StartupTalky

Tag: travel

  • OYO Marketing Strategy: How Is OYO Positioning Itself to Dominate the Market

    OYO Rooms, also known as OYO Hotels & Homes is the third-largest hospitality chain by room count providing a comfortable room stay and ensuring the acceptability of the services by the OYO’s customers in more than 80 nations. Incorporated in 2013 by Ritesh Agarwal (one of the youngest Indian entrepreneurs, the founder and CEO of OYO Rooms) it has established itself as the fastest-growing network of hotels offline and online.

    Headquartered in Gurgaon, it has expanded its reach worldwide within the span of 10 years and has employed over 17,000 employees globally. However, this is not the only reason why OYO has recorded such a huge success. Its excellent marketing strategy shows that it continues to be a leading hotel chain.

    Oravel to OYO Rooms
    Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning of OYO
    Marketing Mix of OYO Rooms

    Traditional Marketing Strategy of OYO
    OYO Digital Marketing Strategies

    Ritesh Agarwal started his journey at the age of 17 and is considered to be one of the youngest CEOs in India. In 2011, Ritesh moved to Delhi with the intention of starting his own business. Soon, he started traveling extensively across India and stayed in PGs or budget hotels. These unpleasant traveling and stay experiences led him to launch Oravel Stays in 2012.

    Ritesh has been one of the judges in Shark Tank India since Season 3.

    Ritesh Agarwal - Founder & CEO, OYO Rooms
    Ritesh Agarwal – Founder & CEO, OYO Rooms

    Oravel to OYO Rooms

    Oravel Stays Pvt.Ltd was Ritesh’s first startup. Oravel was designed to enable the listing and booking of budget and premium accommodations.

    It was meant to be a destination for short and midterm rentals for bed and breakfast joints, private rooms, and serviced apartments.

    Oravel was then transformed into OYO Rooms in 2013 when Agrawal realized that a combination of bed and dinner was not sufficient. He proposed to make it an affordable and standardized accommodation.

    OYO rooms are India’s largest branded network of budget hotel chains. It currently operates across 400 Indian cities including major metros, regional hubs, leisure destinations, and pilgrimage towns, and was valued at $9.6 billion in 2022.

    They offer the hotels to their clients and retain a proportion of the profits.

    OYO Rooms is a budget hotel aggregator in India. In order to standardize different measures in each room, OYO Rooms partners up with hotels, including free wifi and breakfast, flat-screen televisions, spotless white bed linens, toiletries with a brand name, 6-inch showerheads, drinking cups, etc.

    OYO Success Story | Founder | Business Model | Funding | Acquisitions
    The growth of OYO is incredible, and the story of its founder is truly inspiring. Know about OYO startup story, history, founder, growth, revenue, funding, acquisitions & more.
    StartupTalkyBharath

    Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning of OYO

    OYO uses a mix of demographic, geographic, and psychographic segmentation strategies to understand the changing needs of the customers in the competitive market. OYO segments the market in the following manner:-

    • OYO Townhouse targets Millennial travelers
    • OYO SilverKey caters to the needs of corporate travelers
    • OYO Vacation Homes targets people who come on vacation at the beach or a villa on an exotic island
    • OYO Life provides residential space

    Targeting strategy is the cornerstone of the product development process. OYO uses a differentiated targeting business strategy for different product categories.

    • Corporate tie-ups for airline travelers
    • Tours and travels
    • College students or working professionals who are in search of fully managed homes on long-term rentals at an affordable price

    OYO uses a value-based positioning strategy for its customer by providing:-

    • Standardized budget hotels
    • Luxurious productive place
    • Open grass greenery
    • Better room service

    Marketing Mix of OYO Rooms

    As OYO Rooms concentrate on co-branding, they operate differently from OTAs (Online Travel Agency). They state that they are working with zero-to-2-star hotels and guest houses, ‘standardizing’ them and getting them customers through their website and apps. Usually, other hotel aggregators simply connect the customer with the hotel by listing hotels on their website and taking a commission as their revenue. They would work out a deal with the hotels with a minimum order guarantee per month and are able to provide discounted rates and deals on the room rates compared to the rates provided by the hotels directly to a normal guest.

    OYO’s market coverage has swiftly increased because of being listed with travel aggregators like MakeMyTrip, clear trip, and hotels.com. Their aim is to target small business travelers and budget tourists to eminently swift-cash and that works in favor of OYO because revenue gets realized quicker too.

    Product in the Marketing Mix of OYO

    Oyo has a wide range of products and services that they offer to their customer as per their need. OYO Rooms, OYO Hotels & Homes has a multi-brand approach. These include:

    • OYO Townhouse
    • OYO Home
    • OYO Vacation Homes
    • SilverKey
    • Capital O
    • Palette
    • Collection O
    • OYO LIFE
    • YO! HELP

    Promotion/Advertising in the Marketing Mix of OYO

    • OYO prefers to promote via various social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. With its exclusive offerings and reduced costs, OYO uses the digital platform to draw new customers.
    • OYO organizes several online campaigns such as #AurKyaChahiye on YouTube, #OneForEveryone contest, #OYOnauts, Father’s Day Celebration campaign, etc.
    • Many of the promotions have featured artists from Bollywood to make them more appealing. Sonu Sood is the brand ambassador of OYO.

    Brand Endorsement by Sonu Sood

    Pricing in the Marketing Mix of OYO

    • The strategy of OYO Rooms is to attract customers with a lower room price than the hotel’s base price.
    • The primary objective is to provide an unequaled price that suits the user’s budget. The room price varies depending on the location and luxury of the hotel, between Rs. 399 and Rs. 4000.
    • Overall OYO Rooms follows a very sensible approach, aimed at providing rooms with outstanding facilities at a moderate rate and generating customer loyalty.

    Place in the Marketing Mix of OYO

    • Oyo rooms work fully online where one can book the available hotels at an approximate cost either via an app or through online platforms.
    • Once booked with a confirmation one can avail of the service on reaching the booked hotel on a specific date.
    OYO Rooms Online Booking
    OYO Rooms Online Booking

    People in the Marketing Mix of OYO

    • Oyo team comprises 25000 young and professional people who deliver maximum both for the company and individual growth.
    • With a dynamic team, OYO provides excellent customer service, creates a positive experience for its customers, and in doing so markets its brand to them.

    OYO Business Model | How OYO Makes Money
    Discover OYO’s business model and how it makes money through commissions, franchise fees, room bookings, leased properties, and additional services, offering affordable and standardized accommodations globally.
    StartupTalkyVivek Dev Jacob

    Traditional Marketing Strategy of OYO

    OYO started with traditional marketing to make people aware of its brand. It used billboards, TV ads, print media, flyers, and even taxi ads, especially in cities and tourist areas. These methods helped OYO reach travelers who were not very active online.

    OYO Billboard
    OYO Billboard

    OYO also focused on local marketing by working with travel agents and sponsoring events. This helped build trust and made OYO a familiar name among different types of travelers. However, while billboards and ads caught people’s attention, they couldn’t engage customers like digital marketing. That’s why OYO later shifted to online marketing, using social media and personalized ads to connect with more people in a better way.

    OYO Digital Marketing Strategy

    OYO has shifted its business model from hotel aggregator to the fastest-growing chain of franchises offering OYO hotels (OYO flagships, townhouses, studio stays Collection O, Premium), living spaces (OYO Life), and workspaces (OYO Workspaces).

    Marketing Approach Adopted by OYO Rooms

    Prices in the real estate sectors are rising day-by-day still OYO has managed to provide the best places to people at an affordable price. The Internet brought the world closer and digital media became a huge marketing platform. In today’s digital and connected world, it is important to stay ahead of the competitors. OYO makes use of a 360-degree marketing strategy. OYO used all forms of digital as well as traditional media to reach its customers. Traditional media include both print and television whereas digital media include Google search ads, social media ads campaigns, and OYO’s own website and app.

    Assi Reach Gaye? | OYO Rooms Official | Roadtrip

    Search Engine Optimization For OYO Rooms

    Search Engine Optimization is done to ensure maximum traffic to the website by using particular keywords that have the highest searches from their customer. They understood their customer’s needs and intentions and updated their website accordingly. This ensured people searching for hotels would be redirected to their website.

    Social Media Marketing Strategy of OYO

    OYO uses Facebook to share location-based posts, promotional posts, and posts related to the detailed progress of the organization. These posts helped people to browse destinations to travel, and regular promotional posts provided customers with offers and discounts, encouraging them to book OYO.

    OYO reposts pictures taken by travelers and users of OYO on their Instagram handle. Along with this strategy they implemented Facebook marketing strategies to Instagram. This strategy leads to an engagement rate and encourages people to tag OYO in their posts.

    OYO Marketing Strategy
    OYO Meme Marketing Strategy

    OYO often works with influencers who create content around travel. This is either done via posts or re-posts. These posts are about the experience these influencers have during their vacations and not about their stay at OYO. The core idea of OYO’s influencer marketing is that you will need a place to stay whenever you go out for a vacation and here comes influencers’ experiences.

    OYO tweets as well as retweets informative content such as award wins and events, news as well and companies’ CSR activities which adds credibility to the brand in a not-so-obvious manner.

    Ritesh Agarwal’s Journey from Oravel to OYO
    Discover the inspiring story of Ritesh Agarwal, founder of OYO, from humble beginnings to global success. Explore the journey of innovation and determination that shaped his remarkable story.
    StartupTalkyshifa ali

    Conclusion

    OYO is a well-established online portal for hotel bookings in India that can grow tremendously with the right digital marketing practices and the use of resources. The OYO marketing strategies put up in this article are for a better understanding of the reader. And, also to help the reader shape their ideas into creative campaigns that could be utilized in their business.

    FAQs

    What are OYO Rooms?

    OYO Rooms is India’s largest branded network of hotel chains offering standardized rooms to their customers at an affordable price.

    How are OYO Rooms different from online travel agencies?

    When you book OYO Rooms, you get a guaranteed OYO experience across all the hotels unlike an online travel agency or marketplace where end-user service is not standardized.

    What is OYO marketing strategy?

    OYO uses a mix of traditional and digital marketing. It started with billboards, TV ads, flyers, and local partnerships to build trust. Later, it focused on digital marketing, using social media, personalized ads, and influencer collaborations to reach a wider audience.

    Does any payment need to be made at the time of booking?

    Customers have the option to either make an advance payment or at the time of the hotel’s check out.

    I am a hotel owner. How can I partner with OYO?

