Second Look Tourists in Weihai, China, view a giant bronze sculpture

Heading home is almost an annual pilgrimage for most Indians settled abroad. But a little detour is always welcome. With the bulk of the 1.7 million Indians coming of age in the US and the first generation beginning to give way to the second, exotic locations beckon alongside the call of the motherland. So for many international Indian travellers nowadays a stopover in China, an exploration of South America or a safari in Africa would be part of the planned package. And quite a few Indian travellers have assumed the Korean and Japanese model of moving about in close-knit ethnic groups, devouring every tourist locale along the way.

Still Exotic The forbidden City, Beijing. India's neighbour has become a favourite NRI destination

For the travel industry, which has been at the receiving end since 9/11, the new trend is fast becoming a staple diet. A rash of travel agencies have recently come up to exploit this potential that is coming their way. From all indications the primary target group looks to be the younger age group or, alternatively, younger families that are looking at a vacation to bond among themselves as much as to link up with their roots. Successful first-generation professionals looking to retire have also begun to take to this new trend. India is already the preferred destination for many Americans. According to the India Tourist Office (ITO) in New York, 309,309 of them visited India in 2000. “The US is a huge opportunity for India,” says Krishna R. Arya, regional director, ito. And with a host of players to choose from, the discerning traveller can actually customise a trip, provided, of course, they are willing to fork out the greenbacks. So gone are the usual travel tensions arising from individual culinary habits of vegetarians, non-meat eaters, etc. An ethnically like-minded group can now command the desired food from their tour providers and also ensure better intra-group communication.

Sea of Delights Surfing is one of Hong Kong’s variegated attractions. A customised trip is another.

“Most of my programmes are at the high end. They cost about $5,000 per head and appeal to the 50-70 years age group. These are, by and large, professionals who are doing well,” says Pallan A. Katgara of the Travel Corporation of India (tci). “We also cater to associations run by professionals. I constantly get requests from groups of doctors and engineers wanting to go to exotic destinations. We customise their meals and develop affinity groups so that the group can realise the most from their travel.”

A typical tour that the tci has on offer is “China-Destination 2002”. It gives groups the option of doing either eight or 10-day packages or take up a cruise along the Yangtze river to soak in the wonders of the most populous country in the world and also India’s immediate neighbour. ito figures show that China received 896,181 US visitors in 2000.

Sea of Delights Surfing is one of Hong Kong’s variegated attractions. A customised trip is another.

Another player in the same kind of business is Pallavi Shah who also strives to cater to multi-generation families that look at vacations as moments of bonding. “In the US we have both types of interest in travel. The traditional first generation and also the second generation that is growing up with an American mind-set and is willing to look at adventure, etc. Parents are retired and have the money to travel and are now looking at interesting things.” In fact, figures from the ito show that 95 per cent Americans cite leisure travel as their primary reason for visiting India.

Shah’s company, Our Personal Guest, begins with an “in-depth research” about chosen destinations worldwide. “Our country study includes a historical, geographical and cultural profile. Next, we establish in-country relationships with local travel and non-travel people. After sifting through a world of choices, we create our own reference library of travel highlights,” he says. Shah has had 27 years of prior experience in the airline industry as director of special marketing for Air-India based in New York, during which she worked with museums, department stores and corporations, organising unique cultural promotions and publicity events to highlight the airline’s destinations. Her fondness for international cultures and travel, she says, encouraged her to try a different kind of travel service.

Attractions Along the Way The pyramids in Egypt (above) and the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife Giraffe Centre outside Nairobi are the sort of destinations that NRIs include in their itinerary while visiting India

Another one who has dovetailed his business to suit the variegated needs of the Non-Resident Indian (NRI) is Naren Soni of UniGlobe Travels. “Most of our clients are nris. From India to Europe, we work with companies like Taj Tours who have made such travel popular by supplying Indian food and perspective,” says Soni. “In other words, when you travel to Europe the contact is with a multi-cultural population. Unlike Americans, Indians have no roots in Europe and hence react differently. If the inter-city travel is long we even include an Indian movie to entertain our clients.”

