Pta 105 Tato

Student Handouts
COURSE: MASTERS IN AIRLINES, TOURISM &

HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT (M. Sc ATHM)
SEMESTER-I
TRAVEL AGENCY & TOUR OPERATIONS
Ms. SANGEETA RANI

FACULTY ATHM
PDF created with pdfFactory Pro trial version www.pdffactory.com

PTA 105
MODULE 1-Itinerary planning, Itinerary and its importance, Types of

Itineraries, Factors to keep in mind while designing an Itinerary, Itineraries for
Inbound and domestic tourists:- Golden triangle, Rajasthan Tour, Kerala Tour,
Popular outbound Itineraries of Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand ,Europe Tour,
Australia Tour
MODULE 2-PACKAGE TOURS

Package tour and its components
Practical components of a standard package tour
Designing & Costing of a package tour
MODULE 3-HOTEL BOOKINGS

Booking a domestic and International hotel
How to send the bookings to the Hotel suppliers (the check-list)
MODULE 4-VISAS
Difference between Passport and Visa
Types of Passport & Visa
Preparing Visa cases
Formalities required for Various Visas like:- Schenegen, UK, US, Dubai and
Far East
MODULE 5: HOW TO SET UP A TRAVEL AGENCYIATA Rules and

Regulations, STAR CRUISE, An Overview of Star Cruises Boarding
formalities of star cruise
CASE STUDY DISCUSSION

(Including the profile of the company, area of specialization, Tag Lines, CEOs
and Top shots
Cox & Kings
Kuoni travels
Make my Trip.com

CONTENTS
Sr. NAME OF TOPIC PAGE
No NO.
1 Basics of Travel Agency & Tour Operations ( 4 – 12
Terminologies)
2 Itinerary planning, Itinerary and its importance, Types of 13- 16

Itineraries, Factors to keep in mind while designing
an Itinerary
3 Itineraries for Inbound and domestic tourists:- Golden triangle, 17- 40
Rajasthan Tour, Kerala Tour, Popular outbound Itineraries of
Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand ,Europe Tour, Australia Tour
5 Package tour and its components 41-57
6 Designing & Costing of a package tour 58-59
7 HOTEL BOOKINGS: Booking a domestic and International 60-61

hotel
How to send the bookings to the Hotel suppliers (the check-
list)
8 VISAS 62-91
Difference between Passport and Visa
Types of Passport & Visa
9 Formalities required for Various Visas like:- Schenegen, UK, 92-97
US, Dubai and Far East
10 98-100
HOW TO SET UP A TRAVEL AGENCYIATA Rules and
Regulations
11 STAR CRUISE, An Overview of Star Cruises Boarding 101-113
formalities of star cruise
12 CASE STUDY DISCUSSION 114-121

Cox & Kings
13 Make my Trip.com 122-125
14 Kuoni 126-131

BASIC TERMINOLOGIES
TRAVEL AGENCY
The Ministry of Tourism for the purposes of recognition/Approval of the Agency defines
Travel Agency as follows:
“A Travel company is one which makes arrangements for tickets of travel by air, Rail and
Ship, passports, Visas etc. It may also arrange accommodation, tours, Entertainment and
other tourism related services”.
TRAVEL AGENT
A travel agent has to “Sell Destinations” and it is therefore necessary for them to have a
thorough knowledge of geography & a general awareness about the destinations.
TYPES OF TRAVEL AGENTS

Travel agents can be divided under two major categories:
1 (a) WHOLESALERS (b) RETAILERS
Wholesalers develop package tours and sell them directly to the traveler or through retail
travel agents. Retailers get a percentage commission for every package sold from the
Wholesaler. The retailers do not need to make any ground arrangements for the customers
since that is the responsibility of the wholesaler who is in direct contact with the service
providers.
2 (a) SPECIALIZED TRAVEL AGENTS (b) GENERAL TRAVEL AGENTS
A general travel agent deals with almost all types of travel and offers a variety of travel
services. A specialized travel agency deals specifically in one form of travel service e.g.
providing services only to business travelers or organizing trips only for conferences,
meetings, etc, cruise travel, or handling incentive travel market.
ADVANTAGES OF USING A TRAVEL AGENT’S SERVICES
Customers buying from a travel agency would normally pay the same price as they would
to the direct supplier e.g. the same air fare, tariff in the hotel or for a sightseeing tour.
However, he does benefit by using these services since he can:
 Save time and effort

 Can get more personalized services as well as individual advice relating to the
specific needs of his holiday.
 Can be offered a variety of payment schemes

