The Most Promising Travel Management Companies

I N D I A Know the Qualities Comprehending the Fundamentals of the Trusted Travel Management Company VOL-04 ISSUE-03 2022 The Most Promising Travel Management Companies Zelam Chaubal Director Explore Beyond Boundaries Emerging Trends in the Travel Planning Post-pandemic Tours Pvt Ltd Explore the World Without Boundaries

Editor's Note The Most Promising Travel Management Companies Abhishek Joshi Deputy Editor abhishek.joshi@insightssuccess.com FOR YOUR BEST EVER ENCHANTING TRAVEL EXPERIENCE nce in a while, after working hard for days and O just pack our bags, and leaving all our worries behind can go on a short, medium, or extended travel. unexpected-expected, and promised-unpromised bundles of horrors. months and probably years, we need a break, a vacation, a period of holidays, where we can You might be thinking; I am scaring you. However, I myself want to go on travelling, and just telling you my heart’s desires and my mind’s precautionary tales. Just when all hope seemed lost, our beloved CIOLOOK INDIA team came up with this much-needed edition, ‘The Most Promising Travel Management Companies’, to our – mine and yours – rescue. Company Name Featuring Brief Travelling enthusiasts and even those who are not that into frequent travelling hoped in the last two years to go somewhere else, away from all the tensions, anxieties, mind-depressing news, thoughts, and viruses, so that they could at least and at last get some sanity amidst the chaos, some relief amidst the crisis, and peace of mind amidst the increasing uncertainty. Chirag Gupta, Gautam Yadav and Himanshu Agarwal, Founders Deyor, a technology-friendly platform, provides a great agent and tour operator experience by making bookings of camping trips as simple as booking a hotel room. Deyor And now, after reading about the hard work, agility, adaptability, smartness, thoughts, compassion, caring, technology, and replanning, these best of the best travelling management companions and guides have put in for us, for our safety, security, comfort, that they have left no stone unturned to give us our most ever enchanting travel experience in this new normal situation. However, just as the wish erupts in our hearts, our mind comes up with all the reasons not to get out of the safe confines of our homes, offices, and known localities into some unknown, risky, unsafe, probably unhygienic, uncertain and dangerous terrains, where we could catch a virus instead of that peace of mind. HolidayBookie is a Travel management company Since 2009 and a one-stop-shop for all your travel needs. Bhavik Subhash Shah, Founder-Director Holidaybookie Pvt Ltd Kesari - a World Class Travel Company known for its innovations and Unique Speciality Tours, with a penchant for making every guests travel experience a lifetime memory. Kesari Tours Pvt Ltd Again, you do not have to take my word for it. You can read it yourself by diving into their mesmerizing tales. Also added for your all-around preparedness are the two trendy articles crafted by our in-house editorial team. Zelam Chaubal, Director Although the probability of it happening is waning gradually, our minds again protest with the so-called reason of unplanned travels with some unknown, unreliable, unpleasant, and un-everything travel mismanagement agents, agencies and plain opportunists. Even planned trips with such untrustworthy people become a journey of nightmares, Prasanna Purple Mobility has completed three decades in passenger Mass Transit Operations and has pioneered mobility solutions in the country. Prasanna Keshav Patwardhan, CMD Prasanna Purple Mobility Solutions Pvt Ltd So, what are you travelling birds waiting for? Hop in and enjoy the joy-read to make a wise choice. Au revoir!

C O N T E N T T Y Deyor C O N T E N 22 Digital Companions of the Travelling Spirits, Exploring Hearts, and Discovering Minds R R E O HOLIDAYBOOKIE PVT LTD Flagbearer of Traveller’s Trust and Credibility 28 V T O S Prasanna Purple Mobility Solutions Pvt Ltd Setting New Milestone in Public Transportation Services 36 C 08 32 18 Know the Qualities Comprehending the Fundamentals of the Trusted Travel Management Company Explore Beyond Boundaries Emerging Trends in the Travel Planning Post-pandemic Tours Pvt Ltd Explore the World Without Boundaries

I N D I A Pooja M. Bansal Editor-in-Chief CONTENT FOLLOW US ON www.twitter.com/ciolookindia www.facebook.com/ciolookindia/ Abhishek Joshi Gaurav PR Wankhade Deputy Editor WE ARE ALSO AVAILABLE ON DESIGN VisualizerSandeep tikode Art & Design Director Rashmi Singh Associate Designer Revati Badkas CONTACT US ON Email sales@ciolookindia.com For Subscription www.ciolookindia.com SALES Operations HeadMegha Mishra Assistant ManagerTejaswini Whaval Sr. BDE Suraj Gadekar Business Development Executive Meera Patel Copyright © 2022 CIOLOOK India, All rights reserved. The content and images used in this magazine should not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from CIOLOOK India. Reprint rights remain solely with CIOLOOK India. TECHNICAL Technical Head Amar Sawant Technical Consultant Tanaji SME-SMO Research Analyst Amol Wadekar SEO Executive Sujay Bhavsar sales@ciolookindia.com APRIL, 2022

