Tailor made exotic vacations

Their motto of doing things differently is what makes the two year old company stand apart from other tour operators in the market. Ravishankar, CEO of Vacations Exotica elaborates on the concept. By Sayoni Bhaduri

Ravishankar

The company began in 2007 out of an association of like minded people. Ravishankar did consultancy work for Rama Krishna Hospitality in Mumbai from where the concept of selling holidays with a difference took form. So how did it all begin? "We were tired of doing the same thing everyday, change had become an imperative, so we decided to create a niche for ourselves by providing something unique and different," he says. "Our aim is to be different - in what we offer, the experience customers receive," adds Ravishankar. He describes the trips to the heart of Black Forest in Switzerland and the lesser known regions of Netherlands as efforts in this direction. The tours are personalised according to the need of the customer, he adds. And to make the customers' experience varied and vibrant, the company is always in search of new destinations.

Customer is king

Vacations Exotica team

"Approximately 85 per cent of our clients are either repeat customers or referrals," says Ravishankar. He further adds that it is the company's belief that any correspondence with the client has to be transparent as this helps to provide a complete picture and increases the credibility of the company. "Retaining our client is the most important thing for us," he adds. So much so that he has returned full payment to a client on an undelivered experience in Phuket. Accordingly, flexibility is something that the Vacations Exotica team believes in. And this also includes heading out to the far reaches of the city to aid their customers. He defines his customers as a group of cosmopolitan people. This makes the ideal target audience a well heeled traveller who is on the lookout for new and vivid destinations. "Gujarat still sees the maximum number of travellers, followed closely by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu," he says adding that this is a new shift in the market as both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka tend to be more conservative when it comes to travelling.

Some of the popular destinations that he hears a lot of clients enquiring about include Vietnam, Cambodia and even the South American nations. "We also did tours to the Arctic Circle, the willingness to explore is growing," says a proud Ravishankar. In an effort to stay true to his philosophy of holidays with a difference, Ravishankar has recovered destinations within India which have fallen off the popularity charts. For example Kasauni near Nainital and Pelling near Darjeeling-Kalimpong are places that he insists travellers see. His business is balanced with 70 per cent of regular tours, which aren't really regular according to him, and the remaining 30 per cent are specialised tours. Vacations Exotica has recently launched a tour to Japan, South Korea and China as part of a package deal. "R&D is a crucial key for us," he adds.

For a traveller on a holiday the operator is the key link, hence the team is the backbone of Vacations Exotica. While his team is ready to go all out for the clients, they are also well looked after, they get the leeway and convenience of working from home if required. "The primary aim is to allow a balance of work and family," he says. The core team of Vacations Exotica holds shares in the company, "Eventually I would want all employees to have a share of the company. I believe it will create a sense of belonging," says Ravishankar. Today he has nearly 83 employees across India, with offices in 11 cities, the latest being in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.

He adds that though over the last two years they may not have been able to break even, the business is definitely looking up from last year. "We have done five times better than what we did last year," he explains. This relates directly to the company's USP - customer satisfaction is the first priority and in return earning loyalty.