Guided vacation company Trafalgar to launch India itinerary in 2017

Guided vacation company Trafalgar, the flagship brand of Britain-based Travel Corporation, will launch its maiden India itinerary in 2017 through 10 cities, officials said here on Saturday.

Tourists can also opt for "voluntourism" (international volunteering and tourism) to participate in a sustainable development project with locals.

The itinerary "Leisurely Rajasthan with Mumbai" takes travellers through Rajasthan, Mumbai, Delhi and Agra in 13 days and includes authentic local experiences as well as the chance to work with the community on a development project as part of "volunteer tourism", said Liesa Bissett, director of the company's European Product Development.

"Apart from city tours in Delhi, Mumbai, Udaipur and Jaipur, guests can enjoy their stay in a beautifully maintained heritage resort in Narlai which was once a hunting lodge of Jodhpur's royal family.

"They will also indulge in a cooking demonstration and dinner at the home of a local family in Jaipur as part of our aBe My Guest' initiative. Our USP is that we connect with local experts and provide a personal experience," Bissett said, adding advance bookings are on.

For those who want to give back to society, they can extend their stay and work with locals on projects in rural Rajasthan through the 'Me to We' social enterprise.

Banking on repeat clients and word of mouth publicity, Bissett said the trips come with a guarantee of safety. The company is nearly 70 years old and has a 60 per cent repeat clientele in India.

Asked on the international travel links being affected with current India-Pakistan tension, Bissett said despite issues, people have not stopped traveling.

"Every where in the world we are being affected. But people are still yearning to travel and tourists are still going to France despite the attacks," she said, adding the company is world's most award-winning guided vacation company.

Registering a growth of 22 percent in 2016 for Indians traveling to Europe, Sanjay Temkar, the company's director of sales for India, said in terms of destinations, Britain tops the chart.

"Indians still love to travel to the UK. Then we have Italy. In the last three years, Indians have been going to the Iberian region. Eastern Europe has gone up," he said.

--IANS

sgh/vd