    In order to partner with OYO Rooms, you have to visit partner.oyorooms.com and fill up a simple OYO rooms registration form by stating your name, mobile number city, and property type i.e. home, commercial, and hotel and click on Become an OYO to submit this form.

    How much does OYO pay to the hotel owner?

    OYO Rooms charges a commission of 22% from its hotel partners. However, this commission does vary according to the services provided by the brand.

    What is OYO full form?

    The full form of OYO is On Your Own.

  • redBus Business Model – How Does redBus Make Money?

    redBus is India’s first organized bus ticket booking service and the biggest aggregator of bus tickets. It has been received very promptly by the Indians. India being the 5th largest contributor to the world’s GDP, aims to take the travel and tourism industry to $250 billion by 2030 and $1 trillion by 2047.

    Companies like redBus put their immense contribution towards making the journey of travellers very convenient and safe. redBus’ contribution has taken the travel and tourism industry to great extent. Let’s look at the business model of redBus and understand its complete operations.

    RedBus – Enjoy a cozy and comfortable bus travel with RedBus!
    With all the buzz that the millennials have with traveling and easy bookings, we had to have the online booking portals that are easy as a button. Today from airfare booking to bus booking, we have all arrangements for easy and fast online booking. One such company that revolutionized the
    StartupTalkyVidhi Punamiya

    About redBus
    Where Does redBus Operate?
    Key Services of redBus
    Target Audience of redBus
    Business Model of redBus
    What Is Unique About The Business Model Of redBus?
    How Does redBus Make Money?

    About redBus

    redBus is India’s largest online bus ticketing platform headquartered in Bangalore and owned by Goibibo. It provides a ticket booking facility through its website, iOS, and Android mobile apps and connects bus travellers with a network of over 2500 bus operators.

    For better guidance, the company joined the TiE Entrepreneurship acceleration program where they got the guidance of great mentors.

    redBus was the first of its kind and no doubt, it came out radiantly. Today, it sells more than 18,000-20,000 tickets per day. The company has two subsidiaries YourBus and Empresa Digital Peruana S.A.C.

    Where Does redBus Operate?

    Till now, redBus has served more than 18 million people across the world. Outside India, redBus also has a strong foothold in many countries :

    Countries where redBus operates:

    • Colombia
    • India
    • Indonesia
    • Malaysia
    • Peru
    • Singapore

    Key Services of redBus

    redBus offers a secure and manageable experience for booking tickets online. Moreover, it offers complete choices to the customers such as choosing their destination with their preferred seating options. redBus not only works in the roadways domain but recently enters into the railway domain under the name of redRail.

    List of services provided by redBus:

    • Bus Hire
    • Bus Tickets
    • rPool (Bikepool & Carpool)
    • rYde
    • redRail

    Target Audience of redBus

    redBus generally target audiences who want to book a bus ticket without going to the physical place to buy a ticket. This concept of redBus is made to acquire its consumers by providing customer support, discounts, and other perks which are impossible to get at the physical bus counter.

    Business Model of redBus

    The business model of redBus is very strong along with its digital marketing strategies. redBus’ business model is straightforward, as it charges a commission on every bus ticket booking. It also charges a commission from the bus operator on every ticket booked through its platform. The commission is approximately 10-20% based on the value of the ticket being sold.

    redBus also provides hotel services along with ticket booking. It offers great deals on various occasions and also offers special discounts as well. But, the most advantageous factor that comes with RedBus is that it provides an opportunity for the customer to choose the most favourable route to their destination with the best seat in the best bus.

    What Is Unique About The Business Model Of redBus?

    Its business model is entirely based on its quality service to the customers. Its social media strategies are designed so well that it always finds great proposals for its audiences. It mostly keeps on promotion but that too, on customers’ demands and favours.

    Some of the features that make it unique are:

    • Customers can track their buses.
    • Customers can book buses according to the ratings.
    • There are reserved seats for women.
    • Customers can give feedback on the services provided and their experiences after the trip.

    How Does redBus Make Money?

    redBus makes its money by charging some fee as commission from the bus operators on each booked ticket on redBus. The commission comes as 10-20% of the total ticket value.

    In 2019, redBus received great success, it had annual revenue of $85 million. The company has a valuation of $710 million in 2020. Now, it has over 36 million users from all over the world with 3500 bus operators according to the data given on its website. And known as the largest online bus ticket company.

    Conclusion

    redBus has gone through lots of success and failure since its launch in 2006. There are tons of bus services available 24×7 to meet all the needs of travellers. Its business model is quite simple and strong but most importantly, redBus is widely famous and welcomed among the common people.

    redBus eases the major issue of finding the correct bus for any destination. It’s one step closer to fulfilling every need of a traveller along with destination travel requirements. redBus is one of its kind and it’s a true inspiration for developing services for the betterment of common people.

    FAQs

    What is redBus?

    redBus is an online bus ticket booking platform from Phanindra Sama, Charan Padmaraju, and Sudhakar Pasupunuri in 2006.

    What are the subsidiaries of redBus?

    redBus has two subsidiaries YourBus and Empresa Digital Peruana S.A.C.

    How much commission does redBus take?

    redBus charges a 10% to 20% commission on the value of the ticket.

    Which company owns redBus?

    The parent company of redBus is Goibibo.

    Who is the founder of redBus?

    Phanindra Sama, Charan Padmaraju, and Sudhakar Pasupunuri founded redBus in August 2006.

    Did Ibibo Group acquire redBus?

    Yes, redBus was sold to Ibibo Group for $138 million.

  • ScoutMyTrip: Helping You Plan Those Memorable Road Trips!

    Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by ScoutMyTrip.

    Road trips have a different charm altogether. Stopping by to click photos, trying local food on the way, and those endless chit-chats—what could be more endearing? The experience gets even better and hassle-free when there is proper guidance for making the most of one’s trip: what to see on the way, where to refuel, where the nearest viewpoint is, etc.

    ScoutMyTrip, a Mumbai-based startup, is doing exactly this. The startup plans the nitty-gritty details of your road trip to make it a cherishable experience. Here’s all you need to know about ScoutMyTrip, its founders and team, startup story, business and revenue model, funding and investors, name, logo,, competitors, advisors, challenges, future plans, and more.

    ScoutMyTrip – Company Highlights

    Startup Name ScoutMyTrip
    Headquarters Mumbai
    Founders Deepak Ananth and Vineet Rajan
    Sector Travel and Tourism
    Founded 2016
    Parent Organization ScoutMyTrip Private Limited

    ScoutMyTrip – About
    ScoutMyTrip – Industry Details
    ScoutMyTrip – Founders And Team
    ScoutMyTrip – Startup Story | How It Began?
    ScoutMyTrip – Name And Logo
    ScoutMyTrip – Business Model and Services
    ScoutMyTrip – Revenue Model
    ScoutMyTrip – Funding And Investors
    ScoutMyTrip – User Acquisition
    ScoutMyTrip – Startup Challenges
    ScoutMyTrip – Competitors
    ScoutMyTrip – Advisors And Mentors
    ScoutMyTrip – Awards
    ScoutMyTrip – Future Plans

    ScoutMyTrip – About

    It is a road trip planner which conflates human intelligence with artificial intelligence to help plan the perfect road trip for individuals. ScoutMyTrip works for all sorts of outings, from short weekend travels to long excursions.

    With artificial intelligence, customers can create an itinerary containing the information necessary for their road trip—gas stations, toilets, restaurants, hotels to stay in, and points of interest. The human intelligence aspect brings in the ability to personalize the information as per one’s needs.

    ScoutMyTrip envisions making road trips the preferred means of vacation.  

    An industry first product has been introduced where a Scout (travel expert for the specific region) is virtually assisting the customer throughout the journey (before and during the trip). The Scouts give you the regional flavor and make one’s holiday joyous. We call this ‘Mark and Embark’! Our team is hard at work in building great tech and striving for customer delight each time.

    ScoutMyTrip – Industry Details

    As far as the market is concerned, the road-tripping industry is a subset of a much larger travel domain.  

    “Our total addressable market is pegged at $6.6B with 33 million leisure road trips in one calendar year. This is growing at a very fast rate and we expect it to double in 3 years time. Globally, this market stands at $100B which is really what we are after; but we want to establish ourselves well in the subcontinent which is why we have started operations in Nepal and Bhutan as well” says Vineet.

    ScoutMyTrip – Founders And Team

    Deepak Ananth and Vineet Rajan are the founders of ScoutMyTrip.

    Deepak Ananth & Vineet Rajan, ScoutMyTrip Founders
    Deepak Ananth & Vineet Rajan, ScoutMyTrip Founders

    Deepak Ananth

    Deepak Ananth is the CEO and Co-founder of ScoutMyTrip. He is an Electronics graduate and had been in the corporate space for a really long time, his last assignment being with Verifone as a Director for South-East Asia. Ananth is also known as a storyteller, who loves to travel and sip on fine scotch and old monk. Ananth has a Royal Enfield 500cc bike, and his favorite trip is from Mumbai to Shillong and back.

    Vineet Rajan

    Vineet Rajan was the Co-founder and CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) of ScoutMyTrip. Vineet is a Computer Science graduate and has an MBA. Vineet has been involved with various startups throughout his career, and currently works as a Marketing Leader at SAP. After leaving ScoutMyTrip in April 2021 as an Advisor, Rajan joined Shop101 as the Head of Marketing Communications & Organic Growth. Vineet left the Co-founder position of the company in June 2020 and then remained an Advisor for the company before stepping down from that too.

    Deepak and Vineet met each other during a road trip organized by a bikers’ club they were part of. They also held official positions in one of the most sought-after Royal Enfield groups. This gave them a chance to collaborate in non-professional capacities. Their thoughts resonated since both wanted to do something unique in the domain of road trips, thus deliberating over possible ideas in 2015.

    In terms of workload, Deepak has been responsible for the overall strategy and public relations while Vineet looked into the marketing and sales segment. Soumen Bhowmick serves as the Head of Business Development.

    Neeraj Sinha was the CTO and used to manage everything to do with tech. Neeraj Sinha worked at a prestigious company, with excellent remuneration and an experience worth mentioning, but he left all of it just because of his love for travelling, which was fulfilled when he joined ScoutMyTrip after working for around 14 years with the same organisation. Though his father was in the Railways, he had seen the real struggle, as per several interviews, where he stated that his father was left with hardly any money in the middle of the month. This was what drove him away from the government sector jobs, thereby placing him in the private sector. Neeraj started with some odd jobs like that of the EDP Operator but he eventually pursued an MCA degree from IGNOU, and then he never looked back. Sinha soon joined Sopra Steria, then known as Xansa, as a Software Engineer in 2002.

