Reema Lokesh – Mumbai
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Arun Kundu
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The future of travel and tourism rest predominantly on specialised and niche tourism offerings, providing options to the discerning traveller that is well researched. Journey Craft, a newly launched travel company in association with Asia Travel Tours is all set to provide its clientèle with exclusive journeys by rail. Holidays by Rail is a brand that has been launched to cater to the needs of the traveller who is ready to explore India via the rail route. The company has also floated its other brand namely The Travel Tree that offers a wide range of niche products like rail charters, lifestyle holidaying, luxury escapes, explore India again, rural tourism, wellness tourism, wildlife tourism, Indian gourmet delights and tribal tourism just to name a few.
According to Arun Kundu, VP, Journey Craft, “The luxury train market is currently poised at Rs 120 crore. This has the potential to grow further to new records because the present average occupancy of the luxury train in India is about 48 per cent. Luxury train tourism in India has built the capacity of about 14,000 passengers approximately per annum while the demand is much lower. Keeping this in view there is a huge potential to explore it further as the existing capacities can fulfill the demand. Even if the demand gets doubled the present infrastructure is enough to suffice. Our business model is that in the next five years we build a train of our own for which we are exploring various investment options. Although this is time bound but we are working towards it. Indian railways, is the life line of the country’s economy and the back bone of the country’s trade and mobility.” He further added, “There are about 14 luxury trains in the world of which India represents the highest number of the five operational luxury trains. This in itself explains the potential of the product. Our aim is to offer our clientele unique journey on rail.”
A young niche entrant in the travel trade fraternity in India, the company is managed by experts who have at least a decade of experience each in selling and promoting luxury train tours. The promoters of this company vouch for their credibility and have earned goodwill by delivering what is promised. He also highlights that train holidays meet the need of providing and promoting green tourism. Train travel is by far a lesser threat to our mother earth. Trains are energy efficient, the carbon emission is less, which leads to lesser damage to the environment.
