uptick in the sector. However, a lot more can be achieved, from growing the overall travel and hospitality market. Whether domestic or inbound, I think we still have some way to go in areas like taxation, brand and image management, and aggressive destination marketing, among others,” stated the Co-founder of Clarks Inn Group, adding further, “What we need is a robust market development plan for not just the newer source markets but also for our key existing inbound markets because even in these markets, we are only scratching the surface. Our numbers from countries like Russia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Malaysia etc. can be grown considerably, even more from China that has emerged as the world’s biggest tourism source market with around 150 million overseas travellers but contributes just about 250,000 visitors to India’s FTAs!”

The GST cut

Besides cuts in corporate tax, the GST Council recently provided reliefs to some segments of hotels by slashing the GST rate, which has been welcomed by the industry. Commenting on these measures, Srivastava said, “We do appreciate the government’s decision to reduce the GST tax slab for over Rs 7500/- tariff from 28% to 18%. This is a step in the right direction. But it needs to be in the lowest slab if the government’s objective is to grow tourism.” He termed the reduction in corporate tax as significant, timely and a step in the right direction. “It is doing a world of good to the corporates and their spending sentiments. Now they have extra cash and do not need to be austere,” Srivastava added.

Anil Kumar Prasanna of AxisRooms is of the view that the GST relief has come a bit late but added that this will have some uptake on the hotel occupancy. Welcoming the cut in the GST rate for hotels, Aditi Balbir said, “This step will boost tourism. Companies like ours will pass on a percentage of the benefit to the travel partners and the rest can be utilized to improve the guest experience.”  Visha Khosla also welcomed the announcement of the GST cut, saying, “It has come at an opportune time and will definitely boost tourism. Hotels are already seeing better traction and I am optimistic that this trend will continue.”

“What we need is a robust market development plan for not just the newer source markets but also for our key existing inbound markets because even in these markets, we are only scratching the surface. Our numbers from countries like Russia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Malaysia etc. can be grown considerably, even more from China that has emerged as the world’s biggest tourism source market with around 150 million overseas travellers but contributes just about 250,000 visitors to India’s FTAs!”

 -SN Srivastava, President & Co-Founder of Clarks Inn Group of Hotels

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IHUE 2019 is the Second Hajj Umrah Expo happening in the city of Hyderabad. IHUE is a business-to-business, business-to-consumer networking event and trade show for tour operators, travel agencies, hoteliers, entrepreneurs, stakeholders, decision-makers, startups, logistics providers, and various other interrelated businesses.

All set to attract a large number of exhibitors, the two-days EXPO 2019 is an ideal event for the businesses to network, exchange ideas, build new relationships, shop for new vendors, attend presentations, workshops and much more!

The topics to be discussed at the expo include Hajj & Umrah in accordance with Vision 2030. The key speakers at the expo include Mr Omar Seraj Akbar and Mr Abdullah.

Mr Omar Seraj Akbar is the chairman of  Seraj Al Muneer, a travel company that promotes Haj and the holy journey of Umrah, and organizes well-designed and high-quality tours.

In order to provide better and efficient services to the visitors of the holy land, IHUE understands that the providers of various services play an important role, hence it has pioneered this first of a kind mega event in this country, called the ‘Indian Hajj & Umrah Expo 2019′, where all the different kinds of service providers are meeting with one another.

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Globally, international tourist arrival was recorded at 1.4 billion and the tourism receipt generated from international tourism reached a staggering USD 1.7 trillion in 2018. South Asia’s contribution to this growth has been robust and growing year on year. And SATTE, as the year’s first major international tourism event, has played a critical role in the region’s growth as both, inbound tourism destination and source market for destinations all over the world. However, the role gets a much stronger fillip amidst some new changes that are at play to unveil a stronger and more powerful SATTE in its 27^th edition come January 2020.

The integration of the Informa Markets and UBM has been completed this year. Informa Markets in India, the new identity of the company, will bring out its first SATTE early next year amidst new synergy and direction that’s bound to further raise SATTE’s profile as one of the premier international tourism shows. Informa’s presence is spread over nearly 40 countries with more than 500 plus exhibitions and a market cap of around 11 billion pounds.

