Trade Bytes

Taj Tours to focus on ground handling operation

Neeti Mehra - Beijing

Taj tours, a UK-based tour operator specialising in package tours in Europe and UK, expects a large part of its business to come through ground handling operations from the Indian travel trade.

Krishna Samji, its general manager, speaking on its shift in focus to reach out to the Indian travel market by providing ground handling operations, said, "This is a logical step for Taj Tours. But our tour segment will always be a priority and claim a bigger chunk of the business." Currently, tours account for 80 per cent of its business.

Taj is a specialist tour operator which focuses on coach holidays and its primary clientele is the NRI market in the UK and the US. Taj has also started medical tours to India and is promoting pilgrimage tourism to the country. The company has added a page to its brochure to tap the FIT segment.

Speaking on the potential of the Indian market, Samji said, "The Indian market is growing and each segment needs to be catered to separately. It makes sense to narrow focus on the single and younger traveller in the age group of 18-30. MICE is another sector which interests us."