As India’s travel trade gets crowded with the same destinations being promoted over the years, some unique brands are entering a niche segment by creating new products and experiences. Rohit Shorey’s Destination Travel Services (DTS) has been focusing on promoting Seychelles and Almaty, Kazakhstan to set themselves apart from the conventional projects. Speaking to Express TravelWorld, Rohit Shorey, owner, DTS, said, “Three to four years ago we were dealing with the same destinations as other agents. We tried to separate ourselves from selling the same convenient destinations which were already flooding the market by focusing on Seychelles and Almaty. This is what sets us apart today as many are now looking for new destinations that we are offering.”
Explaining further about Almaty as a destination, Shorey added, “Unlike popular Indian belief Almaty is not just for male travellers and nightlife. From shopping, nature trails to family vacations, there is a lot more the city can offer. We have packaged various products like casino, natural beauty, shopping and nightlife which distinctly showcase what the city has to offer. We recently launched www.welovealmaty.com, a B2C website to raise more awareness about the destination. Many are still not aware that Almaty is directly connected through a three hour flight from Delhi which is highlighted on all our platforms.”
Shorey also founded Kazin Travel Consultants, a company with key focus on medical tourism to India and outbound leisure tourism from/to Kazakhstan. “A lot of MICE movement has developed in the last few years. Some very high-end groups, corporate firms and families are now picking Almaty as a destination. We have created some new experiences for winter and summer season which are gaining popularity in the India market.”
The company, which also operates a office in Kazakhstan, has received no support from the local tourism board and created the destination from scratch. It searched potential locations and then promoted them in the India market, informed Shorey.
On the marketing front, he stated, “We have built the website for both Seychelles and Almaty along with our social media campaigns to raise awareness about the destination. We also do a lot of emailers on latest information and packages for our clients. Our two FAM trips gained positive response from the agents who loved the destination. It brought a lot of value as it is a comparatively new destination in the India market. We are planning an exclusive ‘only women’ FAM trip by end of year to showcase it as a winter product.”