Rajesh Kakade, founder and global director, Red Carpet Travels, firmly believes though the road to recovery will happen surely and steadily, the key for every travel professional is to restore and build the confidence of the customer towards travel. In an exclusive with Reema Lokesh – founder -Reemarkabl, he feels, it is imperative to adopt technological tools such as CRM or Flexi booking systems…
In the post vaccinated world, what are the trends and temperaments you envisage in the of travel & tourism sector?
The road to resumption of travel business is still obstructed by multi-fold complications. While expecting a positive recovery of travel, we should also be ready for the uncertainties (such as increasing Covid cases globally) awaiting to hinder the pace of resumption. The shift of customer focus to sanitization, safety and contactless services is comprehensible in this post pandemic world and obviously of prime importance. We are also witnessing a surge in the emerging concepts of staycation and workation which uncovers the possibilities of diversification of businesses. It is imperative to adopt technological tools such as CRM or Flexi booking systems to address the significant changes the industry is currently going through to facilitate the customers with a personalized seamless experience.
2. What are the present challenges the industry needs to deal with?
The topmost challenge is to build confidence among the customers towards travel. The sequential occurrence of post covid complications has deterred the will to travel. In addition, the ever-changing travel restrictions creates an overlapping of information generating ambiguity and missing vital concerns. We see customers facing discomfort and even incurring losses on travel bookings by sheer overlooking the recent changes in regulations. The travel fraternity is indeed going through a crucial stage where almost everyone is trying to sustain and salvage the situation. We need to seek ways to stem the losses and work on progressive existence instead of trying for immediate recovery.
3. What are the strategies you plan to implement to reach the right players in the B2B space?
We have our prominent presence in the B2B vertical with a strong base of hereditary clientele. However, we aim to maximize our reach by digital marketing campaigns on social media platforms. We plan to publish relevant content through the media and participate in trade and travel fairs to promote Sindhudurg as a destination.
4. What are your key potential markets?
We plan to begin with Mumbai, Gujarat & North India as our focused potential markets for Konkanut Cove. We gradually aim to encompass travellers from Israel, Russia, Germany the USA.
5. What are the plans for Red Carpet Travels? We are currently working on a digital platform to integrate our travel offerings and expertise for the customer convenience. We aim for a deeper penetration in Tier 3 & Tier 4 cities to empower them to sell long haul premium luxury destinations with utmost confidence.