    In 2015, we had started talking about putting our collective experience of road tripping so many kilometers into a tech product which can help other travelers. So a ‘road trip’ called ScoutMyTrip began! Building a work drives us – and that is the common area of interest for us. Our team sticks with us; because of the independence we give them in their working style. We measure results; and not the means.  

    ScoutMyTrip – Startup Story | How It Began?

    Both Deepak and Vineet happen to be road trip aficionados. It was this love which inspired them to conceive ScoutMyTrip with a view to guide road-trippers on making the most out of leisurely travels.

    We picked this idea because both of us love road trips. Having road tripped on the iconic Royal Enfield bikes in India with over 600,000 kilometers between us; we decided to build a solution that will help people road trip better. Because not everyone will have the knowledge of roads as we would do.

    While maps have been the traditional go-to for navigational requirements, ScoutMyTrip is building a new category in road trip planning. The ideation process for ScoutMyTrip started back in late 2015.

    ScoutMyTrip has been designed after taking suggestions from men and women consumed by wanderlust (not limited to bikers) and scouts to make the product more customer-centric. The product’s features are the results of the feedback from more than 500 fellow travelers and Scouts. The ScoutMyTrip team carried out a survey involving over 1000 people (including individuals not too inclined towards travelling) to cover every possible scenario. This is imperative given the dynamics of the decision-making process when it comes to travelling. The team also reached out to members of various travel clubs in India. The intimate discussions with these travel communities have been pivotal in onboarding travel experts for helping others.

    Some of the first people we spoke to about ScoutMyTrip were all kicked. From investors, the biking community, travel forums and everyone around. We did, however, get a sense that we would have to establish ourselves very quickly; and hence we started seed funded the company in 2016.

    RedBus – Enjoy a cozy and comfortable bus travel with RedBus!
    With all the buzz that the millennials have with traveling and easy bookings, wehad to have the online booking portals that are easy as a button. Today fromairfare booking to bus booking, we have all arrangements for easy and fastonline booking. One such company that revolutionized the bus travel…
    StartupTalkyVidhi Punamiya

    Since the startup emphasized having seasoned travelers help plan trips, it wanted to have the essence of a ‘guide’ in its name. After much consideration, the name ScoutMyTrip was finalized for it captured this essence through ‘Scout’.

    ScoutMyTrip Logo

    The Logo shows an inverted magnifying glass and signifies a bird pecking when seen straight (birds usually symbolize freedom). The road in the center is symbolic of travelling. The three colors represent the brand’s values—community, safety and fun.

    A lot of thought has gone into the logo. A good friend Kirtee understood our requirements and came up with that effective logo. We still sometimes joke about how much we troubled her for the logo but wherever we go, we get great feedback on the logo and that is always music to the ears of any founder.

    Success Story of Ithaka- A trip planner for your Holidays
    Ithaka Startup Success StoryStartup NameIthakaHeadquarterMumbai [https://startuptalky.com/mumbai-startups/]FoundersRahul Singh & Mithilesh SaidSectorTravel Planning AppFounded2015ParentOrganizationTraveljunkie SolutionsAbout IthakaTravel Market in IndiaFounders of Ithaka and TeamHow was Ithaka…
    StartupTalkyChayanika Goswami

    ScoutMyTrip – Business Model and Services

    ScoutMyTrip is a freemium product. Customer can sign up for free on the website and can plan their road trips using the planner for a lifetime. The planner allows the user to add 25-way points (Google allows you just 10) on their route. It suggests places to stay and eat, gas stations, and things to do—all under one platform.

    Customers can choose to pay a premium in case they would like assistance with their planning. They are then assigned Scouts who help not just in building itineraries but also by providing virtual assistance throughout the trip.

    ScoutMyTrip from the beginning has followed a very community-centric approach. Be it a community of travelers or that of Scouts. It’s always about the people with technology which revolves around it. Scouts are the key differentiator for us. We’re a marketplace of travel experts who curate the best on the road experiences.

    ScoutMyTrip has partnered with travel experts and individuals from different parts of India. These skilled individuals know the local haunts, have adequate knowledge about different places to visit and are the best people to reach out to for a well-planned road trip. ScoutMyTrip has a reach all over India and also services Indian travelers visiting Nepal and Bhutan.

    The company has scaled quite a few times – from being just another travel agency to doing marketing campaigns for travel brands and now fully focusing on helping people plan awesome road trips.

    Itinerary Created by ScoutMyTrip
    Itinerary Created by ScoutMyTrip

    ScoutMyTrip – Revenue Model

    ScoutMyTrip has a well-planned revenue model and earns revenue from the following sources:

    • Hiring a Scout: When a traveler contacts an expert (Scout), ScoutMyTrip earns a percentage of the planning fee. The rates vary from Rs. 2000 to Rs. 9000 and can go up to Rs. 50,000 for custom trips and itineraries.
    • Platform integrations: The planner can be integrated with other travel websites for a wholesome user experience.
    • Corporate tie-ups and group tours: ScoutMyTrip has been successfully doing this for more than a year now and has organized over 500 group road trips for individuals and corporate houses.
    • Road trip packages: Once the trips are planned, the ScoutMyTrip Experience team bundles the following as part of the package:

      – Hotel bookings

         – Self-drive cars and taxis

         – Guides

         – Roadside assistance/insurance

    Startup Story of Taxidio – A DIY trip planning platform
    Taxidio Startup Success StoryStartup NameTaxidioHeadquarterMumbai [https://startuptalky.com/mumbai-startups/]FoundersVishal Kejariwal & Abhas DesaiSectorTravel and TourismFounded2015ParentOrganizationTaxidio Travel India Pvt. Ltd.About TaxidioTourism Industry DetailsFounders of Taxidio and Team…
    StartupTalkyChayanika Goswami

    ScoutMyTrip – Funding And Investors

    ScoutMyTrip raised seed funding from Z Nation Lab in April 2017.

    Funding Date Funding Stage Funding Amount Investors
    April 2017 Angel Round Undisclosed Z Nation Lab

    ScoutMyTrip – User Acquisition

    ScoutMyTrip was launched for insider access or closed beta in October 2016. It got its first 5000 signups in one month and there has been no looking back ever since. ScoutMyTrip had incidentally launched its blog much before the website came into existence. This allowed the company to build communication with its target customers. Through its blogs, the team was able to expound the vision for its product to an eagerly awaiting consumer base.

    Content marketing has been a driver for ScoutMyTrip. The company has approximately 90 % of its users coming through social media platforms powered by influencers already a part of the ScoutMyTrip community. Word of mouth publicity also has been a good contributor for ScoutMyTrip with around 10% of user acquisition from this stream.

    The majority of spending by ScoutMyTrip in the marketing space are on Facebook and Instagram advertising. A lot more time is vested on SEO and building great content which markets itself.

    ScoutMyTrip takes pride in being a content-driven brand and has taken ownership of three intellectual properties to keep in touch with its focus group—the travel enthusiasts.

    • The Great Indian Food Trip: The Great Indian Food Trip is an exploratory drive-by ScoutMyTrip through the hinterlands of India for rediscovering some of the most iconic and largely lost gems of Indian cuisine.
    • The Highest Blogger Meet: The idea here is to take influential bloggers from different walks of life to the highest motorable roads in the world. On those roads, ScoutMyTrip hosts a blogger meet, setting a record in terms of altitude each time. The last successful attempt was at Khardung La in partnership with OYO Rooms.
    • #AageSeRight: A viral sensation on Instagram that is common amongst road trippers. AageSeRight is a Hindi phrase used as a response when asking for directions; ScoutMyTrip was able to create a medium of brand recall through this hashtag.  

    SuccessStory Of Guiddoo, a platform that helps you discover and book in destination experiences across 15 countries.
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    ScoutMyTrip – Startup Challenges

    Deepak and Vineet had the most modest upbringing, belonging to middle-class Indian families. Deepak had been working in corporate roles (at senior positions in reputed companies) for over 20 years before ScoutMyTrip. Vineet had an entrepreneurial mindset throughout his career but his only brush was by being a member of an established startup. As a result, launching a startup was no less than a challenge due to lack of prior experience as told by Vineet.

    Whether such a platform would find a place and apprehensions about them treading the right path plagued the founders in the initial phase.  

    Our families were very supportive. Parents who heard us out asked the right questions and then wholeheartedly supported us, spouses who stood by us, ready to fight the same battles along with us, helped to make our minds up, much easier.    

    ScoutMyTrip – Competitors

    As Vineet says, the biggest competitors are the airlines and railways, which make up for over 80% of all travel spends in India. Google Maps is a formidable opponent given its reach and popularity when it comes to navigation.

    Globally, ScoutMyTrip faces resistance from Road Trippers and Furkot, which are slowly building their presence in India. Desi competitors include Easy Roads and Highway Delite. However, the highly experienced Scouts associated with ScoutMyTrip are its USP and the major differentiator from its competitors.

    We are different in terms of us being a very community driven space where our Scouts are the USP to ScoutMyTrip. We encourage road trips for everyone and plan it keeping in mind the likes of our customers.

    ScoutMyTrip – Advisors And Mentors

    ScoutMyTrip’s investor, Z Nation Labs, is also its primary mentor.

    We get great support, industry connects and advice from the leadership team of Z Nation labs which includes Amit Jain, Anup Mehta and Neha Jain.  

    After being incubated by NASSCOM’s 10,000 Startups initiative and the Maharashtra State Innovation Society, ScoutMyTrip is getting regular support from its team as well.

    ScoutMyTrip – Awards

    ScoutMyTrip has had its fair share of recognition including the recent incubation by NASSCOM’s 10,000 startups initiative. The honors bestowed on ScoutMyTrip in 2019 are:

    • April 2019 – Selected as one of the Top Startups by NASSCOM as part of the 10,000 Startups Program.
    • March 2019 – Recognized by Startup India / DIPP.
    • February 2019 –Winners of the Maharashtra Startup Week by the Govt. of Maharashtra.
    • January 2019 – Entrepreneur India listed ScoutMyTrip as the top 50 startups to watch out for in 2019.
    • July 2019 – ScoutMyTrip won the Conquest 2019 startup challenge by BITS Pilani which opened new doors in terms of partnerships and investor connections.
    • August 2019 – ScoutMyTrip was invited by DIGITARAYA x tiket.com accelerator programme for expansion into SE Asia.
    ScoutMyTrip Founders Receiving Award at Maharashtra Startup Week
    ScoutMyTrip Founders Receiving Award at Maharashtra Startup Week

    Earlier Awards include being chosen as one of the top 20 travel tech startups by FICCI in 2017, Top 10 startups in India (Silicon India), and many more.

