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NonprofitsBusinessesMusiciansArtists & DesignersTeachers+ all categoriesMost FollowedPopular..Sign Up|Log In.. 1First Page Previous Page Next Page / 37Sections not available Zoom Out Zoom In Fullscreen Exit FullscreenSelect View Mode View ModeBookSlideshowScroll ...Readcast Add a Comment Embed & Share Reading should be social! Post a message on your social networks to let others know what you're reading. Select the sites below and start sharing.Readcast this Document.. Login to Add a Comment.. Share & Embed.Add to Collections Download this Document for FreeAuto-hide: off Ads by Google Goa Tourism Hotels 4days in Goa@10999.Get free airfare airport transfer+hotels+meal. Yatra.com/goa-holidays Goa Holiday Packages Visiting Goa? Find Deals & Read Hotel Reviews! www.TripAdvisor.in Malaysia Packages Deals Singapore / Malaysia Super Saver Hotel+Flight @ Rs. 19k, Enquire Now Makemytrip.com/Singapore_Malaysia Indigenous Experience Unique stay in Aboriginal Community within Kakadu National Park www.connections.travel ACKNOLDGEMENT I express my sincere thanks to Mr. Inder Lal Bansal Owner of SOTC Franchisee for giving me an opportunity to undergo a project on find out the potential and awareness of SOTC brand as well as creating awareness amongst the people of NCR region and understanding the whole process of booking. I would also like to take the opportunity to thankMr. Kapil(Sales Executives),Mr. Gaurav(Sales Executives-WFT), Mrs. Dimple Mucchal (FIT), Mrs. Bhavna

Tandon(FIT) and all the other employee of the SOTC, Gurgaon for helping me to complete my training successfully and extending all cooperation whenever I needed it. I would also like to thank the faculties and the administration team of the Skyline Business School. My deepest regards to my parents who have always encouraged me in pursuit of higher education. Thanks to all. 1 TABLE OF CONTENT Topic Page No Introduction Methodology Executive Summary Industry Profile Forms of Tourism Types of Tourist Marketing Mix PEST Analysis SWOT Analysis Company Profile SOTC Band Competitor Outbound Tourism Types of Passport Types of VISA Currency Regulation Travel Tax Formalities Research Findings Bibliography 34567910 15 18 19 21 24 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 35 36 2 INTRODUCTION The training was carried out as a partial fulfilment of my PGDBM degree under Skyline Business School. The project has been carried out at SOTC, Gurgaon. My project was based on the study of find out the potential and awareness of SOTC brand as well as creating awareness amongst the people of NCR region and understanding the whole process of booking. 3 METHODOLOGY The methodology of my assignment was purely based on personal observation as well as interaction and discussion with customer and the executives of the SOTC Gurgaon. STUDY AREA: Present study has been carried out at SOTC Franchises, Gurgaon. NATURE OF DATA: Primary Data: The primary data has been collected through personal observation as well as through both open and closed ended questionnaires with customer and the executives of SOTC. Secondary Data:The secondary data has been collected from the company information system. 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This is a project which has been carried out at SOTC, Gurgaon. The project is conducted on Study of awareness about SOTC brand, a topic which was assigned by the SOTC authority. In this project we have collected both Primary and Secondary data. The Primary data was collected through questionnaire and personal observation and the Secondary data was collected from the SOTC information system. 5 Introduction Industry: The Travel and Tourism industry is still one of the largest single businesses in world commerce and its importance is widely recognized. The tourism industry is now one of the largest sectors earning foreign exchange. In the

face of many benefits, many countries have started assigning due weight age to the tourism industry in their national development agenda. Tourism is an industry that operates on a massively broad scale: it embraces activities ranging from the smallest sea-side hotel; to air-lines, multi-national hotel chains and major international tour operators. Originally, non-traditional industries such as tourism emerged as a solution to strike a balance between ecology and industry Tourism is one of the world's fastest growing industries at present and holds the status of the world's no. 1 industry. Spending on tourism amounts to 5%-10% of total consumer, spending in a year worldwide. The industry creates a job every 2.4 seconds with every one of those direct jobs creating another 11 indirect ones. The tourism industry as a whole is presently estimated to earn over US$ 3.5 trillion worldwide. India's share of the total market is a pittance at 0.51%. The non- tourist countries like Malaysia and Indonesia get much more tourists than India. India's share of the total market is a pittance at 0.51%. The non- tourist countries like Malaysia and Indonesia get much more tourists than India. The Tourism industry's foreign exchange earnings in India are around $3.2 billion. Tourism is the highest foreign exchange earner if we consider the fact that net value addition in Gems and jewellery is less than 30 % whereas, in tourism it is more than 90 %. Recent statistics have revealed that during the first quarter of 2006, the performance of the tourism industry has been very encouraging which has registered an 11% increase in foreign tourist arrivals. India Tourism office at Tokyo won two International Awards in Tour Expo held at Daegu in Korea for excellent tourism promotion. Indian Pavilion won the Best Booth Design Award as well as Best Folklore Performance Award competing with major players in tourism such as China, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and Canada. 6 SPECIAL FORMS OF TOURISM For the past few decades many forms of tourism are becoming more popular, particularly: ADVENTURE TOURISM This type of tourism involves travel in rugged regions, or adventurous sports such as mountaineering and hiking (tramping). CULTURAL TOURISM It includes urban tourism, visiting historical or interesting cities, such as Delhi, Amritsar, Mumbai, Banglore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, etc. and experiencing their cultural heritages. This type of tourism may also include specialized cultural experiences, such as art museum tourism where the tourist visits many art museums during the tour, or opera tourism where the tourist sees many operas or concerts during the tour. EDUCATIONAL TOURISM It may involve travelling to an education institution, a wooded retreat or some other destination in order to take personal-interest classes, such as cooking classes with a famous chef or crafts classes. GARDEN TOURISM It means visiting botanical gardens, famous places in the history of gardening, such as Versailles and the Taj Mahal. HERITAGE TOURISM It is visiting historical (Rome, Athens, Cracow) or industrial sites, such as old canals, railways, battlegrounds, etc. HEALTH TOURISM It means usually to escape from cities or relieve stress, perhaps for some 'fun in the sun', etc. often to "health spas". MEDICAL TOURISM It is used for advanced care that is not available in one's own country, in the case that there are long waiting lists in one's own country for use of