 Can choose from a wide range of suppliers of services since a travel agent generally has
a stock of many products or a service.
 Can compare prices of all products in the market to ensure better value for his money.
 All travel arrangements can be made and completed under one roof.
TOUR OPERATOR
The Ministry of Tourism for the purposes of recognition/Approval of the Agency defines
Tour Operator as follows:
“A tour operator is one which make arrangements for transport accommodation site seeing,
Excursions, Entertainment and other tourism related services for tourists”.
A Tour operator is the one who plans, organizes and promotes travel related services in
the form of a package and sells directly or indirectly through the travel agents to its
customers”. The producer of the tourism product. Combines and coordinates the diverse
components of tourism to make a package. Buys a range of products e.g. airline
tickets, hotel rooms, transport services in bulk and designs a package and sells this as a
package for an exclusive price.
.
FATHER OF TOUR OPERATIONS
Thomas Cook has been considered as the father of Tour operations.
• Thomas Cook began his international travel company in 1841, by taking first
organized group tour by rail. It was a successful one-day rail excursion at a
shilling a head from Leicester to Loughborough on 5 july, From these humble
beginnings Thomas Cook launched a whole new kind of company – devoted to
helping Britons see the world.
HISTORY
• In 1841, young Thomas Cook arranged an 11-mile train journey from Leicester to
Loughborough. And it marked the beginning of a chapter in history.
• He went on to introduce a railway tour of Europe. But it wasn't until the early 1860s
that he began the travel firm, Thomas Cook & Son, which included tours of the
USA.
• The Company also started operations for military transport and postal services for
England and Egypt during the 1880s
• 1868 Thomas Cook introduces a system of hotel coupons (which he had tested the
previous year) in an attempt to get fixed prices for accommodation at selected hotels
in all major cities.

• 1871 Thomas Cook & Son becomes the official name of the firm when John Mason
Cook joins his father as a business partner
• 1997 Thomas Cook On-Line is launched, making Thomas Cook the first UK retail
travel agency to offer customers a way to buy holidays, foreign currency, travellers
cheques and guidebooks over the Internet
• 2001 Thomas Cook is acquired by C&N Touristic AG, which changes its name to
Thomas Cook AG and launches a new logo
• 2003 Thomas Cook Airlines is officially launched in the UK.
• 2007 Thomas Cook AG and MyTravel Group plc merge to form Thomas Cook
Group plc, listing on the London Stock Exchange
THOMAS COOK INDIA
• Thomas Cook launched its operation in India in 1881.

• TCIL presently operates in over 78 cities across over 206 locations (including 25
airport counters). The company has overseas operations in Sri Lanka which is a
branch of TCIL and Mauritius which is a subsidiary of Thomas Cook (India).
Thomas Cook (India) operates in the following areas of business, namely:

• Leisure Travel
• MICE
• Corporate Travel Management
• Foreign Exchange
• Insurance
• E-Business
• Post March 31st 2008, Thomas Cook (India) Limited (TCIL) is a part of Thomas
Cook Group plc UK (TCG)
• Thomas Cook Group plc is one of the largest travel groups in the world with a
market capitalization
THOMAS COOK SERVICES

• Online Domestic Flight Booking
• Online Domestic Hotel Booking
• Online International Flight Booking
• Online International Hotel Bookings
HOLIDAY SERVICES
• Cruise Holiday Packages
• Group Tour Packages
• India Holiday Packages
• International Holiday Packages
• Weekend Breaks In India
OTHER SERVICES
• Corporate Travel Services
• MICE - Integrated Travel Services
• Online Foreign Exchange Services

• Online Hotel Booking
• Online Visa & Passport Services
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

• Thomas Cook (India) Ltd honoured with ‘Superbrand 2011-12’
• prestigious “Favourite Specialist Tour Operator" award at the Condé Nast Traveller
Readers' Travel Awards 2011
• conferred with the CNBC AWAAZ - “ Best company providing foreign exchange”
in India for the third year in a row.
• In addition, Thomas Cook (India) Ltd has been awarded the ‘Most Trusted Tour
Operator Brand’ by the Times Travel Honours 2011
TYPES OF OPERATORS
1. Inbound operators
2. Outbound operators
3. Domestic operators
INBOUND OPERATORS
Handles only the Inbound PAX and arranges all travel related services for them. E.g.-
Transfers from airport to hotel, local transport, sightseeing, hotel arrangements, guide
services etc.
OUTBOUND OPERATORS
Handles only the Outbound PAX and arranges all travel related services for them. E.g.:-
International Air ticket, Visa, Insurance policies, Foreign Exchange, Immigration
clearance, Transfers from airport to hotel, transport at the destination, sightseeing, hotel
arrangements, guide/escort services etc.
GROUND OPERATORS
The Travel agents at the destination are called ground operators. They sometimes make
ground arrangements on behalf of the tour operator at the country of origin. These
operators arrange the accommodation, transfers, and sightseeing and excursions for the
tourists being referred to them by the tour operator. Tour operator may not be able to get as
much discount from the service providers in the area as compared to the ground operator.
That’s why he uses a ground operator. Payments and credit dealing are better handled from
the destination.
The advantage of taking up the services of a ground operator are:

