TadeBytes

Nomad Travels eyes event tourism

Chetan Kapoor - Mumbai

Ajay Prakash CEO Nomad Travels

Given the uncertainty of ticketing commissions looming over many travel agents, Nomad Travels is eyeing various events that can be bundled with destinations simultaneously. Ajay Prakash, its CEO, told Express TravelWorld, "Between 1997-2003, we seriously looked at event tourism such as the kite festival in Rajasthan, Taj kite festival, Goa kite carnival, etc. One needs to specialise these days. We are therefore looking at the Pushkar kite festival in November and have also set up a small campsite. Such tours cater to a very specialised segment of the market."

The company is also aiming towards attracting tourists interested in witnessing the total solar eclipse that will be seen in India and China in 2010. "We arranged one such event earlier in Andhyari, Bharatpur which was an experience for those who witnessed it in totality. This time we also have an astronomer from the planetarium so that people get authentic information about eclipses," he added. Other special interest tours that the company is exploring revolve around gem and jewellery, shopping, etc.

When asked about the logistics and bundling of transportation modes to remote destinations, Prakash was of the opinion that the completion of the Golden Quadrilateral will offer more opportunities. He said, "It will be a great thing for transportation as many buses will ply on the expressway and this will also be a good alternative to the airways provided the customers are willing to spend more time travelling."

On the outbound front, the travel company is looking at promoting niche tours to similar kite festivals in the Normandy coast of France (to be held in September), Denmark, various locations of the United States of America and the UK.