Sahara Global to launch travel product for SMEs

Sahara Global, the integrated Travel & Tourism Services service provider arm of Sahara India Pariwar plans to tap the SME market in India by launching a new product dealing in a bouquet of services exclusively for the sector.

The travel and tourism company currently offers services like travel budgeting, implementation of company travel policies, providing travel management information system and the like to both small and medium enterprises in the country.

However, considering the vast business opportunities in the SME segment, the company will launch an exclusive product in April 2007.

"Companies valued between Rs 50 to Rs 100 crores are those whose travel budget is usually three to five percent of their revenues. Considering the constraints involved there is a need for travel consultancy which is what we would hope to provide with the new product designed specially for the SMEs," said Romi Datta, CEO, Sahara Global and the International Business of Sahara India Pariwar.

The company plans to launch the product in around 18 cities in the first phase early this year with an effort to bring a pan-India presence to its services. Even as Sahara Global offers one window service to travellers, the latest entrant into the Sahara stable, Sahara Care House is positioning itself as the single window service platform for global Indians.

Sahara Care House will offer healthcare, utility, personalised and relationship services for Indians residing overseas.

The company is looking at the vast Gujarati disaspora market which makes up around 25 per cent of the total NRI population in the world. It plans to launch 15 offices in 11 cities of Gujarat and will appoint 100 relationship ambassadors for the same in the state.

Targeted cities include Ahmedabad, Anand, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Mehsana, Palanpur, Porbander, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara and Valsad.