 The ground operator is well aware of the ground realities of the destination, and in
case of unexpected conditions in the itinerary, it is easier to mould and modify the
package arrangements.
 The local resident operators give a better and more hospitable service to the guests.
 A tour operator may not be able to get as much discount from the service providers in
the area as compared to the ground operator.
 Payments and credit dealing are better handled from the destination.
INCENTIVE TRAVEL:
Originated in the corporate world. Incentives such as travel packages are given to the
employees by the company or organization instead of monetary bonus.
GSA: GENERAL SALES AGENT:

A GSA represents an airline or a hotel as its sole sales agent in a given area. They hold
stock of tickets of particular airlines. E.g. Bajaj Travels are GSA for Singapore Airlines.
CHECK-IN:
For international flights, passengers are required to report 3 hours in advance to check-in.
In hotels, it is when the guest registers himself.
MEAL PLANS:
• EP: Includes room and services only
• CP: Includes breakfast + room
• AP: Includes room + all meals
• MAP: Includes room + 2 meals(Breakfast + Lunch or Dinner)
TRAVEL AGENCY COMMISSION

Most travel agencies operate on a commission-basis, meaning that compensation from the
hotel, airline, and customer is expected in form of a commission from all bookings. Most
often the commission consists of a set percentage of the sale.
The payment of commission as remuneration for services rendered or products sold is a

common way to reward sales people. Payments often will be calculated on the basis of a
percentage of the goods sold.
Offering monetary compensation in the form of commission alone, or commission in addition

to salary rather than simply a fixed salary, is intended to create a strong incentive for
employees to invest maximum effort into their work. Common industries where
commission

is used include car sales, property sales, insurance broking and many other sales jobs.
Contrary to the common erroneous belief, with the few exceptions of salespeople with very
high volumes in real estate, car dealerships, and other businesses earning lucrative amounts
of money, most do not earn much. In fact, according to surveys done in the 2012, on the
commission-only salespeople in the India, only 8% of them are able to earn an annual
income of Rs. 2,50,000 or greater, the vast majority, over 50% to be exact, only have an
annual income of Rs. 5,00,000 or less.
TRAVEL AGENCY BUSINESS

A travel agency is a retail business, that sells travel related products and services to
customers, on behalf of suppliers, such as airlines, car rentals, cruise lines, hotels, railways,
sightseeing tours and package holidays that combine several products. There are also travel
agencies that serve as general sales agents for foreign travel companies, allowing them to
have offices in countries other than where their headquarters are located.
As the name implies, a travel agency's main function is to act as an agent, that is to say,
selling travel products and services on behalf of a supplier. Consequently, unlike other
retail businesses, they do not keep a stock in hand. A package holiday or a ticket is not
purchased from a supplier unless a customer requests that purchase. The holiday or ticket is
supplied to them at a discount. The profit is therefore the difference between the advertised
price which the customer pays and the discounted price at which it is supplied to the agent.
This is known as the commission.
COMMISSIONS
Most travel agencies operate on a commission-basis, meaning that the compensation from
the airlines, car rentals, cruise lines, hotels, railways, sightseeing tours and tour operators,
etc., is expected in form of a commission from their bookings. Most often, the commission
consists of a set percentage of the sale.
In the United States, most airlines pay no commission at all to travel agencies. In this case,
an agency usually adds a service fee to the net price.
VARIOUS SECTORS WHERE WE CAN GET COMMISIONS

AIRLINES: Travel agents have to negotiate with the airline so that they can provide air
tickets to the customers on behalf of that particular airline. The airline provides a stock of
tickets to the travel agents. So that whenever there is any need of air ticket travel agent can
sell it on behalf of airline.
In that case airlines provide commission to the travel agent. IA offer commission of 7 per
cent.
RAILWAYS
Railways offer a commission of 3 percent. Due to low rate of commission, several travel
agents do not offer this service. They are of the opinion that their commission should be
raised to 5 percent.
HOTELS