Tours Pvt Ltd Explore the World Without Boundaries “ Kesari Tours is the first Indian company to give all-inclusive holidays to travellers where they do not have to spend anything from their pocket while on tour “ Zelam Chaubal Director C O V E R S T O R Y

The Most Promising Travel Management Companies I points of view. “ f we look at it from another perspective, Tourism is the world’s socio-cultural cohesion industry because it provides people with varied and meta-perceptual Kesari Tours is one solution for any ready traveller. For travellers who enjoy group tours, Kesari has tours available on all continents, and for those who want individual holidays, strawberry holidays are to look. developing Kesari Mice (Meeting Incentives Conferences and Exhibition) business tours for corporate travellers. Today, Kesari Mice is another successful division within Kesari. From a seven-year-old single child alone to an eighty-three-year-old single person alone, is our age range of travellers It opens borders and hearts to the faiths, ethnicities, festivals, and overall living and breathing folks who only look different from them on the exterior. For corporate tours, Kesari Mice and Zelam were proud to mention that they have done Asia’s largest group of 2400 people on Singapore Dream Cruise. She has also developed the students’ tours to Nasa, Switzerland, and other places. And Kesari Agro tours take farmers and interested people to see the exhibitions around the globe. Whatever their colour, creed, race is they laugh at joy and cry when sad. They might be praying to the different gods in various kinds of holy places, singing and dancing in several types of music; by their hearts and minds, they are just humans. Kesari Forex provides foreign currency for students and individuals traveling abroad. Their in-house professional visa team assists travellers with their visas. The impact is that every traveller’s need is being satisfied, be it a honeymooner, a single lady, a student, a senior citizen, or a corporate. Travel Management via AI The future of tours has changed due to AI. AI has enabled everyone to do more as the sky is the limit. Land and area boundaries have evaporated, and the world is available to everyone. The future will be experiential and adventurous travel. “ Thus, tourism and travelling are a true sense of human beings visiting unexplored terrains, making them a part of our lives, and cherishing them in our memories for a lifetime. People feel safe to travel with Kesari tours having a legacy of thirty-seven years. From a seven-year-old single child alone to an eighty-three-year-old person alone is the age range for travellers. Zelam, the Ever-Flowing River Ms Zelam Chaubal started her journey when she was fourteen years old as a tour assistant to her father, Mr Kesari Patil. Every vacation, she used to go on tour with him, learning the trade tricks. While studying for her Inter CA, she got married and went to America, where she has started her own company A2Z Tours and Travel and ran it successfully for a few years. People will travel for an experience, Learning and peace. Millennials are the new class of future Travellers for the Hence, Mr Kesari Patil founded Kesari Tours Pvt Ltd in the year 1984, “With the vision to show the Indians the amazing world and display the wonders of India by spreading smiles and happiness through travel and tourism,” said Zelam Chaubal, Director of Kesari Ms Life is Just a Holiday Kesari Tours is the first Indian company to give all- inclusive holidays to travellers who do not have to spend anything from their pocket while on tour. KTPL is a pioneer in bringing a few concepts like Honeymoon tours, my fair lady women-only tours, second inning Senior citizens tours, Student special tours, religious tours, Mari Gold, and Chota Break tours. In 2000, she returned to India for good and re-joined Kesari Tours as Director to develop the Pune market and two-tier cities. A few years after successfully doing this, she started

Kesari Agro tours takes farmers and interested people to see the exhibitions around the globe “ “ cause. The future of travellers will be bright as increased emphasis will be on travel than accumulating wealth for next generations. Work travel has increased, leading to leisure travel. The availability of many opportunities to earn has made global travel an extensive bucket list. The Times the Tourism Stood Still Pandemic for the travel industry is something unthinkable but reality. The world never stops, but it did because of the pandemic, and so did we. It was hard on the employers, employees and the people who had booked the holidays during that time. All the stakeholders have gone through losses, unpredictability, and volatility. The industry has been hit extremely hard, but every cloud has a positive aspect. Now the industry is slowly recovering with new challenges. It will take a few months now to get on track, and support from the government, Tourism boards, and consulates will help it be back on track. “None of us could pay the employees fully, but all are holding on to recover and recouped. For the safety of our employees, we had taken care of their insurances,” Zelam tells compassionately. The River of Belief’s advice to the budding entrepreneurs and aspirants “Travel Industry is going through a red ocean. Future travel will be different. Please find a niche of your own for those who want to enter the industry. Look for experiential travel and be different,” is the simple yet excellent advice of Zelam.