    ScoutMyTrip – Future Plans

    ScoutMyTrip has received a positive response from the traveler community; it has partnered with reputed brands to maintain the flow. Over the last two years, ScoutMyTrip has been aggressively improving its Scout and agent network to service the ever-increasing customer requirements. The company’s business partners include Treebo Hotels, OYO, Agoda, Booking.com, MyChoize self-drive cars, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Honda Cars India to name a few.

    Over the next 1-2 years, ScoutMytrip is looking at consolidating the Indian market where there is a churn in the making as observed by its team.

    For its long-term vision, ScoutMyTrip aspires to be present in every aspect of a road trip. The ScoutMyTrip team has christened this plan as ‘Dashboard to Dhabha’, where the idea is to integrate ScoutMyTrip into cars to make it easier for car owners to conceive a journey. This comprises showing recommendations of other roadtrippers, real and live assistance from Scouts all over the country, detours to explore the countryside, and other provisions. This shall enable ScoutMyTrip to create an extensive database which would then be used to provide up to date, real-time information in assisting holidaymakers.

    After spending a week in Indonesia understanding the travel and tourism industry, the co-founders are considering expansion into a new market next year. They are in discussions with partners to venture into the SE Asian markets and provide a full suite of services not limited to hotels, flights, and last mile connectivity for trips.

    It is hard to navigate through the maze and there is a long way before we as a country make it simpler for startups. And advice is not easy to come by, we had to learn a lot of it ourselves- Vineet Raja

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    FAQs

    Who are the Founders of ScoutMyTrip?

    Deepak Ananth and Vineet Rajan were the founders of ScoutMyTrip. Rajan left the company in 2021.

    What is ScoutMyTrip?

    It is an Indias trip planner, which conflates human intelligence with artificial intelligence to help plan the perfect road trip for individuals. ScoutMyTrip works for all sorts of outings, from short weekend travels to long excursions.

    What is ScoutMyTrip Business Model?

    ScoutMyTrip is a freemium product. Here, the customers can sign up for free on the website and can plan their road trips using the planner for a lifetime. The planner allows the user to add 25-way points (Google allows you just 10) on their route. It suggests places to stay and eat, gas stations, and things to do—all under one platform.

    Who are the competitors of ScoutMyTrip?

    The ScoutMyTrip competitors include:

    • Google Maps
    • Road Trippers
    • Furkot
    • Easy Roads
    • Highway Delite

  • Phanindra Sama Success Story – The Journey of RedBus

    Travelling is a basic necessity for all of us today. Everyone, from children to the elderly, travel places every day. The objective is distinct from the desire for fulfilment. There are a variety of types of transportation available, including planes and vehicles. However, for many people, the bus is still the most common mode of transportation.

    Booking tickets provides passengers with a unique experience because it is a simple and effective way to purchase a ticket. Bus ticket bookings have increased in tandem with railway and aircraft ticket purchases. There are already a lot of companies that offer online bus ticket booking.

    RedBus, on the other hand, was the first and is currently one of the most popular bus ticket purchasing platforms. Redbus was founded by Phanindra Sama, Chandran Padmarauju, and Sudhakar Pasupunuri. These engineers were from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science. In this article, learn more about Phanindra Sama.

    Phanindra Sama Biography

    Name Phanindra Sama
    Date of Birth 15th August 1980
    Hometown State Andhra Pradesh
    Occupation Entrepreneur, Angel Investor, Advisor
    Founded RedBus.in, Pilani Soft Labs Pvt Ltd.

    About Phanindra Sama
    Phanindra Sama – Education
    Phanindra Sama – The RedBus Journey
    Phanindra Sama – Personal Life
    Phanindra Sama – Investments
    Phanindra Sama – FAQ

    About Phanindra Sama

    Phanindra Sama is a famous name that wasn’t well-known but is recognised in South India as a young Web entrepreneur. Every kid should be inspired by his journey. His experience as a web entrepreneur is unparalleled. He was an average employee ten years ago, but an idea born out of difficulty has set him apart from the group.

    Phanindra Samma was born in the small village Tadapaikal of Nizamabad district in India. He lost his dad at an age where he could not understand why things were happening. This is the major incident in Phanindra that shook his childhood.

    Phanindra Sama – Education

    For his 10th and +2 years, Phanindra relocated to his Uncle’s residence in Hyderabad. He was an exceptional student in his academics. He received an average of 80% in SSC and 97 percent in Intermediate. He was accepted into BITS PILNI in the Electronics Engineering track based on his Intermediate grades.

    In BITS, he has had to deal with a lot of problems. He exhibited leadership characteristics, and as a result, he was named team leader of the photography club at BITS University. At the time, his classmates and fellow students were awestruck by his extraordinary leadership abilities.

    He has attended Stanford University for the Field Of Study Economics, Social Psychology in 2016 in Kings College London. He also went to the Swedish Institute for Field Of Study Responsible Leadership and Sustainable Business Practices. He got a Chevening Standard Chartered Financial Services Fellowship from King’s College London.

    Phanindra Sama – The RedBus Journey

    In 2005-06, Phanindra Sama used to travel by bus very frequently. He wanted to travel to his family but He was late for a bus one day when the idea for RedBus came to him. He discovered a solution to the problem, and as a consequence, Redbus was formed.

    Phanindra Sama considers himself an entrepreneur by chance. He began his career as a Design Engineer at ST Microelectronics, and two years later, he transferred to Texas Instruments as a Senior Design Engineer.

    From his unfortunate experience of missing a bus one day while working at Texas Instruments, he saw the need for an online bus ticket-buying platform. Soon after, he began putting his plans into action, founding India’s most popular and extensive online bus ticket-buying platform, RedBus, and working as the Chief Executing Officer of his own firm (CEO).

    Phanindra Sama founded RedBus with his two friends Charan Padmaraju and Sudhakar Pasupunur in 2006. They failed to raise any funds at the start but later Venture capitalists started approaching them. They received their first seed funding from the ‘Seed Fund’ and built the company and scaled it to huge heights. The company was at the peak of its success when the Ibibo group acquired Redbus.

    Following that, Phanindra Sama left the firm. He was employed as Chief Innovation Officer with the Government of Telangana. Sama is now an advisor at West Bridge Capital. He is also an angel investor, investing in tiny businesses that he believes in.

    Phanindra Sama’s net worth is estimated to be over $12 million, according to reports.

    Phanindra Sama – Investments

    Date Organization Name Funding Round Money Raised
    Oct 27, 2021 Stoa School Seed Round ₹110M
    Jul 19, 2021 Eka Care Seed Round $4.5M
    Nov 27, 2020 Kagaaz Scanner Seed Round 575k
    Oct 13, 2020 Tread Pre-Seed Round $1.1M
    Oct 1, 2020 QuestBook Pre-Seed Round $625k
    Mar 8, 2020 AirMeet Seed Round $3M
    Jan 8, 2020 RheoTV Seed Round $2M
    Jul 15, 2019 Jiny.io Seed Round $725k
    Mar 21, 2018 OpenTalk Seed Round –
    Feb 13, 2017 Flyle Seed Round $400k

    Phanindra Sama – Personal Life

    Having a love life while attempting to create a business, Phanindra Sama confesses, is quite challenging. When Phanindra Sama was busy aggregating bus services all the time, he didn’t have time for dating. Phanindra Sama’s interactions were mostly limited to his stakeholders, and he didn’t have a girlfriend.

    Phanindra Sama did an arranged marriage. The date of Phanindra Sama’s wedding was determined by his parents, and the identity of Phanindra Sama’s wife has not been revealed to the public.

    The wife of Phanindra Sama is a very quiet woman who very occasionally attends events with his husband. She is kind of a life at home mother who is concerned for her children and their growth. Phanindra Sama stated unequivocally that he sold his firm for a variety of reasons, one of which was to give his daughter and his wife more time.

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    Conclusion

    Phanindra Sama built a thriving business and transformed the bus ticket booking system in our country. Phanindra Sama has now continued to fund new startups, as an angel investor. The nicest part about his newly created site is that he did not start it as a business. He merely intended to find a solution and assist everyone who was experiencing the same difficulties he had.

    For a few years, Phanindra and his wonderful pals worked really hard because their efforts were not recognised by others who had worked in the tourism sector for many years. Nothing, however, could persuade Phanindra to abandon his plan, and this is what contributed to his triumph.

    Phanindra Sama – FAQ

    Who is Phanindra Sama?

    Phanindra Sama is an entrepreneur and the founder and former CEO of RedBus.in & Pilani Soft Labs Pvt Ltd.

    What is the net worth of Phanindra Sama?

    Phanindra Sama’s net worth is estimated to be over $12 million, according to reports.

  • Business model of MakeMyTrip | How does MakeMyTrip make money

    When it comes to tour and tourism, MakeMyTrip holds a leading position in the market. The very popular Indian travel company, MakeMyTrip, launched in the year 2000. Ever wondered how this company makes money? Or how its business model is designed? Well, in most simple words, the business model of MakeMyTrip entirely revolves around the online travel services it offers.

    MakeMyTrip provides the facility of booking tickets for holidays, flights, busses, cars and trains. This travel company has made booking tickets very convenient for Indians. Also, it has improvised the travel conditions and arrangements in India.

    In this article, we have discussed the business model of this amazing travel company- MakeMyTrip and how it makes money. So, let’s get started!

    About MakeMyTrip
    Key services of MakeMyTrip
    Target Audience
    Where does MakeMyTrip operate?
    Business Model of MakeMyTrip
    What is unique about the business model of MakeMyTrip
    How does MakeMyTrip make money?
    FAQ

    About MakeMyTrip

    MakeMyTrip is a very famous Indian travel company, established in 2000. The company provides some very amazing online travel services and offers. With MakeMyTrip, you can book tickets for flights, hotels, buses and many more.

    This famous travel company was founded by Deep Kalra. The company directly communicates with the customers through its verified online platform and deals with all customers’ concerns related to travelling. In other words, MakeMyTrip is the perfect guide for you to plan your vacation.

    MakeMyTrip owns around 30+ franchised stores along with 14 different stores across 28 cities. In the year 2012, the company developed and launched its mobile application for its customers that provides over 10 lakh routes all around India. MakeMyTrip has made travelling super cool and convenient for the Indians by helping them in all aspects of travel requirements.