Hoteliers pay a commission of the 10 percent to the travel agent, which is considered to be
the highest rate compared to the others. In this case, the commission should be payable in
the entire bill and not only on room charges as it is done at the present.
VARIOUS OPERATIONAL AREAS/ SERVICES

 Inbound Tours
 Outbound
 Domestic
 All the above
 Cruises
 Hotel Reservations
 Charters
 Cargo
 Transport
 Customer Facilitation
(Visa / Passport / Travel Insurance / Transfers and Meet & Greet)
 Mediclaim Insurance
 Corporate Travel Management
 Adventures and Outdoor Activities
 Rail tickets
 Incentives Tours and Conferences
 Car Rentals Services
FUNCTIONS OF A TRAVEL AGENT

 Provision of travel information
 Preparation of itineraries
 Preparing package tours
 Insurance
 Provision of foreign currencies
 Acting as a handling agency
 Individual/group hotel bookings (e.g GTA )
 Air tickets reservations( CRS-Galileo, Amadeus)
 Issuance of tickets (Intl/Domestic)
 Forex/mediclaim/visas/passports/POE
DEPARTMENTS OF A COMPLETE TRAVEL AGENCY

BROADER DIVISION
 Sales
 Operations
SALES/FRONT OFFICE
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1. Counter sales(Travel Information & Client handling desk)
2. Field sales (Personal visits)
OPERATIONS/BACK OFFICE
 Reservations (Booking of hotels/other services)
 Ticketing counter (International/ Domestic)
 Accounts
 Forex/Mediclaim/Visas/Passports/POE
FUNCTIONS OF A TRAVEL AGENT

 Provision of travel information
 Preparation of itineraries
 Preparing package tours
 Insurance
 Provision of foreign currencies
 Acting as a handling agency
 Individual/group hotel bookings (e.g GTA )
 Air tickets reservations( CRS-Galileo, Amadeus)
 Issuance of tickets (Intl/Domestic)
Plan An Itinerary!!
• When to go
(Period+Duration+Minimum Time for Visiting each City)
• Why to go
(Purpose of Travel-leisure, business, relaxation or VFR)
• Where to go
(Destination/Cities to be Included in the Itinerary)
• How to go
(Mode of main/inter-City Travel)
• With whom to go
(No. of paxs- FIT/GIT)
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A FEW BIG NAMES IN THE TRADE
• KUONI TRAVELS (SITA travel)
• SOTC
• THOMAS COOK
• COX & KINGS
• TCI
• AMERICAN EXPRESS
• MERCURY TRAVELS
• PARADISE HOLIDAYS
• DELHI EXPRESS
• RAJ TRAVELS
• E-BOOKERS.COM (makemytrip.com)
MAJOR ONLINE TRAVEL AGENCY IN INDIA:

E bookers.com (Make my trip)
Ezeego
Orbitz
Yatra.com
Travelyaari
Via.com
Akhbartravel.com
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MODULE: I
ITINERARY PLANNING & DESIGNING
An itinerary is a written plan describing the plan of the trip day wise or on an hourly basis.
It is designed to identify the origin, destination and all the en-route stopping points along with
the transportation, accommodation and other services on the trip. The trips organized are of
different types;
• One Way Trip – Is a journey to a destination without return to the boarding point.
• Round / Return Trip – Journey to a destination and back to the boarding point.
• Round the World Trips – Journey including more than one major stop between the
start and end of journey.
Tour companies generally prepare multiple itineraries for the same trip to cater to the needs
of tour planners, tour managers, tour escorts etc.
TOURIST ITINERARY: A tourist’s itinerary is a basic outline of the trip that a tourist is
planning. A tourist itinerary is the starting point of the itinerary designing process. While
planning an itinerary, the purpose of travel, choice of destination, budget, accommodation,
transportation and legal requirements etc have to be kept in mind. The emphasis is basically
on the requirements and arrangements of the tourist in terms of his accommodation,
sightseeing, and other services provided during the tour along with relevant information
regarding departure and arrival times and points, check in and check out times and duration
of stay at various destinations.
TOUR MANAGER’S ITINERARY: The tour manager is responsible for the designing
of the itinerary and in some cases even conducting it. He therefore has a comprehensive
itinerary having the minutest details relating to the tour. The tour arrangements, tour
formalities and contact persons at the destinations and attractions are included in the itinerary.
A larger column is generally kept for the suggestions and remarks regarding the trip.
TOUR ESCORT’S ITINERARY: A tour escort is an important person in a tour company.