Future is going to be experiential, and more and more people will travel for an experience, learning, and peace “ Testimonials “ Colouring the Future of Tourism Zelam envisions the future of tourism and that of Kesari and concludes, “As mentioned above, to scale any company today is impossible with yesterday’s ideas. The scale of business and money has changed. Today without AI, scaling is almost impossible. Technology has become the norm for growth, which we cannot ignore. The digital world needs digital thinking, and that is what we are working on.”

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Explore Beyond Boundaries Emerging E With the coronavirus outbreak, it has been a tough time for the travel industry. Border closures, flight cancellations, and lockdowns have contributed to low tourism rates. njoy the travel with the new normal! across the world, as several countries have yet to open borders for tourists. This has also resulted in rising ticket costs and hotel rates. So, domestic, short-haul trips are now more attractive for travel enthusiasts. Travellers are likely to choose local destinations to ensure optimum safety and hygiene while avoiding differing quarantine rules between countries. rends nThe Travel P anning PostPandemic Travel PostPandemic The use of contactless technologies As there is a risk of spreading the virus through physical touch, travellers expect higher standards to ensure their well-being. Therefore, travel companies are employing digital tools that will enable 'no-touch' options. Even though things are becoming normal with passing time like every industry travel industry is also witnessing changes. There are new trends in the industry that should be considered while planning for travel in the post-pandemic era. Local Tourism International travel has been stagnant, with travel bans For instance, mobile-first technologies such as contactless payments have been in the market for a few years, with 18 | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com 19 | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com

More Road Trips As mentioned earlier, people are preferring domestic trips, so road trips will power through in the post-coronavirus world. It makes the journey enjoyable through the personal car or bike and a great way to connect with a fellow traveller in a manner not possible during the air, rail, or cruise journeys. Therefore, it got people's attention during the lockdown months. So, it is one of the emerging trends for travel planning in the post-pandemic. limited adoption. But there is a spike in adoption as customers become more comfortable with the behaviour and reconsider who and what they come into physical contact with. Travellers are emphasizing on mobile usage throughout the travel journey, from passports and boarding passes to keyless hotel entry and digital check-out at hotels. Travel companies are also adopting biometrics, gesture controls, and automation to personalize digital interactions while enabling social distancing. The application of AI In the post-pandemic era, travel companies will be using AI to improve the service and customer experience in tourism. It makes travel arrangements more accessible and offers automated, customized, and insightful services. The use of Vaccine passports Although not an official travel requirement, travellers will make more use of vaccine passports shortly. It acts as a digital proof of vaccination against Covid-19 and other coronavirus test results or health waivers, therefore known as digital health passports. As more and more people are getting a vaccination, vaccine passports are potentially on the horizon and could have a significant impact on travel. Even though some people consider it controversial, it would be a game-changer for many travellers' confidence. With the help of AI, travellers can learn about their behaviours, interests, and inclinations and get a personalized experience. So, there is no need to physically meet a travel agent and indulge in an endless chain of troubling phone calls to inquire about travel arrangements. Companies are also using new emerging technologies like chatbots, virtual reality, language translators, along with AI. As per TripAdvisor, 77% of travellers surveyed worldwide say they will be more likely to travel internationally once they receive the vaccine. For domestic travel, the statistic goes as high as 86%. Optimistically, if implemented, vaccine passports would allow people to travel freely without the need for quarantine, encouraging more international travel. Travelling On The global appetite for travel is as strong as ever, and many are already planning their next holidays. As vaccine distribution is already in place, the world is anticipating going back to travelling sooner than later. But travelling will not be the same as it was earlier. Therefore, it is a slightly tough time for entrepreneurs and companies in the travel industry to attract the early resurgence of booking demand. Prolonged vacations For almost two years, people have followed stay-at-home orders and quarantined themselves, so many have developed "quarantine fatigue" or exhaustion associated with the restrictive lifestyle. The warning signs vary from person to person; the most common are irritability, stress and anxiety, eating more or less than usual, and troubles with sleep and motivation. So, to fight this quarantine fatigue, more and more people are going for travel. Companies are also accepting emerging trends of travel planning in the post-pandemic era. By closely monitoring the current situation, they get new technologies and reviving connections with customers. They are understanding the changed needs and requirements of today's travellers and doing their best to satisfy them. As there is a danger of coronavirus, the number of trips will go down, but the duration of each trip will go up. It will happen as it ensures safety to stay in the one place free of the virus, then hops around several destinations and increases the risk. So, travellers are looking for relaxation with prolonged vacations. - Pooja Jaipal 20 | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com