free or cheap health care organizations for what is illegal in one's own country, e.g. abortion, euthanasia; for instance, euthanasia for non-citizens is provided by Dignitas in Switzerland. 7 HOBBY TOURISM Tourism alone or with groups to participate in hobby interests, to meet others with similar interests, or to experience something pertinent to the hobby. Examples might be garden tours, square dance cruises, etc. POP-CULTURE TOURISM This tourism refers to tourism by those that visit a particular location after reading about it or seeing it in a film. PERPETUAL TOURISM It is mainly for wealthy individuals who are always on vacations; some of them, for tax purposes or to avoid being resident in any country. PILGRIMAGE TOURISM Pilgrimage tourism refers to ancient holy places (Rome and Santiago de Compostela for Catholics, Temples and stupas of Nepal for the Hindus and Buddhist, Mount Athos or Painted churches of northern Moldavia for the Orthodox), religious sites such as mosques, shrines, etc. SPORT TOURISM Skiing, golf and scuba diving are popular ways to spend a vacation. Also in this category is vacationing at the winter home of the tourist's favorite baseball team, and seeing them play everyday. ECO TOURISM It means sustainable tourism which has minimal impact on the environment, such as Safaris (Kenya), Rainforests (Belize) and Hiking (Lapland), or national parks. GAMBLING TOURISM This tourism refers to tourism to Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Macau or Monte Carlo for the purpose of gambling at the casinos there. 8 TYPES OF TOURISTS One such way of classifying the users is by dividing them into categories such as General, Sex, Region, Education, etc. General: Domestic, Foreign Kids, Teens, Youths, Seniors Students, Executives, Artists Politicians, Movie stars Sex: Men, Women Region: Rural, Urban Education: Literate, Illiterate Status: Rich, Poor Profession: Executives, Academics, Sportsmen, Artists Occupation: White collar, Blue collar. Another method of classifying users of tourism services is on the basis of the frequency of usage of services: Non-users: They lack the willingness, desire and ability (income & leisure time). Potential Users: They have the willingness but the marketing resources have not been used optimally to influence their impulse. Actual Users: They are already using the services generated by the tourist organizations Occasional Users: They have not formed the habit of traveling Habitual Travelers: They have formed a habit and avail of the services regularly. 9 Marketing Mix PRODUCT Product is the combination of tangible and intangible elements. The tourism product, which is mainly the destination, can only be experienced. The views of the location travel to the destination, the accommodation and facility as well as the entertainment at the destination all form the

tourism product. Thus it is a composite product combination of attraction, facilities and transportation. Each of these components has its own significance in the product mix and in the absence of even single components, the product mix is incomplete. PRICE Pricing in tourism is a complex process. Pricing includes the prices of other services like Air travel, Bus, Railways, Hotels, etc. All are included in tourism package. Pricing also depends on the Geographic location of the destination. Pricing also depends on Seasonality. Seasonality is the most important factor in pricing. To match demand and supply tourist managers try to get either discount. E.g. Taj is the tourist attraction in India. Pricing is also based on competitors pricing. Pricing is also subject to government regulations. E.g. Air price changes tourism package also changes, if Hotel charges change then also tourism package changes. Pricing of the tourist product is a complex matter because of its composite nature. Geographical location of the destination affects the pricing decision. At the same time, seasonality factor and varying demand cannot be overruled. The objective of pricing in any other firms is to fetch a target market share, to prevent competition, and to take care of the price elasticity of demand. A very important way, in which the travel and tourism business responded to their highly complex pricing circumstances, is to operate at two levels. The first level is corresponds with the marketing strategy, which concerns with the product positioning, value for the money, long run return on investments etc. The second level corresponds to the marketing operations 10 or tactics where the prices are manipulated to match the current demand and competition. PLACE Different distribution strategies can be selected for Tourism marketing. Tourism as a product is distributed as a travel. Internet is also used widely. There is an also small agent spread all over the town who plays a role of place. Large travel companies like Thomas Cook, Cox & Kings, SOTC, etc they act as a wholesalers and these wholesalers also act as a retailer. The tourism marketer may not have adequate choice of the tourist center, because in most of the case the tourist destinations many be natural, historical attraction. But, infrastructure facilities, transportation, communication are important for the development of the tourist center. The major decision that the tourism marketer takes regarding distribution is relating to the channel of choice and channel members. The uniqueness of tourism industry is predominant position of intermediaries. The two major functions performed by the distribution system in tourism marketing are:

