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Online Travel Agency Business Models

Category: Travel

Date: December 18, 2023

Online Travel Agency Business Models

“Online travel agency business models” What are these?! Business models that determine how a company generates revenue through the travel and tourism sector, similar to a blueprint. The global online travel market size is expected to generate a revenue of 691 billion U.S. dollars by 2026.

When identification and consolidation of fragmented offers, technological innovations, marketing and advertising techniques , merges with consumer needs, a travel agency would have achieved their first target. Further enhancement and sustenance will depend on their resilience and ability to keep in tune with the changing times. Looking to transform your website into a revenue-generating online travel agency business model? Hop into our blog and grasp the details on how to conduct SWOT analysis and formulate strategies for generating revenue through the models.

6+ Online Travel Agency Business Models

To attract customers and succeed in this competitive industry, innovative travel agencies offer customized vacation packages, booking, activities, and audiovisual guides. To generate large revenues from their services, most travel platforms employ a variety of business models suiting their objectives.

MakeMyTrip, established in India with a focus on generating revenue from travelers, has achieved remarkable success in a short period of time. Within one year of its inception, the company has established a substantial customer base of over 200,000 satisfied individuals, with daily sales of over 3,000 flight tickets, 300 hotel room nights, and 50 holiday packages.

To learn more on their case study, check out the link .

Let’s get to know some well-known business models that the travel industry keep implementing,

Online Travel Agency Business Models - ColorWhistle

1. Advertising Model

Newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and any other medium where the advertising revenue for the survival of the business. These traditional ways have long been associated with the advertising business model. But, today, most of the online consumers are reluctant to the traditional ways of advertising. Advertising will never go out of style, even as the market becomes more competitive and ad space becomes more valuable. 

In the digitalized era, hotels and clients are featured on the website through pages, advertisements, or suggestions and this is considered to be the current advertising model. The client pays the travel website a fee when a user clicks on the link and visits the client’s website (Cost per click – CPC). Another source of income is a cost per thousand impressions (CPM) fee, which is paid by the client based on the number of views.

Tripadvisor is an aggregator website that consolidates hotels, travel destinations, user reviews, and so on. By establishing its base on advertising business model, it has acquired a solid reputation. Currently, more than one billion+ users are visiting the site in a month across 8 million countries. To know more on this, check out the link

2. Merchant Model

The merchant model is all the transaction between the property owner and the OTA. Here, the property owner sells the rooms to the OTA at a lower price than the standard, which the OTA sells to the customers and earns revenue. This model aims at selling rooms in bulk without any standardization of the guest profile.

Expedia, a frontier travel-based directory website curating details that includes vacation packages, flights, attraction, and more. The organization runs based on three business models including merchant model, agency model, and advertising model. Among which, the merchant model contributed 64% of its revenue in 2021. To read more on this, click here .

3. Agency Model

The revenue model for the agency is based on per-room revenue. The property owner decides on the prices at which the rooms are sold, and the property owner is solely responsible for the rooms’ maintenance and customer service. Once the guest has checked out of the hotel, the property owner is responsible for paying the commission. This model appears to be financially unprofitable, but it is transparent. This makes it easier for both property owners and customers to trust and rely on the company for their reservations. Property owners find it safe to put their trust in the platform in order to increase their revenue. 

Booking.com, a leading online travel marketplace has generated a revenue of $11 billion+ as of 2021-2022. The agency model followed by the organization has the major contribution to the revenue. But, to make a note of, oBooking.com has shifted from the agency model to merchant model. To explore on this, check out the site .

4. Subscription Model

In this model, hotels and resorts partner with travel agencies and users can view descriptions and contact information for the hotels on the website. Customers prefer to plan their entire trip from the comfort of their own homes, so airlines, local taxis, and other businesses have partnered with these agencies. Customers tend to book vacations only once or twice a year, so subscriptions are a necessary revenue stream for any travel startup.

5. Partnership Model

This model is all about partnering with social travel platforms, which can provide a much-needed recurring revenue stream. On social media platforms, users interested in visiting a specific destination can get advice, descriptions, and reviews from other travelers. Due to this, many online travel agencies and booking platforms are looking to partner with these social travel platforms with large communities in order to grow their customer base and stay ahead of the competition. 

6. Peer-to-Peer Networks

This works on the concept of sharing. Here, the websites aim to foster a sharing economy by connecting travelers with property owners who are willing to rent rooms or houses for the duration of their stay. They provide a booking portal for these rooms and charge both the buyer and the seller a commission. They are more popular than vacation packages because they provide affordable and flexible travel options.

Reputed Travel Agencies and Their Business Model,

  • TripAdvisor – Advertising Model
  • Booking.com – Agency and Merchant Model
  • Expedia – Merchant Model
  • MakeMyTrip – Subscription Model
  • Airbnb – Peer to Peer
  • Vrbo – Peer to Peer

Strength and Weakness of Travel Industry (SWOT Analysis)

Strengths are the aspects through which you can understand the market advantage and can be used in leveraging the market plan.

Some strengths of the travel industry are,

  • A well- constructed website projecting the quality of service you offer
  • The safety services that you offer in and around your environment would attract more tourists to your place
  • Offering different types of accommodations for various categories of tourists
  • Offering quality services and products would bring in more customers
  • Providing traveling convenience with strong infrastructure, roads, airport, and other amenities would attract more tourists to that place

Weakness would always make it harder to maximize the opportunities and vulnerable to threats. Every travel agency would have inherent weakness, referring only to the internal issues.

Some weakness of the travel industry are,

  • Tourism is a combination of different businesses, and the main objective should be the growth of the travel industry. Since different businesses have their own goals, it is essential to have good and professional management skills. If not managed properly, it is quite difficult to achieve your goals
  • If you have lack of innovation and creativity in different categories like transport, luxury, restaurants, etc. and if a coherence is missed among them then, it would affect the growth of the industry
  • Providing less quality services
  • High employee turnover as the employees are engaged more with less pay
  • Less investment for training and developing the employees
  • Still depending upon traditional/conventional marketing strategies, though the technology development is growing every day

Opportunities

Opportunities are external, and they provide the company all possibilities to take advantage of them. It is essential to choose the most potential opportunity and is also critical.

Some opportunities of the travel industry are,

  • Instead of offering collective services to your customers, try offering personalized services which would make your customers appealing 
  • Choose an unusual spot, establish a good place which would attract more tourists
  • Be very cautions about the environment, ensure to establish an eco-friendly environment attracting tourists 
  • Implementing the best suitable online marketing strategies would increase your visibility and bring in more tourists

Threats are also external to the travel agency. It could be a pandemic, a new competitor, natural disasters, conditions that would change your local community, bad economy and more. Any of these would affect the industry and would freeze its ability to explore opportunities and grow.

Some threats of the travel industry are,

  • The lockdown or shutdown of the business during the pandemic Environmental issues affect the industry and even the tourism industry is affecting the environment
  • Political chaos creates marketing uncertainty
  • Economic recession has created a great impact on the industry
  • Highly competitive industry
  • Your competitor would have affiliated with a large industry franchise

How a Travel Agency Needs to Understand the Industry?

Understanding the market.

  • The industry being a competitive one, and already the leading players have conquered the market by growing their share. It is essential to establish your travel agency with a specific niche to stay afloat.
  • If you are a new travel agency, you have to work hard to gain tourists’ trust
  • Need to put a lot of effort to improve the visibility of your travel agency
  • You can be destination specific, here, you target a region and offer some unique deals and services that are not provided by the dominating service providers
  • Pricing is the main consideration for travelers. Most of the travel agencies compete by price, and it is also essential that you surpass the leading OTAs in terms of pricing
  • You can narrow down your travel agency strategies by focusing on specific region, budget-friendly, various packages, family/solo travelers and more
  • Establishing your travel website with satisfying user experience by offering unique and powerful engine like non-interlined flights, creating quite complex itineraries with multiple stops
  • Understanding the market also includes analyzing your competitors. Examining their products and services, would help in pinpointing your lags and the areas that need improvements

Investigating On Your Target Audience

  • Investigate and recognize who your travelers are? Understand their demographics, which would help in narrowing down the strategies 
  • Look for the travelers’ search patterns while booking tickets/hotels. Collect information on how travelers’ approach travel websites? This would help you in understanding the distribution channels
  • Analyzing how often your target audience travels? / how price sensitive they are?. This information would help you to narrow down and implement the suitable strategies to attract more costumes to your travel agency
  • This would help in understanding your audience’s behavior and also creating a user persona would help in approaching them with your team 

Revenue Boosting Strategies For Your Travel Agency Business

To help your travel business to function out of the box and to generate more revenue, here, are some strategies that you can implement today—or plan for once your business is up and running

  • Implement customer referral programs, this would generate more revenue by attracting more tourists
  • Increase your visibility in the social media platforms
  • Offer personalized discounts and packages after analyzing your tourists
  • Encourage your customers to leave reviews
  • Know your audience properly
  • Develop a great relationship with your customers by engaging them
  • Create a blog room, from where readers can get to know about beautiful destinations and also about the fascinating experience of other travelers

Drive Conversions and Boost your Business with Expert Travel Website Development.

Choose the model that is right for your online travel agency.

These are some of the most common online travel agency business models, but there are many variations and combinations of these models in the travel industry. The choice of business model depends on factors such as the agency’s goals, target audience, and the types of travel services offered. Plan towards establishing an optimized travel business by keeping in mind the factors that have been discussed in this article.

Do you have an innovative idea for establishing your travel business? Are you confused about deciding a suitable business model? or planning for a travel web app?

Do contact ColorWhistle for professional assistance by sending a message or call us at +1 (210) 787-3600, we’ll get back to you at the earliest. We provide services tailored to your requirements that suit your business model.

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About the Author - Varsha

I am a zealous copywriter with an enthusiasm to learn everyday. I am able to diversify my knowledge at CW as I get the opportunity to write for various industries. What I love about writing is the research part when I can explore on the data while googling. I am also experienced in playing with words for the WooCommerce plugins and eCommerce platforms. When am off from writing I love experimenting new dishes and also a booklouse at time.

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Starting A Travel Agency In India – A Complete Guide

start a business

Tourism and travel are among the largest industries in India and generate significant employment. The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) estimates that the travel and tourism industry contributes 6-7 per cent to the world's total employment.

Starting with one of the 7 Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal, there are several places in India that every person should see at least once in their lifetime. Thus, apart from having a huge scope for domestic tourism, India is a magnet for international tourists as well.  

There are many states in India, like Goa and the northeastern states, where the state’s primary revenue depends on tourism. Other important cities like Delhi, Bangalore, and Mumbai have grown more and more cosmopolitan due to the influx of international tourists in the country. 

Thus, taking all these things into account, tourism has become inevitable for the country’s revenue as a whole. However, making a mark in the tourism industry is not easy, and starting a travel agency involves a variety of steps and processes.

Business Model Choices for Travel Agency

Any person who is willing to open a tourist agency can do so under various business entities, and these choices are left to the entrepreneurs. Private limited companies are typically chosen by entrepreneurs as their preferred option over others because they receive numerous government benefits and subsidies. 

People who wish to develop the travel business slowly generally do it under a limited liability partnership. In this case, offering online services won’t be possible. Besides, for travel companies, it is imperative to use the internet as a tool for developing the business. 

In cases where the entrepreneur wishes to have a unique name and symbol, he can do so by way of register a trademark under the intellectual property rights laws in India.

GST Taxation for Travel Agents

GST registration is required for all suppliers with a total annual turnover of more than ₹ 20,00,000. The number of category states is limited to ₹100,000. Furthermore, the threshold limit of ₹ 200,000 does not apply in the case of taxable inter-state supply. 

The following table lists the SAC codes of travel agents for outward supply.

How to Become A Government-Approved Trade Agent?

There are various parameters for becoming a government-approved trade agent such as invested capital amount, the number of working staff in the agency, and the office space. An agency must comply with these requirements to become a recognized trade agency. 

The application for this must be forwarded to the ministry of tourism in the prescribed format by a recognized travel agency. Though the registration procedure is not mandatory, it is still preferred to be a recognized travel agency over an unrecognized travel agent. Moreover, the government encourages these recognitions so as to maintain a definite standard in the services rendered by these agencies.

IATA Agent 

IATA stands for International Air Transport Association, which represents almost 84% of the total airlines in the world. This travel association provides various training manuals to travel agencies within its purview. 

It is strongly advised that travel agencies become a member of  IATA in order to take advantage of the benefits available. It is also really important for a travel agency offering international travel packages to be a member of this association, as it gives a lot of discounts on air services across the globe.

The Takeaway

According to statistics, India ranks 12th in the world in terms of travel and tourism GDP contribution. And there is a predicted 7.8% annual growth between 2013 and 2023. Thus, it is clear that tourism constitutes a big part of our country’s growth, owing to which the Indian government has sanctioned a ton of subsidies for start-up entrepreneurs in the travel agency space.

  • Licensed Travel Agent In India
  • Eligibility to Apply for a Business License

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A Complete Guide to start a Travel Business in India

travel business model in india

Starting a travel business in India can be a challenging but rewarding venture. With the right knowledge and resources, however, it’s possible to navigate the industry and establish a successful travel business. In this blog post, we’ll provide a complete guide to starting a travel agency in India, covering everything from market research, your travel business planning to marketing and sales strategies. By the end of this post, you’ll have a clear understanding of what it takes to succeed in the travel industry and be well on your way to launching your own agency.

First and foremost, it’s important to conduct thorough market research before diving into the travel industry. This includes understanding the competition, identifying target customers, and analyzing the current state of the market. By understanding the needs and preferences of your target audience, you’ll be better equipped to tailor your products and services to meet their demands. Additionally, analyzing the competition will help you differentiate your business and identify areas where you can stand out.

Choose a Niche for your Travel Business:  

Choosing a niche as a travel agent in India can be a crucial factor in the success of your travel business. Specializing in a particular type of travel, such as luxury vacations or eco-tourism, can help you stand out in a crowded market and attract a specific type of client. Conducting market research can help you identify potential demand for your chosen niche and allow you to tailor your offerings accordingly. Building relationships with suppliers and partners in your chosen niche can also help you to negotiate better rates and create unique experiences for your clients. Ultimately, choosing a niche can help you to differentiate your business from the competition and establish yourself as an expert in your field. So, it is always better to choose a niche and specialize in it, rather than being a jack of all trades.

Setting Up Clear Goals:

travel business model in india

It’s important to set clear goals for yourself and your business. This can help you focus your efforts and stay motivated as you work towards achieving your objectives. Some common goals for a travel agency might include increasing sales, expanding your client base, improving customer satisfaction, and building a strong online presence. By setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals, you can track your progress and make adjustments as needed to ensure that you are on the right track. It’s also a good idea to set short-term and long-term goals, as this can help you stay focused and motivated in the short term while also keeping an eye on your long-term vision.

Branding Your Business While You Deal With Legal Formalities:

travel business model in india

It’s important to choose a unique and memorable name for your business, as well as develop a strong brand identity through logo design, website design, and marketing materials. In addition to branding, it’s also important to handle all of the legal formalities involved in starting a business. This includes obtaining any necessary licenses and permits, as well as registering your business, and complying with any regulations. By taking care of these details, you’ll be well on your way to building a successful travel agency in India.

Importance of Marketing:

travel business model in india

When it comes to marketing and sales, there are a few key strategies to consider. For example, building a strong online presence through a website and social media can help you reach a wider audience and generate leads. Additionally, networking and building relationships with suppliers, industry partners, and other travel agents can help you secure better deals and establish your business as a reliable source of travel services.

Customer Service:

travel business model in india

One of the keys to success as a travel agency is offering excellent customer service. This means being responsive to customer inquiries, providing personalized recommendations, and going above and beyond to ensure that your customers have a great travel experience.

In conclusion, starting a travel agency in India requires careful planning, research, and attention to detail. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can set yourself up for success and build a thriving business in the competitive travel industry.

Remember to carefully research your target market and create a clear business plan that outlines your goals and strategies. It’s also important to establish partnerships with suppliers, such as airlines and hotels, and to invest in the right tools and resources to manage your bookings and operations efficiently.

Finally, don’t forget to focus on customer service and building a strong reputation. This can be achieved through effective marketing, providing a seamless booking experience for your clients, and going the extra mile to ensure that their travel plans are as smooth and enjoyable as possible.  For tips to shine in a competitive market , check out the latest blog to get the complete knowledge of the travel business in a few paragraphs.

With the right approach and a dedication to providing top-notch service, you can build a successful travel agency in India and carve out a place in this exciting and dynamic industry.

  • Also Read- Choosing the Best B2B Flight Booking Portal for Travel Agent: A Comprehensive Guide

Choosing The Right B2B Portal: Key Questions to Consider Before Making a Decision

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Startup Magazine

Startup Magazine

Top 20 Travel and Hospitality Startups Revolutionizing the Industry in India

The travel and hospitality industry in India has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years, driven by innovative startups that are redefining the way we explore, book, and experience travel. These startups have harnessed the power of technology, personalized services, and unique business models to revolutionize the guest experience and reshape the industry landscape.

In this analysis, we will delve into the top 20 travel and hospitality startups in India, exploring their innovative strategies, disruptive technologies, and the impact they have had on the industry. We will examine how these startups have reimagined convenience, personalization, and seamless experiences for travelers, enabling them to create unforgettable memories.