T millennials, in the new normal, old-fashioned holiday planning is a thing of the past. Deyor is India’s first and leading WhatsApp chatbot travel platform ‘‘ he enthusiasm of wandering spirits has been rekindled post-pandemic. The road is again calling them to take their next voyage. For such ‘‘ Today, people not only from urban metro habitats but also from tier-II and tier-III cities are moving online for new age travelling, holiday discovery, and booking solutions. They are now turning from traditional holiday and travel planners to a company with direct access to other products and service providers in the ecosystem. We are India’s first and leading WhatsApp chatbot travel platform. Bots contribute positively to customer satisfaction. This modern tech savvy B2B and B2C holiday booking digital platform leverage tech on the supply-side to get real- time access to inventory and prices directly from the source. They reduce customers’ waiting time and get a simple reply; later, our destination experts take over and are then able to put their time and efforts into more complex conversations. This helps to improve the customer experience. Comprehending the fundamentals of business and then investing deeply into the technology, it became the brand today known as Deyor, a unique digital travel booking platform formed and run by an expert team of holidaymaking companions. What other products/solutions does Deyor offer, and how are these impacting the travel management space? We started by offering adventure travel solutions such as bike trips across destinations including Leh Ladakh, Spiti Valley, Bhutan etc. We ventured into providing trekking solutions across the entire Himalayan Mountain range. In an exclusive interview with CIOLOOK India for its edition of ‘The Most Promising Travel Management Companies’, Chirag spoke about how his team at Deyor is completely transforming the Indian Tourism Industry for travelling enthusiasts. Soon, we expanded into the domestic holiday market, covering destinations such as Andamans, Kerala, Kashmir etc. Please brief our audience about Deyor, its USPs, and its position as a leading player in travel management. We at Deyor curate experiences as per our customer’s demands, interests, and budgets. We are a direct-to- consumer experiential travel and technology company incorporated in 2016. Now we’re a full-stack holiday discovery and booking platform offering experiences including Honeymoon, Adventure, and Leisure tours across India and 11 countries in South-East Asia and the Middle East. We are on track to expanding our footprints globally and aim to be offering experiences across 35+ countries around the world by the end of 2022. This will include Europe, Japan, and South America. Deyor stands for Decide Your Own Route, and we are on a mission to become India’s leading holiday discovery and booking platform. Our highly able team at Deyor understands the problems of discovery, trust and experience that cloud the experiential travel industry. Being an experienced leader, share your opinion on the impact of the adoption of modern technologies such as AI on the travel management niche and what more could be expected in the future? A Google Travel study showed that 74% of travellers plan their trips on the internet; TripAdvisor’s study showed more than 45% of users use smartphones to plan their vacations. One of the most exciting uses of artificial intelligence in the tourism industry is assisting customers online. Neighbourhood travel agents are a thing of the past. We have moved on to tech platforms to hire cabs, book hotels, and flights, but we still go to travel agents when booking an entire holiday package as there is no clear alternative. Deyor understands the need for intelligent consumer engagement in times like these, and our team of well- travelled destination experts give suggestions to travellers based on personal experiences. We personalise travel plans by understanding the customer's needs and wants and making the entire journey hassle-free. Digital Companions of the Travelling Spirits, Exploring Hearts, and Discovering Minds AI can respond to questions and provide relevant information to customers even when a customer service agent is unavailable. Customers demand faster responses, and artificial intelligence allows businesses to deliver the same. It can handle the essential conversations that help 22 | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com 23 | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com

