HEENA MAHAJAN – New Delhi
Brainchild of Vikrant Nath, with the sole proprietorship, Travel Quotient has forayed into the India market by introducing designer holidays. Talking about the product and how different it is from the other players in the industry, Nath said, “Currently, our tours are designer holidays. The programmes are targeted at 35 plus age group, meant for those people who have travelled all over – for work and leisure. For those, who are looking now at extending their horizons and do different activities which is not available across-the-counter, and also those who are open to new ideas and experiences – not the kinds who look for the nearest Indian restaurant.” By 2014, the company plans to introduce a ‘pret’ programme as well. “What will never change is the small size of our groups (8 – 12 pax) and the fact that we will only offer products not available elsewhere in the Indian travel market,” added Nath.
“Also because these are all curated holidays and are led by experts in that area who do it not so much for the money as for the love of it and the joy of sharing their knowledge, we independently assess all clients and accept only those we feel will be compatible with the rest of the participants and the tour leader. This is essential because our groups are small – 8 to 12 people and it can get extremely tedious even if one member is not compatible with the rest of the group,” he added.
Their first departure is for Arctic expedition which will take place this winter. “This departure sold out within a week of our announcement and we have had to offer another departure which is also 75 per cent sold out already,” informed Nath. He also gave details on his next two week trip to Colombia – Bogota, Cartagena, and a five-day trek to the Lost City of Tayrona, and also working on an art, museums and music itinerary in the Balkans and another programme in Mongolia.
Speaking on the nature of Indian travellers and the demands, Nath said, “I think travellers are now looking for niche products. A lot of Indians have now been travelling abroad for their annual holidays for the last 5 – 10 years and have done the normal been-there-done-that routine and have covered the Far East, Europe and UK, USA and Canada, Africa and Australia and the cruise. They are now looking for niche products, activities and destinations.”