    Key services of MakeMyTrip

    MakeMyTrip provides various beneficiary services for its customers. Some of them are booking tickets for any sort of travel media such as flights, trains, buses or many others. Besides this, booking tickets for hotels, hire cars, and holiday packages, etc.

    Apart from this, there are many third-party services also available such as travel insurance, Visa and many others, especially for travelling in any other country.

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    Target Audience of MakeMyTrip

    There isn’t any specific group that MakeMyTrip separately focuses on. The travel company focuses on different groups with different specifications and segments. It attracts all kinds of age groups and genders. Although the company does prefer customers who have a vivid connection with the internet.

    Where does MakeMyTrip operate?

    MakeMyTrip is an India-based travel company but the company has expanded itself into foreign countries as well such as America, UAE and many others. MakeMyTrip has well-functioning offices in New York, Bangkok, Dubai, Kaula, Singapore, Phuket and many others.

    Business Model of MakeMyTrip

    The business model of MakeMyTrip is very strategic and mainly based on customer service. MakeMyTrip provides the audience with great offerings and also, facility to book tickets.

    India, being the fastest-growing digital travel agency that basically benefits brands like MakeMyTrip in making them a strong contender in the global market. And for this, their business model entirely strategies the marketing, price, name, promotion and location. The company provides satisfaction to its customers through its amazing customer-centric services.

    Apart from this, MakeMyTrip provides its services at affordable pricing rates. MakeMyTrip provides an e-marketplace that is basically available for a huge range of audiences across the world.

    The company promotes its services and offerings through electronic banners on television commercials, websites and various other channels. Also, it promotes through offline retail stores.

    Today, MakeMyTrip has become an elite brand and has great strategic planning including various marketing schemes and campaigns.

    What is unique about the business model of MakeMyTrip

    MakeMyTrip is way beyond just creating the most amazing experience for customers. In the competitive marketplace, MakeMyTrip offers the facility of customer testimonials that give strong feedback on the company’s customer service managers. And the great customers’ experience is what favours the company most.

    In addition to this, MakeMyTrip works on various tactics and technologies to improvise its products and services. This brings out a great additional advantage to the company, especially over its audience. Along with this, MakeMyTrip provides an advanced place to its retail stores for showing the company’s products.

    Revenue of MakeMyTrip
    Revenue of MakeMyTrip

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    How does MakeMyTrip make money?

    MakeMyTrip has its major revenue source from the fee it charges over the online bookings. Although the company provides the most affordable flight tickets, that’s what attracts the customers more. They do this by purchasing the tickets from the private airlines by a huge number and they then reduce the charge and sell these tickets to the customers and earn a good extra commission fee.

    MakeMyTrip earns huge profit through the flight tickets but as there aren’t many options available with the trains that’s why they did not offer this service over train tickets. The company has over 5000 to 10,000 registered hotels and around 1000 registered busses.

    Apart from this, the major source of revenue is from marketing of various companies like Tata, Kingfisher, SpiceJet and many others. They also earn revenue by advertising holiday packages of various hotels on their website.

    Conclusion

    MakeMyTrip is known as the leader in the travel market in India. The company follows the Business-to-consumer digital business model. It is amazing with its services and products, both online and offline platforms. The travel market in India has grown at the rate of 40% and a huge market share is taken by MakeMyTrip.

    This clearly shows that the company has its marketing strategies very effective and efficient. MakeMyTrip earns a good amount of revenue and has a strong marketing position. Stay tuned for more content!

    FAQ

    Who is the founder of MakeMyTrip?

    MakeMyTrip was founded by Deep Kalra in 2000.

    What is the revenue of MakeMyTrip?

    The revenue of MakeMyTrip was 163 million U.S. dollars as of 2020.

    Who are the competitors of MakeMyTrip?

    MakeMyTrip’s top competitors include Flight Centre Travel Group, Treebo, TravelTriangle, Yatra and ClearTrip.

  • Travel and Tourism Industry Trends in 2021: Post-Pandemic

    Covid-19 has completely disrupted the Travel and Tourism Industry at both the national and international levels. With the worldwide lockdown and the heavy travel restrictions, the industry has lost not only domestic and international tourists but also local visitors. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), International tourism has witnessed a loss of $1.3 trillion in 2020 while the Indian tourism industry saw a revenue loss of ₹1.25 trillion, as per the CARE Rating study.

    The pandemic has impacted all divisions of the tourism industry such as inbound, outbound, corporate, MICE, adventure, and leisure and will continue to underperform for the next two quarters. Tourism will account for 9.9% of the country’s GDP by the end of this decade with the help of Government initiatives.

    The losses to the Indian Tourism Industry in 2020 have been huge but 2021 shows the revival of travel with the rise in vaccination. Significant changes were observed in traveling like more emphasis given to safety, cleanliness, and hygiene. The states that are getting the maximum tourists are Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Goa, and Kerala.

    Also Read: List of Top Travel Startups in India (2021)

    Travel and Tourism Trends
    Travel and Tourism Industry in India

    Post-Covid scenario in the Travel Industry
    Growth of Domestic Tourism in 2021
    Travel Industry Trends in 2021
    Recommendation to get Travel Industry on Track
    FAQs on Travel & Tourism Industry

    Post-Covid scenario in the Travel Industry

    Ever since the Covid-19 Pandemic had arrived, the tourism industry started evolving and changing ways in order to suit the needs of travelers. With the reduction in Covid cases in India, the Central and State Governments of the respective states have issued many standards and basic operating procedures in order to resume services. Major protocols are being taken as the security scan at the entrances of various locations like hotels and airlines involving thermal screening and sanitization and the staff is even extra cautious than before.

    The Post-Covid Scenario of Tourism Industry

    Many countries around the world are catching up with innovative solutions and activities to boost their country’s travel industry. Some of them include safe travel bubbles, SG Clean, Qatar Clean initiatives. Many travel agencies are now providing incentives, offers, and discounts to get people to travel. Understanding the solutions and practices being followed in different countries will help India in implementing the right strategies for the survival and revival of its tourism industry.

    Many services have turned contactless and are following all major protocols of safety and social distancing. Simpler activities like live cooking, disposable cutlery, online food delivery services, and digital menus aids in the growth of the industry. The hotel, restaurants and resorts are following strict SOPs for Covid-19 to create a protective environment. The government is also providing relaxation against free loans, provident fund relief, and GST.

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    The Growth of Domestic Tourism

    The relaxation in the lockdown along with the gradual lifting of travel restrictions shows constant opening and closing of travel make tourists feel uncomfortable to travel internationally. But 2021 saw an increase in domestic tourism, while foreign tourism is expected to remain low until the situation improves. One of the main reasons for the future boom in the domestic sector is that travelers in 2021 prefer to explore their own country and go on short weekend trips.

    Sectors of tourism affected by covid-19
    Here’s a look at the most affected sectors of tourism due to pandemic

    Hence, increases the sightseeing of remote destinations and helps the locals to get their livelihood back. This, in turn, boosts the local economy, creates more jobs, and helps the hotels and restaurants of the region, promotes local art handicrafts and culture. With more importance given to safety and social distancing, tourists think that it is safer to travel shorter distances than compared to the longer ones. This is why many people are opting for short road trips to unknown destinations with less crowd.

    The domestic vacation is now on top of the traveler’s bucket list for 2021. Just the first week of January 2021 saw 70% of users booking for future domestic trips on Tripadvisor. In the US, over 74% of travelers preferred to go on an overnight domestic leisure trip in 2021, and over 34% are planning domestic trips, which is quite high as compared to other countries like Australia (31%) and UK (24%).

    So let’s take a look at the 2021 travel industry’s trends that are likely to show up in the future.

    Workation Trips to Increase

    Work plus vacation or business plus travel is not a new concept that has arrived in 2021. But the business travelers are said to be rising in 2021 because many companies are opting to work from anywhere culture. This is why they have come up with brilliant travel plans that will help employees work along with leisure. Employees also have the option to bring their family members. The concept of business travel is getting popular as people have started to realize that all people need is electricity and a good internet connection to work.

    Workation Trips | New trend
    Work plus vacation has become a latest trend now

    Road Trips are the New Trend

    With many restrictions and travel bans, people have started opting for short road trips. Many tourists have started avoiding public transport like buses, trains or even airlines. Instead, they plan to go on road trips in their own vehicles or rent a car, as it is a safer option. Road trips are popular among tourists of all age groups and families. In addition to that, it reduces the travel expenses and vast options of destination to choose from.

    Road Trips is a new travel trend
    Road Trips, a budget-friendly option for travelers to travel around the city 

    Promotion of Sustainable/Eco-Friendly Tourism

    The pandemic has made people realize the importance of implementing sustainable ways of traveling. The tourist now is looking out for eco-tourism to get in touch with nature. In 2021, tourist focuses on responsible travel to remote locations or natural areas in order to experience the local culture and contribute towards the sustainable growth of environment. Tourists have become more conscious nowadays and are accepting more eco-friendly methods to reduce their carbon footprint.

    Sustainable Tourism in 2021
    Sustainable Tourism has become traveler’s best choice for embracing the nature

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    Research Before Travel

    Travelers are keen on researching more before making any travel plans. With Covid-19, it’s no surprise that people are more conscious to travel. According to a survey, more than 74% of the global tourist population say that they will spend more time researching everything about their destination. People are spending more time in reading reviews or checking for better accommodations before planning any itinerary.

    Post-vaccinations Impact on Travel

    With the rise in vaccination drive, the travel industry has started blooming. People have started planning their trips as they’re excited to finally be able to travel carefree. The new travel protocols, however, will include compliances for travelers including Immunity passports for tourists to provide proof that the tourists are vaccinated for the virus. More than 77% of global travelers likely to agree to travel internationally only after getting vaccinated.

    Why Travelling Will Never Be The Same

    Solo Travel is the Way

    Solo travel or even backpacking has grown exponentially with the pandemic. Co-living is also another new trend related to solo traveling. It is when solo travelers are looking to save money and time by getting out of their comfort zone and meeting other solo travelers while traveling. Solo travelers involves themselves in activities that includes social distancing.

    Solo Travel
    Solo Travel has become a new travel industry trend

    Safety and Cleanliness are the Priority

    Safety and cleanliness have become priority for travelers across the globe since Covid. And the travel industry is already implementing major guidelines and protocols including PCR tests on arrival, mandatory masks, sanitation, and frequent cleaning in different sectors like hotels, airports, restaurants, etc. to provide a safe environment.