Azure Travel, promoted by Ravi Kohli in 1995, has been catering to nris travelling to Europe in the past three years. “Our tours ensure that you have an Indian guide, group and food,” says Kohli. Azure Travel is the main agent for the tour operators sotc—a 100 per cent, India-based subsidiary of Kuoni Travels, Switzerland—in North America. “Now we are trying to promote a market for cruises among nris. I believe that this market has not been tapped as yet,” adds Kohli.”

While travel to non-Indian destinations is gaining currency among nris, travel industry representatives point out that air traffic to India is still very lucrative and competitive. Established 30 years ago, Hari World Travel caters exclusively to the travel needs of the Indian community. “The cornerstone of our success is our ability to wade through the maze of airline fares and complex regulations, and deliver a reliable product at a fair price to the customers,” says Paul Clement, vice-president, Hari World Travel. According to him, his company is the single-largest producer of traffic to India. The company caters to it from its offices in New York, Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto and Delhi. Clement says the current market for travel agents is going through a shake-out as air carriers have withdrawn all commissions. “We are a strong company to withstand a downturn. Right now a lot of agencies are toppling, especially after air carriers have reduced commission to zero. Consumers have to be careful. Will the agencies they deal with be around tomorrow? We have been around since 1968 and have been through this before. Hence, we are not affected like some of the newer agencies. This is the time you go back to the trusted agent.”

“The US is a huge opportunity for India.” Krishna R. Arya, India tourist office, New York

Some travel agencies like Discover Travel are thriving on the good business that comes their way from the well-established Telugu community in the US. Discover Travel is also the official agent of the Telugu Association of North America. “We are targeting the south Indian market. Ninety per cent of our business is of the referral and repeat type. As one of the largest Telugu agencies in the US, we have been serving the community for years,” says Ram Yalamanchili, proprietor of Discover Travel.

Tranquil Charms Sunrise over Botafago Bay in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Tourism accounts for 7.8 per cent of Brazil’s GDP.

At the moment, Gulf Air is promoting a scheme which allows nris going to India to break their journey in Europe. According to Mithoo K. Birdie, executive vice-president, Trade Winds Associates, this appeals to the younger nris. “Because of the generation change, I think what is happening is that the younger Indians born here don’t just want to go to India as opposed to those who came from India. Generally, my suggestion to a traveller is to take the children home and take them elsewhere too. We gear our products for that. It is very flexible and allows a stopover in any city in Europe. This is a Gulf Air product which we are promoting. There are a lot of choices for passengers and I believe that this is going to be a trend.” Adds Ajay Grover, national sales manager, Trade Winds Associates: “There are a few things we are doing to recover from the 9/11 setbacks. We are establishing closer ties with the corporate world. All this is bringing good results. We are eagerly looking at summer when people are planning their vacations.”

Canyon Cruise Tourists ride down the Colca river in Peru. The Andean nation is looking to kindle its nascent tourism industry.

Another piquant issue that often arises with NRIs visiting relatives in India is that they take ill and have to be provided medical care. The costs are prohibitive to say the least. Instead of coursing through the wide array of health insurance on offer, they can also go through individual agents. Y.K. Insurance Services is one instance of this. Formed by Yogesh O. Khatri, the company has provided various financial and insurance products to the Indian community. It also offers a single window for life insurance, annuities, health insurance and international health-plan insurance needs. For NRIs or US residents travelling abroad, Khatri recommends that they insure themselves. “There are plans available for such individuals too. Usually the current insurance plan they may have would cover them for life-threatening emergencies for about 30 days. Beyond that, however, they would have no coverage. I would recommend such individuals travelling outside the US to purchase a short-term policy.”

“We keep getting requests from groups wanting to go to exotic destinations.” P.A. Katgara, TCI

Recognising that it is better to be forewarned, the money transfer agents Western Union have begun to provide a free booklet summarising all travel issues and solutions to its customers. “Be it business or pleasure, a little planning can help people avoid those unexpected detours that are likely to throw their trip off course,” says Arti K. Caprihan, marketing manager, Western Union. “We have been providing travellers with world-class services for almost 150 years. Today, we are continuing to serve travellers by offering this free brochure to help make travel safer and more enjoyable for everyone.”

It is clear that nris are now exploring new means and travel destinations. The altered demographics of the Indian community in the US is considered to be the prime reason for this change. Clearly, the travel business, too, is responding to this change in travel preferences, making it a much more complex and engaging task in the years to come.