The Most Promising Travel Management Companies Exhibiting Excellence agents devote their energy to ensuring that customers invest their time and money into a trip they want to experience. Shifting the focus of our company from B2B to B2C benefited by giving higher profit margins, more control over our products and allowed us to offer a full range of products. Leveraging the internet on the supply side enables real-time information sharing, such as room inventory and rates; this gives us a competitive edge. Chirag Gupta Over nine years of experience in the start-up space. Chirag started his professional career by handling investments into start-ups at Redcliffe Capital. He managed over 22 investments, including big brands such as InFeedo, PeeSafe, Shipsy, Innov8, and Qdesq, to name a few. Being in the limelight for disrupting the travel industry, Chirag has been featured on various platforms. For now, AI services such as chatbots and robots are monitored by humans to ensure that it works smoothly, and a survey suggested that only 11 per cent of millennials prefer the assistance of AI. What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the travel management space? My advice to the budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the travel management space would be that the customer experience is the key to running a successful venture because one happy customer will bring you a hundred more; word of mouth is your most powerful advertising tool, our entire company is forged around this belief, and we see the positive results of following the same as well. So, while human customer service is still preferred over AI, and the use of the same is not that extensive, AI has a place in the future of the travel industry because of its potential to improve efficiency and bring automation. The travel industry understands the potential of AI, and global leaders like Sabre and Marriott have started using the same. Chirag has embarked on this journey from addressing crowds at Dubai's biggest Middle East travel conference to addressing aspiring entrepreneurs in colleges, to media houses such as BTVi Live, Et Now Economic Times and CNBC TV18 Young Turks to conquer the experiential Industry in India. Taking home, the Young Entrepreneur of the year award by Business World in 2018 was just the first step towards that goal. We at Deyor have utilised AI as a chatbot that helps travellers plan their trip and then connect our destination experts to them, making the process simpler and fruitful for both the traveller and our expert. Many small businesses emerged from tier II and tier III cities during the lockdown; most companies did not have any previous online presence. To survive in the growing tech market, small businesses from these cities are making necessary changes in operating and dealing with their customers. UPI (unified payments interface) has made payment convenient, especially during the lockdown, and is emerging as an efficient payment method. In today’s fast-paced environment, technology has become an important part of a business as it helps to make the various process more efficient. Today’s entrepreneur knows the importance of integrating tech into their business, and therefore, we can see more and more enterprises doing the same. It is essential to have a clear picture of the fundamentals of your business and a plan before investing in technology; this makes the integration process easier and smooth. Chirag Gupta Founder and CEO Chirag was named in the prestigious list of Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, 2019, for his achievements in the travel sector early in life. Being amongst 50 top CEOs in India presented by Facebook and taking away Asia One's India's Greatest Brands award for his venture, Deyor, are fantastic recognition of his passion and ability. He can inspire millennials while himself being one. Considering the current pandemic, what initial challenges did you face, and how did you drive Deyor to sustain operations while ensuring the safety of your employees at the same time? As we all know, the pandemic has been challenging, especially for the travel industry. By taking specific measures, we ensured that the effects of the same were reduced. How do you envision scaling Deyor’s operations and offerings in 2022 and beyond? Pandemic gave us the time to research more into other destinations and helped us expand internationally; with the right partnership, we can see the scale rising. We so far have a presence in around six countries and plan to scale up to about 14 countries. In his young career, he has convinced investors from Japan, the UK, the USA and Indian HNIs to believe in his idea and invest in the business to help him and his team achieve their goals. His profile speaks in length about his success and passion for disrupting the new era of travel and spearheading this change in travel trends. Work from home had become a norm during the pandemic, and all COVID safety protocols were strictly followed when work from the office had resumed ensuring the safety of our employees. Moreover, we are getting deeper into a destination and launching more products. As the travel industry is catching up to its pre-covid state, we have diversified our product portfolio and added international destinations such as Maldives, Turkey, Greece, Switzerland, Egypt, and Bali and will be expanding to other international destinations soon as their travel restrictions ease. From getting investors to agree to invest in his idea in a seven-minute pitch on CNBC Young Turks to being selected as one of the top 21 start-ups out of 63,000 applicants in Lufthansa Runway to Success, 2017, he is on the right path to building the next brand in travel, the brand for Millennials, Deyor. On the financial front, preserving cash was the main agenda; we fixed a cash culture that balanced short-term requirements with longer-term competitive considerations. Putting in the best practices of managing cash enabled us to emerge on a stronger front from this crisis. Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East are some of the major places that have emerged as desirable destinations for many travellers worldwide. Europe is full of historical and architectural marvels, whereas Southeast Asian countries have become the perfect destination for a vacation. He is also invited to be part of a significant international delegation in May 2022. He will participate with leading dignitaries from entrepreneurship to political sectors representing India while making us all proud. We took this time to analyse our internal processes and improve upon the same. This helped us strengthen our operations which proved fruitful when the travel industry gained momentum. The Middle East has seen a lot of development in the past two decades and is a great place to experience modern technological and architectural marvels. Keeping in mind these points, we can conclude that these destinations have a lot of opportunities that will prove fruitful. Adding to this, Chirag expressed, “Our great success journey at Deyor includes angels such as Alok Mittal, Dheeraj Jain, Nitin Passi, Hemant Dua and VCs such as Stellaris VP, Let's Venture, SOSV, and JITO have invested in us.” It also gave us time to research other destinations to increase our inventory. We are gradually opening international destinations as soon as their COVID guidelines become travel friendly. We provide current customers to plan their trips on later dates and ensure customer retention. 24 | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com 25 | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com

Gautam Yadav With a prior experience in event management, Gautam joined Deyor in 2015 and took care of on-ground operations, sales, and customer handling. As a start-up, every member must multitask; Gautam successfully executed the same during the initial days of the venture, which helped build a strong base for the company. He is concerned with reconnaissance of a destination and has first-hand experience of the same, which helps him create a perfect product. Having a first-hand experience enables you to see things from the customers’ perspective; this contributes to product designing and introducing new products in the existing portfolio. Gautam has been travelling and exploring for the last five years doing reconnaissance and building products and experiences for the company. During his journey, he met and built relations with the locals and understood their cultural experiences that have contributed positively to making the products. Himanshu He takes care of the finances and compliance of the company, has previous experience in starting up a sports blog and is an extensive traveller. He has been travelling for the last eight years and takes an international trip every three months, which contributes positively to the company's global expansion. 26 | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com