These startups have introduced a wide range of services, from online travel booking platforms and curated itineraries to car rentals, adventure activities, and accommodation options. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies, data analytics, and user-centric approaches, these startups have empowered travelers with greater control and customization over their journeys.

Through their unique value propositions, these startups have disrupted traditional travel paradigms and provided travelers with access to a vast array of options, competitive pricing, and real-time information. They have created platforms where travelers can connect with local experts, fellow enthusiasts, and fellow travelers, enhancing the overall travel experience.

However, along with their potential for growth and disruption, these startups also face challenges such as intense competition, regulatory compliance, ensuring quality standards, and building trust among consumers. Overcoming these challenges will be crucial for their continued success and sustainable growth.

Founder Name : Ritesh Agarwal

Established Year : 2013

CEO : Ritesh Agarwal

Impact : OYO Rooms has revolutionized the budget hotel segment in India, offering affordable and standardized accommodations to travelers across various cities. It has significantly expanded the availability of quality hotel rooms and disrupted traditional hotel booking practices.

Founder Name : Deep Kalra

Established Year : 2000

CEO : Rajesh Magow

Impact : MakeMyTrip is a leading online travel company that has transformed the way Indians plan and book their travel arrangements. It offers comprehensive travel services, including flight bookings, hotel reservations, holiday packages, and more, providing convenience and personalized travel experiences.

Founder Name : Hrush Bhatt, Stuart Crighton, Matthew Spacie

Established Year : 2006

CEO : Stuart Crighton

Impact : Cleartrip is an online travel platform known for its user-friendly interface and seamless booking experiences. It has simplified the process of flight, hotel, and train bookings, making travel planning hassle-free for users across India.

Founder Name : Ashish Kashyap

Established Year : 2007

CEO : Nishant Pitti

Impact : Goibibo is a popular online travel booking platform that offers a wide range of travel services, including flights, hotels, buses, and holiday packages. It has gained prominence by providing competitive pricing, discounts, and loyalty programs to travelers.

Founder Name : Dhruv Shringi, Manish Amin, Sabina Chopra

CEO : Dhruv Shringi

Impact : Yatra.com is an online travel agency that has transformed the way Indians plan and book their travel. With its extensive network and offerings, including flights, hotels, train bookings, and holiday packages, Yatra.com has become a trusted platform for travelers.

Treebo Hotels

Founder Name : Sidharth Gupta, Rahul Chaudhary, Kadam Jeet Jain

Established Year : 2015

CEO : Sidharth Gupta

Impact: Treebo Hotels is a tech-enabled budget hotel chain that focuses on providing quality accommodations at affordable prices. It has redefined the budget hotel segment with its standardized amenities, customer-centric approach, and seamless booking experiences.

Airbnb India

Founder Name : Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, Nathan Blecharczyk

Established Year : 2008

CEO : Brian Chesky

Impact: Airbnb has transformed the way people travel by offering unique and personalized accommodations worldwide. In India, Airbnb has provided travelers with a wide range of options, including homestays, apartments, and villas, providing authentic and local experiences.

TravelTriangle

Founder Name : Sankalp Agarwal, Sanchit Garg, Prabhat Gupta

Established Year : 2011

CEO : Sankalp Agarwal

Impact : TravelTriangle is an online marketplace that connects travelers with local travel agents to customize and book their travel itineraries. It has simplified the process of trip planning, providing personalized experiences and enabling travelers to discover offbeat destinations.

Founder Name : Aloke Bajpai, Rajnish Kumar

CEO : Aloke Bajpai

Impact : ixigo is a travel search engine that aggregates and compares prices across various travel platforms, helping users find the best deals on flights, hotels, and travel packages. It has empowered travelers with comprehensive information and simplified travel planning.

Trivago India

Founder Name : Rolf Schrömgens, Peter Vinnemeier, Stephan Stubner

Established Year : 2005

CEO : Axel Hefer

Impact : Trivago India is a hotel search platform that allows users to compare hotel prices, read reviews, and make informed decisions. It has transformed the way travelers find and book hotels, providing transparency and options to suit their preferences and budgets.

Impact : Ixigo is a travel search and planning platform that offers a wide range of services, including flight and hotel bookings, train reservations, bus ticketing, and travel recommendations. It has simplified travel planning by providing comprehensive information, real-time updates, and personalized recommendations to enhance the overall travel experience for users.

Founder Name : Greg Moran, David Back

CEO : Greg Moran

Impact : Zoomcar is India’s leading self-drive car rental platform that allows users to rent vehicles on an hourly, daily, or monthly basis. It has transformed the way people travel within cities, providing a convenient and flexible alternative to traditional car ownership.

Founder Name : Bhavish Aggarwal, Ankit Bhati

Established Year : 2010

CEO : Bhavish Aggarwal

Impact : Ola Cabs is India’s largest ride-hailing platform that has disrupted the way people commute. It offers a variety of transportation options, including taxis, auto-rickshaws, and two-wheelers, providing convenient and reliable rides to millions of users across the country.

Founder Name : Ferry Unardi, Derianto Kusuma, Albert Zhang, Henry Hendrawan

Established Year : 2012

CEO : Hendrik Susanto

Impact : Traveloka is a leading online travel booking platform that offers a wide range of services, including flights, hotels, and activities. It has gained popularity in India by providing competitive pricing, extensive options, and user-friendly interfaces for travelers.

Founder Name : Adarsh Manpuria, Vaibhav Aggarwal

Established Year : 2014

CEO : Vaibhav Aggarwal

Impact : FabHotels is a technology-driven budget hotel chain that focuses on providing affordable and standardized accommodations. It has redefined the budget hotel segment by ensuring quality stays and seamless experiences for travelers.

Founder Name : Anirudh Gupta, Michael Lyngdoh

CEO : Anirudh Gupta

Impact : Tripoto is a travel community and content platform that enables travelers to discover, plan, and share their travel experiences. It has empowered travelers with a vast collection of travel itineraries, recommendations, and insights, making trip planning and exploration more accessible and enjoyable.

Savaari Car Rentals

Founder Name : Gaurav Aggarwal, Ashok Kumar

CEO : Gaurav Aggarwal

Impact : Savaari Car Rentals is a car rental service that offers outstation and local taxi services in India. It has simplified the process of renting a car for outstation travel, providing reliable and comfortable transportation options.

Founder Name : Charles Du, Aditya Chaturvedi, Peihuan Wu

CEO : Charles Du

Impact : Tripnary is a travel inspiration and planning app that helps users discover destinations based on their preferences and budget. It has made trip planning more interactive and engaging, providing users with a visual exploration of travel possibilities.

Founder Name : Ameya Sahasrabudhe, Rahul Singh

CEO : Ameya Sahasrabudhe

Impact : Ithaka is a personalized travel planning platform that connects users with travel experts to curate customized itineraries. It aims to provide authentic and immersive travel experiences by leveraging local expertise and recommendations.

Thrillophilia

Founder Name : Abhishek Daga

Established Year : 2009

CEO : Abhishek Daga

Impact : Thrillophilia is an online platform that offers a wide range of adventure activities, tours, and experiences across India. It has contributed to the growth of adventure tourism in the country, providing travelers with unique and thrilling experiences.

These top 20 travel and hospitality startups in India have made significant strides in redefining the guest experience. Through their innovative strategies, disruptive technologies, and customer-centric approaches, they have reshaped the way people travel, providing convenience, personalization, and seamless experiences. However, these startups also face challenges such as intense competition, regulatory compliance, building customer trust, and optimizing operations. Despite these challenges, their potential for growth and disruption remains high, as they continue to drive innovation and transform the travel and hospitality industry in India.

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StartupTalky

MakeMyTrip - How the Company is Making Travels Hassle-Free?

Shubham Kumar

Shubham Kumar , Manisha Mishra

Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations.

More Indians are now booking tickets and hotels online than ever before. Nothing can beat the comfort of being able to plan a trip from the comfort of your home. You can check out the prices and compare them to get the best out of the deal. A company that holds a major share in the Indian online travel industry is MakeMyTrip. Since 2000, MakeMyTrip is helping millions of Indians book railway tickets, airline tickets, bus tickets, reserve hotel rooms, and buy holiday packages.

Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, MakeMyTrip is one of the most popular and dependable Indian travel companies that helps the people of India avail of online travel services that include airline tickets, domestic and international holiday packages, reservations of hotels, railways, and bus tickets.

If you want to know more about MakeMyTrip India, its Founders and Team, Growth, Startup Story, Mission and Vision, Products and Services, and more, then here's the MakeMyTrip success story.

MakeMyTrip - Company Highlights

MakeMyTrip - About MakeMyTrip - Industry MakeMyTrip - Founders and Team MakeMyTrip - Subsidiaries MakeMyTrip - Startup Story MakeMyTrip - Mission and Vision MakeMyTrip - Name, Tagline, and Logo MakeMyTrip - Business Model MakeMyTrip - Revenue Model MakeMyTrip - Product and Services MakeMyTrip - Challenges Faced MakeMyTrip - Funding and Investors MakeMyTrip - Investments MakeMyTrip - Mergers and Acquisitions MakeMyTrip - Growth MakeMyTrip - Partnerships MakeMyTrip - Advertisements and Social Media Campaigns MakeMyTrip - Awards and Achievements MakeMyTrip - Competitors MakeMyTrip - Future Plans

MakeMyTrip - About

India’s leading online travel company, MakeMyTrip, was founded in 2000 by Deep Kalra, Keyur Joshi, Sachin Bhatia and later joined by Rajesh Magow. Headquartered in Gurgaon (Haryana), the company provides online travel services that include flight tickets, domestic and international holiday packages, hotel reservations, and rail and bus tickets.

travel business model in india

MakeMyTrip - Industry

The research of the Statista indicates that the travel and tourism sector is expanding favorably. Forecasts for 2023 indicate a strong and promising future with a significant revenue of US $19.86 billion . The projected yearly growth rate between 2023 and 2027 is an outstanding Compound yearly Growth Rate (CAGR) of almost 12.18%, with a projected value of US $31.45 billion by 2027. These figures highlight the industry's strength and point to a continuing upward trend, indicating tremendous potential for consistent growth and a plethora of opportunities in the Travel and Tourism sector going forward.

MakeMyTrip - Founders and Team

Deep Kalra, Keyur Joshi, Rajesh Magow and Sachin Bhatia are the co-founders of MakeMyTrip.

Deep Kalra, Founder of MakeMyTrip

The founder of MakeMyTrip, Deep Kalra, was raised in Hyderabad, attended St. Stephen's College in Delhi for his economics degree, and graduated with an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad in 1992. He left ABN AMRO after three years to work in business development at GE Capital. In the past, he worked with AMF Bowling to bring bowling alleys to India. With the launch of MakeMyTrip in 2000, Kalra revolutionized the Indian travel sector by introducing cutting-edge online services.

As the CEO of MakeMyTrip, Deep Kalra guided the company from its inception till its listing on NASDAQ in August 2010. From August 2013 to February 2020, Kalra functioned as the Group CEO. In February 2020, Deep Kalra stepped down from the post of Group CEO to resume responsibilities as executive chairman of the MakeMyTrip board, while co-founder and current group CEO Rajesh Magow took charge as the Group CEO.

“We believe that separating the roles of Group CEO and Executive Chairman will allow us to focus more on long-term strategic opportunities within and outside India, while maintaining our market-leading position in our existing businesses,” MakeMyTrip owner Deep Kalra commented on his step-down.

Kalra also serves as the vice chairman of Internet and Mobile Association of India. He is one of the founders of Ashoka University and is a part of its governing body. He is also a founding member of " I am Gurgaon" , an NGO.

travel business model in india

Rajesh Magow

travel business model in india

Rajesh Magow, a co-founder of MakeMyTrip, serves as the company group CEO currently. Magow graduated from the Indian Institute of Chartered Accountants. He began his career with Aptech Ltd. as the Regional Head-ACE North. After thereafter, he joined Ebookers as CFO and Head of Financial Services before joining MakeMyTrip as co-founder, CFO, and COO. Magow has held a number of executive positions within the corporation, including those of Group CEO, COO, and CFO.

Keyur Joshi

Keyur Joshi - Founder and COO of MakeMyTrip

Keyur Joshi is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of MakeMyTrip and the Strategic Advisor, roles that he is serving still in the company. Besides this he is also the co-founder of Wildlife Luxuries (I) Pvt. Ltd. The jumpstart of the online travel market in India can largely be attributed to Joshi.

Before MakeMyTrip, Joshi was involved with Around the World Travel (presently known as JustFares.com), and Tata Motors, where he handled the Market Research and Product Management departments. Keyur has obtained a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Gujarat University. This was again followed by an MBA degree from the City University of New York, New York. Joshi is also a certified pilot!

Apart from the resignation of Sachin Bhatia, who resigned as the co-founder and CMO of the company, the founding team of MakeMyTrip is intact. Looking at the MakeMyTrip number of employees, the company has been known as a 1,001–5,000 strong organization.

travel business model in india

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MakeMyTrip - Subsidiaries

MakeMyTrip Subsidiaries are Ibibo, Easy to Book Holding B.V., ITC Group, Luxury Tours & Travel Pte Limited, Quest2travel.com India Pvt. Ltd., Hotel Travel Ltd., Travis Internet Private Limited, MakeMyTrip (India) Private Limited, and Makemytrip.com Inc.

MakeMyTrip - Startup Story

MakeMyTrip's genesis lies in the entrepreneurial spirit of its founder, Deep Kalra. Initially an experienced banker at ABN AMRO Bank, Kalra felt the urge to break away from the monotony of corporate life and explore new avenues. After three years in the banking sector, he sought challenges beyond the confines of a traditional career. This quest led him to join AMF Bowling, aiming to introduce bowling alleys to India. Despite facing challenges in fundraising and the subsequent failure of this venture, Kalra's determination to run his own business remained unshaken.

Undeterred by setbacks, Kalra found himself at GE Capital, where he gained valuable insights into the potential of the internet. The realization dawned when he successfully sold his wife's car online, sparking the idea that the internet could be a powerful platform for his entrepreneurial aspirations. Acknowledging the vast possibilities, he resigned from GE Capital and ventured into the world of online businesses.

The turning point for MakeMyTrip came during Kalra's research into the tourism sector. Recognizing the inconvenience faced by Indians queuing at ticket counters, he envisioned a solution that would make ticket bookings accessible online. This insight solidified the foundation of MakeMyTrip. While planning a holiday to Thailand, Kalra observed the cost efficiency of direct online bookings and decided to eliminate intermediaries, leading to the official launch of MakeMyTrip in 2000. The platform aimed to simplify ticket bookings and offer competitive prices, marking the beginning of a transformative journey in the online travel industry.

MakeMyTrip - Mission and Vision

MakeMyTrip's mission is to "provide customers a one-stop-shop for all their travel needs." It helps the users get optimum user experience across the entire travel journey, which includes "effective planning resources, superior booking experience across all channels, and in-journey 24x7 live customer support."

At GO-MMT, our vision is to make travel simple and fun for all, and our core values guide us in making this possible. These core values can be seen in the projects that we undertake, and the way in which we solve problems for our customers. They are a representation of OUR BEING & OUR DOING. Each member of the GO-MMT family is guided by them, each and every day, says the company website while stating its vision and values.

MakeMyTrip - Name, Tagline, and Logo

MakeMyTrip's tagline is "Dil toh roaming hai", which the company announced in April 2017.

MakeMyTrip Logo

MakeMyTrip - Business Model

MakeMyTrip lets users book air tickets, bus tickets, buy holiday packages, book hotel accommodations, and hire vehicles. Users can also access other travel-related services, like visa processing and travel insurance, that are provided by third-party vendors. All of these services are available through MakeMyTrip's app, website, or through MakeMyTrip-owned and franchisee-owned stores.

Besides this B2C model, MakeMyTrip has also introduced MyBiz to offer various corporate travel-related services. MyBiz lets businesses easily manage the travel and accommodation of its employees through various features, such as a single dashboard, MyBiz wallet for central payment processing, and instant refunds to myBiz Wallet on cancellations.

MakeMyTrip - Revenue Model

MakeMyTrip's revenue model combines traditional and innovative elements, with a focus on strategic air ticket sales contributing 35% to the total revenue. Complementing this, hotels and holiday packages constitute a substantial around 50% of earnings. The transport segment, led by Red Bus , adds 10% , growing at an impressive 35% annually . MakeMyTrip has expanded its revenue streams by partnering with IRCTC for rail tickets and introducing weekend travels, activities, and events .

Domestic travel takes center stage in revenue generation, with 60% of air ticket revenue and 85–90% of hotel business revenue attributed to domestic travel. This highlights MakeMyTrip's adaptability to regional preferences and solidifies its position as a comprehensive travel solution.

MakeMyTrip - Products and Services

MakeMyTrip Limited is an Indian online travel company founded in 2000. It’s services include air ticketing, hotel and alternative accommodations bookings, holiday planning and packaging, rail ticketing, inter-city bus ticketing, car hire, and ancillary travel requirements such as facilitating access to third-party travel insurance and visa processing.

The company is the industry leader in India's travel sector thanks to its continuous innovation culture and " customer first " strategic focus. This puts it in a unique position to accelerate the online presence of hotels and other lodgings that are largely offline.