To extend the number of points of sales or access, away form the location at which services are performed or delivered To facilitate the purchase of service in advance Different distribution strategies may be selected to reflect the companys overall objectives. The middleman may be tour operators, who buy tourism products in bulk and make them available to travel agents who are retailers. The range of tourist products, which are bought by the tour operators are airline seats, hotel accommodation, bus for local sight seeing, etc. they may also sell directly to customers. The latest mode of reaching the tourist is through Internet. Ticket booking can also be done through the Internet and payment is made with credit card. PROMOTION Advertising and sales promotion in Tourism can be very effective when supplemented by publicity and personal selling. They use electronic, print all sorts of media they use; and it is highly promoted industry. Public or PR (Public Relation) plays an important role in tourism. It is also through recommendation of friends and relatives this is a biggest promotion. Creation of awareness is an important factor in the formulation of marketing mix for the tourism industry. The promotion task simplifies the 11 activities of informing, persuading and influencing the decisions of potential tourists. The promotion mix plays a vital role as the users of service feel high degree of involvement and uncertainty about the product and their role in buying process. Some of the important aspects of promotion are advertising, publicity, sales support and public relation. Advertising and sales promotion activities in tourism can be very effective when supplemented by publicity and personal selling. Advertising messages may range from subtly attractive visual messages and symbols designed to appeal and stimulate travel desire and needs to simple sales announcements drawing attention to specific product offers. Word-of-mouth is a very important tool of promotion in tourism. Research shows that about 80% of the tourist visited different places on the persuasion of their friends and relatives and also their own judgments. Brochures are another form of communication provided by tour operators to stimulate customers and motivate them to buy. They are used to demonstrate in pictures and words the images and positioning of the product and the organizations. PEOPLE It plays a most important part in tourism. In people local people are very important, that how they treat tourist. The travel agents, guides, staff of travel companies, sales staff, etc they are the people. Travel Company also like Railways, Air, etc. is included in people. Normally a tourist assures a tourism quality like hotels, Travel Company. The personnel who attend to the needs of the tourists form an essential ingredient in tourism marketing. The sales personnel are responsible for dealing with the customer behind the counter. The airline and transportation crew interact with customers while traveling. The resort or

hotel representatives enter to the needs of the tourist when they reach the destination. The tourist guides, who interact with the customers at the tourist location, all form the people element in tourism marketing. These contract persons must be trained on interpersonal skills as well as knowledge of the product. In the tourism industry the travel agents and the travel guides are the two most important people who speak a lot about the industry. Hence it is imperative that they have to be at their best at all times. Travel guides especially, are expected to have a lot of patience, good sense of humor, 12 tact to transform the occasional tourists into habitual ones, thorough knowledge of the places, linguistic skills etc. PROCESS The operation process of the tourism firm will depend on the size of the tourism firm. The sequential steps involved in the delivery of the tourist products are: Provision of travel information --- The information regarding the travel is provided at a convenient location where the potential tourist seeks clarification about his proposed tour. Preparation of itinerates------ It is a composition of series of operations that are required to plan a tour. Liaison with providers of services--- Before any form of travel is sold over the counter to a customer; contracts have to be entered with the providers of various services including transportation companies, hotel accommodation, coaches for local sightseeing etc. Planning and costing tours------ Once the contracts and arrangements are entered into, then the task of planning and costing the tour, this will depend on the tour selected as well as individual requirements. `Ticketing----- The computerized reservation system has in recent years revolutionized the reservation system for both rail and air travel. Provision of foreign currency and insurance--- In case of foreign travel the final task provide foreign currency as well as insurance PHYSICAL EVIDENCE The tourist attraction, which is an expensive for the customer must be tangibilised with the help of tangible items like, comfortable seats while traveling, layout, and design of the resort, natural service scope, etc. the sign posts that indicate directions, route maps, information regarding rules and regulations of the tourist spot and the sign regarding the public 13 utilities like toilets, telephone booth also form a part of the physical evidence. Printed matters such as brochures also play an important role in the development of tourism. As the product, in tourism is intangible. There is a need to describe fully the product, which is done by providing an elaborate brochure, which shows how different elements of the programmes are carefully planned to include all necessary information to make holiday establishes expectation of quality value for money, product image and status, which must be matched when the product is delivered.

SEGMENTATION Though there are a number of bases for segmentation of tourists, one of the most important is Lifestyle. Traveling decisions are fantastically influenced by changing lifestyles. They are also affected by other factors such as level of income, availability of leisure time, etc. BASE OF SEGMENTATION CATEGORIES Holiday Mass market Popular market Individual market Demand Primary Secondary Opportunity Geography International On the basis of regions, cities, etc. Psychographic Lifestyle Personality motive Knowledge Demography Age Sex Religion Socio-economic Rich, Poor Rural, Urban Literate, Illiterate Purpose Business Travel Cultural Tourism Common Interest Convention14 Age Teens Youth Seniors Such segmentation is useful when deciding the offerings to target a particular segment. For example, The mass market consists of vacationists that travel in large groups and prefer allinclusive tours. They are generally conservative. The popular market consists of smaller groups going on inclusive or semi-inclusive tours. This group includes pensioners and retired people. The individual market consists of chairmen, senior executives, etc. As the lifestyle changes, consumption of services might change. For example, a newly married couple might prefer romantic holidays, but once they have children they would prefer family vacations where there are plenty of activities to entertain kids. Teens and youth might prefer adventure holidays whereas senior citizens would probably prefer more relaxing vacations. PEST ANALYSIS Environmental influences can be analyzed by using the PEST analysis. Political The political factors are the main driving force of the industry. The Indian tourism industry is built on the backbone of Government support and the industry cannot sustain itself without it. The various archaeological sites and the places of historical importance, the roads and the railways are all

