Lama Launches B2B Website

Anticipates Increased Indian Arrivals To Dubai

Bhisham Mansukhani - Mumbai

Dubai-based inbound operator Lama Desert Tours and Cruises recently launched a B2B website to enhance its interface with the fast-broadening base of sub-agents currently in five cities.

With its focus on upmarket groups, FIT and the corporate market, the company’s managing partner Kulwant Singh, said, “The website was geared to disseminate information and process bookings to meet the growing number of incoming Indians for the last six years that Lama we have been around.” He claimed that the company brought in close to 13,000 Indian tourists into Dubai in 2004.

According to Singh, Lama representatives are already based in India to provide information to agents. “However, our current base of 70 agents could easily grow by 100 per cent year on year. The site is absolutely vital towards servicing this growing base. We believe in collective business rather than courting the corporate market directly. We are giving Indian tourists the facility, via their travel agent, to book and confirm their itinerary on the Internet,” he added. Since it is a B2B website, the agent will remain the ultimate point of service.

Travel agents will be given a login and password and they will have the option to subdivide access to their PSAs or local representatives. The agents do not have to be IATA approved. They simply need to be able to generate business and assure payments. “India remains our biggest market and we are looking at 100 per cent growth,” he said.

Paying tribute to the DTCM, Singh said that it had helped Lama maintain a presence with its roadshows so much so that demand was outstripping supply. “DTCM has helped us break into more Indian cities like Pune, Ahmedabad and Chennai. Lama will also be showcasing Medical tourism inbound to India as part of a host of other destinations that will subsequently be promoted on the site. We work with an extensive number of ground operators in Dubai who want to promote India’s medical facilities to NRIs,” he said.

Carl Vaz, country manager, Dubai Representative Office in India, DTCM, said,”Lama Tours is a very reputed DMC. We felt that a website would be better than the traditional method of emailing. This way the dialogue with the trade will be in real time.”