Tourisp

17/07/2021

Ladakh becomes the first Union Territory to vaccinate 100% of its population with first dose.
89404 eligible people have been given the first dose of their vaccine while 60936 people got their second jab.

14/05/2021

Why Travel Insurance is Important?

Every year going on Holidays abroad has become a trend. People prefer traveling more international than domestic so either they take one international and one domestic holiday. Everyone has a bucket list of places to travel from Switzerland for honeymoon or Australia for beautiful beaches or New Zealand for adventure or the great American extravaganza.

As well a lot of travel bloggers or sites, update unique travel options. We save money the whole year for that dream holiday. Now you have booked your hotel, air tickets, and excursions in short everything. You are supposed to travel tomorrow but due to some business or family emergency, you have to either cancel or postpone the trip. But as it is a last moment change hotel will not give any refund, excursion tickets are non-refundable and airlines too are going to charge you a cancellation fee. That means without even traveling you have to bear the expenses.

So, what is the solution to this common problem faced by large numbers of travelers every day?

We would recommend always buying TRAVEL INSURANCE for all your future travel plans as we buy insurance to save ourselves from any kind of uncertainty or unplanned happening to avoid any such losses and during travel many small glitches like flight delay, illness, damaged, lost or delayed luggage, medical emergency, passport loss, and many other things.

Below are few unplanned glitches –

1. Medical Emergency – As discussed earlier if your travel plan gets curtailed due to a sudden medical emergency in that scenario the insurance company will bear the expenses and will reimburse the cancellation for hotel, excursions, and even for air tickets. Remember it is subject to sudden illness and not a pre-existed disease. As in that scenario the insurance company has the right to deny your claim.

2. Damaged, Loss, or Delayed luggage – Sometimes your bag gets damaged or gets delayed by few hours (delay time varies) or you lose it completely. At that time insurance comes in handy as it is also covered under the policy (amount depends on your insurance value).

3. Sudden Hospitalization – The last thing you can think about on your holiday would be hospitalization. Think about the expenses in a foreign land.

4. Flight Delay – You reached the airport on time to board your flight for that dream holiday you were planning for so long, but due to bad weather or some technical reason your flights get delayed. You are stuck at the airport. In this situation as well you get a claim (duration of delay varies between insurance firms).

5. Natural Disaster – What if there is a natural disaster at your location or the holiday destination just prior to your departure i.e, flood, cloud burst, avalanche, earthquake, or any other calamity. In this condition you decide to cancel the trip, your insurance company will take care of the expenses.

Below are few points to consider when buying travel insurance –

1. Coverage
We buy the cheapest option available as we are sure that it’s a waste altogether, but think once what if you need emergency hospitalization in a foreign land, expenses will be higher. And sometimes a difference of premium between $50,000 and $200,000 is just INR 150-200 (an example as premium varies as per age), so please check at the time of buying insurance.

2. Empanelled Hospitals
Kindly ask for the list of impaneled hospitals in the city, country, or countries traveling to avail cashless facility. Or else you have to pay the entire amount on your own and submit documents for the claim. This is a time-consuming process.

Conclusion

At the time of booking the package, we check the hotel, its location, excursions, and even the departure and arrival time of flights, but insurance we never think of or discuss. We buy medical insurance for health-related emergencies, home insurance for burglary, fire, the same way always buy travel insurance for your holiday plans. As you have paid a huge amount for that dream holiday and it needs to ensure against any kind of uncertainties.
As of now, not many agencies are giving domestic travel insurance, but we hope in the next 2-3 years we will have options available

09/05/2021

How do travel sites like Make My Trip, Ease My Trip and Yatra, make money on Travel Commissions and Advertising?

I am sure whenever you are planning a holiday, the first thing you do is check on online portals. Since smartphones became handy and everyone launched their so-called apps to give you access to information, you can check it anywhere and anytime. We always check rates on 3-4 different portals and even sometimes call the hotel to check rates or get in touch with a local agent to compare. And then we finalize the booking.
Sometimes you will find rates cheaper on one portal and next time on another portal. Have you ever thought about how these so-called online travel agents (OTA) make money? Even after offering huge discounts, what is their source of revenue? Let’s talk about it.

AIR TICKETS – Major source of income of all major OTA’s is flight tickets. Earlier there were times when airlines used to offer huge commissions (8-9% of the basic fare). Gradually it started reducing. And now it’s close to 1% or on some airlines is 0 or target based business. Now you will think, then what is the benefit of working for such a small amount. Whenever you book tickets online or cancel “CONVENIENCE FEE” is applicable, which is not charged by the airlines but the agency. So either you book a ticket or cancel portals are making money. Second, the airline gives them quarterly targets, and if they achieve the same they get 1-2% on the business generated. That’s a huge amount considering the customer reach.

