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| SOTC looks at online revenues |
| Pradipta Mukherjee / Kolkata Sep 14, 2009, 17:35 IST |
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SOTC, the leading brand of Kuoni Travel Group India, one of the largest travel and tourism company, is looking at online revenues and is focussing on monetising its website. The move is in sync with consumers’ increasing preference to adopt the online media for checking ticket availability and bookings.
Daniel D'Souza, business head, SOTC World Famous Tours, said, "We are revamping our website in order to monetise it. Online tourism business would not only reduce our overall transaction costs but would also enable us to pass on cost competitive benefits to consumers who can book tickets online without any extra taxes."
"As of now, we are mainly a brick and mortar travel agency. So, right now online bookings contribute very negligible amount to our overall revenues. But we have just revamped our website and are looking at monetising it. So beginning 2010, online revenues should contribute close to two per cent of our overall turnover," Dsouza said.
The company also intends to introduce special online packages and all-inclusive tariffs to lure customers online.
"There is a growing demand for online travel bookings. We already see online bookings for Rs 2 lakh and above tour packages for locations like Europe from India," Dsouza said.
According to Dsouza, travel revenues from East India has seen a growth of 12-15 per cent in 2009 so far over 2008. "We have expanded into newer geographies in East which made up for incremental business. South India is growing equally fast. We intend to open more offices this year to penetrate the tier I and II towns and cities as well," Dsouza added.
India saw a 14.8 per cent decline in gross tourism receipts to $6.9 billion in January-August this year due to global economic slump and fears of rising cases of H1N1 infection. The data released by the federal tourism ministry said arrivals to India tumbled 8.6 percent in August to 0.36 million as compared with the same period last year.
"There has been a decline of 8.6 per cent in foreign tourist arrivals in August 2009 as compared to positive growth of 0.2 per cent and 0.6 percent in June 2009 and July 2009 respectively," the ministry has said.
The foreign exchange earnings from the tourism sector stood at $8.1 billion for the first eight months of 2008. Analysts say global recession and rising number of H1N1 cases have adversely affected tourism in India and other countries.
Terrorist attacks in Mumbai have also adversely affected the flow of tourists to India. In January-August period this year, the number of tourists arriving in India declined by 7.9 percent to 3.3 million, the statement added. However, the foreign exchange earnings rose slightly by 0.7 percent to $851 million in August 2009 against $845 million in the same month last year.
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