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    Recommendation to get Travel Industry on Track

    Many experts in the field have given their recommendations on how to get the industry back on track. Some of them include:

    • Airlines, hotels, restaurants, and other tourist operators can adopt greener and eco-friendly solutions in order to increase their business while being sustainable.
    • The industry must encourage renewable energy and green project to help the environment.
    • The government must try helping the industry with interest-free loans for up to 5 years which makes it sustainable.
    • Implement compulsory masks everywhere and basic social distancing laws and regulations.
    • Promote lesser-known tourist destinations of India.
    • Make it easier for the tourist sectors to get licenses, permits, and renewal.
    • Reduction of GST rates in the travel and hospitality sector.

    FAQs on Travel & Tourism Industry

    The top travel industry trends in 2021 are:

    • Workation Trips to Increase
    • Road Trips are the New Trend
    • Promotion of Sustainable/Eco-Friendly Tourism
    • Research Before Travel
    • Post-vaccinations Impact on Travel
    • Solo Travel is the Way
    • Safety and Cleanliness are the Priority

    Which one sector is going to see a rise in tourism in 2021?

    2020 has completely disrupted the travel industry but 2021 is showing the revival of travel. The tourism sector will be very different than what it was before. The domestic sector is witnessing a surge as people are avoiding foreign travel and the situation is going to remain the same till the pandemic is over.

    What are the SOPs followed by the tourism industry in India?

    The SOPs followed by the tourism industry in India are security scans at the entrances of various locations like hotels and airlines involving thermal screening, wearing masks, sanitization, and social distancing.

    What is the fastest-growing trend in the travel industry?

    Eco-friendly/Sustainable tourism is one of the fastest-growing trends in the travel industry.

    Is the travel industry growing?

    The travel industry will slowly and gradually see a surge in the traveler once the pandemic is over. Currently, domestic tourism is growing at a slower pace. The reason being, people are feeling bored to remain at one place and therefore planning short trips.

  • Business Model of IRCTC | How does IRCTC Make money

    Of course, being an Indian, you would definitely travel a lot by train even if the distance is literally from one city to another. But what if you have to itinerant from one state to another for instance- You can’t run for each train in each station from Chennai to Mumbai right? That’s Why the Indian Government established IRCTC – an effortless e-ticketing booking website & mobile app, scheduled train system, hospitality and catering services to travellers.

    Besides, IRCTC promulgates One-Stop Solutions such as Tour Packages, Packaged drinking water Lounges & restaurants according to the tourist’s budget and global reservation.

    IRCTC launched on 27th September 1999 and over 20 years the organisation has become an ultimate revenue source in the development of GDP in India. Currently, the corporation is worth 460 million USD and earning around 900 USD per day by generating services.

    Where does IRCTC operate?
    Main Products and Services of IRCTC
    Target Audience of IRCTC
    Business Model of IRCTC
    What is unique about the IRCTC business model
    FAQ

    Where does IRCTC operate?

    IRCTC operates around and across India, 14 Rail Neer plants at Nangloi, Danapur, Palur, Ambernath, Amethi, Parassala, Bilaspur, Hapur, Sanand, Mandideep, Jagiroad, Nagpur, Sankrail and Maneri;

    These centres have been established for low-cost packaged drinking water to tourists. Moreover; 11 Base Kitchen has catering services which are located in New Delhi, Patna, Mumbai, Central Mumbai, Ballarshah, Nagpur, Howrah, Balasore, Chennai, Kolkata, Kharagpur, Sealdah and Secunderabad.

    With the expectation of services, IRCTC bestows 5 zones offices at New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Secunderabad and Kolkata.

    Ten regional offices at Lucknow, Chandigarh, Bhopal, Patna, Ernakulam, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Ahmadabad, Guwahati and Jaipur.

    Besides; IRCTC owns One e-ticketing and tourism office in New Delhi.

    Other than that, IRCTC offers foreign destinations to the USA,  Russia, Australia, Europe, Hong Kong, Nepal, Macau, China, Dubai, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Sri lanka etc.

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    Main Products and Services of IRCTC

    IRCTC is an Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd. with a main purpose to facilitate the development of rail tourists across the country. Apart from railway, IRCTC provides domestic and international tourism that subsumes flight or bus tickets, accommodations, tour packages inside and out- sightseeing and other travel needs.

    Furthermore, IRCTC eases foreign tour packages to Dubai, Thailand, Hong Kong, China, Nepal, USA, Singapore etc.

    Does it sound so fun, when you are travelling on IRCTC along with your friends, Damn, what else is needed? When IRCTC is ready to provide all facilities you are looking for from the beginning to end of your journey at an affordable price which depends on the booking class- AC first class, AC 2-Tier, AC 3-Tier, First class, AC Chair Car, Sleeper and second sitting. For instance, if you are in an AC F-class then the fare costs an arm and a leg.

    IRCTC provides Air Packages, Rail Based Tourism, Tourism accommodation, Air e-ticketing, Bus ticketing and sells packaged drinking water.

    Target Audience of IRCTC

    IRCTC focuses on the citizens who travel from one place to another. Additionally, as of 2019 more than 20 million users have been registered on the IRCTC portal.

    Business Model of IRCTC

    The IRCTC offers five major services to the Indian public. The services offered are E-Ticketing, Packaged Drinking water, Catering, Tourism and State Teertha.

    As of 2021, the IRCTC makes most of its profit from e-ticketing and catering services as it provides 63% and 22% of the total revenue respectively.

    Travel and tourism contribute to 7% of the revenue with packaged water about 8%.

    The Tatkal scheme by IRCTC is a scheme that is widely used by people in which people can book the tickets for travel one day prior to their travel on the Indian Railways Internet Portal.

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    What is unique about the business model of IRCTC

    What makes IRCTC stand out apart from the fact that it is a monopoly in India are the services offered by the company:

    E-Ticketing

    The Internet ticket sale by IRCTC was launched in 2002 and it is the only authorised application to sell railway tickets by the Indian Railways. The website is managed by TCS. IRCTC books nearly 8 lakh tickets daily through this feature.

    Catering

    IRCTC is the largest catering company operating in India. In 2020, catering accounted for 38% of the revenue. The catering services given by IRCTC are Static Catering, Mobile Catering Business, E-Catering and other services like executive lounges, budget hotels at major railway stations, etc.

    Tourism

    IRCTC offers budget and deluxe packaged tours for foreign and domestic tourists. The company also offers adventure tourism packages that include activities like water sports, wildlife treks, etc. It also offers services like Air tickets and corporate travel, Mass tourism, etc.

    Packaged Drinking Water

    IRCTC has a packaged drinking water service known as Rail Neer that offers pure and safe packaged water to customers. On average, it sells about 34 million water bottles per month.

    State Teertha

    State Teertha is a scheme sponsored by the state governments for pilgrimage trains and due to the COVID pandemic, this scheme did not see much success.  

    Conclusion

    Gone are the days when long queues were the only way to book a railway ticket. With the IRCTC offering online ticket booking people from anywhere in India with a smartphone can book their tickets hassle-free.

    Despite the COVID pandemic and the profit drop of 26.6 percent suffered by the IRCTC, the company has bounced back. The expected growth in online ticketing with a CAGR of 17% in the upcoming years; the growing catering industry is also expected to have a growth rate of CAGR of 18% making the IRCTC a successful venture.

    FAQ

    What is IRCTC?

    Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation(IRCTC) is a subsidiary completely owned by the Indian Railways. It provides services like ticketing, catering and tourism.

    Is IRCTC a private company?

    No, IRCTC is majority-owned by the government of India.

    What is the revenue of IRCTC?

    IRCTC’s total revenue for FY20 was INR 2353.53 crore with a net profit of INR 528.57 crore. As of 2020, the company’s net assets are valued at US $460 million with total equity being US $ 190 million.

  • List of Top Travel and Tourism Startups in India

    “It will be much more about responsible travel now. We are going to value our freedom a lot more” – Deep Kalra, Founder of MakeMyTrip on impact of Covid on travel industry

    The travel and tourism industry is one of the largest industries in India, it’s a major driver of economic growth globally. India’s tourism industry is experiencing a good period of growth, driven by the flourishing Indian middle class, growth in high spending foreign tourists and coordinated government campaigns to promote ‘Incredible India’. But Due to restrictions linked to Covid-19, the number of foreign tourist in India during 2021 decreased to 1.52 million compared to 2.74 million in 2020, dropping by 44.5%, though foreign exchange earnings grew during the same period, as per the India Tourism Statistics 2022 report. In 2019, India saw 10.93 million foreign tourist arrivals, which dropped by 75% in 2020.

    In 2021, the travel and tourism industry in India contributed around 178 billion U.S. dollars to the country’s GDP. Just a few days ago the Indian government has said that the country’s tourism sector will recover to the pre-pandemic level by mid-2024 , they also said that by 2030, the tourism sector will contribute $250 billion to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).According to the recent India Travel Market Report by Phocuswright, the total Indian travel market stood at US$19.1 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach $40.4 billion in 2025, with online penetration reaching 58% in 2025.

    The booming IT and outsourcing industry has led to a growing number of business trips made by foreigners to India. After Covid, along with work from home, a new trend has come, i.e., workcation for which travel companies are coming up with very good offers and packages. These plans comprise elegant and peaceful places to work with sightseeing and event sports in the evening. These packages are varied and diverse.

    From choosing destinations to connecting with locals and customizing the holiday, the travel startup business in India is looking to add a new dimension to the ever-evolving traveling story.

    Here is the list of successful tour and travel startups.

    Travel & Tourism Industry in India – Key Highlights

    Top Travel and Tourism Startups in India:

    1. MakeMyTrip
    2. ClearTrip
    3. Goibibo
    4. OYO Rooms
    5. Pickyourtrail
    6. ScoutMyTrip
    7. Thrillophilia
    8. Travel Triangle
    9. goMowgli
    10. Tripoto
    11. ExTravelMoney
    12. Nearify
    13. TripHobo
    14. iTraveller
    15. SeekSherpa
    16. SOTC
    17. Expedia

    Travel & Tourism Industry in India – Key Highlights

    Best Tourism and Travel startup – Key Highlights

    Also Read: Travel and Tourism Industry Trends in 2021: Post-Covid Scenario

    Top 20 Travel and Tourism Startups in India

    MakeMyTrip

    Founders Deep Kalra
    Founded In 2000
    Headquarters Gurugram, Haryana

    Best Travel and Tourism Startup in India – MakeMyTrip 

    MakeMyTrip is one of the oldest travel startup in India . The inspiration for this startup came to Kalra when he was booking a holiday to Thailand. He realized that the internet could offer more competitive prices by cutting out the middleman. MakeMyTrip’s mission is to provide customers a one-stop-shop for all their travel needs by providing online travel services that include flight tickets, domestic and international holiday packages, hotel reservations, rail and bus tickets.