What other products/solutions do Holidaybookie offer, and how are these impacting the travel management space? Our focus is a great customer experience throughout; hence we assign a dedicated point of contact to our travellers who are with them from the selection of the hotels to planning itinerary and who can be called anytime for any help during the travel. Everything is planned, implemented, and controlled by one person, hence building comfort, a sense of security and trust for the traveller. Brief us about yourself, your journey in the travel management space, and how you have contributed to the Holidaybookie’s success. Flagbearer of Traveller’s Trust and Credibility I started a ticketing agency out of my passion for travel and exploration. I always wanted to make travel accessible, affordable, and seamless for everyone who has a thirst for adventure. Some of our clients have been with us for around a decade now, and that speaks a lot about the quality and transparent services we have offered to our travellers. A professional necessities. Whatever the reason, we all love to go on vacations, tours, holidays, travels, voyages, and journeys. whatever reason, personal or professional, your experience is going to be worthy of desired again and again. s the epidemic is waning, tourism is back into avid travellers’ and tourists’ minds. People travel for different reasons—majorly leisurely or personal or Below are the briefs of that credible promise of surety. “ “ Sir, please brief our audience about Holidaybookie, its USPs, and how it is currently positioned as a leading player in the travel management space. With my professional network and interacting with business owners, I understood the preferences of business travellers, and I added that as a key service to HolidayBookie. But what we all are wary of is the escalated pain points while travelling unplanned or haphazardly planned tours. They turn your journeys into nightmares. Our roots started as a ticketing agency, and we did well. This was a stepping stone to expand our services and offer travellers our immense knowledge in this space. Our comprehensive services included end-to-end travel planning for travellers of all types catering to domestic and international locations. Our premium services to the corporates and being available in real-time for travel assistance made us a preferred travel partner to some big names in Pune and Mumbai like HDFC, Ernst and Young, Glen Appliances, Bramhacorp, Bank of Maharashtra and many more such names. The personalised touch of each tour at Holidaybookie matters a lot as people open up to the idea of travelling again “ “ After facing our worst nightmare in the form of the pandemic, we want to step out for the destinations that we dreamed of. We want to spread our wings out and explore the relishing beauty of nature. We have a dedicated team that helps corporates with their MICE needs (Meeting Incentive Conference and Exhibitions). This must always be economical yet comfortable with all checks in place. As one of the leading agencies that offer group tours, customised holidays, and tours and travel planning for corporates - our main USPs is that we ensure travel plans are completely customised as per the traveller’s needs, preferences, and budgets. However, we require a good company with trust and credibility on our vacations with an assurance of a quality time with our loved ones and Holidaybookie Pvt Ltd, Mr Bhavik Shah, the Founder-Director, promises us a replenishing experience of a vacation. Being an experienced leader, share with us your opinion on the impact of the adoption of modern technologies such as AI on the travel management niche and what more could be expected in the future? With a strong network across India with hotels as partners and connections built with local tourist spots, we have a stronghold on the best deals that only a local would know! A robust network of vendors in domestic and international horizons gives us the stability to deliver value in each vacation or tour planned. In an exclusive interview with CIOLOOKINDIA for its edition of “The Most Promising Travel Management Companies,” Mr Shah spoke about how he and his professional team at Holidaybookie are making sure that, wherever you travel, national or international, and for The adoption of AI has surpassed the human level of capturing information, noting preferences, and generating 28 | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com 29 | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com

The Most Promising Travel Management Companies business. The field we are in is one of the oldest industries though AI has made it a quality one. experience cannot be successfully addressed. It is imperative that the industry ensures that the reopening process goes well, and that enough assistance is given to travellers for them to adjust to new modes of transportation. The personalised touch of each tour matters a lot as people open up to the idea of travelling again. Hotels in many countries are beginning to use robots (RAISA) in various ways, including chatbots, delivery robots, robot concierges, conveyor restaurants, and self- service information and check-in kiosks. However, there is a gap or limited research in tourism that is being filled by the human workforce. I believe that AI could be the next best thing in the tourism industry. What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the travel management space? Having said the above, while AI caters to the diverse demands of travellers, it raises privacy concerns, and that needs to be taken care of well. I firmly believe that ethical business is important and matters a lot to build trust and credibility with customers. Clients don’t return to the same travel organisations if they’ve had a bad experience once, so a thin string! Considering the current pandemic, what initial challenges did you face, and how did you drive Holidaybookie to sustain operations while ensuring the safety of your employees at the same time? Above all, it is important to keep transparency with your clients to build a loyal customer base. Your business will suffer if you do not follow through with your promises made to the clients regarding both - experience and payment. It's a no-brainer that one of the industries that took a hit due to the pandemic was the travel industry. And the lockdowns closed the entire set of operations in the travel and tourism business. A coordinated effort was needed to restore and rehabilitate tourist attractions in the wake of the disaster, which affected the whole tourism ecosystem. How do you envision scaling Holidaybookie’s operations and offerings in 2022 and beyond? In the next five years, my focus is to get listed as a public limited company. We want to become the flagship of personalised vacations, travel, and tours. We aim to adapt to new norms and bring in technologies that will help the business in the long run and achieve a higher ROI. Thinking big with our personalised travel plans and creating a more genuine relationship with our clients is the way forward. I believe it is essential to keep the clients happy in the tourism industry to keep them coming back to you. I want to be the flag bearer of trust and credibility in travel and tourism. Today, what Apple is to smartphones, Holidaybookie will be in travel and tourism. In addition to general economic stimulus packages, several governments have implemented tourism-specific policies to help firms and employees in the industry. It was a huge relief to receive support from the government. All indications suggest that travel is returning with renewed vigour as people seek to reconnect, discover new places, or revisit old favourites as the COVID-19 epidemic fades. People just want to get out of their homes to explore. In our industry, a travel company's reputation may be tarnished if even a single friction point in the client 30 | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com