in the hands of the Government. All the support services like the hotel industry, the airlines industry and the tourist operators to name some are heavily dependent on the support and the cooperation of the Government. The major reason as to why tourists visit India is for the vast and rich heritage that our country has. That is under the control of the Government, through the Archaeological Survey of India. Any policy change that comes into force can have dramatic effect on the way the industry players perform. For example, the Government charges high rates of taxes on the luxury and the star category hotels and this has always been a cause of disagreement between the hotel associations and the Government. There 15 are many areas where the growth of tourism has not been rapid or has seen dramatic fall because the political environment has not been conducive. Examples are the North East for the former and Kashmir for the latter. The neglect of the Government in developing the North-East has led to a situation where there is practically no tourism in the seven states. Similarly, the political turmoil in the state of Kashmir and now in Gujarat has caused a virtual decimation of the flourishing tourism industry. However, there has been a change in many of the policies of the Government with regard to the tourism industry. The hotel industry has been getting many incentives and many State Governments are encouraging the growth of major hotels in their states. Economic: The tourism industry not unlike the other industries grows with the increase in the spending of the people. The more the people spend the more the industry grows. The spending power of the people has been increasing in the country and all over the world. Since we are concentrating on the international tourists, the large increase in the spending power in most developed countries has left a large amount of idle cash in their hands. This has led to a tourism boom the world over and India has been no exception. There have been more people coming into the country with more cash than ever before. This has lead to an increase in the demand for better hotels. People who previously used to come to the country on a shoestring budget and hunt around for the cheapest accommodation can now afford to go in for luxury hotels. This has led to an increase in the number of hotels in the country. However, an increase in spending does not only limit itself to accommodation. The increase in the spending is also evident in the increase in the number of people traveling by air. Even the number domestic tourists traveling by air has dramatically gone up. Social: Tourism was always looked upon as something that led to the destruction of the social fabric of a place. The more the amount of outside people coming into a place, the more the perceived risk of that place losing its identity. A good example is Goa. From the late 60's to the early 80's when the Hippy culture was at its height, Goa was a haven for such hippies. Here they came in thousands and changed the whole culture of the state. This had a ripple effect on the country. People became cautious,

especially of the international tourists. Whenever a certain place became famous, the example of Goa was cited to discourage the inflow of 16 international tourists. However some places such as Kerala and Rajasthan have been able to strike a balance between their own culture and the demands of the international tourists and have profited handsomely in the bargain. People are now adopting themselves to the fact that tourism pays and it can be a major source of income for them. In addition, tourism as a form of recreation has really caught on. People themselves have started traveling and are willing to travel to a place that is out of the way and exotic. While traditionally traveling on a holiday meant going to a hill station or a beach, now people are willing to go in for adventure tourism and also visit places that might be exotic and cannot really be called hospitable. For example, now places like Leh and Lakshwadeep are mentioned in the same breath as Goa or Kashmir. Technology: Although technology does not seem to be a major influence at first glance, it plays a major part in the promotion of a place. Better communication facilities are one of the first prerequisites for growth in the inflow of tourists. This has been made possible with technology. Improved technology in the field of communication at cheaper costs has resulted in many remote and inaccessible areas of the country getting connected to the rest of the world. This connectivity has made these places visible to the world. Better communication means access to media. And that is very important if any place wants to be on the world tourist map. Similarly better transportation facilities have lead to a dramatic increase in the number of tourists visiting any particular place. The presence of an airport and the availability of frequent flights are a great convenience to any traveler. India: Tourism Revenues and Expenditures 1990-2010 17 SWOT Analysis of Tourism in India: Strength: India's geographical location, a culmination of deserts, forests, mountains, and beaches. Diversity of culture i.e. a blend of various civilizations and their traditions. A wealth of archaeological sites and historical monuments. Manpower costs in the Indian hotel industry are one of the lowest in the world. This provides better margins for the industry. A very wide variety of hotels is present in the country that can fulfill the demand of the tourists. There are international players in the market such as Taj and Oberoi. Thus, the needs of the international tourists and travelers are seen to while they are on a visit to India. Weakness: Lack of adequate infrastructure. The airlines in India, for example, are inefficient and do not provide basic facilities at airports. The road condition in India is very bad. A xenophobic attitude among certain sections of people. No proper marketing of India's tourism abroad. Foreigners still think of India as a land of snake charmers. There are many places where the image of India is one of poverty, superstition, and diseases. The case of Plague in Surat in 1994 led to a decrease of