    ClearTrip

    Founders Stuart Crighton; Matthew Spacie‎; Hrush Bhatt
    Founded In 2016
    Headquarters Mumbai

    Top Travel Startup – Cleartrip

    Cleartrip, headquartered in Mumbai, was founded by Stuart Crighton, Hrush Bhatt in the year 2005. The company operates an online travel aggregator website for booking flights and train tickets, hotel reservations, and activities in India and the Middle East countries. Cleartrip is one of the few business travel startups in India. It has offices across India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. Cleartrip is another travel tech company in India, started its services to the Persian Gulf nations of Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt. On June 21, 2018, Cleartrip announced the acquisition of Saudi Arabia-based online travel aggregator (OTA) Flyin.

    Clear trip also operates –

    • Cleartrip for Business, an online corporate travel management tool. It is a business travel solution for companies
    • Agent Box, a travel tool for travel agents.
    • Cleartrip Mobile, a travel booking app for consumers.
    • Expressway, to let users store traveller profile and payment details securely to make one-click bookings.
    • Flexifly, a solution that enables flyers to change their travel date and time and switch flights between airlines without any hefty penalties.

    Goibibo

    Founder Ashish Kashyap
    Founded In 2007
    Headquarters Gurugram, Haryana

    Travel Startup in India – Goibibo

    Within few years goibibo became a big payer in travel industry. Goibibo acquired redBus in 2013 to enhance its product offering. The 2016 merger of MMT and Goibibo gave MMT depth of content and an access to a bigger consumer base. It’s core value differentiator is the most trusted user experience, be it in terms of quickest search and booking, fastest payments, settlement or refund processes. Along with the usual services travel startups provide, Goibibo became the no 1 travel startup to introduce real travel booking currency named as Go Cash which can be used without any restrictions or limits of use.

    In small towns, this start up company has built up good trust and about 48% of new users are associated with tier 2 and tier 3 cities, it has seen a 65% increase in transacting users since January this year and that it has been ‘successful’ in consolidating its position as the ‘second largest’ OTA brand in the country.

    OYO Rooms

    Founder Ritesh Agarwal
    Founded In 2012
    Headquarters Gurugram, Haryana

    Best Travel & Hospitality Startup – OYO Rooms

    It is the largest hospitality startup from the list of top hospitality startups in India comprising budget hotels. It is usually one of the first names that pop up in people’s minds when they think of cost efficient hotel bookings in India. The startup works in liaison with existing hotels and offers travellers vacant rooms at a cheaper price. OYO Rooms start at a nominal price of Rs. 999. Besides bulk renting hotels, they have also invested in their own properties as well. Click here to know how exactly OYO Rooms work.

    The users can also opt for OYO Premium which provides a more-than-basic experience. OYO Rooms are located in the prime areas of the city and therefore they ensure travellers of having the best experience, it is also close to the best sight-seeing destinations and various dining options. The startup also raised an investment of $90 million from Softbank earlier in 2016. In 2019, OYO raised $1.5 Billion in Series F funding led by SoftBank Group, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Sequoia India.

    Pickyourtrail

    Founders Hari Ganapathy and Srinath Shankar
    Founded In 2014
    Headquarters Chennai

    Travel and Tourism Startup in India – Pickyourtrail

    Hari Ganapathy and Srinath Shankar got the idea of the startup after their experience from a self-planned trip to Europe in 2012.  This platform uses deep tech to let travellers create, customize and book international vacations. Pickyourtrail considers more than 40 factors like duration, travel time, ratings, etc to build personalized itineraries that travellers can further customize & book.

    After the trip is booked, travellers can use Pickyourtrail’s app to keep track of bookings and get real-time information on flight and weather updates, restaurant recommendations, and on-trip chat support.

    Their goal is to perform best in the tour and travel business when it comes to international trips.

    ScoutMyTrip

    Founders Vineet Rajan; Deepak Ananth
    Founded In 2016
    Headquarters Thane, Maharashtra

    Best Travel and Tourism Startup in India – SCOUT MY TRIP

    ScoutMyTrip is a road trip planner ,It works for all sorts of outings, from short weekend travels to long excursions.

    The motive that the duo has been able to solve through their startup is to collate information that is currently very diversified. Basically it is an information portal that makes travel easy and accessible for anyone. The company plans to connect travellers with people who want to travel on any particular vehicle. It will also facilitate customised tour packages.

    With artificial intelligence, customers can create an itinerary containing the information necessary for their road trip—gas stations, toilets, restaurants, hotels to stay, and points of interest. The human intelligence aspect brings in the ability to personalize information as per one’s needs.

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    Thrillophilia

    Founders Chitra Gurnani and Abhishek Daga
    Founded In 2011
    Headquarters Banglore

    Top Travel startup – Thrillophilia

    The corporate outdoor and experiential learning model adopted by Thrillophilia in its early days, has proven to be of great significance since it was fairly new concept in India.

    Thrillophilia provides you with handpicked adventure travel options. It is best suited for travellers seeking an off-the-beaten-track package for sightseeing, sports, and adventurous activities like water rafting, snorkelling, bungee jumping, and skydiving. The travellers can also curate the best tours and authentic suppliers.

    Travel Triangle

    Founders Sankalp Agarwal, Sanchit Garg, and Prabhat Gupta
    Founded In 2011
    Headquarters Gurugram, Haryana

    Top Travel and Tourism Startup – Travel Triangle

    Travel Triangle operates their services with a versatile team of 450+ people. Travel Triangle is operating as an online marketplace model bringing both travellers and trusted & expert travel agents on a common platform. Travel Triangle is a SaaS-based customer relationship management (CRM) platform to help them manage and analyse customer interactions and data.

    goMowgli

    Founders Anil Alur and Sunil Abhilash
    Founded In 2013
    Headquarters Mysuru, Karnataka

    Top travel and tourism Startup – goMowgli

    goMowgli is a travel startup that had its name inspired by the fictional character we all loved growing up –Mowgli from Jungle Book. It has a fleet of buses across different states (using the concept of “hop-off buses”) and the travellers can buy a pass for a fixed number of days – a week or two. It is suitable for solo travellers and backpackers who want to travel without a fixed plan or do not want to get in trouble of booking cabs while traveling the city.

    goMowgli claims to be India’s first flexible bus network for travellers. Flexible bus network mean is you can catch the bus anytime you want from any place in their network, and get off anytime, at any place.

    goMowgli will tell you the exact location of the nearest bus when you switch on the GPS feature on your smartphone. The app is growing in popularity very fast. At present, their revenue generation is basically based on the passes they sell (Rs. 1700/day) . And their marketing is mainly based on social media and word of mouth.

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    Tripoto

    Founders Anirudh Gupta and Michael Pargal Lyngdoh
    Founded In Headquarter:- Delhi
    Headquarters Delhi

    Top Indian Travel Startup – Tripoto

    Tripoto is a Delhi-based startup founded by Anirudh Gupta and Michael Lyngdoh and one of the best travel startups in India. It allows users to create itineraries for their future trips that they can also share with other travelers. They can share their travel experiences, related content and pictures, itineraries, maps, stories, and reviews.

    The startup has one of the largest communities of travellers in the world where people get a chance to share their travel experiences, discover unique trips and travel itineraries by other travelers and connect with them around the world through the website. Tripoto’s aim is to become the largest source of crowd-sourced travel content platforms in the world by enabling users to share their credible travel information.

    ExTravelMoney

    Founder George Zachariah
    Founded In 2015
    Headquarters Kochi, Kerala

    Travel Startup in India – ExTravel Money

    ExTravelMoney is an online aggregator and marketplace for forex services that bring the hyperlocal eCommerce model to foreign exchange business and is helping users save money on currency exchange and money transfer from and to abroad. Users can use this platform to search for banks and money changers near them who offer these forex services. They can also compare the exchange rates and total cost of a forex service including the services fees, tax charges, even the rating of each forex store they are searching for.

    The users can therefore make an informed decision based on this knowledge and book the cheapest and the best forex services near them directly from their app ExTravelMoney. If you are traveling in a foreign country, foreign exchange is an important component to plan. It isn’t easy to purchase forex due to the time and the hassle it takes in finding the best exchange rates. The website provides travelers with forex dealers across the country to bring them the best available exchange rate in the market and all they need to do is log in to their website, state their forex requirement, and then it connects you to the nearest forex dealer.

    Nearify

    Founders Avelo Roy, Mayank Kumar, Saurav Singh, Vivek Srivastava
    Founded In 2012
    Headquarters Delhi

    Top Travel Startup in India – Nearify 

    Nearify is an app founded by Mayank Kumar, Saurav Singh and Vivek Srivastava in 2012 that provides users with updated information on events that are happening around them. Like information on the city, major tourist attractions, and fairs & festivals happening in the area. All the user needs to do is to key in the name of the city to find listings of meet-ups, workshops, music concerts, and cultural hangout places in their close proximity.

    It is best suited for travelers who want to know what’s happening in other locations of the place they are traveling to and wish to plan their itinerary and also don’t want to miss out on the social events happening in nearby cities or locations.

    TripHobo

    Founders Praveen Kumar, Saket Newaskar, and Karthik Ramachandra
    Founded In 2012
    Headquarters Pune, Maharashtra

    Travel Planning Startup – TripHobo

    TripHobo is a Pune-based travel startup that has an innovative new travel platform where the collective effort of their dedicated team of travel enthusiasts. They are trying to transform its user’s travel experience by making travel more sharable and personally tailored. The platform lets you connect with travel buddies around the world and hence makes your experience even richer and memorable.

    TripHobo is a vacation planning website that is also the world’s leading vacation planning platform on which you can plan trips to about 150,000 destinations worldwide. It lets users discover great itineraries created by travellers just like them.

    iTraveller

    Founders Shiju Radhakrishnan and Sanjay Kumar
    Founded In 2011
    Headquarters Banglore

    Top Travel Startups – iTraveller

    It’s an online travel platform for travellers to explore travel destinations, plan and book their trips in advance. It allows users to dynamically create self-serviced customized travel packages after receiving inquiries from clients.