Knowing Qualities Comprehending the Fundamentals o Trusted Travel Management Company E Human beings have always been curious to explore the world right from the days after they evolved into homo sapiens. Those were species defining migrations. That is how they spread themselves around the world and kept journeying and evolving into us, their current offspring. very journey enriches our experience! And what is life but a journey of experiences. Today, from cherishing beautiful natural landscapes or discovering diverse cultures to visiting a place for a business purpose, everybody travels. Banking on them, the travel industry is emerging from the unprecedented crisis of the pandemic. 33 | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com

The availability of different types of travel management companies makes such travellers' journeys comfortable and enjoyable experiences. These companies perform a critical role in making the journey less stressful, more convenient and most relaxing for the travelling spirits. The inside out knowledge about the travel industry makes the TMC an experienced one. With their years of experience, they have learned various tricks along the way. It helps them provide expert advice on how to spend money best and the best travel routes. It is possible that businesses will work with a TMC company that specialises in dealing with clients in the same industry as them. This can be extremely beneficial, as some industries have extremely specific or nuanced travel needs. So, their Previous experience can assist the businesses to optimise their travel strategy and steer away from common pitfalls. By providing their best services at the right time and at affordable prices, they win the trust of their clients. For that purpose, some fundamentals of Trusted Travel Management Companies have to be understood. Every organization has its own set of requirements and specific needs regarding travel. A trusted travel management company will spend time to know the company and what kind of solution it needs, rather than offering a 'one size' fits all model which may not work for travel programmes for all the organisations. The safety and security of business travellers are one of the common problems which companies face. A traveller often may come across causalities like riots and civil unrest. But if they have a trustworthy TMC, the journey can be safer for them. As TMCs comprise duty of care features that provide real-time communication and information for the well-being of employees in unknown destinations. So, in this way, TMCs provide care and support to travellers and gain confidence in the long run. Every company has a specific corporate travel policy and certain rules that employees need to follow while travelling. So, a trusted travel management company will take all the decisions as per the company policy. It will also advise employees on how they can meet business travel requirements whilst staying within the company travel policy. So, things will be clear for them. With the help of modern technology, TMCs provide businesses with the necessary tools and systems to book travel easily. For example, they can provide computer software or a mobile app, which will allow them to submit travel plans or requests at any time of the day. Every company has to perform as per the trends occurring in that industry. A reliable TMC will understand the prevailing trends and overall climate of the industry and ensure they have solutions to fit in with the expectations of today's travellers. They will change their services to the taste, likes, dislikes, and preferences of their clients. In business travels, there are many things, from boarding passes to hotel reservations, which can create hassle during the journey. A trustworthy TMC will manage all these things and deliver them to their clients in the most manageable way possible so that they can focus on the bigger picture. Even though a TMC company will require payment for their services, often on a subscription basis or by charging a fee for the services an organization uses, the reality is that it still helps to save considerable amounts of money. An experienced TMC, with its business connections across the entire travel industry, will allow gaining favourable rates for hotels. With the expertise they have for cheap flights in the right place, they will significantly reduce travel costs by booking flights at the right time. This is also an excellent way to gain the faith of the clients. The application of advanced technology enables far greater efficiency in this area. If a business manages travel arrangements itself, the entire process can require a significant amount of time. But using a mobile app or computer software package to make a request to TMC company can usually be done in a few short minutes. So, businesses can save a lot of time and energy in this way. While travelling for business purposes, the role of travel management companies is essential, as it makes travel hassle-free. A Trusted TMC will provide its most excellent services to the companies more informedly. Encouraging employee compliance to the corporate travel policy of companies and ensuring safety and security makes sure that their journey is peaceful. - Pooja Jaipal 34 | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com

