Guideline Travels is all set to enter it’s 20 year of operations in 2017. Pradeep Saboo, managing partner, Guideline Travels, narrates the company’s journey and the way forward By Reema Lokesh
What is the story behind the dream to set up the firm 20 years ago?
The journey of Guideline began on February 18, 1997. The idea was rather simple, to bring into existence a travel company, which marks itself as a pioneer and also a game changer.
What has been your growth story and the landmark years in business?
We started off from an office space of merely 80 sq ft with a team of two colleagues. In the year 1999 we went on to become the PSA of Star Cruises in India and that is when the B2B business started off. Then came the big year 2003 when the ICC Cricket World Cup took place in South Africa. We partnered with Pyramid Travels consortium to help operate almost 3000 passengers to the cricket event. This gave birth to the tour operator focus of our company.
SuperStar Libra homeported in Mumbai, India in the year 2005-06 and 2006-07 and changed the way Indians looked at cruising as a concept and holiday option.
Thereafter new innovative concepts were developed at regular intervals like religious groups on sea in 2008 and in Switzerland in 2010. Wedding groups abroad in 2013 – 2015 to Malaysia added feathers to our cap. Simultaneously, we started MICE operations and are growing by 20 per cent annually on a very niche and captive clientele.
Post this period it has been a conscious effort to keep increasing the scale of the business and to sustain the growth rate over these years. Guideline has come a long way though patience and perseverance.
What are the main challenges facing the travel and tourism industry today?
For the conventional travel agent/ tour operator of course the online options are the most challenging. More so today as no service provider believes in a long term partnership with travel agents/ operators like hotels, airlines and transport all wish to connect directly with the traveller and try to bypass the travel agents/ operators. This is the biggest challenge to the very basis of this trade.
As a business head, what is the future of the sector?
Inspite of all the challenges, the travel trade faces, the future is very bright as the overall industry is very bullish with an ever growing demand for new innovative products.
What is the vision for your company and the expansion plans as you step into the 20th anniversary year?
In 2017, as we step into our 20th year of operations, we feel humbled. Each passing day our resolve to be one of India’s finest travel companies becomes stronger and the level of perseverance to achieve that dream soars higher. We look forward to an organic growth with branches and franchises all across Western India to market and sell leisure products.
How would you define the cruise segment in India?
Cruise industry is today not only one of the fastest growing sectors of the travel industry in India, it also remains by far one of the better rewarding verticals than others like ticketing, hotels or even packages. Main reason for high margins in the cruise sales is non penetration of most OTAs and hence a level playing field to the normal travel agent. This has led to large scale reach of cruise as a product in remote corners of the country. Another advantage on cruise holidays is that it requires limited planning and execution from the travels agents side as not only the accommodation but also food, destinations and sightseeing are all inclusive on a cruise holiday.
Is there a message you wish to share with the industry, as both a B2B and B2C specialist?
Indian travel trade has to play a patient game and wait for a revival of business, which is not going to be very long. Even if the leisure segment takes some time to recover, MICE is surely going to boom in 2017, which shall more then make up for the shortage of passenger numbers.
(With inputs from Mohit Rathod)