HOTELS– Not all hotels are sold cheap on portals. And you will always find the different prices for the same hotel on different portals. How does this happen? For example, if you are a regular and bulk buyer then the hotels will offer you the wholesale price with the best discount, the same way if the OTA is giving regular and more booking to a hotel they give you a better rate than others. So, basically, if an OTA is bringing big business to a hotel, it will bound to get better discounts and hence, will earn more commission.

TOUR PACKAGES – Same as mentioned OTA are big players and they invest a huge amount in packages i.e. group departures. As they book hotels in bulk and for a longer period with advance payment, in return hotel gives them the best-discounted price than others. This gives them fair play with costing. And this in return generates better revenue for them.

But pandemic has created havoc on the tourism industry and in the past year, many small hotels and tour operators have closed down their operations. Many layoffs have been done by Make-My –trip, Yatra, and Thomas Cook, etc. to save cost as business prospects are very minimal. Things were looking to normalize after Oct-2020, but the second wave of Corona hit the business again after Feb-2021. Now, currently, only cancellations are coming and no fresh booking is happening. Everyone is struggling with either a big OTA or a small agent or the hotels. The last year has been the toughest phase for the industry. Hope the conditions improve and people start traveling like earlier.

03/05/2021

What are the vital things to check before booking a tour package from OTA?

In the current scenario of COVID-19, everyone is getting bored of sitting at home for so much longer duration. Either it’s the husband who is doing WFH (work from home, something was alien 2 years ago for bosses, a different story will talk on that later) and kids are busy on online classes or officially bunking classes and a mother busy in the kitchen cooking whole day and managing the office as well (the best multitasker in the world).

In short, everyone is looking for a break or holiday. Summer 2020 went by and seems 2021 as well due to the pandemic. And everyone is just waiting for conditions to improve so they can go on that long-awaited holiday. I am sure you would have already finalized the hotel to visit for a weekend or holiday packages online.

The cost is always the major factor when finalizing a holiday. But remember one thing booking a hotel or holiday is not like buying a LED TV or Cell phone where you pay, after on hand experience or testing it, here you will be paying the full amount in advance and enjoying the holidays later. So, kindly consider the below factors before finalizing your dream holiday.

DOMESTIC Travel

Hotel Cost – I am sure you will always compare costs between 3-4 online portals, and local travel agents. But remember cost is secondary, first check the hotels they are offering, then location and services. For example, you are traveling to Shimla or Nainital and if you want to stay at MALL road then be ready to pay a premium cost for even 2-star hotels or resorts. And if you are staying at Bhimtal or Sattal, which is a little far from the main Nainital, you will get good 4 Star hotels at cost of 3 Star. In short cost of the hotel depends on location, the more the central location higher the cost, a bit far from the central location lower the price.

Transportation – Second major cost deciding factor. If you travel by bus with a group then the cost will be lower but you cannot take that vehicle anywhere, it goes as per the group itinerary. Wherein if you have hired a private vehicle and you are traveling as a couple then the cost will be higher, wherein if you are 2-3 couples traveling together cost will be lower. For example, the cost for a 6N 7D Himachal trip (2N Shimla + 3N Manali + 1N Chandigarh / Ex-Chandigarh) is INR 16000/- for a sedan then the entire cost is on 1 couple. Now let’s say you are 2-3 couples then the cost of Innova is INR 24000/-, you do the math.

INTERNATIONAL Travel

Hotel Cost – This remains the same as domestic travel.

Transportation – In International travel, hiring a vehicle (on disposal) is expensive. So, here you will get transferred by SIC (seat in coach) or Private Vehicle. Seat in Coach is the same as traveling by minibus or coach with co-passengers, wherein in Private Vehicle transfers you are having the vehicle for you and your family. So, as per your choice, the cost will of the tour be varied.

Cruise – Staying on a Cruise is a major cost of a package (if it is a part of the package). If you are booking a Cruise package, check out the following;

·

Check the cabin they are offering (rooms in cruise are called cabins). As Inside cabin (base category) is the cheapest cabin onboard and Suites (many options) is the highest.

·

Do check the photos and description of the cabin and understand whether it suits your requirement. So, the higher the cabin category offered higher the cost.

Attractions Included – Kindly check the attractions offered in a package. As attractions or excursion cost increases the packages, so many OTA or agents offer lower rate by offering fewer attractions or excursions.

So, next time when you are trying to book Domestic or International travel, do check these things and accordingly budget your travel.

Solve this Puzzle:

Hey, you have booked a package of 50K for 5 days for people of 4 to Kerala. Your friend, who is also looking to book a tour, has booked the same package for just 30K.

Now, after reading this article you are smart enough to know why your friend is getting a cheaper package than yours. And next time don’t argue with your friend as to why he is getting a lower rate package.

Remember, No OTA or travel agent is lying, it’s just the way they wrap the gift. And we like the packaging so much that we forget to check what’s inside.
So, keep your fingers crossed that the current phase passes, all are near and dear once remain safe and healthy, and we start traveling again.