Commenting on the acquisition of UBM by Informa and its impact on SATTE, Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director for Informa Markets in India, said, “The combination of UBM and Informa makes it a larger organisation, with a potential for tremendous reach, and therefore I see a lot of synergies happening. This pertains not only to exhibitions but also knowledge sharing, networking, business intelligence, technology and academic publishing, among others. So what we are trying to bring in is a holistic solution to a customer which will also open lots of new avenues and initiatives for them. And this will be amply evident at SATTE 2020.”

Furthermore, commenting on the change of the venue last year, Mudras acknowledged that it was a bold decision to shift the venue of 25 years necessitated by the renovation that Pragati Maidan is currently undergoing. However, he pointed out that the change of venue not only brought together an event that was hailed as truly international but was also much appreciated by the suppliers and exhibitors alike.

“With the magnitude of a show like SATTE wherein we have international participation from close to 60 countries and every single Indian state and Union Territories, we wanted to cater to the convenience of our industry by moving the show to the world-class venue at the India Expo in Greater Noida. Our stakeholders were a part of the decision-making process and this shift in venue was well received by the industry too. The show looked grandeur under one roof giving it an international feel,” said Mudras.

He further added, “This year too we thank our stakeholders from the Government and the Travel and Hospitality industry that include associations, Indian and International exhibitors and regular and potential visitors for their unstinted support to our forthcoming show due on January 8-10, 2020. We are putting together a show which will be by far the biggest ever.”

The post SATTE: Changing for better appeared first on TnHGlobal.

Commenting on the introduction of free E-visa for the Indian travelers planning to visit St. Petersburg, Visit St. Petersburg’s official partner in India and Managing Director of Salvia Promoters, Prashant Chaudhary, said, “Making available E-visa facility for the Indian travellers keen to explore Russia’s cultural capital St. Petersburg and that too free of cost is a testimony to the region’s commitment to improve bilateral tourism ties. This new initiative is particularly targeted at markets like India that has massive untapped potential for St. Petersburg and its surrounding. The city is one of the finest tourism destinations in the whole of Europe.”

India and Russia are currently connected by Aeroflot’s double-daily operation between Delhi and Moscow that limits the scope of free E-visa as Moscow is currently not on the list of E-visa entry points and it has to be St. Petersburg as a point of entry for the Indian travellers planning a trip to St. Petersburg.

Chaudhary informed that the Russian government is working towards making the entire country ready to welcome tourists travelling on E-visa including Moscow. “Also there are CIS and Middle East carriers like Air Astana, Qatar, Emirates, among others that directly connect major Indian cities like Delhi and Mumbai directly to St. Petersburg through their respective hubs. There are a number of options available. Indian travellers planning a visit to St. Petersburg on E-visa have nothing to worry about,” he said.

Visit St. Petersburg opened its India office in Delhi in June 2017 followed by an office in Mumbai later that year coinciding with the 50th year celebration of St. Petersburg and Mumbai as the twin-city. Visit St. Petersburg is represented in India by Salvia Promoters, a destination and tourism marketing company with offices in Delhi and Mumbai.

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 InterContinental Hotels Group has signed an agreement with Hotel Paraag Limited in Bangalore, for two hotels – the new built InterContinental® Bengaluru Whitefield and Crowne Plaza Bengaluru Raj Bhavan Road, which will be a conversion hotel. The development marks the debut of the globally renowned luxury brand, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts in Bengaluru and expansion of IHG’s upscale brand, Crowne Plaza in the country. Both hotels are expected to be operational by Q1 2022 and will increase IHG’s system size in India by over 400 rooms.

As the world’s first international luxury travel hotel brand, InterContinental® has been pioneering new international destinations for decades. The brand has had a long and successful history in SWA and has been offering world-class amenities, excellent service and consistent, luxurious experiences to guests from across the world. Each InterContinental hotel represents the ‘InterContinental Life’ – a life that embodies luxury travel as it should be. InterContinental® Bengaluru Whitefield will be the third InterContinental branded hotel in India, joining InterContinental Chennai Mahabalipuram Resort and InterContinental Marine Drive in Mumbai.