ublic transportation improves the quality of life in P crucial fundamental towards the thriving economy. ‘‘ Prasanna Purple is a tech-driven surface mobility solutions company operating daily 1200+ buses in 85 cities and catering to five lakh passengers daily communities around the country by providing safe, efficient, and affordable service. It is also one of the ‘‘ Public transportation serves not only the people who use it but also society. Since transportation is a crucial requirement for day-to-day activities, it is utterly essential to provide convenient services in this industry. With an aim to ensure reliability, Prasanna Purple Mobility Solutions Pvt. Ltd. provides impeccable solutions altogether by enabling convenience in the transportation industry. Prasanna Patwardhan, CMD The company has a fleet of over 1200 vehicles ranging from Indica sedans to Volvo buses and small tempos to multi- axle trucks; the Prasanna Group can now brag about being one of the major transport firms operating across the country, employing over 4000 people. Prasanna Purple offers various services, including electric buses, city buses, intercity, employee mobility, school, and metro feeders. We undertake public transport projects under the 'Public-Private Partnership' initiative taken by the Central Government under the scheme of 'Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM)' from City administration. Under the visionary business acumen and the dedication and passion of Prasanna Patwardhan, CMD, the company has eventually experienced exponential growth in the industry. We also offer interstate transportation using high-end, super-luxury, air-conditioned coaches. We service all important routes in Western India, including Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Indore, Goa, and others. Our organisation also provides buses to schools to meet their needs. In an exclusive interview with CIO LOOKIndia, Prasanna sheds light on the company's journey, highlighting the current industry scenario, and his opinions on the future of Prasanna Purple Mobility Solutions. We have a large selection of vehicles and buses. Our vehicles are used for a variety of purposes, including corporate events, family gatherings, airport transfers, weekend trips, and so on. Prasanna, please brief our audience about Prasanna Purple Mobility Solutions Pvt. Ltd., its USPs, and how it is currently positioned as a leading player in the travel management space. We provide frequent training to our drivers in areas such as safety, security, and other critical topics such as emergency evacuation protocols. Many major sporting events, including the Commonwealth Youth Games, have given us the honour of being official travel partners. We were the Indian Cricket Team's official travel partner, handling all of their logistical needs for international matches. Prasanna Purple is a tech-driven surface mobility solutions company operating daily 1200+ buses in 85 cities and catering to five lakh passengers daily. The business vertical includes electric buses, city buses, intercity, employee mobility, school and metro feeders, and tourism. Prasanna Purple Mobility Solutions Pvt. Ltd Our USPs are: Technology-driven operations 24X7 command center 35% repeat customers 54 hrs training program at each level Well documented process Data analytics Being an experienced leader, share with us your opinions on the impact of modern technologies in the industry? Future technology wills such as AI will play a vital role if you want to scale up your business with accuracy with the help of the following: What services do your company offer, and how are these making an impact on the travel management space? AI Assistants for Booking Robots for Customer Services · · 36 | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com 37 | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com

The Most Promising Travel Management Companies Exemplary Leadership The Prasanna Group was founded by Mr Keshav Waman Patwardhan, father of Mr Prasanna Patwardhan, CMD, Prasanna Purple Mobility Solutions. Mr Patwardhan is an active member of many industrial bodies and transport organizations such as: Director, Global Passenger Network (GPN) Member, International Road Transport Union (IRU) President, Bus & Car Operators Confederation of India (BOCI) Chairman, Transport Committee, The Maratha Chamber of Commerce Industries & Agriculture (MCCIA) President, Maharashtra Rajya Truck, Tempo, Tanker, Bus Vahatuk Mahsangh Principal Member, Transport Services Sectional Committee, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Member, India SME Forum Member, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) Member, Infhra (Association of Facility Management Companies) Member, National Logistics Committee CII Executive Member, Logistics Skill Council CII Executive Committee Member, All India Confederation of Goods Vehicle Owners' Associations Executive Committee Member, All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) Member, UITP (Global transporters federation) · · · · · · · · · · · · · · AI Forecasting Sentiment Analysis Augmented Reality Apps – Meta world Personalization is service delivery · · · · Mr Prasanna Patwardhan has been instrumental in introducing new activities such as passenger, goods transportation, domestic/international tours, and travels and highway restaurants/hotels. He has consolidated the group activities and drove the group's annual turnover from mere 3.0 lacs to 300+ crores. Taking into consideration the current pandemic, what initial challenges did you face, and how did you drive your company to sustain operations while ensuring the safety of your employees at the same time? Travel was the first which was badly impacted before lockdown. People turn out was very poor. We introduced PURPLE SAFETY measures, which include zinc coating of our buses from inside, deeply cleaning and sanitization, social distancing, and driver and crew vaccination drive to bring back customer confidence and investment in remote working capabilities. How do you envision scaling your company's operations and offerings in 2022 and beyond? Improving service quality in line with pandemic will help us position ourselves self-better in the market, for our demand-pull is the sum of better & profitable customer experience. What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the travel management space? Position your services to enhance customer experience and leverage technology wherever possible. Training and development of manpower will always give you a competitive edge. Winning top line is a short term whereas winning bottom line is a long-term strategy for any business, you must remain profitable. 38 | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com 39 | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com

The Most Promising Travel Management Companies

The Most Promising Travel Management Companies

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