‘2005 Will Be The Year Of People And Technology’

Vijay Chadda, COO, BTI Sita - India (winner of the ‘Best Business Travel Operator’) tells Neeti Chopra that there is no room for complacency and the award will only inspire us to continue the pursuit of excellence with more intensity

What does the award mean to you?

All of us in BTI Sita and Kuoni India are truly honoured and delighted to have received the award. It is a singular recognition and gives us immense pride. I have great pleasure in dedicating this achievement to our people and our customers, all of whom have contributed significantly to this goal.

What according to you was the secret of your success?

There is really no secret to the success. The known fundamentals are teamwork, commitment, customer focus and of course, vision and strategy on a larger plane. The challenge that lies ahead is to make everything work in unison, understand your limitations and work to overcome them, and leverage your strengths. In other words, always benchmark yourself against the best.

How do you plan to retain this success?

There is no room for complacency. This award will only inspire us to continue the pursuit of excellence with more intensity, and strive to achieve the highest standards in both customer satisfaction, and employee satisfaction. On a more tangible level, we will continue to invest in technology, training and infrastructure to constantly enhance service levels, quality, and productivity.

What are your future plans?

Internally, we have decided that 2005 will be the year of people and technology. There are ambitious growth plans as also some new initiatives and projects on the anvil.

The Evaluation Criteria

The award for the ‘Best Inbound Tour Operator’ was evaluated on the following criteria:

• Gross Foreign Exchange receipts from Inbound Operations mentioned in (USD). These receipts had to pertain to only the entity mentioned above and from inbound tour operations and could not include receipts from other ancillary business. It was for the period 1st April 2003 to 31st March 2004.
• Number of Foreign Tourists brought into India (The number of overseas clients serviced between 1st April 2003 to 31st March 2004).
• Number of Brochured tour packages run by the organisation between 1st April 2003 to 31st March 2004.
• Number of specialty tour packages run by the organisation between 1st April 2003 to 31st March 2004.
• Net Profit/ Loss after taxes from inbound operations during 1st April 2003 to 31st March 2004.
• Total number of employees (excluding contract) as on 31st March 2004.
• Revenue growth percentage of inbound operations over last year.

In addition to the above, all financial statements submitted were certified by the Chartered Accountant of the nominee.

The award for the ‘Best Outbound Tour Operator' was evaluated on the following criteria:

• Gross Revenue from Outbound Operations

(These receipts had to pertain to only the operations of the entity mentioned above from outbound tour operations and could not include receipts from other ancillary business. It was for the period 1st April '03 to 31st March '04).

• Revenue Growth percentage of outbound operations over last year.
• Number of tour passengers (including group passengers) serviced last year between 1st April '03 and 31st March '04.
• Number of brochured tour packages run by the organisation between 1st April '03 and 31st March '04.
• Net Profit / Loss after taxes from operations mentioned between 1st April '03 and 31st March '04.
• Total number of employees (excluding contract) as on 31st March 2004.
• In addition to the above, all financial statements submitted were certified by the Chartered Accountant of the nominee.

The award for the ‘Best Business Travel Operator' was evaluated on the following criteria:

• Gross Revenue from Business Travel Operations. These receipts had to pertain to only the operations of the entity and from Business Travel operations and could not include receipts from other ancillary business. It was for the period 1st April'03 to 31st March'04).
• Revenue Growth percentage over last year.
• Number of conference/exhibition group travel organised between 1st April '03 and 31st March '04.
• Net Profit/ Loss after taxes from business travel operations between 1st April '03 and 31st March '04.
• Total number of employees (excluding contract) as on 31st March 2004.
• In addition to the above, all financial statements submitted were certified by the Chartered Accountant of the nominee.

The award for the ‘Best Domestic Tour Operator’ was evaluated on the following criteria:

• Gross Revenue from Domestic Operations. (These receipts should pertain to only the operations of the entity from domestic tour operations and should not include receipts from other ancillary business. It was for the period 1st April '03 to 31st March '04).
• Revenue Growth percentage of domestic operations over last year.
• Number of tour passengers (including group passengers) serviced last year between 1st April '03 and 31st March '04.
• Number of brochured tour packages run by the organisation between 1st April '03 and 31st March '04.
• Net Profit/ Loss after taxes from operations mentioned between 1st April '03 and 31st March '04.
• Total number of employees (excluding contract) in the domestic operations. (As on 31st March 2004 )
• In addition to the above, all financial statements submitted were certified by the Chartered Accountant of the nominee.