THIS year has witnessed an unprecedented surge of innovation in various tourism segments, while last year there was a period of transformation in many business areas in the global and Indian travel industry. According to Nikhil Dhodapkar, Managing Director, Abacus Distribution Systems (India), due to global economic conditions, it has become increasingly important for all industry players to provide more value add ons to their customers. He said, “Industry players have to work together closely with other partners of various verticals to get better deals and provide end consumer a good reason to travel. Innovation is the key to success in this age.”
For the Indian travel sector, ‘Going Niche’ is the key to innovation. Niche Tourism is the ‘in-thing’ today as the industry offers Wine Tourism, Pop-Culture Tourism, Medical Tourism, Gay Tourism, Cruise Tourism and much more. There are myriad categories of niche tourism available today and tour companies are willing to customise the itinerary according to the travellers’ convenience. |