36% in arrival of foreign tourists in India. Opportunity: More proactive role from the government of India in terms of framing policies. 18 Allowing entry of more multinational companies into the country giving us a global perspective. Growth of domestic tourism. The advantage here is that domestic tourism and international tourism can be segregated easily owing to the difference in the period of holidays. Threat: Economic conditions and political turmoil in other countries affects tourism. Political turbulence within India in Kashmir and Gujarat has also reduced tourist traffic. Aggressive strategies adopted by other countries like Australia, Singapore in promoting tourism. SOTC Indias No. 1 Holiday Company Established in 1949 with just five employees at an office in Cawasji Hormusji Street, Mumbai, it has grown to become one of Indias largest travel companies. By the year 1968, the Company had moved to a much bigger office at Mint Road and was also counted as one of the top ten travel agents in Mumbai, with a turnover touching Rs 25 million A major turning point came in 1976 when SOTC handled its first group tour to the US during the bicentennial celebrations. Within three years, SOTC had taken about 500 passengers to Europe, the US, Singapore and Japan. In 1981, came another breakthrough when SOTC Package Tours began active advertising, with the first ad hitting the newspapers Between the years 1983 and 1995, SOTC grew by leaps and bounds. It moved to new premises at Church gate, Mumbai, installed the first computer for sales and operations, and went through a management metamorphosis with a complete restructuring of the business into autonomous Strategic Business Units (Subs) with a state-of-the-art call centre. SOTC has been fulfilling the travel needs of Indians for over five decades now. It continues to seek out new and exciting destinations to offer to outbound travelers SOTCs outbound business operations broadly encompass Packaged Group Tours for Indians and Individual Holidays. SOTC World Famous Tours caters to those who seek comfort in group travel. It is widely acknowledged to be the most successful package tour brand in India. Recognizing the importance of language markets, SOTC also pioneered tours conducted in Marathi and Gujarati under the SOTC brand extensions: SOTC BhramanMandal and SOTC GurjarVishwadarshan. 19 SOTC Do-It-Yourself Holidays caters to seasoned individual travelers who want to see the world at their own pace. And for domestic vacationers we have Holidays of India. SOTC has been the pioneer in the development of organized leisure travel in India. With a sales turnover of Rs 400 crores (2005), growing at 30% p.a., and a wide distribution network of 130 sales outlets and 3500 travel agents across India, it is more than double the size of the next biggest competitor SOTC - India's Leading Outbound Tour operator SOTC is the Outbound Travel Division of Kuoni India and the countrys largest outbound tour operator. World Famous Tours is the flagship brand of SOTC, which pioneered the designing and marketing of escorted tours to cosmopolitan travelers in India. SOTC World Famous Tours has escorted over 3,00,000 travelers across the globe, for more than 50 years to various destinations including Europe, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Africa, Mauritius, South Asia, and the Far East. Being a 100% subsidiary of Kuoni Travel Holding, Switzerland one of the worlds largest travel companies - SOTC leverages the advantage of the buying power and travel services to provide customers value-formoney packages. SOTC endeavors to bring alive customers dream holiday. To begin

with, SOTC ensures that customers family travel safe, sure and secure with the finest Indian families. SOTC has a wide distribution network of 130 sales outlets and 3500 travel agents across India to retail our range of products and serve customers better. SOTC Voted The Best Outbound Tour Operator 2004, 2005 & 2006 SOTC has been voted the Best Outbound Tour Operator 2004, 2005 and 2006 in India by the Galileo Express Travel & Tourism Awards Committee. The Galileo Express Travel & Tourism awards have been designed to give recognition to the trade for outstanding achievements during the year. The advisory board formulated the criteria for the award in consultation with the renowned audit firm, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, which used both a subjective and objective methodology that included a polling process. This award was based on various parameters of judgment and took into consideration factors including revenue generated, operational efficiency, perceived service levels, and the ability to retain and increase market share. 20 It is also significant to note that Kuoni India, the parent company of SOTC has won all the 3 top awards in the travel operations category at the prestigious Galileo Express Travel and Tourism awards for all its three core activities. Kuoni was presented the highly prestigious Worlds Leading Tour Operator 2006 award ' World's leading tour operator ' at WTM, London in November 2005. The World Travel awards, which are bestowed for exceptional services in the travel sector, have evolved into one the industrys most important annual events over the past few years. The awards are voted on by thousands of travel sector specialist from over 80,000 agencies in more that 200 countries. And winning one is clear confirmation of a companys excellence within the travel sector. SOTCs Brands 1)-SOTC World Famous Tours SOTC World Famous Tours is the flagship brand of SOTC, which pioneered the designing and marketing of escorted tours for cosmopolitan travelers in India. SOTC World Famous Tours has escorted over 3, 00,000 travelers across the globe for more than 30 years, to various destinations including Europe, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Africa, Mauritius, South Asia, and the Far East Being a 100% subsidiary of Kuoni Travel Holding, Switzerland - one of the world's largest travel companies SOTC leverages the advantage of the buying power and travel services to provide customers value formoney packages. SOTC has built a reputation that it lives up to its promise to take Indians around the world, while making them feels completely at home, no matter where they are. 2)-SOTC BhramanMandal In 2002, SOTC BhramanMandal was launched exclusively for Maharashtrian, to cater to their specific needs and requirements. SOTC BhramanMandal offers 'All-inclusive' exciting package tour options to Europe, Far East, Australia and New Zealand. While designing the tours, every single need of the Maharashtrian is kept in mind - their culture, eating habits and likes and dislikes Prominent features of SOTC BhramanMandal Europe and Australia tours are the Predeparture meeting, Travel Kit and an experienced Marathi speaking Tour Manager who accompanies them all the way from Mumbai 21 to the destination and back. Within just five years of existence, SOTC BhramanMandal has become a household name amongst the Maharashtrian On 14th January in the year 2002, BhramanMandal was born. It was the auspicious day of Sankranti. But more importantly, it was a moment of reckoning for Tourism. As SOTC, Indias Greatest Packaged Tour Company launched BhramanMandal, a packaged tour division exclusively to cater to the needs of Maharashtrians. While