Already under advanced stages of construction, InterContinental® Bengaluru Whitefield will feature 265 aesthetically designed rooms. The luxury hotel will be centrally located in Whitefield, one of the most important micro-markets of Bengaluru. Featuring an array of dining options, the hotel will offer InterContinental’s signature culinary experiences with the best in local and world cuisines. True to its promise of ensuring an indulgent experience for all its guests, InterContinental® Bengaluru Whitefield will offer unrivalled facilities and amenities to the guests visiting the city. Offering the best in class events and banqueting facilities, the hotel will feature a large banqueting/meeting space and a large lawn making it a preferred choice for corporate travellers and a great venue for large-scale events including weddings.

Post extensive renovation and upgrades to the existing property, on opening in 2022, Crowne Plaza Bengaluru Raj Bhavan Road will boast of 140 well-designed rooms featuring modern amenities.  Located in the city centre, on the main Raj Bhavan Road which is an established business and commercial district of Bengaluru, the hotel will enjoy significant visibility and preference amongst the corporate and leisure travellers alike. The hotel will also feature a large banquet/meeting space, a business centre, pool and other world-class facilities that reflect the brand’s promise of quality and comfort.

Commenting on the announcement, Sudeep Jain, Vice President, Development, South West Asia, IHG said, “We are delighted to partner with Hotel Paraag Limited to strengthen the presence of two of our globally renowned brands – InterContinental and Crowne Plaza in India. This signing is a significant milestone for us as we debut our iconic brand, InterContinental in Bengaluru and mark the growth of the brand in SWA. This is our sixth InterContinental property, opened or signed in the region and the third in the country. InterContinental has been receiving a great response in the region and we are in a number of active discussions to further expand the brand footprint.

He added: Bengaluru serves as a host to many leading conferences and seminars attracting global business visitors in large numbers. We, therefore, see great potential in this market for our brand, Crowne Plaza which is known to offer business ready services to corporate guests and excellent MICE facilities. With 11 open hotels in SWA and 7 in the pipeline, the brand is gaining popularity in the region and has proved to be a great choice for our guests and owners alike.”

 Ramesh Srinivas Jannu, Managing Director, Hotel Paraag Limited said, “We are delighted to partner with IHG as they debut their iconic global brand, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts in the city and continue to strengthen the presence of Crowne Plaza, a well-received brand in the upscale segment. Given the rising demand in the city for high-quality hospitality from renowned brands, we see this partnership as a great opportunity to offer our guests quality experiences for various needs and occasions. InterContinental Bengaluru Whitefield and Crowne Plaza Bengaluru Raj Bhavan Road will offer an excellent combination of a strategic location and IHG’s signature hospitality. We couldn’t be more confident of the success of these properties as we prepare to host our  guests in the near future.”

 IHG currently has 36 hotels operating across four brands in India, including InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express, and a strong pipeline of 41 hotels due to open in the next 2-3 years.

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To meet the growth in foreign travel, visa application centres have introduced services that are not only tailor-made to suit the changing requirements of applicants, but also simplify the visa application process, making it more convenient, exclusive, personalised, time saving and hassle-free.

By all means, companies such as VFS Global have made great contributions to making the process of applying for a visa simple and hassle-free. With the services available in the market today, most applicants, irrespective of their schedules or location, have full access to a smooth and streamlined visa application services, such as those with round-the-clock commitments, or with minimal access to metro cities, or wishing for additional support and paperless experience.

Mr. Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group COO – South Asia, Middle East and China, VFS Global, says, “The trust and reliability of a customer-focused specialised travel agent still holds a very high premium, especially in countries like India. Due to this, travel agents are best placed to gauge and understand their customer’s unique requirements and can advise them appropriately on visas services that are best suited to their schedules and preferences.”

VFS Global offers travel agents a wide range of innovative and extremely useful services that smoothen the visa application process. Personalised services are purely optional and come at an extra fee, and are no guarantee of a positive decision by the concerned embassy or consulate. Nevertheless, such services continue to be highly popular among time-pressed applicants who find the convenience of these services invaluable, as commonly found in many industries.