MakeMyTrip employs a sizable number of data scientists in their workforce. It makes considerable use of chatbots; Myra for MakeMyTrip and Gia for Goibibo . These chatbots assist with most post-sale inquiries.

MakeMyTrip - Challenges Faced

“The meltdown of dotcom, the exit of venture capital from India, and the 9/11 attacks. By mid-2001, MakeMyTrip were hit by this triple whammy. The next couple of years were the toughest — there were no investors in sight and the company had to shrink the team. But those tough times helped bind the team together. It’s been an incredible journey and the team are thrilled for the possibilities that lie ahead.” said Deep Kalra Founder.

MakeMyTrip celebrated turning 20 in 2020, marking 20 years of assisting customers with travel arrangements. Unfortunately, the worldwide pandemic made it happen during a difficult period. For everyone, traveling was challenging due to the coronavirus. MakeMyTrip used their knowledge to adapt and come up with new ways to assist travelers in spite of this obstacle. The business demonstrated that it could overcome obstacles and remain a leader in the travel sector even in the face of this challenging circumstance.

MakeMyTrip - Funding and Investors

MakeMyTrip has raised $748 mn in over 6 rounds of funding.

Here are the funding details:

MakeMyTrip - Investments

MakeMyTrip has made 7 investments to date. Here's all of them below:

MakeMyTrip Exit

It has exited from two companies, ibibo Group and Inspirock.

MakeMyTrip - Mergers and Acquisitions

MakeMyTrip made 5 acquisitions till date.

The MakeMyTrip fintech arm TripMoney has acquired BookMyForex, an online foreign exchange service provider in India, on April 5, 2022, through the acquisition of the majority stakes in the company.

Here's a look at the list of the companies that MakeMyTrip has acquired:

Some other investments and acquisitions that MakeMyTrip made during its journey till now are:

  • In August 2011 , MakeMyTrip (MMT) along with private equity firm Saif Partners, acquired majority stakes in Travenues Technology Private Limited, which owns Ixigo.com. In November 2011 , MMT invested in 'My Guest House Accommodation', a budget lodging and hotel operator.
  • In September 2014 , the company instituted a $15 mn innovation fund to support early-stage companies in the travel space. It also acquired MyGola, a travel planning website, in April 2015. The acquisition was done through the innovation fund, and as part of the acquisition, all employees of MyGola were absorbed into the MakeMyTrip team.
  • In June 2015 , MakeMyTrip acquired an 18% stake in travel planning startup Inspirock. In July 2015 , it invested in travel information and hotel review portal HolidayIQ to pick up an approximately 30% stake in the latter. In the same month, it also invested $5 mn in BonaVita Technologies, a startup which plans to utilize the funds to build innovative products in the travel industry.

MakeMyTrip - Growth

Starting its journey at the start of the millennium, MakeMyTrip has entirely transformed the ways of travel and bookings and has made the whole process fast, easy, and hassle-free not only for its customers but for the whole country in general. Some of the major growth insights of the company are:

  • As of June 2023, MakeMyTrip had 146 active franchisees operating in more than 100 cities
  • It has covered 2,000 cities via hotels
  • It also has its international offices based in Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, New York, Singapore, Phuket and Istanbul
  • MakeMyTrip has 68 mn+ monthly active users as per its website
  • It has 69 mn+ lifetime transacted users
  • In the post-pandemic world, the company also claims to help the users get 100% refund on their cancellations

MakeMyTrip saw a notable growth in operating revenue in the fiscal year 2022–2023, with Rs 4,863 crore in FY23, compared to Rs 2,492 crore in FY22. But the business also saw total expenses come to Rs 4,986 crore. In spite of this, the profit/loss margin has improved significantly, with the loss in FY23 dropping to Rs 91.6 crore from Rs 373.6 crore in FY22.

MakeMyTrip - Partnerships

MakeMyTrip, in its 20+ years-long journey, has witnessed numerous partnerships with a whole lot of brands. Here's a glimpse into some of the most important collaborations that MakeMyTrip witnessed in recent years:

  • The Indian travel company led by Rajesh Magow was all set to partner with the Ministry of Civil Aviation , as per reports dated November 22, 2021. With this partnership, the popular travel and tourism company was about to ensure the promotion of regional air connectivity via the UDAN scheme. The company planned to power the UDAN flights on the AIRSewa portal and to market the same on its platform as well in order to promote its products and increase visibility and product discovery.
  • MakeMyTrip has partnered with IndiGo to launch exclusive charter flights between Mumbai and Phuket in Thailand. The announcement came in on November 10, 2021, where MakeMyTrip, as part of the deal, will ensure end-to-end service assistance, including airport transfers, early check-in and check-out, certificate of entry assistance, premium properties, and more.
  • The company entered into a strategic partnership with AmazonPay to offer all-inclusive travel services to Amazon customers that will be enabled by MakeMyTrip and Redbus. This partnership was announced on November 1, 2021.
  • The Indian travel major collaborated with Hopper , a leading AI-based travel booking app, on October 14, 2021, which was aimed to help the customers save money with personalized and flexible bookings.

MakeMyTrip - Advertisements and Social Media Campaigns

Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt are the brand ambassadors of the MakeMyTrip company, whom the company roped in on February 17, 2016.

MakeMyTrip Campaign

In an effort to draw in new consumers, MakeMyTrip has unveiled a compelling new campaign with ambassadors Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh. The campaign aims to draw attention to the platform's distinct value propositions by showcasing its comprehensive room-specific data. MakeMyTrip aims to present a personalized and all-inclusive travel experience, making it the go-to platform for both luxury and functionality, from the appeal of seaside accommodations to useful facilities.

MakeMyTrip - Awards and Achievements

The list of accolades received by the company is quite long. Here are some of them:

  • Great Manager Awards - Companies with Great Manager Award 2022.
  • Economic Times - Future Ready Organization Award 2022.
  • ET Human Capital Awards - Most Inclusive Companies Index Exemplar 2022.
  • Most Inclusive Company Index Study - 100 best companies For Women - 2022.
  • Best Travel Innovator - Travel Distribution World Asia Awards (2012).
  • Singapore Airlines - Top agents award (2010-2011) ; Top Passenger Agent (2007-08).
  • Malaysia airlines - Top Agent Award (2007) ; Top agent award (2009) ; Top agent award (2010).
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travel business model in india

MakeMyTrip - Competitors

The main competitors of MakeMyTrip are:

  • Booking.com

travel business model in india

MakeMyTrip - Future Plans

MakeMyTrip has declared its intention to grow its franchise company throughout the nation's top 100+ cities as per news report of March 31, 2023. By the end of 2023, the company hopes to have 220 active franchisees, having grown by more than 50%.

The franchise network expansion is part of our broader strategy to serve customers in the top 100+ cities of India. The franchise network will help serve those customers who may be more comfortable talking to someone they trust," said Rajesh Magow Co-Founder.

What is MakeMyTrip?

MakeMyTrip is an online travel company founded by Deep Kalra, Keyur Joshi, and Sachin Bhatia in 2000, who were later joined by Rajesh Magow. The company is headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana and offers online travel services including domestic and international holiday packages, hotel reservations, rail, bus and flight tickets.

Who is MakeMyTrip founder?

Rajesh Magow is the co-founder and Group CEO of MakeMyTrip. Rajesh joined Deep Kalra, Keyur Joshi and Sachin Bhatia, the founders of MakeMyTrip, in 2006.

What are the names of MakeMyTrip subsidiaries?

Which is makemytrip origin country.

MakeMyTrip Limited is an Indian online travel company founded in 2000.

What is the total funding amount raised by MakeMyTrip?

To date (2023), MakeMyTrip raised funding worth $748 mn over 6 rounds.

How much is MakeMyTrip's valuation?

MakeMyTrip was last valued at $2.69 billion, in 2019.

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Indian business travel industry trends 2023: a look into the future.

travel business model in india

The Business travel industry in India, reinvigorated by the influx in foreign investments, global market expansion of Indian companies, and the popularity of bleisure, is expected to undergo some exciting changes in 2023. As a developing nation, India provides an unparalleled sustainable business environment with a strong judiciary system, abundant natural resources, diverse climatic conditions, competitive costs, low labor costs, excellent banking and financial institutions, and straightforward tax structures. These are but a few factors that draw international opportunities to Indian shores and consequently push the business travel industry in India forward. To help prepare for the lucrative future, we felt it is an excellent opportunity to explore the Indian T&E industry trends that will reshape business travel in India in 2023 and beyond.

State Of Indian Business Travel In 2023:

Let us dive into the factors that best describe the current state of the business travel industry in India in 2023.

Market Value

travel business model in india

Region-Wise Trends

Region-specific analysis of business travel in India found that Delhi, the nation’s capital, is leading the way with the highest volume of business travel bookings in 2021, followed by Hyderabad and Bangalore. As the country’s most significant economic hotspots, these regions are expected to push the business travel industry in India to new heights in 2023.

Industry-Wise Trends

An industry-wise analysis of bookings in the business travel industry in India found that the construction industry has the highest volume of business travelers. Besides construction, consulting and Information Technology (IT) industries significantly contribute to the soaring market value of the business travel industry in India. Outsourcing is the primary reason why the IT industry is currently one of the leading Indian T&E industry trends.

Indian Business Travel Industry Trends in 2023:

Without any further delay, here are the top trends of Business travel in 2023:

Globalized Travel Is Becoming The Norm

With fewer travel restrictions in 2023 and international travel bouncing back from the pandemic, business travel in India is no longer limited to a handful of destinations. While innovative technologies, increased connectivity, and disappearing travel restrictions are bringing international markets closer, Indian businesses will extend their global reach on a scale like never before. It is why globalized travel will be one of the prominent Indian T&E industry trends to keep an eye out for in 2023. 

Rising Foreign Investment In The Space

travel business model in india

As a fast-paced, stable, sustainable, and business-friendly economy, India is drawing in many global investors due to its excellent business policies. In 2022, the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity inflow to India alone was valued at around USD$572 billion, which is expected to substantially increase the frequency of business travel to and from India in 2023.

Travel as a Result of Market Expansion

Indian businesses will continue to expand their markets, forge global partnerships, and thrive off international opportunities in 2023. Enterprises will not solely rely on remote communication tools to achieve this feat but will also likely do so by meeting in person. That is why domestic and international market expansion will be a leading trend in the business travel industry in India to look out for in 2023.

An Increasing Mix of Business and Leisure

travel business model in india

Bleisure trips mutually benefit businesses and employees, leading to increased morale and business travel productivity. As the world transitions back to normalcy in 2023, the current Indian economic situation is ripe with opportunities for millennials anxious to resume their business and leisure travels and to get their work-life balance back on track. We can expect a growing number of Indian companies to visibly embrace and facilitate bleisure trips as a leading trend for the business travel industry in India as we move through 2023. 

Business-Airline Partnerships Grow Stronger

The re-emergence of the business travel industry in India in 2023 will witness stronger relationships between businesses, their travelers, and airline operators. The airline industry is expected to provide better deals, flexibility, convenience, and travel experiences to suit the unique requirements of business travelers, such as priority check-in, lounge access, and onboard services. These strong relationships will encourage business travel in India, streamline T&E, and enable businesses to implement cost-effective travel in 2023 and beyond. 

Hotel-as-a-Hub

The Indian hotel industry has been through its fair share of ups and downs over the past few years. As business travel in India is on the rise again, accommodation providers will go beyond simply providing stay for travelers and take it one step further to offer revamped travel experiences. You can expect hotel chains to broaden their offerings to include co-working spaces, conference rooms, business lounges, and other amenities designed specifically to suit the unique needs of the business travel industry in India. In 2023, we foresee that numerous Indian hotel chains will work on establishing their hotels as productive Hubs for Indian business travelers.

IT Industry Travel Driven by Outsourcing

travel business model in india

The IT industry, one of the leading contributors to the Indian economy, will be a crucial driver of business travel in 2023. As an industry that engages in a high level of outsourcing, we can expect more and more Indian IT companies to send their employees to work on domestic and international projects. It is why outsourcing and the IT industry will work hand in hand to fast-track the growth of the business travel industry in India.

Stakeholder and Team Meetings

travel business model in india

Despite innovations in remote communications that make it dramatically easier for business stakeholders to operate and communicate remotely, on-premise stakeholder and team meetings remain essential to most businesses. As such companies continue to thrive in 2023, we can expect their teams and stakeholders to frequently conduct business travel in India.

Conferences and Events

Conferences and events are an integral part of any thriving business. In 2023, we can expect to see more Indian companies conducting conferences and events to network, showcase their products and services, and stay up-to-date with industry trends. You can also expect many to send their employees overseas and domestically to attend conferences and events that will positively impact the business travel industry in India over the upcoming years. 

The business travel industry in India needs the right tools and strategies to derive the best value from every business trip. The right T&E management tools can be instrumental in travel budget optimization such that you ensure your employees have a productive, enjoyable, compliant, and cost-effective travel experience. Find a T&E management partner to help you keep up with the tremendous growth potential of the economy and business travel industry in India in 2023 and beyond.

Tripeur – The Ultimate T&E Experience in India

Tripeur is a travel and expense management platform that offers a range of services designed to prepare for the Indian T&E industry trends and make business travel more efficient and cost-effective. 

Tripeur is a stellar automated expense management platform that provides users with a full-scale T&E expense module that addresses, solves, and simplifies all challenges facing your expense management. 

Our T&E management platform keeps the CFO, admins, managers, and the finance department in the loop through expense alerts and reports on all stages of the travel booking experience. 

Engaging in our platform is an excellent way to maximize trip productivity and ROI like never before. Our user-friendly software can perpetually fix your expense management inefficiencies and dramatically curb costs like never before.

By now, you should understand how the ancient traditional spreadsheet-based processes make it almost impossible to enforce your T&E policy and accurately manage your corporate travel expenditures. Steer away from manual expense management and explore what Tripeurs automated T&E management platform can do for you. Contact us to learn how you can automate and streamline your travel and expense management systems to brace for the promising future of Indian business travel. 

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TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY

Top 10 Innovative Travel Tech Startups in India

travel business model in india

  • Travel & Hospitality

Technology has changed the travel industry dramatically. We can now plan entire vacations and book hotel rooms, flights, sightseeing tours, and other activities from our smartphones. Trips are now more enjoyable and convenient. We frequently discuss travel technology due to the enormous growth of the tourism sector.

Let’s dive into what travel technology is, followed by India’s top 10 innovative travel tech startups.

What Is Travel Technology?

Travel tech assists users in planning travel. It makes travelling more convenient. It streamlines the back-office operations of travel companies and enables customers to book online without a travel agent.

Until a few years ago, travel agencies used to plan trips for their clients, including booking lodging, transportation, and other travel-related services. But, with the advancement of technology in the travel sector, most of these tasks have become online. Customers can organize their travel plans themselves, or agencies can do it on their behalf using these platforms.

Let’s look at the top travel platforms using innovative technology to make travelling easier for customers.

Here’s a quick summary:

Read on to know more about the investors in these travel startups, their USP, and more.

1. Thomas Cook India

Website: https://www.thomascook.in

Address : 11th & 13th Flr, Marathon Future, NM Joshi Marg, Lower, BDD Chawl, Lower Parel, Mumbai, India

Founded on : 1881

Founders : Thomas Cook

Funding : Publicly traded

Employees : 8,388

Thomas Cook India - Travel Tech company

About : Started in the 1880s, Thomas Cook India is one of the oldest travel agencies. It has a massive network of offices allowing both business and leisure travel. With Thomas Cook, customers get forex, visa, and passport services as well.

USP : Thomas Cook India provides comprehensive services when it comes to travel. It also offers personalized holiday packages.

2. Club Mahindra Holidays and Resort

Website : https://www.clubmahindra.com/

Address : 2nd floor, Mahindra Towers, 17/18, Pattullos Rd, Mount Road, Express Estate, Royapettah, Chennai

Founded on : 1996

Founders : Arun Nanda

Employees : 6,856

Club Mahindra

About : Club Mahindra Holidays and Resort, also known as Club Mahindra Holidays, provides hospitality services. It is one of the oldest companies in the Travel and Leisure sector, operating since 1996. The Club Mahindra Experience allows access to more than 100 resorts in India and around the globe, opening a world of opportunities.

The company also plans to expand its network with partner hotels over the next couple of years.

USP : Club Mahindra Holidays has a rich online presence, allowing users to get virtual tours of their resorts before visiting them.

Website : https://www.nearbuy.com/

Address : Mezzanine Floor, Pushp Vihar Commercial Complex, LSC Madangir, Saket, New Delhi

Founded on : 2011

Founders : Ravi Shankar, Snehesh Mitra

Funding : $37.2M

Investors : Sequoia Capital India, BlackSoil

Employees : 522

NearBuy

About : NearBuy is an online platform through which local businesses and consumers can interact with one another. The company offers discounts and coupons on products for men and women, home and kitchen, travel and baggage, sports and fitness, health care, entertainment, automobiles, stationery, and more.

USP : NearBuy makes it easier for travelling individuals to discover local experiences. The brand lists restaurants, salons, gyms, grocery stores and more.