He is not only a sightseeing guide but his expertise and knowledge, skill and judgment
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determine the final outcome of the tour. He is generally a local expert who is fully aware of
the culture, history, language and attractions at a destination. A tour guide has a detailed
itinerary showing the step by step progress of the tour which includes time, location,
accommodation, sightseeing at the destination. This encourages the tour guide to prepare
himself better for the trip providing the best of knowledge and facilities to the tourist.
Other than these itineraries, a copy of the itinerary may be given to specific service
providers
e.g. the coach providing transport, hotels organizing sightseeing, etc.
ITINERARY PLANNING
Itinerary planning is a creative exercise and is tailored entirely to meet the needs of groups
of individuals. Each set of travelers have their own specific requirements and care must to
ensure the following:
■ Adequate time should be allowed for sightseeing / excursions at each attraction and
destination. Always ensure that the time taken while traveling does not exceed the time
spent at a destination. This can be done by reducing the number of destinations to be
visited if the time available is less or an optional mode of transport can be chosen which
would save upon time.
■ Other than the time allocated to the attractions at a destination, some time should also be
given to the client for his own recreation and exploration unless the services of the
guide are requested at all times.
■ The choice of hotels, meal plan and transport would depend on the paying capacity,
interests and the number of clients in the group.
■ Back tracking should be avoided. The itinerary program should also not be over
structured.
■ Optional excursions should be offered during the period of the tour programme as well
as pre and post tour to increase the earnings and enhance the value of the tour for the
group members.
■ Since check-in and check-out timings in all hotels in India is generally 12:00 noon,
hotel accommodation should be booked keeping in time the arrival and departure
timings of the clients especially in those cases where the timing of the transport means
is fixed and cannot be altered. E.g arrival by train at 0630 hours, a room will have to be
booked on the

14

previous date as well to ensure vacancy of room at the time the guests arrive at the
destination.
■ In case of groups visiting a restricted area, prior permissions are to be obtained from the
Ministry of Home affairs or the concerned Government Department to ensure ease of
travel at the time of tour.
■ Ensure that airline and train reservations are re-confirmed well in time.
■ Since all flight and train timings are subject to change without prior notice, re-check the
new timings and ensure that the revised timings do not affect the sightseeing and
schedule at the destination.
■ While planning a tour programme, include any festivals or cultural events taking place
during this period. These attractions would add to the attraction of the tour package.
■ Also bear in mind cultural, political, economic & social environmental factors such as:
1. In case of a trip to New Delhi on 26 January, it may not be possible to include an
excursion of the Red Fort or India Gate in the morning.
2. Generally museums are closed on Mondays in India.
3. A trip to wildlife sanctuaries is only possible during a particular season. To include
this excursion in the tour, check out the appropriate times and dates.
4. Including a trip to a specific attraction at the time when the best view and climatic
conditions e.g sunset at the beach, trekking in the non-monsoon months of summer
season
■ Whenever a flight, hotel or resort is waitlisted due to prior booking, ensure alternate
reservation that would be similar or equivalent to the one originally requested.
■ Meal plan may or may not be included in the room tariff. This would depend on the
schedule of the client. The different meal plans are:
1. EP – EUROPEAN PLAN – Tariff includes only room and services. All meals taken
are considered as an additional cost.
2. CP – CONTINENATAL PLAN – This tariff plan includes Room, Service and
Breakfast.
3. AP - AMERICAN PLAN - This tariff plan includes Room, Service and all three
meals.
4. MAP– MODIFIED AMERICAN PLAN - This tariff plan includes Room, Service
and two meals: Breakfast and an optional lunch or dinner.
■ In case of a group traveling together i.e GIT, obtain a complete list of group members
and the preference for room allocation e.g. single, twin sharing or double
room
15
accommodation. For domestic travel, the carrier requires the list of the group members
at least 30 days in advance.
■ Specify clearly the services included in the final cost of the tour and those which are not
included.
■ Hotel room tariffs are generally revised with effect from 1 st October every year and are
valid upto 30th September of the following year. For tour groups operating beyond these
dates, a margin of 15-20% is kept.
■ In case of requirement of foreign language speaking local guides, advance notice should
be taken to ensure their services on time.
■ Along with the itinerary, communication on the climate, rate of exchange of currency,
suitable clothing, cultural and ritual expectations of the destination, necessities and
required items to carry, health and environmental warnings should be given to the
tourists specifically in case of foreign tourists.
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ITINERARIES (INBOUND & OUTBOUND)
GOLDEN TRIANGLE
DELHI,AGRA & JAIPUR
DELHI
Climate of Delhi
■ Summer in Delhi are hot – from April the temperature climbs relentlessly to more than
45°C (113°F) in May and June and the heat doesn't really abate until October.
■ Dust storms called loo sweep in from Rajasthan with considerable fury. The arrival of
the monsoon, at the end of June, brings intense humidity.
■ November to March is the best time to visit, with cool but sunny weather.
■ Nights can be quite chilly in December and January.
Orientation
■ A city of great character, of contrasts and convolutions - this is Delhi, the capital city of
India.
■ A city with antiquity dating back over 2,000 years, it is also a modern metropolis with
fast cars and neon lit shopping malls.
■ Delhi stands at the western end of the Gangetic Plain, bordered on the eastern side by the
state of Uttar Pradesh and on the other three sides by the state of Haryana.
Two cities (Old Delhi & New Delhi)
■ Travellers to Delhi get two cities for the price of one.

