There is a need for automation and Integrating multiple services and products on a single platform: Hussain Patel

Hussain Patel, director, Atlas Travels Online, speaks about the future of travel, technology and what it takes to be ahead of the curve

Gen Nxt Thought:
I have always believed in investing in 3 T’s i.e. Talent, Technology and Travel

What was your primary motivator to pursue your professional goals in the travel and tourism sector?

Atlas Tours & Travels has been in the flight consolidation business since 1987 and has been accredited with many awards in the travel and tourism sector for its achievements in Western India. It was a long due ambition for the company to venture into the online travel pace which gave birth to Atlas Travels Online in the year 2012 when I took the responsibility to lead since I was always a technology enthusiast. This venture kept me motivated and helped me create my own identity within the company.

Is there a particular observation you have made about the industry, both as a challenge or an opportunity?

The travel industry, on the whole, has been changing very rapidly every year and there is a need to constantly evolve and be able to adapt to as many changes as possible for growth or sustainability. In our case, we feel that these changes are helping us grow because where ever complexities are increasing an opportunity is also created, which we have been successfully been able to ride on. Also, there is always uncertainty about the future what is required is the right implementation and information, which if made available at the right time the fear of that uncertainty very quickly becomes an opportunity.

What’s your vision for the business?

Atlas Travels Online (ATO) is positioned in a very unique way in India where we have created a network of 20000+ travel agents located in 436 cities in India who use our platform for flights, visa & hotel bookings. We feel the need to contribute in a big way by providing our travel partners with the right content which they need to provide services to their customers. We feel the flexibility and ability to provide these solutions are very important and we are constantly investing in our technology to make it more robust and provide the correct information when needed. Hence, I am hopeful of creating some opportunities for us by solving some of the core problems that our customer’s face.

Technology has been a substantial game changer. Comment.

For today’s traveller and the millennials, technology will play a very important factor. There is a need for automation and integrating multiple services and products on a single platform to help in creating a wow experience for the traveller. Our primary business focus always has been B2B segment where travel agents are more like consultants to their customers wanting to provide multiple products where we feel there is a need to give them the right tools to manage and sell those products seamlessly and make sure there is a constant touch point created for their customers to interact with them and make cross-selling possible to help our travel partners in increasing their revenues. India has more than 50 per cent of its population below the age of 25 and more than 65 per cent below the age of 35. The demands of these customers are changing very rapidly and we want our travel partners to be able to cater to them for which we want to provide a hybrid model through our robust technology solutions where we will empower them to be able to compete in the B2C space and offer a very customised solution with the ability to service their customers offline as well as online.

Your Gen Nxt thought?

I have always believed in investing in three T’s i.e. Talent, Technology and Travel. Over the last five years, we have attracted many talented people who are young and have helped us in creating superlative business models well integrated with technology to achieve a leadership position in the travel industry in India. We have plans to expand our reach globally and continue investing in this travel technology era.