Website: https://www.oyorooms.com

Address : Golf Course Ext Rd, Sector 69, Gurugram

Founded on : 2013

Founders : Ritesh Agarwal

Funding : raised a total of $4B in funding over 19 rounds

Investors : Qatar Insurance Company, Microsoft, Värde Partners, Citadel, Red Lions Capital, SoftBank Vision Fund, Hindustan Media Venture, Ritesh Agarwal, SoftBank, Airbnb

Employees : 14,024 employees

OYO Rooms - Travel tech startup - India

About : OYO Rooms runs an online platform that facilitates the listing and booking of lodging options like hotels, residences, and apartments. It offers an application with a range of digital tools to support consumers at every step of their journey, including discovery, easy booking, pre-stay assistance, cancellations, digital check-ins, in-stay and post-stay services, and more.

USP : OYO allows travelling individuals to easily get access to rooms. It is a great alternative to AirBnB, particularly for those looking for budget options during travels.

5. TravelTriangle

Website: https://traveltriangle.com

Address : Plot no. 29, 3rd & 4th Floor Dynamic House, Maruti Industrial Complex, Sector 18, Gurugram

Founders : Prabhat Gupta

Funding : $ 47.9m (raised $13m almost 3 years ago)

Investors : Fundamentum, KB Global Platform Fund, SAIF Partners, RB Investments, Bessemer Venture Partners

Employees : 406

Travel Triangle - Travel Tech Startup

About : TravelTriangle enables travellers to book a custom vacation package with a nearby travel agent. The company links customers with local professionals who provide affordable options. It also enables them to bargain prices with nearby travel organizers through interactive remarks.

USP : TravelTriangle, through its network of partners, allows travelers to get personalized holiday experiences at a relatively lower cost.

6. Blowhorn

Website : https://blowhorn.com/

Address : 511, 8th cross, JP Nagar 3rd Phase, Bengaluru, Karnataka

Founded on : 2014

Founders : Mithun Srivatsa, Nikhil Shivaprasad

Funding : raised a total of $8.8M in funding over 7 rounds

Investors : Draper Associates, Symphony International Holdings, Chiratae Ventures, Trifecta Capital Advisors, Rajesh Mane, Venture Catalysts, Michael & Susan Dell Foundations, James Lee Sorenson

Employees : 414

BlowHorn

About : Blowhorn runs an online last-mile logistics marketplace. Through its website and smartphone app, the company connects buyers looking to move products swiftly and easily with owners of mini trucks. While blowhorn mainly operates as an intra-city logistics company, they also have programs to train unemployed youths.

USP : Blowhorn is presently the leading startup that allows customers to move goods from one gram to one metric ton.

7. MakeMyTrip

Website : https://www.makemytrip.com/

Address : DLF Building No. 5 Tower B, DLF Cyber City, DLF Phase 2, Sector 25, Gurugram

Founded on : 2000

Founders : Rajesh Magow

Funding : Publicly Traded

Employees : 3,256

MakeMyTrip - Travel Tech company India

About : MakeMyTrip offers online travel services, including airline tickets, domestic and international holiday packages, hotel bookings, and rail and bus tickets.

As of March 31, 2018, they have counters at four of India’s major airports, over 30 franchisee-owned travel stores in 28 cities, and 14 company-owned travel stores in 14 cities. Among the locations where MakeMyTrip has offices are New York, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Phuket, Bangkok, and Dubai.

In 2017, the business joined hands with Redbus and Goibibo to create one of India’s most-known travel agencies. This travel firm has over 20 million unique customers because they enable customers to study and plan their travels using a variety of products and deals.

USP : MakeMyTrip is one of the most popular travel tech companies in India, providing easy access to ticketing services. They also offer a wide range of hotels and holiday experiences across multiple cities.

Website: https://www.yatra.com/

Address: 748, Sec – 39 near Unitech cyber park, Gurugram

Founded on : 2006

Founders : Dhruv Shringi, Manish Amin, Sabina Chopra

Funding : Publicly funded

Employees : 1,006

Yatra - Travel Tech startup - India

About : Yatra.com started as a search engine for travel. It was established in 2006 to serve as an online centre for your travel destinations. The business offers a range of services, such as airline ticketing, vacation packages, and accommodation reservations for corporate and private clients. The website is very user-friendly, and you can utilize several coupons and discounts to cut the cost of your reservations. Yatra.com also lists local experiences as shopping and heritage walk.

USP : It is the only online travel agency that lets customers book flights up to three hours before departure.

Website: https://www.ixigo.com/

Address : 2nd floor, Veritas Building, Behind Ibis Hotel, Golf Course Road, DLF Phase 5, Sector 53, Bengaluru

Founders : Aloke Bajpai, Dharmendra Yashovardhan, Rajnish Kumar

Funding : raised a total of $72M in funding over 7 rounds

Investors : Trifecta Capital Advisors, Lavanya Ashok, IE Venture Fund, GIC, Malabar India Fund, Orios Venture Partners, Bay Capital, India Acorn Fund, Sequoia Capital India, Fosun RZ Capital

Employees : 329

Ixigo - travel tech company

About : Ixigo.com offers travel research and planning services. The business has effectively entered the mobile app market in addition to being a reliable source of travel information and ticket purchases. Among other apps, the ixigo trains app has dominated the market.

Ixigo.com began as a travel meta-search engine before releasing mobile apps and content, and this is now one of their key components. Simply put, their travel meta search engine assists you in selecting the most affordable options for flights, lodging, trains, and buses.

Since ixigo.com does not charge for recommending airline and hotel deals, for example, it is not an online travel agency. By clicking on the deal of their choice, users are taken to the website of the business providing that particular deal.

USP : Ixigo offers the most reliable ticket booking experience through their app. The app also provides extensive details regarding trains and it one of the most downloaded apps for Indian trains.

10. EaseMyTrip

Website: https://www.easemytrip.com/

Address: Patparganj Industrial Area, Patparganj, Delhi

Founded on : 2008

Founders : Nishant Pitti, Prashant Pitti, Rikant Pitti

Employees : 588

EaseMyTrip - Travel Tech Startup

About : EaseMyTrip is an online travel company with zero convenience fees. They offer reductions on transportation services like hotels, buses, taxis, and vacation packages frequently. With more than 8.81 million customers, the organization has established a presence through its agent network, offices, and franchisees in every pin code.

EaseMyTrip also has a sizable B2B network with 10,477 corporate clients and 52,752 registered travel agent partners. Apart from India, the company has international offices in Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.

USP : EaseMyTrip provides discounted deals on travel ticket and hotel bookings.

Our Research Methodology

India has been a popular travel destination for both local and international travellers. Travel tech makes travelling comfortable, but safety and trust are also crucial. The criteria for listing these travel tech startups include:

  • Established and reputed brands:  Brands like Thomas Cook or Club Mahindra have been operating in the country for a long time. These brands and their partners have established themselves as trustworthy players in this industry, ensuring safe and comfortable travels.
  • Ease of access:  Brands like ixigo, MakeMyTrip and Yatra.com have enabled laymen to plan travel and get tickets and hotel reservations done in minutes. They do not need to rely on agents for travel plans.
  • Personalized experiences : Finally, travel experiences should be personalized. Brands like TravelTriangle, OYO, and NearBuy allow travellers to experience places independently without the help of others. Brands like Blowhorn can help with logistics, even in rural areas, allowing people longer stays.

If you’re into the travel business and looking for tools to automate your marketing, sales, and operations, check out LeadSquared’s Travel CRM .

You can also book a free consultation with one of our experts who have helped companies like MakeMyTrip expand their sales ops.

Rangan Das

Rangan is a researcher currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Machine Learning for Healthcare. He got a Master's and a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and Engineering. He's passionate about all things computers, particularly software development, and loves cycling.

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Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) And Their Business Models

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Google (Google Travel)

Expedia-business-model

Tripadvisor

tripadvisor-business-model

Key highlights of the business models from travel and accommodation platforms:

  • Platform business model charging guests a service fee (5% to 15%) and hosts a commission (generally 3%) on reservations.
  • Competes with other vacation rental platforms like Booking.com, VRBO, and FlipKey, as well as potential competition from Google Travel.
  • Operates under Booking Holdings, controlling six main brands like Booking.com, priceline.com, KAYAK, agoda.com, Rentalcars.com, and OpenTable.
  • Generates revenues primarily through travel reservations commissions, travel insurance fees, and advertising via KAYAK.
  • Expedia (including Trivago):
  • Trivago, part of Expedia Group, is a hotel comparison service monetized through a cost-per-click (CPC) model from advertiser listings.
  • Expedia also owns other online travel agencies like Hotels.com, Vrbo, Orbits, CheapTickets, Travelocity, among others.
  • Google (Google Travel):
  • Originally part of Microsoft and later spun off, Google Travel provides travel-related information and services.
  • Google Travel’s exact revenue model is not mentioned, but it likely generates income through advertising and possibly affiliate marketing .
  • Online travel agency and search engine, acquired by Booking Holdings in 2013.
  • Earns revenue through an advertising model based on cost per click, cost per acquisition, and advertising placements.
  • An online restaurant reservation system acquired by Booking Holding in 2014.
  • Generates income through subscription plans, referral fees, and potentially in-dining revenue .
  • Utilizes a mixed business model , starting as a home aggregator in India and expanding into other verticals like leisure, co-working, and corporate travel.
  • TripAdvisor:
  • Matches travel demand with supply from partners, earning commission on a cost per click (CPC) and cost per thousand impressions (CPM) basis.
  • Non-hotel revenue includes experiences, restaurants, and rentals.
  • Part of Expedia Group, Trivago operates as a hotel comparison service, earning revenue through a cost-per-click (CPC) model from advertiser listings and also offers a Business Studio subscription for hoteliers to track data.

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Main business models for otas.

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The 10 Best Travel Franchises in India

Find The 10 Best Travel Franchise Businesses in India in 2022

Written by Anjali Dixit                                                                                     March 1 2022

Recently we have seen a surge in the demand for the best travel franchises in India amidst business seekers and entrepreneurs. India is a country of diverse geography, culture, history, and art. It is full of natural beauty and resources in numerous bounties. Nature is in its abundance and history goes back to ages. It is amongst those countries that hold one of the oldest histories across the world. India hence has a lot to offer in terms of tourism and traveling. The tourism products range from sports, wellness, religion, adventure, art, cultural, rural, and urban transition which hence results in a lot of tourist attractions every year. And this concludes why a tourism franchise can be a great opportunity for business seekers and entrepreneurs.

Why are Tourism Franchises a great opportunity in India?

As mentioned about India being a home to rich natural resources, beauty, history, culture, and, products and services, it attracts an immense number of tourists all around the year, both Indian and foreign. Also, India offers the world's second-largest franchising market across the globe with a guaranteed rise of 30-35% remarkable increment in the franchising market which is a credible achievement. The tourism and Travel franchise is an emerging business segment that has a fair contribution to the franchise market. Hence, there has been the availability of numerous choices of services for travel and tourism business that includes both best online travel agency franchises for sale and offline ones.

A franchise business is affected by multiple factors for efficient working and running of the business and the tourism & travel segment is an enormous segment that needs a lot of factors to be well taken care of to make it successful owing to its uniqueness and massivity:

What are the factors affecting the Tourism and Travel Franchises in India?

Business Model

Evaluation of Business Market

Planning & Strategy

Recruiting Workforce

Availability of Capital and Funding

Better Infrastructure, Transport, and Other Deliverables

Here is a list of  Top 10 Travel Franchises and Tourism Franchises in 2022 that are successful and emerging as great businesses in the Indian business market:  

List of Best Travel Franchise Opportunities in India in 2022

  • Make My Trip
  • Go ibibo 
  • Easy My Trip
  • Akbar Tours and Travels
  • Club Mahindra
  • Happy Miles
  • Cox & Kings

1. Yatra Franchise

Founded in: 2002

Franchising Year: 2017

Franchise units: 20-50

Investment: Rs 2-5 Lakhs

Franchise Fee: Rs 1-2 Lakhs

Space: 500-750 sq ft

It is one of the most widely recognized travel agencies in India. It primarily focuses on its objective of creating happy and satisfied travelers. Travel and tourism are done for various purposes by numerous people and to be able to provide them with the best in class services and products needs a reliable workforce and assistance. The yatra travel agency has completely suited itself for the cause establishing itself as most demanded amongst the top 10 travel franchises in India.

2. Make my trip Franchise

Founded in: 2005

Franchising Year: 2008

Investment: Rs 10-15 Lakhs

Franchise Fee: Rs 2-5 Lakhs

The most widely recognized travel franchises in India. It provides high-quality products and commendable services at affordable pricing. It has a great customer approach and wl-established brand recognition. Owing to its growing popularity and trusted services, it is the top choice amongst business seekers and interested individuals with resources.

3. Go ibibo Franchise 

Franchise units : 100+

Investment : Rs 5-10 Lakhs

It is the most searched and best online travel agency in India. They have their own portal and app that helps the customer use its features and services that includes ticket booking for railways, bus and flights. It also provides the facility of hotel booking. It has witnessed a rapid rise in its industry owing to its unique yet simple strategic business model. They have helped in creating a user friendly approach.

4. Clear Trip Franchise

Founded in : 2006

Franchising Year : 2008

Franchise units: 50+

It is one of the best travel franchises for sale in the list of Best travel franchise opportunities in India. It works on expanding its arena of services and products to assure the customers with maximum benefits and assistance in their entire travel period. They also work on blending the services of tourism along with education to help benefit college and school students. They are a riding travel franchise business that is currently expanding and growing.

5. Easy My Trip Franchise

Founded in:   2006

Franchising Year:  2008

Franchise units: 500+

Investment: Rs 5-10 Lakhs

It is one of the best online travel agency franchises in India that offers products and services at affordable pricing. The entire business is laced with high cut technology with an all-around 7 customer support. It is now looking forward to delivering a travel franchise for sale to attain its objective of expansion and reliability to the massive population. The travel agency franchise cost is adequately proportional and lies in the range of Rs 5-10 lakhs . 

6. Akbar Tours and Travels

Founded in   1978

Franchising Year   2006

Franchise units   100

Investment   Rs 5-10 Lakhs

It is one of the best travel franchises in India that renders the best solutions to its customers. It has a high brand recognition and user approachability. It includes travel and tourism to both national and international locations. They also have their portal service that reduces the burden of customers to avail visits services is one of the oldest and key players in the list of Best travel franchise opportunities in India 

7. Club Mahindra

Founded in : 1996

Franchising Year : 2002

Investment : Rs 15-20 Lakhs

Owned by the Mahindra group of companies, it is the most luxurious travel agency franchise for sale. If one desires a comfortable and deluxe tour and travel, Club mahindra should be the name. It keeps releasing attractive tourist and holiday packages for all types of tourism services ranging from solo travel to family packages. Owing to its pre established business, business individuals consider it as one of the safest and highly profitable franchise business opportunities.

Founded in : 1949

Franchising Year   1997

Franchise units   100+ Investment  

Rs 10-30 Lakhs Franchise Fee: Rs 2-5 Lakhs

It is a leading travel and tourism operator in India. It is an outbound travel and tour operating company that is owned by Kuoni Travels, which is the world's one of the oldest and most reliable travel franchises available for sale in the global market. It offers a wide range of tourism facilities ranging from individual tours to group travel to escorted tours to special interest packages. All of these makes it a top choice amongst both the customers and franchisees

9. Happy Miles

Founded in : 2008

Franchising Year : 2009

Franchise units : 60+

Investment : Rs 10-25 Lakhs

It is one of the best travel franchises of India that has the prime goal of merging education and traveling. It follows a unique business model and planning that has a social outlook as well. It's services are appealing and majorly focuses on the youth in order to help them explore the possibilities and make their trips more academically fun and interesting along with adventures and other sporting sets. It also provides the basic tours and travel packages like any other travel agency.

10. Cox & Kings

Founded in   1758

Franchising Year   2009

Franchise units   150+

It is one of the oldest and longest-running travel franchise companies. Established in 1758, it is headquartered in both the UK and India. It has maintained its presence in the global as well as a national business market with its ever refined products and services that make it the most preferred travel agency among the masses. It also offers educational holiday travel group subsidiaries for students and other researchers. Hence, making it a favorable choice amongst business individuals.

With these top 10 travel franchises in 2022 , business seekers, entrepreneurs, and interested individuals in the field can surely be bound to establish and start a travel franchise at an affordable investment and associate themselves with some of the leading travel franchises in India and gain higher returns and profits. The travel agency franchise cost is adequate keeping in mind the services and deliverables it needs to include in its business. With ever-increasing tourism to India, it is observed to have an incredible opportunity and growth in the business. It offers numerous benefits along with brand recognition, a high customer approach, and employment opportunities. Hence, the business individuals interested in the segment should fully seize the opportunity and explore this segment to the maximum. 

However, it is suggested to consult a franchise consultancy service before making a choice. FranchiseBazar is India's one of the largest franchise consultancy websites that offer opportunities and services to explore franchise business segments and help you reach a new business opportunity that fits in well with your suitability for the long run in the Indian business market.

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How to start online travel agency in India

How to Start a Profitable Online Travel Agency Business in India?

17 December 2022

How to start online travel agency in India

How to Start Online Travel Agency in India?

The travel industry is among the fastest-growing industries, as India ranks as the 10th largest international business tourism market. Contrary to previous times, travel and tourism companies are now accessible through websites to facilitate the convenience of booking. This article will examine the various rules and taxation concerns to starting an agency for travel in India.