designing the tours, every single need of Maharashtrian was kept in mind. Be it their eating habits or their likes and dislikes, every aspect was taken into consideration. But it was the experience of traveling with them, that was even more enriching, for both, the travelers and us Within just over a year of our existence, BhramanMandal has become a household name among Maharashtrians. And this has been possible because of all of those fellow Maharashtrians who chose to travel with us. 3)-SOTC Gurjar Vishwadarshan SOTC Gurjar Vishwadarshan was launched especially for Gujarati community residing in India, to cater to their needs of having a Pure Indian Vegetarian Meal with a Gujarati flavor, Gujarati speaking tour manager at your service right from India to India and traveling with the finest Gujarati families makes your holiday the most memorable and comfortable one. Gurjar Vishwadarshan launched in the year 2004 received an overwhelming response from the Gujarati's staying all over India. Since then it has been scaling heights year after year today in its 4th year of existence it has become a household name for Gujarati's and is fondly rembererd by Gujarati holiday goers, this has been possible because of all of those fellow Gujarati's who chose to travel with us. With the new positioning of our brand "Expect More"....in Gujarati which means "Apeksha Thi Vadhare" we assure our patrons that every time they can just expect more with SOTC. Gurjar Vishwadarshan is one of the business units of SOTC. SOTC has pioneered its position in the packaged tour segment with its unparallel expertise devised over last 50 years. Being a 100% subsidiary of Kuoni Travel Holding, Switzerland - one of the worlds largest travel companies - SOTC leverages the advantage of the buying power and travel services to provide customers value-for-money packages. 4) - SOTC Do-it-Yourself Holidays SOTC Do-it-Yourself Holidays caters exclusively to the needs and requirements of the discerning Free Individual Traveler. It offers a wide 22 range of customized holidays that allows individual travelers the freedom to define their preferences of the destination, length of stay and pace of travel Following high-quality standards, SOTC Do-it- Yourself Holidays have ensured accommodation at some of the world's finest hotels allowing for proximity to city centre attractions such as shopping malls, pubs, cafes, restaurants and scenic delights. An individual traveler on SOTC Do-it- Yourself Holidays has the option to explore all the attractions of a single city. Or focus on all key cities of a particular country. They can even combine two to eight countries in their holiday, depending on their tastes, time and budget. 5) - SOTC Holidays of India SOTC Holidays of India has something for every kind of traveler - be it families, youth, students, honeymooners, groups or individuals. SOTC Holidays of India offers packages that cover every conceivable tour requirement whether it is an extended vacation with the family, a paragliding spree with friends or simply a rejuvenating weekend break. SOTC Holidays of India offers an opportunity to visit and explore all the splendors of India through various categories of holiday packages. SOTC Holidays of India has categorized all holiday packages into Standard, First and Deluxe Class categories. It also offers a wide range of customized holidays thereby giving individual travelers the complete freedom and flexibility to define their preference of the destination, length of stay and pace of travel SOTC Holidays of India has something for every kind of traveler - be it families, youth, students, honeymooners - groups or individual. SOTC Holidays of India has a

range of holiday options namely: Classic Holidays of India, Fun-filled Beaches of India, Hill Stations & Quick Getaways and Spiritual Retreats. SOTC Holidays of India is a division of Kuoni Travel (India) Pvt. Ltd., India's Largest Travel and Tourism Company. A market leader in its field, this division markets and operates foreign holiday packages under the SOTC World Famous Tours brand in India and in the big NRI markets of the Middle East, USA and UK. It currently operates from 120 sales points across India and boasts of more than 250,000 loyal customers. 23 SOTC Holidays of India offers packages that cover every conceivable tour requirement; whether it is an extended vacation with the family, a paragliding spree with friends or simply a rejuvenating weekend break SOTC Holidays of India offers you an opportunity to visit and explore all the splendors of India through various categories of holiday packages Classic Holidays of India are time tested popular attractions like Kashmir, Himachal, Rajasthan and Kerala those have proved their ability to completely satisfy the traveler Fun-filled Beach Holidays offers not just sun and sand but also cool lagoons, clear waters, corals, reefs and beach resorts. Hill Stations & Quick Getaways offer a break through a multitude of retreats at a short distance from home. Spiritual Retreats to Rediscover Your Soul provide excursions to various spiritual and hallowed sites SOTC Holidays of India has categorized all holiday packages into Standard, First and Deluxe Class categories. ABOUT THE COMPETITOR Cox & Kings is the longest established travel company in the world. At present, the COX & KINGS group has offices in UK (2 offices), USA, Japan, Germany Italy, Turkey, Pakistan and Nepal. In India, Cox & Kings has offices in Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Calcutta, Ahmedabad, Cochin, Hyderabad, Pune, Goa and Jaipur and one satellite office in Andheri in Mumbai and Gurgaon. Thomas Cook is one of the world's leading international travel and financial services groups and serves over 20 million customers a year. They provide services to customers at 4,500 locations in more than 100 countries and employee over 20,000 people. The Thomas Cook Holiday comes with a 150-year-old guarantee of eternally sunlit memories. They couldn't expect any less from the people who invented travel for leisure. They offer the world's most enjoyable holidays, to exotic destinations in India and abroad where everything is taken care of from beginning to end. 24 Established in 1984, Kesari Tours is a premium travel company, which offers worldclass holidays in India and around the world. Kesari have perfected their tour itineraries to meet the special needs of the Indian tourist abroad. The motto of organization is 'No compromise on quality'. At Kesari Tours, they have made a motto that if they make a promise to their customers, they honor it. They believe in honest, transparent deals. No hidden costs and no compromise on sightseeing. They strive for 100% satisfaction of tourists. The company enjoys an immense goodwill. That's what they earned out of their beliefs. A passion for Travel & a vision for creating innovative travel packages were the two driving forces saw the beginning of a Travel Company in a very modest way in Mumbais Masjid Bunder. The tremendous success & satisfaction of their tours paved way for Raj to hold its banner high & it continues to do so till date. They are proud to say that year after year