    The users can also compare reviews and plan their activities and sightseeing for their trips, it also involves native wholesale suppliers who are responsible for the operational aspects of the business of your trip that includes ground handling and fulfillment. iTraveller has created more than 2 lakh trips featuring over 20 travel destinations across the globe and more than 60 native wholesale suppliers from across these destinations. The brand of iTraveller is now changed to Lastminute.

    SeekSherpa

    Founders Sukhmani Singh and Dhruv Raj Gupta
    Founded In 2014
    Headquarters Delhi

    Top Travel and Tourism Startup in India – Seek Sherpa

    The mobile marketplace connects travellers with the local people in the city you are traveling to. These people are called “Sherpas” and are chosen after a thorough background check and verified authenticity. They offer numerous itineraries, popularly known as “micro tours”, from sightseeing, photography tours, and heritage walks and food walks to explore a location from the eyes of a local guide – Sherpa.

    Sherpas can be from any profession and list experiences that will cost you less than Rs. 3,000 per participant. This is a unique feature that SeekSherpa offers, it helps you in traveling better by interacting with the residents of the place you are seeking to explore. This way, your trip is better, well experienced, and more memorable.

    SOTC

    Founder Mr. Vishal Suri (Managing Director)
    Founded In 1949
    Headquarters Mumbai, India

    Top travel and Tourism Startup in India – SOTC

    SOTC India is a leading travel and tourism company active across various travel segments including Leisure Travel, Incentive Travel and Business Travel. It is one of the leaders in segments, namely Escorted Group Tours, Customized Holidays,  and Incentive Travel amongst others. SOTC offers customized holidays around the world, Corporate Tours and provides packages for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events) related travel needs.

    Conclusion

    Travelling is one of the most exciting and important parts of our life. It teaches us a lot. These startups in the tourism industry in India are helping us to make our journey better, safer, and easier. If we have missed out on any travel startup in India, do let us know in the comments.

    FAQs on Travel Startups in India

    How to start a travel business in India or how to start a travel company in India?

    Best tips to start a travel business in India or a travel company in India:

    • Step 1: Prepare a plan for your travel business.
    • Step 2: Brand your travel business along with dealing in legal formalities.
    • Step 3: Manage your funding strategy.
    • Step 4: Pick a great location and hire employees.

    How to start an online travel agency in India?

    The list of requirements to start an online travel agency in India:

    1. Make a thorough research on your competitors and the market.
    2. Find your own niche in the travel industry.
    3. Build your team.
    4. Take a call on a travel website or a travel software, or both.
    5. Make a strategy for marketing.
    6. Target a location.

  • Business Travel Management Trends And Impact Of Covid-19

    Business travel is a term used to indicate travel that is carried out for doing business with someone else. It includes traveling to another branch of the company, traveling to another location to visit business partners or suppliers, traveling for a business event or conference, etc. The business travel industry provides more than $1 trillion to the global economy. The habits of employees and their expectations related to business travel are evolving.

    Let us discuss about business travel management trends. This business travel market is getting more attention from many businesses in the travel industry because the cost is borne by the employer but travelers often spend more money on their travels. According to Certify, businesses spend about 21 percent of their total business travel budget on meals and 13 percent on accommodation.

    The advancement of technology and the fluctuations of the global economy have a significant effect on the travel policies of all businesses, large and small. Smartphone has changed the method of searching, booking, and paying for travel. Automation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning have made it easier and faster than before for business travelers to plan and book trips.

    Some important business travel management trends are given below.

    1. The Internet of Things (IoT)

    The IoT is the appliances, devices, and other things that can send and receive data by using internet connectivity. Smart energy meters, smart speakers, and smart televisions are examples of IoT devices common in households. The business travelers want the same from hotels. Hotel guests expect IoT devices that enable them to remotely adjust the heating or use voice commands to get information. Also, hotels can offer seamless check-ins, rooms that can be unlocked through a smartphone, and automatic payments.

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    2. Bleisure Travel

    The travel which combines business and leisure activities is called bleisure travel. It is primarily business-driven, but the traveler spends time to see the sights and engage in other leisure activities during their travels. Research indicates that it is growing.  In fact, according to Expedia, the trips which extended for leisure purposes is more than 40 percent. According to a report by SAP Conquer, the generation who makes most bleisure travels is millennials. It contains 38 percent of the total people who take pleasure trips.

     The habits of employees and their expectations related to business travel are evolving

    3. Virtual reality

    Virtual reality came into the mainstream in recent years. The travelers expect it to further disrupt the travel industry in the near future. According to the research of the DCC Forum, 79% of business travelers think virtual reality previews to become normal within 10 years. A business traveler is able to use virtual reality previews on the website of the hotel or other booking platforms of the hotel to gain a clearer idea of ​​what your hotel looks like. VR tours are also suitable for showcasing the amenities such as conference or meeting rooms, so travelers will get an idea of ​​size and layout.

    4. Personalization

    The airline industry is very effective in capitalizing on the personalization needs of business travelers. They realized that if these travelers are treated as individuals, they can become regular, loyal and high-value customers. This intention for personalization has spread to other sectors of the travel industry, including hotels. The hotels can utilize data from previous trips to make recommendations and adjustments based on the habits of an individual,  their payment methods, services they have used, etc.

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    5. Healthy Options

    It is important to realize that business travelers are needed to travel often. It means that they want to sustain some element of their normal routine, instead of seeing travels as an excuse. So, healthy options need to be provided. Some hotels provide healthy meals in hotel restaurants and healthy snacks in hotel rooms. Also, they provide massage services, outdoor sports facilities, and a gym for doing the workout.

    6. Customer experience

    A large part of travel management focuses on the customer experience. It is crucial for all businesses related to the travel industry. That includes hotels, restaurants, car rental companies, and airlines. because the customer experience has become a major competitive differentiator than price and product. According to various statistics compiled by Chameleon Collective, 86% of customers are ready to pay more for better customer experience. Also, 84% of companies that gave priority to customer experience reported a growth in revenue.

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    Impact of covid-19

    Global business travel was largely halted during the epidemic. The business people are engaged in meetings through MS teams and Zoom. Covid-19 has affected a few businesses in the travel industry. These include hotels, airlines, cruise lines, resorts, rental car companies, popular tourist attractions, and conference centers. The travel industry is undergoing significant changes. These changes are aimed to prevent a deadly and invisible virus. Some of the changes that we can expect in the world of business travel are given below.

    Travelers are worried to travel on planes and stay in hotel rooms due to covid-19

    1. Financial fallout

    There will be a significant economic downturn in the business world due to covid-19 pandemic. This epidemic has increased uncertainty and risk in the industry. There is a severe decrease in revenues across the travel sector. Numerous hotels, airlines, and travel companies cant withstand the economic effects of the epidemic. It will result in fewer opportunities for business travelers to use the resources they accessed before the covid-19.

    2. Companies will implement strict policies

    In large businesses with hundreds of employees traveling the world, we can expect strict company policies that enact the exact expectations and processes for employees. Handbooks, videos, training on to keep hygiene, human-to-human interaction, and packing will be revisited.

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    3. Pricing Changes

    The maintenance cost of hotels and airlines be higher. Airlines should sanitize the planes every night between stops. It will increase staff costs, supply, and additional ground time.  Also, the hotels should sanitize the rooms after each guest leaves. It will increase the costs and staff time to clean the room. It will result in increased pricing.

    4. Reduced service

    Domestic journeys are mainly through ground transportation. Governments may close borders and prohibit travel. The available airline services are decreased. The number of hotel rooms available are also decreased. Travelers are worried to travel on planes and stay in hotel rooms until safety is ensured. This will continue until developing a vaccine.

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    When business travel returns after the epidemic, there will be more stressful than before. If we found a vaccine or cure for covid-19, the hope is that world will slowly return to normal. Despite the desire to undo things, the world will look completely different. Business travel and surrounding industries are likely to adopt new norms. The concern of how to balance the safety, experience, and comfort of employees while traveling will remain for some time.

  • FABgetaways – India’s First Members-only Luxury Travel Platform!

    Founded by an IIM graduate Raaj Bajaj, FABgetaways is India’s first members-only online luxury travel platform specializing in personally curated luxury travel deals from the leading 4-star and 5-star hotels and resorts from across the world.

    FABgetaways features luxury travel deals from 4-star and 5-star hotels, resorts, and cruises in a flash sale format. The travel deals offer deep discounts for hotel accommodation, relative to any other online or offline channel, in addition to a minimum of 4 added values (eg. Cocktails, spa, airport transfers, etc).

    FABgetaways – Company Highlights

    Startup Name FABgetaways
    Headquarter Ahmedabad, India
    Sector Luxury Travel
    Founder Raaj Bajaj
    Founded 2017
    Parent Organization Hunky Dory Travel Pvt. Ltd.
    Website FABgetaways.com
    Contact Email travelconcierge@fabgetaways.com

    About FABgetaways and How it Works
    FABgetaways – Product/Services
    FABgetaways – Recognition and Achievements

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    About FABgetaways and How it Works

    With a vision to make luxury travel affordable, FABgetaways provides unique and meaningful travel experiences at unbeatable prices.

    Company values and philosophy:

    • Commitment to members – The members remain at the center of everything the company does, ensuring that it makes a positive difference in members’ lives.
    • Integrity – The startup upholds the highest standards of integrity in all of its actions.
    • Innovation – The team welcomes challenges and strive to solve problems innovatively.
    • Quality – FABgetaways provide outstanding deals and unsurpassed service that, together, deliver premium value to members.
    • Ambition – The team is inherently ambitious and share a strong will to win, not only in the marketplace but in every aspect of the business.

    FABgetaways – Product/Services

    FABgetaways’ deals offer a discount of up to 80% on rack rates, the benefit of which is passed on to the members. It offers the best rate guarantee to members. In case members can find the same or a lower rate on any other channel, with the same inclusions, the company offer to match and further discount that rate by 10%.

    FABgetaways Logo
    FABgetaways Logo

    “Our 5-step quality check process ensures that our members get access to a selection of hand-picked resorts, assuring of the highest quality standards across all aspects of their stay”, says FABgetaways founder Raaj Bajaj.

    The company offers a Travel Concierge service to all its members. Not only does the Travel Concierge team assist the members with bookings but it also acts as a travel advisor, providing recommendations on all aspects of travel.

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    FABgetaways – Recognition and Achievements

    FABgetaways has been featured in The Week, IBT and YourStory.