The travel agency is among the most profitable business ventures, thanks to the massive rise in individuals who are passionate about traveling. Travel agents offer services like booking tours, activities, hotels, hotel reservations, and flights. When establishing a travel agent, the business owner must know the factors listed below and then decide.

Establishing an online travel company is among the recent most popular and successful business models. Do you want to know about how to start online travel agency in India? Let’s come and know everything!

What Is The Reason You Need An Online Travel Company (OTA)?

It is something everybody is looking forward to. No matter what it is, national or international, or even a few weekend getaways, you want to escape the monotony of your daily life once in a while. Take a trip to enjoy an escape from your routine and take it in a beautiful location.

It’s a wonderful method that has everyone interested in it. Travel has a way of life that keeps us on the move, always searching for peace.

Working with an online travel agency (OTA) will help you connect with more travelers across the globe and let you interact with them while they research for, plan, and book their next vacation. Learn about how they operate, the tools they provide, and how to pick the one best suited to your company.

What Exactly Is The Definition Of An Online Travel Agency?

A travel agent online (OTA) is a platform that lets users look for and reserve travel-related services and products like hotels, flights, automobile tours, cruises, activities, and much more through travel agencies. Every day, millions of people worldwide use OTAs to plan their leisure and business vacations.

OTAs provide access to potential guests at locations and numbers that would take more work to reach with your marketing strategy. Additionally, they offer tools and market data to draw in travelers, secure and process reservations, communicate with guests, and handle feedback.

How Do Online Travel Agencies Work?

Offline travel agents have witnessed a massive decline in the business. Therefore, it is important to study the market and then determine who your ideal customer is. While simultaneously making sure you’re available all over the world. If you are looking to start with a specific niche, it’s only a tiny investment. The offline location will make the costs more. However, if you decide to establish an online travel company, it will allow you to lower your operational expenses.

The financial requirements will depend on the kind of business, agency, or Travel Company you intend to operate. Brick-and-mortar businesses require a bigger bank loan. However, an online travel agency can operate with lower capital requirements due to the low overhead costs. In both instances, be aware of how you can get funding. You will require financial help in creating and designing marketing materials, such as professional web design. You require websites for offline and online businesses. In the meantime, funds will be needed to buy materials like business cards, flyers, and more. Remember that having a consistent cash flow is crucial to cover unexpected costs. Once you have identified your market and have a funding plan, developing a brand image is essential. This is crucial because the travel industry is highly competitive. Your business needs to be noticed. Branding is all about what you want your potential customers to think about your travel brand. Traditional travel agents are still an option; however, recent changes to the travel industry (airlines do not give travel agents’ commissions to book flights) have increased the number of home-based travel businesses spread all over South Africa. Many successful small travel companies or businesses with home bases focus on a specific industry. Logos are among the most important requirements to create an effective brand image. Thus, your travel company’s logo must have a distinctive design that stands against the other logos from similar companies. Your customers will see your logo in your ads, brochures, website pages, and other websites. Because only a handful of people are aware of your online travel agency, it is important to inform them of the name you have chosen and your services.

One way to guarantee that you can do this is to begin an aggressive campaign for advertising. The benefit for your company is that a large number of people will learn about the services of your travel agency right away. Keep a brochure on hand for your online site. Include this brochure on your website to allow your customers to download it to learn more about your travel companies’ offerings.

Online agencies, a business, and job-placement opportunity

Online travel agencies, also known as OTAs, provide the best travel options. The next important step is to look at the advantages and possibilities for employment they provide students in a higher-level training program within travel companies.

The traditional travel agency to the online travel agent

Online companies are slowly imposing themselves upon traditional organizations, securing the majority of reservations for tourists. Why do they have to cover such a wide market? First, the range of travel options and tickets for all transportation in an online agency is far more extensive than what we see in a traditional agency. So, we can look at different itineraries, packages, or tickets and pick which one we are interested in the most due to the many options and prices some websites provide, providing us with all the information we need in one single image displayed on the screen.

What Is The Best Marketing Strategy For Starting Your Online Travel Agency?

Today, everyone can travel and spend all day long in the world, supported by travel-related business tours, holiday and commercial tours, and other tours. The majority of people rely upon travel and tourist companies to make it easier to journeys and stay. Travel agencies are privately-owned retailer or public service that offers tourism and travel-related services to the general public on behalf of providers like airlines, activities cars, cruises, hotels, railways, hotels, buses, and tour packages. The business of travel agencies has evolved a lot in the present era. Travel agencies can no longer inform their clients of flight schedules and availability. They issue tickets and get a fee from the airlines. Today, with the advent of online travel agency software, customers can book their travel online. This is the reason that most travel companies follow this OTA model. Thanks to our software for travel online, doors that can yield profits have been opened up for travel agents. It is possible to create custom packages, including hotel packages, holiday packages, tours to your location or certain locations, etc. You can focus on leisure, pilgrimage business, or any other niche. You choose your niche, and you can create a travel agency using your most appropriate products.

The most important aspects to consider when setting up a new travel company in India:

  • Create a company’s name and get a license following local laws.
  • Get a membership with IATA and any other well-known travel agency,
  • Learn more about the travel industry thoroughly,
  • Start and have your travel site developed by a professional firm. Additionally, you can integrate top travel software.
  • Make sure to promote your brand-new business,
  • Offer deals focus on a particular geographic area. Concentrating on a specific niche can earn you praise quickly.

A travel agency is simpler to set up online, but there is a lot of competition. Numerous established businesses and new players are your primary opponents in this sector. If you plan to launch an online travel company, it is essential to cover every aspect effectively and strategically. A well-planned marketing strategy will help your business get off to a great start. Make sure you plan every aspect of establishing an online travel company. Keep calm because it could be costly in numerous ways. The planning process will be largely dependent on your company’s nature. The planning process will take a long time if you need a step-by-step method of moving slowly from one level to another. Your plan must be flexible enough to handle new developments and unexpected circumstances. The primary guideline is a business plan created before you begin an online venture. It will allow you to stay on the established route. Various online travel agencies and related companies are operating in every city. They’ve already taken some market share thanks to the aggressive advertising. You must do everything possible to make yourself stand out from the competitors. One way to do this is to provide services that only certain companies offer to visitors. What are these exclusive services? You must find out. Also, you must know your market well to be competitive within a specific market before you begin a travel company—conduct market research to know what type of Travel Company can serve people effectively. There might be a need for an organization that caters to the requirements of couples seeking a dream destination honeymoon. Think about the expanding travel requirements of the people in your region and offer them exceptional services. You must do something distinctive to establish a name for your travel business in a highly competitive market.

Possibilities for those who use the travel agency online

Alongside a wider variety of products and options at affordable prices, we should recognize the possibility for these portals to allow their users to share their thoughts and experiences.

Service and product reviews

These remarks, also known as "reviews," can currently be posted about the services received from any contracted products. It doesn’t matter if they’re hotels where they’ve stayed, excursions they’ve taken, performances, or even restaurants we’ve tasted. We ultimately know which service or product offers the greatest value by analyzing other customers’ experiences.

Time-saving

Another benefit these agencies can provide is time savings. Because we have all our choices on one side and the time we would have spent in the past going to the agency, deciding on an appropriate budget, hiring, or learning everything regarding the contracted product/s.

High-Quality Training Opportunities

In this new world, web-based OTAs have a new array of jobs that increasingly need applicants with high-quality training. Account Manager Customer Experience Specialist Customer Experience Manager or Content Creator jobs are among the positions which graduates of a more advanced training cycle could consider as potential candidates. From there, there are numerous, high-quality, and excellent possibilities for advancement and development.

Define your product

What type of travel agency will you like to start? Are you looking to focus on or do you plan to market specific travel items like hotels, flight activities, and flights? It is the norm today that travel agents specialize in a specific theme for a destination or type of client, for instance, adventure trips and trips designed for individuals. However, all the organizations that offer online booking hotels, flight circuits, activities, and many more are continuing to grow.

Talk to an advisor for tourism and technology.

It is a given that when you open an online travel agency, it is essential to understand the sector of tourism and how reservation systems work. In every kind of business, technology will work best in each case. For example, in the case of special travel agencies, it is best to have a product manager. However, clients want to book online and instantly for an agency that offers multiple services. Get help from an advisor or share your ideas with him and then let yourself be guided by the top experts. At Adivaha, we have an advisory and consulting department that works with intermediaries in tourism to help you develop your idea.

Find the legal requirements to set up the travel company you want to operate.

In the tourism industry, as with all business areas, there are rules and guidelines for running a travel agent. The legal requirements for each travel agency are three-fold: having an obligation to endorse civil liability insurance and having a registered corporate name for the company. Additionally, there are certain requirements specific to the different Autonomous Communities, so we strongly recommend that you seek out experts to assist you. Many companies are committed to controlling the license of an agency for travel. These firms are familiar with the business and needs of every community, and they often are in good contact with leaders of tourism committees that can assist you in running your business. The time needed to administer the license will be contingent on the autonomy of each community. Before applying for authorization, it’s advised to find out how many days it will take to receive the paperwork for establishing a travel agency. Are you looking to obtain an agent license? We handle it for you; you don’t need to consider selling.

Before beginning the task, find courses, classes, and all the necessary details.

Tourism is a field full of possibilities, and tourism intermediation involves various factors and participants. While it’s optional to undergo any formal knowledge of tourism to get authorization or become an agent of travel, learning the basics is recommended. There are many training programs for travel agents, no cost face-to-face, online, or face-to-face. Learn about the training courses taught in your local area. Sign up for online training platforms, and commit some of your time to study the subject to that you’ll dedicate your time.

Create a beautiful and user-friendly website that makes things easier for your customers.

Design is separate from usability at the development level. The first step is ensuring the technology is responsive to every visit we get from mobile. The present-day world of smartphones is no longer an alternative. It is staffed by skilled professionals who know the importance of specifics when creating an online travel company. There are also various marketing tools to facilitate browsing for your client’s live support chat promo codes that offer discounts and clear and concise Contact forms.

Talk to experts on online promotion.

The mistaken assumption is to believe that investing in advertising and communication can be something other than a consideration when creating an online travel company. While we may not have a location that charges us monthly rentals, we can still afford to spend money on it. Positioning is one of the concepts that must be a part of your vocabulary, as are many other terms associated with digital marketing. If you need a training course in digital marketing and promotional techniques, speak with specialists who are committed to this field, and they can help you.

In every business venture, it is important to be patient and move forward slowly. For travel websites this is similar principles apply. It is essential to work regularly to market yourself with the best offering. So, the first step we should consider is what our uniqueness is. What can we provide our customers that stand out from others? What makes them choose to buy from our website and not elsewhere? Understanding the reason for the difference that makes us different in our field is important in gaining a foothold on the market. Begin your journey with us. We can guide you in the right direction to transform your travel agency into a successful venture.

The last word

Are you prepared with your travel agency’s business plan? Are you seeking financing to start it? Consider Adivaha to get some of the lowest interest rates on business financing that will cover all the expenses associated with starting and running your travel company.

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The Strategy Story

Ola’s business model- Everything You Need to Know

Do you remember the time when we used to prefer autos over cabs in India? A decade ago, very few Indians used to own a private car, and the rest of us would depend on the public or local transport available. Fast forward, to 2021, with the advent of mobile technology and cab aggregators, we have all the options of transportation at our fingertips.

Today’s generation now enjoys traveling at peace, and is rethinking whether to own a car shortly or not, which you know was(is) considered a luxury by our parents (and by our neighbors too!). 

Let us talk about one such cab aggregator – Ola

With the mission – To build mobility for billions, Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati, in 2010, started one of India’s largest homegrown cab aggregators – Ola Cabs. Since its inception, Ola has served 1bn+ rides across 250+ cities (both local and global), empowered 1.5 mn driver-partners, and employed 7000 employees. 

Great numbers, right? But, how did it all start? What triggered the founders to build one of the world’s leading cab-hailing companies?  What business model has Ola adopted to grow?

From OlaTrip.com to Ola! 

As founders, Bhavish and Ankit brainstormed a lot of ideas in their early days as entrepreneurs. They first started with Olatrip.com, which was a portal for booking holiday trips and weekend getaways. For novice entrepreneurs, as Bhavish had said once, the ideas would never come from an excel sheet but would click from their own experiences.

Bhavish once had an awful experience during one of his trips from Banglore to Bandipur. Halfway through the ride, the driver demanded a renegotiation later abandoned Bhavish on the roadside. We can say this was the “Eureka” moment for Bhavish and Ola. He empathized with the plight of travellers across the country and made a “pivot” in the business strategy, and within the next six months, rebranded Olatrip to Ola.

The founders envisioned great potential in the cab aggregation space. With the right blend of technology in mobility, it is safe to assume that Ola has reimagined the – way we travel. Ola has expanded its offerings as per the needs of the commuters and that too in every mobility space. 

Funding and Acquisition Ride… So far

In October 2019, the valuation of Ola had reached $6.2 billion, but because of the aftermaths of Covid-19, US-based investment firm – Vanguard, which held a 1% stake in Ola, first slashed down its investment by 45% in June 2020 and again by 9.5% in early 2021. This disinvestment brought down the valuation of the company to $3 billion.

According to Crunchbase, Ola has raised  $4.3 billion  in funding in over 26 rounds. Forty-nine investors are backing the company including,  Temasek Holdings and Bhavish Aggarwal . Since its inception, Ola has acquired seven organizations, which we will know about as we move ahead in the article. 

Today, Ola is no longer restricted to just cab-hailing services but has transformed the entire mobility sector by aggressive product innovation in its business model. 

Deep diving into the Business Model of Ola 

Ola, owned by ANI Technologies, started with a relatively straightforward business model. It used to operate as a Taxi Rental fleet business. If you remember, earlier, Ola didn’t have any mobile application; instead, customers used to call its service centre and book a vehicle, and the cab was provided to them as and when required. 

In the coming years, Ola envisioned the potential in the digital space and throttled into an app-based cab aggregation business. Through its platform, Ola bridged the gap between the cab drivers/operators and customers. Ola’s platform provides a more convenient way for the customers to book a cab and a large customer base to the driver-partners.

The way you and I as customers have access to the Ola application, in the same way, there is a similar application developed for the driver-partners. Once the customer confirms the ride, the driver-partner receives the ride request. If the request is accepted, the customer gets the details of the driver and ride. Ola charges a commission of around 15- 20% on every ride booked from its platform.

In 2015, Ola acquired TaxiForSure for over $200 million . It was claimed as an attractive buy as, unlike Ola, TaxiForSure worked with taxi operators. The acquisition smartly gave Ola the tap on these operators. As a result of this acquisition, Ola accomplished the success of Ola Micro within a short period. Later, OLA shut down the TaxiForSure business but continued to have different categories at different prices, including Micro, Mini, Prime and Lux, Kaali-Peeli, auto-rickshaws, and even bikes on its platform with a few more vehicle categories. 

In the same year, 2015, Ola made its second  acquisition  by acquiring Geotagg to bolster its bus shuttle services and manage urban traffic problems effectively. In January 2018, Ola had acquired the ticketing app Ridlr to foray into the public transport segment. As per the reports, the deal was a stock transaction of about  $25 million . 

In FY 2019, Ola Cabs had operating revenue of Rs 2544 Crore . Year-over-year, the operating revenue increased by around 30 percent in FY 2019. However, the company closed its financial books at a loss. A major share of its revenue, in that year, was generated by commission income and convenience fees.

ANI Technologies, the parent company of Ola, has reported its standalone operating profit of Rs  89.82 crore  for FY21 and a 62% drop in revenue between FY21 and FY20. Also, Ola Cabs’ operating profit (EBIDTA) grew by  115%  in FY 21 compared to FY20, the fiscal year in which Ola Cabs had reported a loss of 610 crores.

However we know, over the years, Ola has cemented its positioning in different sectors and is not just restricted to the trip commission. To analyze Ola’s business model in detail, let’s have a quick view of multiple revenue streams and business segments of Ola: 

1. Commission from ride-hailing services :

Ola offers several types of hailing services, from cabs to autos; from economic to luxury vehicles; from intercity rides to intracity rides. In a way, Ola has developed a gigantic ecosystem that is highly favored by both the customers and the driver-partners.

Even though Ola has forrayed into different verticals of services, cab booking services remain the most significant revenue generator. It charges a commission of 15-20% on the total fare of the trip.

The fair can be paid by both cash and other online methods available on Ola’s platform. Ola started its operations in London just when Uber’s license got revoked. It seems the rivalry is just not restricted to Indian soil.

A big moment for all of us @Olacabs @OlainUK as we go live in #London ! As a homegrown brand, this is a transformative event for all of us. We are excited to bring a differentiated mobility experience and welcome Londoners to #RideTheChange . Read more: https://t.co/EAlHOnHCBD pic.twitter.com/XKx8brVwbT — Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) February 10, 2020

2.  Ola Select  –

Ola Select is a subscription-based membership model of Ola. By opting in for the membership, members can avail themselves of numerous advantages, such as – no peak pricing, priority bookings, and free wifi. 

3.  Ola Corporate  –

Ola launched the enterprise solution – Ola Corporate to make business travels costs affordable and the reimbursement process hassle-free. 

4.  In-Cab advertisement:  

You must have noticed several brochures, pamphlets, or sometimes live ads are displayed or distributed during your ride. Ola charges a fixed commission from the companies for promoting their brands leveraging Ola’s services. 