they have improved on the product, adding new destinations, new attractions, proactive marketing, & building customer confidence. Latest Trends in Outbound Tourism Indian society is increasingly being driven by consumerism. Foreign holidays are becoming more of an aspiration. As a result, the society- conscious Indian is making an international holiday an essential part of his/her annual plan. As the average Indians spending power has gone up, so too has his interest in overseas travel and the willingness to spend money the rise in disposable incomes has led to more families opting for annual foreign holidays with a large number of international airlines entering the Indian 25 skies, there has been a rise in capacity. Air fares too have become more competitive, thereby benefiting the customer. Over the last few years, there has been stability in tour prices and increase in value-added offers such as Holiday now, Pay later, Take your Partner Free Holiday Vouchers, etc. So overall, a booming economy, affordable air fares, better connectivity, increased seat capacities, and a prospering middleclass have together contributed to the large number of holiday-seekers. OUTBOUND TOURISM Outbound tourism is growing at the rate of 25% touching 6.2 million in 2006-07 booking increased to 30% compared to the corresponding period in the previous year Domestic tourism has also witnessed an annual growth of 20% from 2006 to 2007. POPULAR SEGMENTS Two segments in domestic tourism which have been showing exceptional upward turn are Medical tourism and adventure tourism. India is rapidly growing into a major health destination, targeting one million additional medical tourists by 2010. These arrivals are expected to increase foreign exchange up to Rs. 5000-10000 crore. India has also become known for adventure tourism with the excellent facilities that it offers for Water sports, Trekking, rock Climbing, mountaineering, Aero sports, Safaris, Motor Sports etc. Two million tourists are participating in adventure tourism annually. The market is growing at 35% but given the right impetus, it can attract another half a million foreign adventure tourists and the domestic adventure tourism market can see a 10fold growth in the next five years. 26 Document Required for Outbound Tour: Passport :A passport is a travel document issued by a national government that usually identifies the bearer as a national of the issuing state and requests that the bearer be permitted to enter and pass through other countries. Passports are connected with the right of legal protection abroad and the right to enter one's country of nationality. Passports usually contain the holder's photograph, signature, date of birth, nationality, and sometimes other means of individual identification. Many countries are in the process of developing biometric properties for their passports in order to further confirm that the person presenting the passport is the legitimate holder. Types of passport: 1) - Ordinary Passports are the normal passports issued to most citizens and have no special connotations. 2)-Diplomatic Passports are issued to diplomats and diplomatic representatives of a home country, and other state employees according to the rules of a particular country. Having a Diplomatic passport does not necessarily accord the bearer diplomatic immunity. Some countries'

visa requirements may have different requirements for Diplomatic and nonDiplomatic passports. 3)-Official or Service Passports are issued to employees (or "Technical and Administrative Staff Members") of a government traveling for work related reasons who either do not qualify as Diplomats or are not entitled to Diplomatic Status under the Vienna Convention. 4)-Special Passports are issued to high-ranking state officers and their dependents as a means of officially guaranteeing their sustenance to have them exempted from visa requirements. 5)-A collective passport may be issued, for example, for a school trip. All children on the trip would be covered by the group passport for the duration of the trip. 27 6)-Internal passports have been issued by some countries, as a means of controlling the movement of the population. Examples include the iqama in Saudi Arabia, the Soviet internal passport system, and the hukou residency registration system used in the People's Republic of China. 7)-Emergency or Temporary Passports are issued to persons whose original passport has been lost or stolen and who need to urgently travel. 8) -Business Passports are passports with extra pages issued to frequent travelers. 9)-Family Passports are passports that are not issued to individuals but to family units. Visa:is an authorized given by a state to a foreigner to enter its territory for a designated period and for a special purpose. It is not equivalent to a passport and it differs in as much as it is issued by the country to which or through which the visitor will travel out not by the state of which he is a national. Types of Visa: 1) - Tourist Visa Is given for 6 months normally; rest specifically depends on the country of residence. The applicant is required to produce / submit documents in proof of his financial standing. 2) - Business Visa is valid for one or more years up to 5 years with multiple entries. A letter from a sponsoring organization indicating nature of business, probable duration of stay, places and organization to be visited, incorporating therein a guarantee to meet maintenance expenses, etc. should accompany the application. 3)-Student Visa 28 Are issued for the duration of the academic course of study or for a period of five years whichever is less, on the basis of firm letters of admission from universities / recognized colleges or educational institution in India. Change of purpose and institutions are not permissible. 3)-Transit Visa Are issued for a maximum period of 15 days with single / double entry facilities to bona fide transit passengers only. 4)-Visa To Missionaries Are valid for single entry and duration as permitted by government of India. A letter in triplicate from sponsoring organization indicating intended destination in India, probable length of stay and nature of duties to be discharged should be submitted along with guarantee for applicants maintenance while in India. 5)-Journalist Visa Are issued to professional journalists and photographers for visiting India. The applicant are required to contact on arrival in New Delhi, the external publicity division of the ministry of external affairs and in other places, the office of the government of Indias Press Information bureaus. 6)-Conference Visa Are issued for attending conferences / seminars / meeting in India. A letter of invitation from the organizer of the conference is to be submitted along with the visa application. Delegates coming to attend conference may combine tourism with attending conferences.