Premium Lounges For Personalised Assistance:

Popular among families travelling with children, corporates, and frequent fliers, VFS Global’ s Premium Lounges are designed exclusively for applicants seeking a comfortable visa application process with enhanced customer service, delivered with a personalised touch. The Lounges have been built with elegant interiors and well-equipped modern amenities to ensure a smooth experience at the Visa Application Centres.

The service includes one-to-one attention with a dedicated staff member, who will guide the applicants through the entire application procedure. The personalised services are offered for select countries at most VFS Global Visa Application Centres across India. Check with your trusted travel agent for the availability of group discounts on this service.

Preferred Pricing For Groups Opting for Visa At Your Doorstep:

VFS Global representatives visit the applicant’s preferred location to accept the visa application and enrol biometrics so that applicants do not have to visit the Visa Application Centre and can complete the process from the comfort of their surroundings.

The service is quite popular because of the flexibility it offers to applicants – it is most often used by leisure travel groups, and also by applicants from Tier-2 cities not covered under the VFS Global’ s network of 17 cities, who find it difficult to travel to another city just for  completing their visa application process. Other groups who find this service beneficial are film personalities and crew, large corporate groups, and high net-worth individuals, who may find it inconvenient to visit the visa centres because of their busy schedules.

The service is available to applicants for an extra fee. Check with your trusted travel agent for the availability of group discounts on this service.

Apply Outside Regular Working Hours:

Busy schedules or work commitments need not stand in the way of smooth application experience anymore either. There are services now exclusively aimed at those who may not be able to visit the Visa Application Centre during the usual working hours. Options like the Prime Time Service provided by VFS Global allows individuals to apply for their visas outside of regular working hours without interrupting their schedules. With such services applicants no longer need to take leave from office or school for visa appointments. This service takes care of the needs of the time-poor applicants.

Check with your trusted travel agent for flexible timings during which applications can available at the Visa Application Centre.

These services have transformed the overall application process and have proved to be extremely useful for applicants to beat the peak visa application rush. And each year, development of innovative and top-of-the-line services for visa applicants continues.

QUOTE:

“The trust and reliability of a customer-focused specialised travel agent still holds a very high premium, especially in countries like India. Due to this, travel agents are best placed to gauge and understand their customer’s unique requirements and can advise them appropriately on visas services that are best suited to their schedules and preferences.”

Mr. Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group COO – South Asia, Middle East and China, VFS Global 

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“The General Elections 2019 was not an unexpected event, it was well-known that the elections would be held in April-May month of this year, but no effort was made to connect with political parties to apprise them of our issues and problem and seek their commitments to address them,” rued Kohli. He stated that the industry is currently facing some sort of leadership crisis, and its current leaders have failed to provide desired leadership to the industry.

Many prominent industry players, who can provide constructive leadership to the industry, articulate its concerns and make the industry’s voice heard have been sidelined, said Kohli. Many prominent industry players, who are at the helms of India’s leading travel business organizations, don’t want to get involved in the politics of associations because of the narrow-mindedness of people in associations.
An important aspect of leadership is thought leaders, whose role is well recognized in every walk of our life. Thought leaders are well-informed, experienced and successful people in their respective domains. They are visionaries and inspire people with their innovative ideas and success stories. Young entrepreneurs can learn a lot from them.

“Thought leaders have a very important role to play in every sector. Every major industry in the world has thought leaders, but in India’s travel & tourism, such leaders are few, and even these few have been sidelined and underutilized,” rues Kohli. He added that some thought leaders were parts of associations, but have been shown the doors. Thought leaders can well be used to inspire and educate members of the industry, but our associations are unable to use them and the industry as a whole is deprived of their knowledge and insights gained through years of hard work and experiences.

Kohli, who is currently more focused on his own business and not actively involved in association activities, said most of the office bearers of our associations are aloof to the concerns of the industry, and always want to be in the limelight rather than keeping the interest of the industry at the centre of their activities. This should change, he added.

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