5.  Ola Prime Play  –

Ola launched an in-cab – infotainment platform – Ola Play to provide an enhanced ride experience than its rival, Uber. Ola charges a slightly higher fee to the commuters if they opt for Prime Play. 

6.  Cab Leasing  –

To broaden its territory in the fleet mobility services, Ola, in 2015, bought Delhi based radio cab service and renamed it Fleet Technology Pvt Ltd. Here, Ola buys the cars and leases them to the partner drivers under its leasing program. The driver-partner takes the travel-fair home, while Ola takes a fixed fee and trip-based commission. 

Ola’s business model is now much more than cabs 

By now, if you thought that’s all Ola is about, let me tell you a few more exciting ventures launched by Ola.

Ola Financial Services(OFS) :

In 2015, Ola had launched the wallet app Ola Money for short-term credits, mobile wallets, insurance, and payment of utility bills. Ola cut a deal with 20+ partners including, BookMyShow, Pizza hut, and a few others, whose offers can be purchased using Ola money.

To have a strong foot forward in the financial services space, in 2019, Ola had hived off the operations of the financial services arm from its parent ANI Technologies and started  Ola Financial Services Pvt Ltd . In its maiden funding round, OFS had raised fresh funds of  Rs.200  crores from Matrix Partners and Falcon Edge. The move had made Ola give a tough competition to the larger competitors in the market, including Amazon Pay, Google Pay, Phone Pe, etc.

Ola has claimed that its Ola Money Postpaid has been a profitable business and is a leading product in the fintech market. On the other hand, Ola has shaken hands with SBI to launch Ola Money Credit Card, Religare to roll out Ola Money Hospicash, and Zipcash to enhance wallet business. 

OFS is now planning to expand the insurance business overseas by developing innovative insurance products and rolling out lending offers for a two-wheeler, four-wheeler, and personal loans for UK and ANZ markets. 

In 2016, Ola had acquired payment startup  Qarth  to continue providing best in class payment experience to its customers. The cab-hailing company did not disclose the acquisition sum. 

Ola embarked upon its journey into the food and delivery industry in December 2015 with Ola Cafes. Things took a downhill, and Ola had to shut it down within a year. Ola tried its luck the second time when it acquired Foodpanda India for $ 200  million.

After some initial hiccups, in 2019, Ola had shut down FoodPanda’s food delivery business, but it continued to operate Foodpanda’s cloud kitchen business. They say the third time is a charm, and thus Ola again pivoted the business strategy and focused on being a food-first company instead of a food delivery company. 

Business model transition to cloud kitchen in 2016 helped Rebel Foods achieve growth by increasing revenues and reducing capital expenditure. How?

The homegrown cab-hailing firm moved to build its  private brands  and curated food offerings such as The Great Khichdi Experiment, Bowlsome, That Pizza Place, and a few more.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Khichdi Experiment (@khichdi.experiment)

Ola affirmed that its leading brand, “The Khichdi Experiment”, crossed  1mn  orders within a year, despite Covid-19 restrictions. 

Ola has shifted the focus to building private food brands, cloud kitchens, and contactless delivery. Ola’s multi-brand kitchen model is designed to cater to 8-10 brands, and can be scaled up if the demand rises. Ola Foods operates 40+ cloud kitchens across six major cities in the country and has aimed to spread over 150-200 kitchens to fulfil 70-80 % of the urban food delivery demand. Ola Foods is vying with Curefoods and Rebel Foods in the cloud kitchen sector. 

As the food-tech industry is growing both in customer adoption and investor’s interest, Ola has also ensured to take notes from its past learnings. As consumers’ preferences are changing, more DIY cooking kits are trending. Ola is embracing this change and is betting big on technology to grab this opportunity. It has developed research, development, and food innovation centre, and not just that, Ola has also teamed up with the best culinary chefs, food technologists, automation specialists, and nutritionists to innovate and create differentiated products.

Keeping the technology at the forefront at Ola Foods, Ola is aggressively working on “precision cooking” methods that ensure the right time, temperature, and amount of cooked food. The firm is also reportedly innovating AI-driven solutions to monitor kitchen quality. 

Well, it seems that this time, Ola can have the cake and eat it too! 

Adding New Mobility to Ola’s Comprehensive business model

Ola has paved the way to building a consumer-centric New Mobility ecosystem. Sharing his vision of New Mobility, Bhavish Agrawal said that the New Mobility would stand tall on three pillars – mobility services, energy vehicles, and auto -retail.

Ola aims to fulfill diverse consumer needs through its diversified portfolios such as kick scooters, e-bikes, drones, and flying cars. Bhavish asserts that the new sustainable mobility will cost 80% less to run than internal combustion engines. 

Ola Electric Mobility

The early efforts to start Ola Electric started way back in  2017   when Ola partnered with the Government of India and Mahindra to launch India’s first-ever multi-modal electric vehicle project in Nagpur, Maharashtra. Ola claimed that it had spent INR 50 crores to procure the vehicles and set up 50 charging stations across the strategic locations in the city. 

In 2019, Ola Electric Mobility secured funding of  $250  million from Softbank and joined the unicorn club along with its parent company Ola. 

As famously said Tesla and Elon Musk are not just about Electric cars. Tesla is building an entire ecosystem. But what factors are helping Tesla achieve such a feat?

To advance strides in electric mobility space, Ola had acquired  Etergo BV , an Amsterdam-based electric scooter original equipment manufacturer, for an undisclosed amount. Following the acquisition, Ola has positioned itself in the premium electric two-wheeler market, both globally and locally. 

Advent of OlaFutureFactory

Ola is ensuring the end-to-end operation is integrated into its in-house technologies and capabilities, including building battery packs, motors, vehicle computers, and software. To accomplish the same, Ola has been reaching out to the best-in-class partners globally. 

Ola’s commitment to invest 2400 cr to the Tamil Nadu government for setting up its first electric scooter factory in the state was in tandem with its partnership with German firm  Siemens  to build one of a kind and advanced manufacturing facility in the Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu. The 500 acres facility is also regarded as the world’s largest two-wheeler mega-factory, which is entirely run by women. Ola has anchored on Siemens’ digital twin design and manufacturing solutions. The integrated solution will help Ola to validate products and production beforehand.

Ola has also collaborated with Swedish automation giant  ABB  to build and supply robotic and automation solutions. These solutions will get deployed at its mega factory for the key processes and assembly lines. ABB-developed solutions will be deeply integrated with Ola’s in-house AI engine platform and tech stack. By leveraging ABB’s automation package with digital connectivity, Ola will ensure remote digital connectivity and monitoring of robots, which will remain instrumental in optimizing robot performance, productivity, and product quality. 

The partnership is conducive to the rollout of the best-in-class e-scooters for India and the world. 

Qualcomm also  has a tie-up with Ola Electric to provide a 4G-connected octa-core android platform that provides connectivity and computing capabilities.

Ola FutureFactory is expected to be the world’s most automated facility that will work on Industry 4.0 principles. With over 3,000 robots powered by Ola’s proprietary AI, 10 million annual vehicle-making capacity, 2 million vehicles at initial annual capacity, run by 10,000 women employees, the facility will be the greenest with 100 acres of forest on-site, running fully carbon-negative operations. The company aims to handle 15% of the global two-wheeler capacity. 

The mega-factory will serve as the global manufacturing hub for its electric-powered scooters across India and international markets, including Europe, the UK, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Australia, and New Zealand.

It is #VocalforLocal at Ola! 

Ola Electric wants to make its business model self-reliant. One of the most prominent features of Ola’s e-scooter is its replaceable battery. The Li-ion battery is about 40% of the cost of a scooter, and the battery cells account for 70% of the battery cost. In today’s world, cell manufacturing space is dominated by South Korea, Japan, and China.

But, Ola has laid down big plans to set up its c ell manufacturing plant  in India. Once this plan gets accomplished, Ola will join the club of a few Indian manufacturers to do so, as all the cells are imported as of now. 

Creating an Ecosystem for EV

I had owned an e-scooter back in 2013. We used to live in a small city in India, where we could get it charged in our courtyard. But when we moved to the financial capital of India, we could not find any means to charge the e-scooter in our sky-scraper. Therefore, we sold the e-scooter for a token sum of Rs. 500 to the local  kabadi (ragman). 

Fortunately, Ola has taken note of the infrastructural gap for EVs in India and is going to establish the world’s largest and densest electric two-wheeler  charging network . The Ola Hypercharger Network will be one of its kind, with more than 100,000 charging points available across 400 cities. Ola has estimated the cost of $2 billion over the next five years.

Ola will ensure to set up the Hypercharger in city centers and popular locations so that an Ola Electric customer can always find a Hypercharger nearby. Along with this, customers will also have access to a home charger bundled with the Ola Scooter.

Ola Hypercharger network, together with the home-charger and Ola Scooter’s industry-leading range, will ensure that customers have complete confidence when opting for its electric vehicles. Ola is ensuring to provide a seamless customer experience, for which it has also developed – Ola Electric App. Through the app, a customer can monitor the charging progress, pay for the charging, and get insightful navigation features indicating whether the customer has enough charging to go from one place to another. (Man, I am impressed! ).

To accelerate electric vehicle development or to strengthen the “Mission Electric,” Ola Electric first raised  $100  million by taking a long term debt from Bank of Broda and later raised  $200  million in funding from Falcon Edge, SoftBank, and other investors, valuing the company at $3 billion. 

It is fair to conclude that Ola is playing all the right cards to instill confidence in customers to opt for its electric vehicles. 

Ola has launched a new EV category on its ride-hailing platform that allows riders to book electric vehicle rides. The category – Ola EV is first available across  London  and then rolled out to other cities where Ola is operational.  

In India, Ola Electric competes with Ather Energy, Hero Electric, Bajaj, and TVS Motor Company. As the company has reported that it sold e-scooters worth  Rs 1100 crores , it will be intriguing to wait and watch how the rivals play out their cards in the EV game! 

This year, Ola has launched its new  vehicle commerce platform  from which customers will be able to buy and manage new and pre-owned vehicles. Ola Cars will first start with the pre-owned cars and will later move to Ola electric and vehicles from other brands. By challenging the archaic retail model, Ola Cars will bring transparency and a digital experience for its customers.

It has plans to start with 30 cities for the first phase and eventually scale up to 100 cities by next year. Ola Cars have a long list of services to offer, such as – purchase, vehicle finance and insurance, maintenance, including vehicle health diagnostics and service, accessories, and finally, resale of the vehicle back to Ola Cars, as claimed by the company. 

Ola Cars will be competing with other market players such as Cars24 and Droom. 

The new business segment is in line with Ola’s vision of The New Mobility, and to reinforce it further, Ola has acquired next-gen location tech  GeoSpoc . “Enhanced geospatial services will also go a long way in improving urban planning, including road networks, better public transportation, and pre-empt congestion spots,”  as said by Bhavish in a blogpost . The sum of the acquisition transaction remains undisclosed. 

The following business segment in the bucket list of Ola is – Ola Store. With Ola Store, Ola will join the quick-commerce industry as well. It has launched a pilot delivery for items such as personal care, grocery, and pet care, in Bengaluru.

The company is aiming for a 15 minutes delivery timeline. As traditional e-commerce deliveries take one to two days, quick-commerce can deliver small amounts quickly. Swiggy Instamart and Dunzo are already playing in the segment. By 2024. the quick commerce sector in India will grow to  $5 billion  from $0.3 billion. 

Q-commerce is all about speedy and quick delivery of goods at doorstep. Read the article to find out more.

Ola’s Marketing Strategy

For the marketing strategy of Ola, let us focus on its social media strategy, as I want to draw your attention to how Ola engages its customers on the web. 

Ola had started building its online presence from Facebook (Oops! I mean Meta). Its campaign #ChaloNiklo was such a success that sales surged up to 60%. 

From then on, Ola started several trendy hashtags, including #FarakPadtahai – to spread awareness about carbon footprint and to encourage carpooling. Another one that you might have noticed was – #HeroesofOla, which showcased the acts of courage and humanity of Ola driver-partners. The recent one I observed is – #jointherevolution an obvious one to engage customers in Ola Electric. 

Not just this, Ola has also partnered with  TVF  in its famous web series – Permanent Roommates. Now you are thinking of Purshottamji riding the Ola cab! 

Ola also joined other brands to pull the best pranks on April Fools’ Day. Ola launched a fake campaign stating that it was coming up with a flying car – Ola Air Pro! The company mentioned that the flying car would be so light that it could be lifted with one hand, and one need not worry about finding the perfect parking spot and poor urban planning! ( Honestly, I also thought it was a genuine product campaign when I was researching to write this article. Facepalm! )

Not just that, Ola had also launched a  website of Ola Air Pro  to keep a tap on the interest of consumers. 

You must have noticed that we come to know about most of the details on Ola by Bhavish himself. Every article that I have read so far had the same sentence – The co-founder and Group Chairman, Bhavish Agrawal, took on his Twitter handle to share.

So, If you ever wonder what is happening with Ola or any of its subsidiaries, Bhavish’s Twitter account must be your go-to place! 

Excited to unveil the world’s first and only fully autonomous electric flying car. The Ola AirPro. Ab har family bharegi udaan. Test flights now at https://t.co/UbwKCwikg1 #OlaAirPro #TheFutureIsHere @Olacabs @OlaElectric pic.twitter.com/dy31ZS8FQ8 — Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) April 1, 2021

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She is an early professional who loves reading and socializing. When it's not raining, you can find her on the seashore writing scripts for her podcast. :)

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TripJack MICE to reshape the business travel landscape in India

TripJack MICE

TripJack, the fastest-growing B2B Travel technology company in India, has ambitious plans to expand the business and achieve its goals by empowering its travel partners to grow their business and succeed with them. They have now ventured into the business travel space with TripJack MICE as they feel tourism is gaining momentum in India with global travel restrictions normalising and business travel continuing to get back on the calendar. TTJ learns more about the new enterprise from Kiran Vinchhi, COO, Corporate, Marine, and MICE, and Amit Parkar, Business Head, MICE at TripJack, as they share their perspective on the business expansion.

– Prashant Nayak

Q. Have you been witnessing recovery in MICE movements in India? What was the rationale for the introduction of the TripJack MICE vertical?

Kiran: The recovery of businesses has already started, and the MICE aspect of the business is recovering and doing well. I feel it is faster than leisure travel. Since there was a lull in the MICE movement for the last two years due to COVID-19, most of the corporates with their travel budgets yet to be utilised are looking forward to connecting with their people and their industry. Hence, the demand has shot up rapidly. At TripJack, we have a strong portfolio of travel products and offerings. Thus, MICE has become a natural extension of our service portfolio. There could be no better time or opportunity to set up our MICE vertical.

Q. What will be TripJack MICE’s forte as a new brand and as a MICE operator? And from where does the brand derive its strength from?

Kiran: Precision, Consistency, and Excellence will be TripJack’s MICE forte. The company derives its strength from the management who are driving this new vertical and are keen to go out for the venture to succeed. Our MICE team onboard is also a great mix of experienced and passionate young minds, which also happens to be our core strength.

Q. Will you be focusing on the domestic MICE market or the international MICE market?

Kiran: We will focus on both, as we feel there are opportunities for both the MICE segments. India also is doing well in the MICE movement with plenty of infrastructures and convention centres and now with the growth of domestic travel. Also, our team has proven expertise in international and domestic travel markets.

Q. How confident are you in capturing MICE business in India? What are your expectations?

Amit: We are optimistic about creating our own space in the MICE business in India by leveraging our existing network. Besides, we expect the MICE demand to grow rapidly from this quarter, which reflects on some of the potential projects our team is working on already. We are very bullish about the MICE business, especially in the next three quarters.

Q. What will be the specialisation of TripJack MICE, and what novelties will you introduce to entice MICE customers?

Amit: MICE is a very competitive segment. However, we are confident that right from scouting for unique destinations and to delivering unique experiences, if we keep our customers at the heart of everything we do, we will be able to deliver tailor-made ‘wow’ experiences for them which are specially curated by our passionate team. Since TripJack is a tech-driven organisation, we are also exploring how our expertise can help us deliver a seamless experience to our customers.

Q. According to you, what are corporate/MICE travellers looking for while selecting a MICE venue?

Amit: Corporates are always looking for unique experiences at unique destinations but within their budget limitations. The sky is the limit on what can be offered by TripjJack.

Q. How will you reach out to your customers? What strategies will you employ to stay ahead in the MICE competition?

Kiran: We have three defined avenues to reach out to our target customer base. Our team brings to the table some strong corporate relationships which we are leveraging to our advantage. Besides, our existing corporate database is also giving us some great leads to work on. Lastly, we also have a very large Travel Agent network in our B2B space which we are capitalising on. In addition to that, we will be reaching our clients on various social media platforms and will be doing Corporate FAM trips for all our potential customers.

Q. Do you think India makes up for a good playground for inbound MICE business?

Amit: I think we are getting there. With the strong infrastructure push-ups, we are now witnessing things like the upgrade of the railways, record-breaking speedy work to boost road connectivity, port developments under the Sagarmala project, etc. We should be able to dish out world-class experiences for our inbound MICE travellers in the times to come.