7)-Employment Visa Are issued to skilled and qualified professionals or person who are engaged or appointed by the companies, organizations, economic undertakings a technicians technical export, senior executives, etc. Applicants are required to submit proof of contract / employment / engagement of foreigner nationals by the company or organization. Initially granted for a period of one year, it can be extended in India up to the period of contract. 8)-Collective Visa The facility also exists for the issues of collective visas to group tours consisting of not less than four members and sponsored by a travel agency recognized by the government of India. Such groups may split into smaller groups for visiting different places in India after obtaining a 29 collective license to travel from the immigration authorities in India. However, they must reassemble and depart as the original group. Currency Regulation: There are no restrictions on the amount of foreign currency or travelers cheque a tourist may bring into India provided he makes a declaration in the Currency Declaration Form given to him on arrival. This will enable him not only to exchange the currency bought in, but also to take the unspent currency out of India on departure. Cash, bank notes and travelers cheque up to US$ 1,000 or equivalent, need not be declared at the time of entry. Any money in the form of travelers cheque, drafts, bills, cheques, etc. in convertible currencies, which tourists wish to convert into Indian currency, should be exchanged only through authorized money changers and banks that will issues an encashment certificates that is required at the time of recon version of any unspent money into foreign currency. Exchanging of foreign currency other than banks or authorized money changers is an offense under Foreign Exchange Regulation Act 1973. Foreign Travel Tax: Passengers embarking on journeys to any place outside India from a customs airport/seaport will have to pay a foreign travel tax (FTT) of Rs. 500 and Rs. 150 o journey to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Srilanka and Maldives. No tax is payable on journeys performed by ship from Raeshwari to Talaimanar and in case of transit passengers, provided they do not leave the customs barrier. Transit sea passengers leaving the ship for sightseeing, shopping etc. during the ships call at any of the Indian ports will not be required to pay FTT EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION Foreigners coming to India on tourist visa on 180 days or shorter period are not required to register themselves with any authority in India. They can move about freely in India, expect to restricted/protected areas and prohibited places. Nationals of Bangladesh are exempted from registration up to six months. If their stay exceeds six months, they have to register themselves. Individuals without nationality (stateless persons; IRO refuges, persons receiving legal or political protection, holders of Nansen passport etc.) should have valid passport, identify documents or sworn affidavits along with the visa for which they should apply two months in advance. Pakistan nationals are required to register themselves within 24 hours of their arrival with the nearest police station. Those holding a long- term multiple entry visas do not require Intended Departure Clearance from the city office when leaving the country. Accredited journalists are 30 given the Intended Departure Clearance at the airport family passport issued by other governments are recognized without discrimination. LANDING PERMIT FACILITY Tourists may note the no Landing Permit Facility is available to any foreign tourist landing without a visa. A limited facility exists only for groups tours

consisting of four or more members and sponsored by a travel agency recognized by the Government of India. Children of foreigners of Indian origin below the age of 12 may be granted a landing permit by the immigration authorities up to a period of 90 days to see their relatives, in case they happen to come without a visa. TOURIST GROUPS A tourists group arriving by air, ship or by a chartered or scheduled flight may be granted a collective landing permit for a period of up to 30 days by the immigration authorities on landing, provided the group is sponsored by a recognized travel agency and a pre- drawn itinerary is presented along with details of passport etc. of the members, and travel agency gives an undertaking to conduct the group together. FORMALITIES Arrival Formalities If the visa, for stay in India, is for more than 180 days, a Registration Certificate and Residential Permit should be obtained from the nearest Foreigners Registration office within 15 days of arrival. All persons including Indian nationals are required to fill in a Disembarkation Card, at the time of arrival. Four photographs are also required for registration. The foreigners registered at Foreigners Registration Office are required to report change of their addresses. Departure from India All persons, expect nationals of Bhutan & Nepal, leaving by air, road or rail have to fill in an Embarkation Card at the time of departure. Exit Formalities Every foreigner who is about to depart finally from India shall surrender his Certificate of registration either to the Registration Officer of the place where he is registered or of the place from where he intends to depart or to the Immigration Officer at the Port/ Check post of exit from India. 31 2)-Are you aware about that SOTC is the largest tour and travel company of India for? 3- Have you ever taken the services of SOTC? Are you aware about that SOTC provides ? 11% 10%7% 0% 6% 66% WFT FIT Domestic tours Conference & Exhibition tours All of the above None of these 33 Are you aware about that SOTC is the largest tour and travel company of India for? 9% 6% 85% 123 Ads by Google Kerala Honeymoon Packages Experience exotic Kerala honeymoons Price/couple starts at Rs 4,800/www.tennderGreens.com Hong Kong Disneyland Fun Enjoy the Best X'mas atmosphere & New attractions in Town. Visit Now Park.HongKongDisneyland.com Holidays in Goa Amazing holidays in Goa Visit us for the best deals www.goa-insider.com Project Report on SOTC<afmmi> Download this Document for FreePrintMobileCollectionsReport DocumentReport this document?Please tell us reason(s) for reporting this document Spam or junk Porn adult content

Hateful or offensive If you are the copyright owner of this document and want to report it, please follow these directions to submit a copyright infringement notice. Cancel . .This is a private document. Info and Rating Reads:6,019Uploaded:06/01/2009Category:ResearchRated:(3 Ratings) . followedprofileactivenational informationpeopletourism companycompany indiancontrol factors(more tags)followedprofileactivenational informationpeopletourism companycompany indiancontrol factorsplanningindian wickypediasample(fewer) .Followafmmii..Ads by Google SOTC-White Xmas@HK Disney Want a Snowy X'mas? 5D4N Package w/ Flight+Hotel+Park Tix fr INR35,990! www.sotc.in Super Sale London Hotels 4 Star Accom, Free Full Breakfast Free,Broadband, Book Direct, No Fee www.shaftesburyhotels.com South India Tour Packages Package To Suit your Budget & Taste Visit & Book Your Dream Holiday Now KeralaHolidayMart.com/Budget-Trips Hotel/holidayChristmasEve 23/24/25/26 Dec Rs1250pp/ppn cell 9619337992,Arpora-Baga-anjuna coco-goa.com/tariff.html Maldives 5 star resort Avail special deal & save 50%. Enquire for special departure dates ezeego1.co.in/maldives5star Share & Embed Related Documents PreviousNext p. p. p. 37 p. 3 p. p. p. p.

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