28/04/2021

Solo Travel Vs Group Travel

When you get tired of your busy life hectic schedule, deadlines, you plan a holiday to relax and rejuvenate. These days a lot of travelers prefer Solo to Group travel as it adds more spice and thrill.

However, if you are planning Solo or Group tours, and confused about which one to go for, then here are some points that can help you to decide and equip yourself to start it.

A) Advantages of Group Travel

1. Saves Money – Group travel will always be cost-effective. You get better pricing of hotel rooms when you book in bulk; transportation cost is less as the cost is equally divided on all the passengers. Group rates into attractions, excursions are always cheaper.

2. Meeting New People – Journey for some people is about making new friends and colleagues and if you are one of them, then group travel gives you that luxury. You will get a chance to make new friends along. You will get the privilege to travel with different varieties of people with different tastes, some will be humorous, some will be entertainers, some will be stock market gurus, some will be teachers, etc. Some people will have the same likes or dislikes as yours which basically takes care of boredom in travel and let you enjoy the journey and destination both.

3. Safety – You always feel safe when you travel in a group, particularly in unknown places. Every town or city in every country has its problems, even if they are small – pickpockets, crazy drivers, etc. When you travel in a group, you have someone to watch your back.

4. Tour Guide – Mostly you have TOUR GUIDES when traveling in a group. So you have someone to accompany, show you around, help to solve your issues in a different city or country. Plus tour guides help travelers to feel and understand the place well, as they explain the importance of place and why visitors come here.

Disadvantage

1. Lack of Freedom – In a group everything is pre-decided i.e, hotels, transportation, sightseeing places, and time. You have to follow the timetable. You can’t go alone as per your wish.

2. No privacy – It’s a group tour so you are always surrounded by people, there will be no privacy.

3. Different interests – Not everyone is interested in the same thing. And it’s really annoying when you have to visit a place with the group and you are not at all interested in what all are doing. You are more interested in museums or ancient architecture wherein others are more into bus tours or beach outings.

4. Getting Along – In a group sometimes it gets tough to adjust with others. And if you don’t get along with someone or people it really gets awkward to travel.

B) Advantages of Solo Travel

1. Decision Maker – You are the one who will be making decisions. You decide which place to visit and when. Visit the place at your own pace. Plus a lot of planning is required to be done in advance; which hotel to book, what are the famous foods in the place of a visit, etc, booking of bus or car or train or flight to reach the destination.

2. Quality time – As a solo traveler you get some quality time to spend with your near and dear ones.

Disadvantages of Solo Travel

1. Safety – When you are traveling solo you have no one look your back. You have no one to look after if you fall sick or mugged or attacked. Plus these days, a lot of Solo travelers do video blogging as well, which poses security threats as it reveals your location if someone is tracking or following to harm you.

2. Loneliness – if you are traveling solo for the first time you might feel bored. So you have to have this thing in mind before planning for a solo trip. This is the single biggest factor why people don’t travel solo.

Conclusion:

All in all, there are advantages or disadvantages of both. It all depends on your personality or the type of holiday you are looking for. If you like people around and gel with people easily or you prefer spending ME time alone, away from the crowd. The decision is all yours.

Tourisp as a community:

We at Tourisp are creating a community of travelers to help them with advice, suggestions, hotels, etc. to make their travel beautiful and memorable. For any help or advice, do raise your queries at [email protected]

10/03/2021

The tourism sector in Mysuru sad over the lack of booster shot
The tourism industry in Mysuru appears saddened over the lack of impetus given to the sector in the budget presented by Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa. The stakeholders said the sector was in badly need of a stimulus through new initiatives, projects, and higher allocation for rescuing it from the jolt of the COVID-19 pandemic.



Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/tourism-sector-in-mysuru-sad-over-lack-of-booster-shot/article34029150.ece

Dasara Authority, expansion of Mysuru airport, and other proposals ignored; no clarity on Film City project

09/03/2021

Check out the Online travel agencies' margins in different verticals.

03/02/2021

The sector had a high hope on this budget, as it is the worst sector to be affected by covid-19.

In the last one year, many tour and travel companies have shut down their business. And many people lost their jobs.

Tourism sector contributes ~7% in India's and one of the major growth driver and job creator. However, nothing has been given to this sector by the government in the budget. Which is somewhat negative.

However, indirectly the positive thing is that the government's focus on vaccination of the whole country which will automatically boost the tourism.

The number of people coming online to search tourism has increased almost 50% in Dec-20 as compared to last year.

This shows good days of tourism will come in 2021.

Stay tuned with Tourisp.com to get latest updates on news.

30/01/2021

Grab your Tour Now !!!

27/01/2021

The Maha Kumbh Mela at Haridwar this year started from January 14 and will continue till April 21.
If you are interested, you can contact us at Tourisp.com or call 8700044209.

27/01/2021