Q. According to you, what factors can help the faster recovery of MICE tourism in India?

Amit: The things that come to my mind are the good infrastructure, ease of visa norms, and promotions by the State Tourism Boards to showcase the real India and its heritage to the world. All these efforts will be big steps in the right direction to put India on the World MICE tourism map.

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B2B travel agencies, otherwise known as business-to-business travel agencies, are used to manage travel bookings for other businesses, such as corporate travelers, tour operators etc. Most people prefer B2B travel portals or companies since B2C businesses provide sizeable rebates and also have unsuitable cancellation and refund policies for businesses. In this article, we have listed the top 15 B2B travel platforms in India that help corporations or tour management companies simplify their travel management booking systems . Read further to find out more.

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15 Best B2B Travel Agencies & Travel Distribution Platforms in India

One of the best B2B business ideas is travel agencies. Most of these business-to-business companies have established B2B travel portals to help corporations plan their travels without any difficulty at affordable prices. Some of the top 15 best B2B business travel agencies and travel distribution platforms in India are given below:

1. FCM Global Travel Management

If you are looking for B2B companies for travelling in India or internationally for your corporate travels, then FCM Travel Company is the go-to choice. FCM is a global travel management company that offers various corporate travel services. This B2B travel company operates in 95+ countries, and their staff support is available 24/7. With FCM’s travel software, users can book their travel seamlessly, and there are also many features such as live chat , dashboards, omni-channel travel approvals, reporting, communication, etc.

FCM - b2b travel agency company in india

2. Travel Boutique Online

One of the top B2B travel agency in India is Travel Boutique Online. Since its launch in 2006, Travel Boutique Online has helped agencies efficiently serve their clients by offering clear pricing and promotions. With more than 10 years of experience, they have played a crucial role in offering tour operators and travel agencies across India long-term solutions.

Travel Boutique Online offers dynamic packages, airfare, and hotel booking APIs, mobile app development, and white label solutions. As a result, they have received numerous major honors, including the “Best Travel Portal Award” and “Best Online B2B Travel Portal India – 2016 by India Travel Awards.”

travel boutique online- B2B travel agencies

3. Travelpro – B2B Travel Portal

Travelpro is one of the best B2B travel agency in India which is also a specialist travel search engine that excels at connecting several airlines at the most competitive rates. It searches a sizable database for the best results and includes both domestic and international flights. This includes the availability of flights, confirmation of reservations, and cancellations and rescheduling.

It is an all-inclusive flight booking solution that caters to end consumers, businesses, websites, travel agencies, and more. This site is a terrific option if you want to book a trip quickly and works hard to provide the best flights at the greatest pricing.

travelpro- B2B travel agencies

4. TSI Yatra

Travel Services International is one of the best B2B travel portal in India which was renamed TSI Yatra and launched in 1999. This B2B travel website is currently run as a Yatra Online subsidiary. It is most renowned for the travel services that it provides.

TSI is also known as best B2B Flight booking portal in India, since they contain reservations for both domestic and international flights, vehicle rentals, lodging, etc. Additionally, they offer worldwide excursions, sightseeing tours, and airport transfers. They offer their corporate clients rewards in the form of travel packages, which places them among India’s top B2B travel agencies!

yatra- B2B travel agencies

In 2007, Via was established in Bangalore, India. It is one of the most successful and quickly expanding technology-driven travel enterprises in Asia. Via offers services in the retail and financial sectors as well as ticketing, hotel bookings, vacation packages, business travel, and tour packages. On their platform, Via offers travel products from over 10,000 providers.

The company uses a cloud-based technology architecture to deliver its services, which includes mobile applications, portals, corporate networks, and a centralized, round-the-clock customer center. Via now has a presence in Asian nations like Singapore, Indonesia, and the Middle Eastern UAE. Over 100,000 travel partners make up their network, which spans 2600 Asian towns and cities.

via- B2B travel agencies

6. Akbar Travels

It is certainly amazing how a modest agency focused on Gulf traffic from India in 1978 has grown into one of the most well-diversified B2B travel agencies providing a full range of travel services. Akbar Travels’ growth began in Kerala, a state in southern India. Presently, Akbar Travels has grown and established additional offices in every major city in India, including Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, etc.

Recently, Akbar Travels entered the northern and north-eastern states of India for the first time. Currently, Akbar Travels operates 47 IATA-approved branches and 40 non-IATA offices throughout India. They have more than 100 branches established outside of India in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The portal allows users to browse and purchase tickets, vacation packages, visas, and other items. This comes in the list of best b2b travel portals in India.

Akbar-travels travel booking platform

7. Riya Travel and Tours

One of India’s leading B2B travel agencies is Riya Travel and Tours and it is one of the best B2B portal for travel agents. They started doing business in 1980. It was only a concept and a vision at the time. Today, it is among the top businesses in the globe that offers integrated travel and travel service solutions.

They started out with activities abroad, under the direction of Mr. GMJ Thampy, and now have five locations and more than 50 branch offices in India and other countries.

Worldwide travel services are offered by Riya Travels at competitive prices. They conduct business in the areas of domestic and international ticketing, lodging, car rentals, cruises, etc. Both wholesale and corporate clients can use these facilities. In addition, they coordinate things like sightseeing tours and airport connections.

riya travels

8. Travelfusion

Travelfusion is a cutting-edge platform for booking hotels, trains, and flights that offers services to people from all over the world. It specializes in offering last-minute flight tickets at the greatest price, especially during ticket shortages.

Travelfusion offers assistance with a variety of business travel management issues, from branded rates to expedited boarding. When making a reservation via Travelfusion, you can alter a number of different features of your flight.

Travelfusion can offer you fantastic rates from countless partner airlines worldwide. It is an excellent option if you’re searching for a B2B flight booking engine that can handle all of your travel needs. The platform has a number of cutting-edge capabilities that companies of all sizes may use and take advantage of.

travel fusion- B2B travel agencies

9. FlightsLogic

FlightLogic refers to itself as an “airline consolidator” and provides a number of booking choices and filters. The platform has suppliers from over 100 countries and an airline inventory of over 900. It also comes with an easy setup and flexible configuration that links you to any flight from anywhere in the world. FlightLogic’s Flight API connects enterprises and businesses with more than 900 travel suppliers from around the world. It is a great b2b air ticket portal.

FlightsLogic also does a fantastic job of bringing all the features that business travelers look for together on one platform.

10. TravClan

TravClan , which was founded in 2018, is currently among the top B2B travel agencies in India. It is also included in the top 100 startup businesses in India. They provide their suppliers and active b2b travel brokers with outstanding value and business. They also provide them with top-notch technological solutions, free websites, and nimble platforms for deals and transactions.

TravClan offers the ability to purchase vacation packages, hotels, flights, and even visas as part of its services. In addition, they offer free access to marketing blogs and posters, as well as live seminars led by professionals in the field and personal account managers.

travclan

Sabre provides an online booking engine that businesses may use to make quick and simple hotel reservations. It also provides a comprehensive range of travel products and technology solutions, It provides a cutting-edge, flexible online B2B travel gateway for companies to handle their hotel reservations.

With Sabre, businesses can take control of their own travel arrangements. Also, Sabre takes a distinct approach as one of the most prominent B2B travel agencies. and B2B travel companies in India.

12. MakeMyTrip

One of the most well-known B2B travel agent portals in India is MakeMyTrip .�Since its founding in 2000, MakeMyTrip has established itself as one of the top businesses by offering many of its clients fantastic deals, affordable flights, special discounts, and a smooth online booking experience.�The business started off by providing a range of best-value services and products to the US-India travel industry, all the while utilising cutting-edge technology and round-the-clock client support. It was acquired by Busportal on April 2019.�

travel business model in india

13. TravelGuru

One of the most prominent B2B travel websites in India, Travelguru , gives you access to the lowest rates on hotels, airlines, and vacation packages both domestically and abroad. Travelguru makes it simple and convenient to plan and purchase a vacation or business trip.�They provide access to discounts on more than 60,000 hotels in India and 4,30,000 hotels worldwide, and because of the different partnerships they have forged with top hotels, they are able to provide you with the finest offers that are currently available.�In India, TravelGuru is the ninth-largest travel agency.

travel business model in india

14. Cleartrip

On the online travel agency Cleartrip , users can search for and reserve flights to any location. To provide you with the finest travel experience, they are committed to clarity, comprehensibility, dependability, and responsibility.�Global online travel provider Cleartrip has its corporate office in Mumbai. The business has an online travel agency website where customers may reserve hotels, train tickets, plane tickets, and activities in India and the Middle East. It has offices in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, and India. It was acquired by Flipkart in the year 2021, and is a fast-growing B2B travel portal in India.

travel business model in india

15. Expedia

Expedia is one of the fastest-growing B2B travel companies in India and Asia, offering customers a wide range of hotels, excursions, and other travel services at affordable prices to suit all budgets. Travelers may book whatever they require thanks to the website’s extensive aircraft inventory and network of more than 200,000 hotel partners globally. Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Hotwire.com, and Egencia.com are among its main websites and it introduced Tripadvisor in 2011. Additionally, it provides services for business travel as well as travel services to Asia and Europe.

travel business model in india

What Is A B2B Travel Portal?

A travel portal is an online reservation and booking system linked to various GDS and travel APIs. It features a variety of user modules including B2C, B2B, corporate, white-label, and services modules including travel packages, hotels, transfers, and sightseeing. agencies with in-house travel site development teams. A B2B(Business-To-Business) Travel Portal is the model of online travel portal. It is applicable to travel agencies that are either OTA or going to be OTA as they realize the impact a B2B Travel Portal has on their business.

So, what are the features of B2B Travel Portal? They are given as follows:

  • Agent registration/login
  • Define agent’s type � Cash or Credit
  • Create sub-agent (s)
  • Set profile of agents
  • Build own package
  • Agent wise mark up
  • Flexible markup & commission settings
  • Check Booking
  • Cancel Booking
  • Issue online voucher
  • Invoice & receipts
  • Payment Gateway Integration
  • Auto alerts on confirmation, bookings, tickets
  • Comprehensive MIS reports
  • Mobile responsive Design
  • User friendly interface
  • Real Time Reporting

FAQs on B2B Travel Agencies and Travel Distribution Platforms in India

The frequently asked questions on B2B Travel Agencies in India are given below:

What is B2B travel platform? The B2B travel platform is an online booking platform, that provides white label solution. Using this platform, one can get access to real time online bookings and availability of travel agents and tour operators with user friendly booking platform.

What is B2B in travel industry? The B2B in the travel industry means business to business. Hence they offer business to business deals, rates, offers to the distributors, retailers, and channel partners.

How can I become a B2B travel agent in India? To become a B2B travel agent in India, you have basically two options. Option 1: Join any B2B travel companies, that trains and helps you to become a quick travel agent. Option 2: The next option is to register on IATA ( International Air Transport Association ) website. Yearly you will have to pay some fee to this website, but you can directly become B2B travel agent through this website.

Which is the largest online travel agency in India? The largest online travel agency in India is Thomas Cook (India) Ltd, according to the sales in the year 2021.

Which is the India’s first online travel company? MakeMyTrip is India’s first online travel company which was found in the year of 2000. The head quarters of MakeMyTrip is in Gurugram, Haryana.

How many online travel agencies are there in India? According to Ministry of Tourism, there are a total of 902 travel agencies in India. The detailed category wise distribution of these 902 travel agencies are below:

Business organizations worldwide have access to an increasing number of cutting-edge alternatives as corporate travel evolves along with technology. B2B travel agencies are crucial because they put the interests of the customer above their own bottom line. Also, the majority of them devise business solutions for B2B travel agencies and tour operators, which is advantageous to both of them. Their goal is to maintain transparency in their relationships, transactions, and offers that many B2C businesses do not always adhere to.

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AI model backed by Asia’s richest person to launch in March

Thursday, 22 Feb 2024

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Technology application by local authorities can enhance delivery of public services, says Chang

Technology application by local authorities can enhance delivery of public services, says Chang

U.s. launches research network to evaluate emerging cancer screening technologies, adopting smart technology in urban development.

If successful, the model – dubbed Hanooman after the half-monkey Hindu deity – will represent an advance for India in the accelerating race to develop potentially transformative AI technology. — Reuters

MUMBAI: A consortium backed by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd and India’s top engineering schools aim to launch its first ChatGPT-style service next month.

This is a big step in the country’s ambitions to become a player in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).

The BharatGPT group, encompassing an arm of India’s most valuable company and eight affiliated universities, offered a sneak peek of the large language model on Tuesday during a technology conference in Mumbai.

In a video played before delegates, a motorcycle mechanic in southern India queried an AI bot in his native Tamil, a banker conversed with the tool in Hindi and a developer in Hyderabad used it to write computer code.

If successful, the model – dubbed Hanooman after the half-monkey Hindu deity – will represent an advance for India in the accelerating race to develop potentially transformative AI technology.

BharatGPT envisions the model working via 11 local languages in four main fields: health care, governance, financial services and education.

It developed the model in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology universities including in Bombay, backed by wireless carrier Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd and India’s government.

A swath of startups such as Sarvam and Krutrim, backed by prominent venture capital investors such as Lightspeed Venture Partners and billionaire Vinod Khosla’s fund, are also building open-sourced AI models customised for India.

While Silicon Valley companies like OpenAI are building ever-larger large language models (LLMs), those efforts involve workarounds because of computational constraints and simpler models affordable to smaller businesses and government departments.

“It’s a different genre of LLMs,” said Ganesh Ramakrishnan, chairman of IIT Bombay’s department of computer science and engineering.

Hanooman will also offer speech-to-text capabilities, making it vastly more user-friendly, he said in an interview on the sidelines of the annual Nasscom Information Technology Industry Conference. — Bloomberg

Tags / Keywords: BharatGPT , IndiaAI , ChatGPTChallenge , RelianceIndustries , IITCollaboration , LocalLanguagesFocus

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Houses of local TMC leaders ransacked in fresh protests at Sandeshkhali

Armed with sticks, they attacked a few houses in bermajur area of sandeshkhali, venting their fury against local tmc panchayat leader shankar sardar, a senior officer said.

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What's happening in bengal's sandeshkhali, and how's state govt responding, sandeshkhali row: ed files fresh case against tmc's shahjahan sheikh, 'mamata is still defending it': bjp ups attack on tmc over sandeshkhali, 'hunting down hindu women': bjp trains gun on tmc over sandeshkhali, sandeskhali incident: sc stays ls panel action against bengal officials, sandeshkhali unrest: cal hc says no restraint on arrest of shajahan sheikh, 23-year-old indian hired as 'security helper' in russia killed in war zone, iit madras researchers develop ai model to determine the age of a foetus, budget session: maha govt tables supplementary demands of rs 8,609 cr, manipur govt extends internet suspension in churachandpur for five days.

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Facial Recognition: Coming Soon to an Airport Near You

Biometric technology is expanding at airports across the United States — and the world — and transforming the way we move through them, from checking a bag to boarding the plane.

An illustration shows a man looking straight into a large window at an airport, identified by a control tower and the tail of a jet, with various charts and electronic measurements projected around him.

By Christine Chung

For this story, I spoke with executives at airlines, government agencies, and companies specializing in biometric technology. I also visited Alaska Airlines’ headquarters in Seattle, and tested out Delta’s Digital ID at John F. Kennedy and La Guardia airports in New York.

On a recent Thursday morning in Queens, travelers streamed through the exterior doors of La Guardia Airport’s Terminal C. Some were bleary-eyed — most hefted briefcases — as they checked bags and made their way to the security screening lines.

It was business as usual, until some approached a line that was almost empty. One by one, they walked to a kiosk with an iPad affixed to it and had their photos taken, as a security officer stood by. Within seconds, each passenger’s image was matched to a photo from a government database, and the traveler was ushered past security into the deeper maze of the airport. No physical ID or boarding pass required.

Some travelers, despite previously opting into the program, still proffered identification, only for the officer to wave it away.

This passenger screening using facial recognition software and made available to select travelers at La Guardia by Delta Air Lines and the Transportation Security Administration, is just one example of how biometric technology, which uses an individual’s unique physical identifiers, like their face or their fingerprints, promises to transform the way we fly.

This year could be the “tipping point” for widespread biometrics use in air travel, said Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst for Atmosphere Research . Time-consuming airport rituals like security screening, leaving your luggage at bag drop and even boarding a plane may soon only require your face, “helping to reduce waiting times and stress for travelers,” Mr. Harteveldt said.

In the United States, major airlines have increasingly invested in facial recognition technology as have government agencies in charge of aviation security. Overseas, a growing number of international airports are installing biometrics-enabled electronic gates and self-service kiosks at immigration and customs.

The technology’s adoption could mean enhanced security and faster processing for passengers, experts say. But it also raises concerns over privacy and ethics.

Dr. Morgan Klaus Scheuerman, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Colorado who studies the ethics of artificial intelligence and digital identity, said many questions have emerged about the use of biometrics at airports: How are the systems being trained and evaluated? Would opting out be considered a red flag? What if your documents don’t match your current appearance?

“I’m sure many people feel powerless to stop the trajectory,” Dr. Scheuerman said.

In the United States, bullish about the technology

The T.S.A., with more than 50,000 officers at nearly 430 airports in the United States, is the main federal agency ensuring the safety of the hundreds of millions of passengers who fly each year. Travelers who are determined to be “low-risk” can apply for T.S.A.’s PreCheck program, which offers expedited security screening at more than 200 domestic airports. PreCheck, which requires an in-person appointment to show documents and give fingerprints, and biometric verification by Clear, a private screening company, have helped to reduce the wait time for screening, but air travelers still must occasionally stand in long queues to get to their gates.

