Extra info now from online rail booking

In an add-on measure for those who book rail tickets online, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has tied up with Tripadvisor to provide detailed information to such travellers about accommodation facilities, restaurants and tourist attractions at a particular destination.

Sharat Dhall, managing director, Tripadvisor India, said: “Our portal provides users with first-hand reviews of a destination they plan to visit. When travellers book tickets through IRCTC, they would be able to access such information that will help them decide on hotels with affordable tariffs and tourist sites they can explore.”

IRCTC is working to double its revenue earnings from tourism services to Rs 56 crore this year from the Rs 29 crore it had made last year. A senior official at IRCTC said, “We constantly diversify and modify our range of travel products to expand business. Through our tie-up with Tripadvisor, we intend to provide information which would make it convenient for consumers to plan tours through our portal.”

IRCTC launched travel packages in 2007 and offers 104 rail tour packages and 158 holiday packages at present. While the rail tour packages are inclusive of confirmed rail travel, the holiday packages provide for alternative modes of transportation, apart from regular lodging and dining facilities.

Its revenue from tourism has increased over 200 per cent since 2007.

IRCTC is a Mini Ratna Category-1 company and was established to hive off the railways’ catering and tourism activities and to professionalise and upgrade these through public-private partnerships. It undertakes rail-based tourism in coordination with state agencies, tour operators, travel agents and the hospitality industry.

It also takes care of catering on trains and at railway stations, manufacture of Rail Neer, the packaged drinking water served on trains, internet ticketing and the 139-rail inquiry centre.