The T.S.A. has experimented with facial recognition technology since 2019. Screening verification currently offered at Denver and Los Angeles International Airports and some 30 other airports starts when a photo is taken of the traveler. Then facial recognition software is used to match the image to a physical scan of a license or passport. The photo is deleted shortly afterward, according to the agency. This process, which passengers can opt out of, will be available at some 400 more airports in the coming years, the agency said.

Melissa Conley, a T.S.A. executive director overseeing checkpoint technologies, said that biometric technology is better than human agents at matching faces rapidly and accurately.

“People are not good at matching faces. It’s just known,” Ms. Conley said. “Machines don’t get tired.”

The process still requires passengers to show their IDs. But the program being tried by Delta, called Delta Digital ID , changes that.

With Delta Digital ID , PreCheck travelers can use their faces in lieu of boarding passes and ID at both bag drop and security at La Guardia and four other airports, including John F. Kennedy International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport .

Facial recognition shaves more than a minute off bag drop, to roughly 30 seconds, and reduces the security interaction from 25 seconds to about 10 seconds, said Greg Forbes, Delta’s managing director of airport experience. While a “simple change,” the time savings add up, making the line noticeably faster, Mr. Forbes added.

“Anywhere that there’s PreCheck, I think, could benefit from Digital ID,” Mr. Forbes said.

Other airlines have begun similar experiments for PreCheck travelers: Those flying on American Airlines can use their faces to get through PreCheck screening at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and also to enter the airline’s lounge at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. United Airlines allows PreCheck travelers to use their faces at bag drop counters at Chicago O’Hare International Airport; the airline is scheduled to bring this program to Los Angeles International Airport in March.

And Alaska Airlines plans to spend $2.5 billion over the next three years in upgrades, including new bag drop machines, in Seattle, Portland, Ore., San Francisco, Los Angeles and Anchorage. A machine will scan the traveler’s ID, match it to a photo, and then scan the printed bag tags. The new system, designed to move guests through the bag tagging and dropping process in less than five minutes (compared to around eight minutes now), will be in Portland in May.

Charu Jain, the airline’s senior vice president of innovation and merchandising, said that it felt like the right moment for Alaska because of improved technology and increasing passenger familiarity with facial recognition.

At the borders

The fastest growing use of facial recognition software at U.S. airports so far has been in security measures for entering and exiting the United States.

The growth stems from a 2001 congressional mandate , in the wake of 9/11, requiring the implementation of a system that would allow all travelers arriving and departing the United States to be identified using biometric technology.

Overseen by the Customs and Border Protection agency, the biometric system for those entering the United States is in place, and scanned 113 million entries at airports last year. For those leaving the country, the system is available at 49 airports, with the C.B.P. aiming to cover all airports with international departures by 2026.

Biometric entry is mandatory for foreign nationals. But biometric exit is currently optional for these travelers, while C.B.P. is making the system fully operational. At any border, the biometric process is optional for U.S. citizens, who can instead request a manual ID check.

Diane Sabatino, acting executive assistant commissioner for field operations at C.B.P., said that the system aims to improve security, but she acknowledged rising privacy concerns. Images of American citizens taken during the process are deleted within 12 hours, she said, but photos of foreign nationals are stored for up to 75 years .

“We are not scanning the crowd looking for people,” she said. “It’s certainly a privacy issue. We are never going to ask them to sacrifice privacy for convenience.”

Miami International Airport, the second busiest airport in the United States for international passengers last year, has one of the “largest deployments” of biometrics in the country, airport executives say. In a partnership with SITA , a global information technology provider for the air transport industry, the airport has installed the technology for departing passengers at 74 out of 134 gates and plans to cover the remaining gates by the end of this year, said Maurice Jenkins, chief innovation officer at Miami-Dade Aviation Department.

The contract with SITA costs $9 million, but Mr. Jenkins said that the new technology was increasing efficiency in the rest of the airport’s operations, such as fewer gate agents checking documents.

Document-free travel overseas

Experts believe the future of air travel is one where facial recognition will be used throughout the entire airport journey: bag drop, boarding, even entering lounges and purchasing items at retail stores within the airport. It may be so streamlined that security checkpoints could be eliminated, replaced instead by security “tunnels” that passengers walk through and have their identity confirmed simultaneously.

“This is the future,” said Dr. Sheldon Jacobson, a computer science professor at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who researches aviation security.

According to a recent report by SITA , in which 292 airlines and 382 airports around the world were surveyed, 70 percent of global airlines are expected to use some sort of biometric identification by 2026 and 90 percent of airports are currently investing in the technology.

More comprehensive experimentation has already landed at some airports abroad. Later this year, Singapore’s Changi Airport intends to go passport-free for departures ; all passengers, regardless of nationality, will be able use this system. At Frankfurt Airport in Germany, passengers can now use their face s from the time they check-in to boarding. The airport is installing biometric technology throughout its two terminals and making it available to all airlines.

In China, 74 airports — 86 percent of the country’s international airports — have biometric technology in place, according to a report released last month by the global market research company Euromonitor and the U.S. Travel Association . At Beijing Capital International Airport , the country’s busiest airport, travelers can use facial recognition throughout their entire journey, even to pay for items at duty-free shops.

But in the United States, according to the report, only about 36 percent of international airports have some biometric capabilities.

There are several reasons for the country’s lagging adoption, said Kevin McAleenan, the former acting secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and currently chief executive of Pangiam, a travel technology company. Simply, the United States has many airports and the immigration exit process here is different from other places.

At many airports overseas, the government controls immigration for departing travelers, allowing these airports to have a government-established biometric system.

In the United States, airlines, using C.B.P. passenger data , confirm the identities of travelers leaving the country.

Concerns over government surveillance

Biometrics use has already seeped into daily life. People unlock their phones with their faces. Shoppers can pay for groceries with their palms at Whole Foods .

But critics believe that the technology’s convenience fails to outweigh a high potential for abuse — from unfettered surveillance to unintended effects like perpetuating racial and gender discrimination.

Cody Venzke, senior policy counsel on privacy and technology at the American Civil Liberties Union, said the government had not yet shown a demonstrated need for facial recognition technology at airports and worried about a “nuclear scenario.”

“Facial recognition technology,” he said, could be “the foundation for a really robust and widespread government surveillance and tracking network.”

“That technology might be able to be used to track you automatically and surreptitiously, from place to place, as you go about your day, and create a really detailed mosaic about everything about your life,” Mr. Venzke said.

The A.C.L.U. supports a congressional bill, introduced last November, called the Traveler Privacy Protection Act . Listing concerns over security and racial discrimination , the bill would halt the T.S.A.’s ongoing facial recognition program, and require congressional authorization for the agency to resume it.

Ms. Conley, of the T.S.A., said that a stop in the agency’s biometrics efforts would “take us back years.”

For some travelers, facial recognition has already become a reliable tool. At J.F.K. on a recent afternoon, Brad Mossholder, 45, used Delta’s Digital ID line to breeze through the security screening at Terminal 4 and bypass a dozen travelers in the adjacent PreCheck lane.

He was flying from his home in New York to San Diego for his job in corporate retail, and as a frequent business traveler, has used facial recognition several times. The process is faster and easier overall, Mr. Mossholder said, and he wasn’t worried about privacy.

“Honestly, my photo is on LinkedIn, it’s on a million social media sites,” he said. “If you really wanted to see a picture of me, you could.”

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

Christine Chung is a Times reporter covering airlines and consumer travel. More about Christine Chung

Open Up Your World

Considering a trip, or just some armchair traveling here are some ideas..

Italy :  Spend 36 hours in Florence , seeking out its lesser-known pockets.

Southern California :  Skip the freeways to explore the back roads between Los Angeles and Los Olivos , a 100-mile route that meanders through mountains, canyons and star-studded enclaves.

Mongolia : Some young people, searching for less curated travel experiences, are flocking to the open spaces of this East Asian nation .

Romania :  Timisoara  may be the most noteworthy city you’ve probably never heard of , offering just enough for visitors to fill two or three days.

India: A writer fulfilled a lifelong dream of visiting Darjeeling, in the Himalayan foothills , taking in the tea gardens and riding a train through the hills.

52 Places:  Why do we travel? For food, culture, adventure, natural beauty? Our 2024 list has all those elements, and more .

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China Lunar New Year travel spending surpasses pre-Covid levels — is consumption revival in sight?

  • Some 474 million domestic trips were made during the eight-day festival, rising 34.3% year on year, according to data released by the country's Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Sunday.
  • Data showed tourists spent nearly 632.7 billion yuan ($87.95 billion) on domestic holiday trips, showing a 47.3% year-over-year jump.

China's travel activity and spending jumped above pre-pandemic levels during the Lunar New year holiday, in a sign that consumption was improving in the world's second-largest economy.

Some 474 million domestic trips were made during the eight-day festival, a 34.3% jump from a year earlier, according to data released by the country's Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Sunday.

Tourists spent nearly 632.7 billion yuan ($87.95 billion) on domestic holiday trips, a 47.3% year-over-year jump, data showed.

State broadcaster China Central Television said citing the ministry that domestic trips represented a 19% rise over the same period in 2019 while spending rose 7.7%.

The strong data comes at a time when policymakers in China have been scrambling to boost domestic consumption as the country faces deflationary pressures .

The Chinese mainland saw 3.6 million tourist departures and 3.23 million tourist arrivals during the holidays, according to the ministry, as mutual visa-free travel with certain countries hastened the recovery in both outbound and inbound travel during the holidays.

The Lunar New Year is China's most important holiday and is often seen as key metric for gauging consumer appetite in the country.

However, sustainability of the bump in travel remains uncertain as tourism revenue per trip still remained below the pre-pandemic level.

"Although we do see some strength in the data, we urge market participants to exercise caution," analysts at Nomura wrote in a client note, highlighting that the figures reflected pent-up demand from consumers as this was the first new year holiday that was not impacted by the pandemic-related factors since 2019.

"When interpreting the remarkably high year-over-year growth rates, we need to take into account the very low base from last year during the height of the Covid 'exit wave'," Nomura said.

Chinese outbound travel: Southeast Asia to be net beneficiary of 'incremental boost,' says JPMorgan

China  stocks rose on Monday , led by the tourism sector, as they resumed trading after a week-long closure.

Market participants have also been eying any additional stimulus measures from Chinese policymakers that would support the economy and potentially boost spending this year.

The People's Bank of China on Sunday held a key policy rate steady as expected, while investors reassessed when the U.S. Federal Reserve might start easing its monetary policy this year.

A delay in rate cuts could potentially limit Beijing's room to navigate its own policy, as U.S. monetary easing bodes well f or the yuan .

The deputy governor of the  People's Bank of China , Zhang Qingsong, said earlier this month that the country has also been encouraging banks and local businesses to accept foreign bank cards and was considering other steps to make mobile pay for international visitors even easier.

— CNBC's Evelyn Cheng, Clement Tan contributed to this report

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GSK's gonorrhoea drug meets main goal in late-stage trial

British drugmaker GSK said on Monday its oral drug to treat gonorrhoea met the main goal of non-inferiority, compared to an existing combination treatment, in a late-stage trial.

Broken peanut shells are scattered along South Bond Street in downtown Plains

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  1. Online Travel Agency Business Models

    December 18, 2023 Online Travel Agency Business Models "Online travel agency business models" What are these?! Business models that determine how a company generates revenue through the travel and tourism sector, similar to a blueprint. The global online travel market size is expected to generate a revenue of 691 billion U.S. dollars by 2026.

  2. Starting A Travel Agency In India

    Starting A Travel Agency In India - A Complete Guide. Khushbu T. 8 September 2023. 6,441 3 mins read. Tourism and travel are among the largest industries in India and generate significant employment. The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) estimates that the travel and tourism industry contributes 6-7 per cent to the world's total employment.

  3. A Complete Guide to start a Travel Business in India

    January 10, 2023 Starting a travel business in India can be a challenging but rewarding venture. With the right knowledge and resources, however, it's possible to navigate the industry and establish a successful travel business.

  4. Top 20 Travel and Hospitality Startups Revolutionizing the Industry in

    Established Year: 2013. CEO: Greg Moran. Impact: Zoomcar is India's leading self-drive car rental platform that allows users to rent vehicles on an hourly, daily, or monthly basis. It has transformed the way people travel within cities, providing a convenient and flexible alternative to traditional car ownership.

  5. Top Tour & Travel Startups in India

    Travel & Tourism Industry in India - Key Highlights Top Travel and Tourism Startups in India: MakeMyTrip ClearTrip Goibibo OYO Rooms Pickyourtrail ScoutMyTrip Thrillophilia Travel Triangle goMowgli Tripoto ExTravelMoney Nearify TripHobo iTraveller SeekSherpa SOTC Expedia Travel & Tourism Industry in India - Key Highlights

  6. MakeMyTrip Success Story

    Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, MakeMyTrip is one of the most popular and dependable Indian travel companies that helps the people of India avail of online travel services that include airline tickets, domestic and international holiday packages, reservations of hotels, railways, and bus tickets.

  7. How to Start Tour and Travel Business in India?

    Conclusion Why Tour and Travel Business is a boon for startups? In 2020, the travel & tourism sector's contribution to the nation's GDP[1] was US$ 121.9 billion; this is projected to reach US$ 512 billion by 2028.

  8. Indian Business Travel Industry Trends 2023: A Look into the Future

    The re-emergence of the business travel industry in India in 2023 will witness stronger relationships between businesses, their travelers, and airline operators. The airline industry is expected to provide better deals, flexibility, convenience, and travel experiences to suit the unique requirements of business travelers, such as priority check ...

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    India Business Travel Market 05 TMTMC Figure 2: Business travel spends-Dominated by air travel Figure 4: Emerging corporate travel servicing model Figure 3: Trends in online business travel spends Others 3% Air travel 77% Hotel 20% INR 1,926 Billion (2015) Business travel spends INR Billion

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    About: Started in the 1880s, Thomas Cook India is one of the oldest travel agencies. It has a massive network of offices allowing both business and leisure travel. With Thomas Cook, customers get forex, visa, and passport services as well. USP: Thomas Cook India provides comprehensive services when it comes to travel. It also offers ...

  11. How to Start a Travel Agency Business in India? Explained in 10 Steps

    Ans: If you're confused about starting a tour and travel business, you don't need to worry, as the process is very straightforward. Do the following: Research and find a niche for travel agency. Name your travel agency. Choose an infrastructure of a business. Creating a robust plan for your travel agency business.

  12. Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) And Their Business Models

    Airbnb is a platform business model making money by charging guests a service fee between 5% and 15% of the reservation, while the commission from hosts is generally 3%. For instance, on a $100 booking per night set by a host, Airbnb might make as much as $15, split between host and guest fees.

  13. The 10 Best Travel Franchise Businesses in India in 2022

    Business Model Evaluation of Business Market Planning & Strategy Recruiting Workforce Availability of Capital and Funding Better Infrastructure, Transport, and Other Deliverables Here is a list of Top 10 Travel Franchises and Tourism Franchises in 2022 that are successful and emerging as great businesses in the Indian business market:

  14. How to Start a Profitable Online Travel Agency Business in India?

    The travel agency is among the most profitable business ventures, thanks to the massive rise in individuals who are passionate about traveling. Travel agents offer services like booking tours, activities, hotels, hotel reservations, and flights. When establishing a travel agent, the business owner must know the factors listed below and then decide.

  15. How to Start a Travel Agency Business in India [Detailed Procedure]

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    Step 3: Manage your funding strategy. In starting of the travel agency you need to manage the costing of all the equipment and assets requires in the business. Start with buying the less expensive ...

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    India's requirements for equipments and services for major sectors such as energy, environmental, healthcare, high-tech, infrastructure, transportation, and defense will exceed tens of billions of dollars in the mid-term as the Indian economy further globalizes and expands.

  18. Ola's business model- Everything You Need to Know

    Ola's multi-brand kitchen model is designed to cater to 8-10 brands, and can be scaled up if the demand rises. Ola Foods operates 40+ cloud kitchens across six major cities in the country and has aimed to spread over 150-200 kitchens to fulfil 70-80 % of the urban food delivery demand.

  19. How We Built Our Own Travel Caravan & Launched a Rental Business

    May 10, 2022 I t was the year 2018. Four friends — journalist Jigyasu Joshi, photographer Himanshu Jangid, software engineer Yogesh Kumar and banker Pranav Sharma — all in their twenties, were all set to plan their next trip together.

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    October 28, 2022 TripJack, the fastest-growing B2B Travel technology company in India, has ambitious plans to expand the business and achieve its goals by empowering its travel partners to grow their business and succeed with them.

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    Check top B2B travel agencies in India including MakemyTrip, Riya Travels, Travel fushion, Via, Yatra etc., suitable for corporate travelers & tour operators. ... A B2B(Business-To-Business) Travel Portal is the model of online travel portal. It is applicable to travel agencies that are either OTA or going to be OTA as they realize the impact a ...

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  28. China Lunar New Year holiday travel spending surpasses pre-Covid ...

    Some 474 million domestic trips were made during the eight-day festival, rising 34.3% year on year, according to data released by the country's Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Sunday. Data ...

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