■ 'Old' Delhi, the capital of Muslim India between the mid-17th and late 19th centuries, is
full of formidable mosques, monuments and forts. It's a lively area of colourful bazaars,
narrow streets and barely controlled chaos.
■ It was founded as Shahjahanabad by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan in 1639. It remained
the capital of the Mughals until the end of the Mughal dynasty.
NEW DELHI
■ In contrast, New Delhi, the imperial city created by the British Raj, is composed of
spacious, tree-lined avenues and imposing government buildings, and has a sense of
order absent from other parts of the city.
■ It was planned by two leading 20th-century British architects, Sir Edwin Lutyens and
Sir Herbert Baker. The new Capital was christened "New Delhi" in 1927
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DELHI
Area: 1,483 square kms
Language: Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, English
Religion: Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam and Christianity
Literacy: 76.09%
Altitude: 216 m above sea
level Best time to visit: February–April
and
August–November
HOW TO REACH
■ Being the National Capital of India it has a well linked Transport System. It is connected
to the states by a dense network of roads and railways. Airports are of International
Standards and have domestic and International Terminals for plains to land and take off.
Airports
■ Delhi has two airports. Indira Gandhi International Airport is 20Km away from the city
centre. Palam is city bound internal Terminal Airport. Safdarjung airport is in south
delhi and has a domestic terminal. Between the two, shuttle coach service and taxies are
in operation.
Train
The Indian Railway with their modern and organized network connects Delhi to major and
minor destination in India. There are three important railway stations in Delhi to all major
and minor destinations in India, namely New Delhi railway station, Old Delhi railway
station and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station.
The Metro
■ It is a local mode of transportation and proposes to connect the whole of Delhi in the
next five years. Traveling in Delhi has already become easier and pollution levels are
decreasing.
ATTRACTIONS
INDIA GATE: India Gate, Delhi: the 42 metre high, free standing arch, popularly known
as India Gate, was designed by Luytens and built in 1911.
It was originally called All India War Memorial in memory of the 90,000 Soldiers of the
Indian Army who died in World War I. The names of the soldiers are inscribed all along
the

18

walls of the arch. In1971, an eternal flame was lit here to honour the Amar jawan
(immortal soldiers).
RED FORT
■ Built by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan between 1638 and 1648, the Red Fort has
walls extending up to 2 kms. in length with the height varying from 18 meters.
■ The entry to this splendid fort is from the Lahori Gate. The Fort also houses the Diwan-
i- Aam or the Hall of Public Audiences. The Diwan-i-Khas is the hall of Private
Audiences, where the Emperor held private meetings.
■ The Rang Mahal or the 'Palace of Colours' as it is known, holds a spectacular Lotus
shaped fountain.
QUTAB MINAR (Tallest Minaret in India)
■ The Muslim King, Qutab-ud-din Aibak in 1199 AD, built this magnificent structure in
the southern part of the capital. A part of it, which could not be finished but completed
by another Muslim King, Iltutmish.
■ In 1368, Feroz Shah Tughlaq rebuilt the top storeys and added a cupola. An earthquake
brought the cupola down in 1803 and an Englishman replaced it with another in 1829
but was removed some years later.
■ Minar(tower)is 72.5 metres high and tapers from 15 meter-diameter base to just 2.5
meter at the top.
■ At the foot of the Qutab Minar stands the first mosque to be built in India, the Might of
Islam Mosque.
IRON PILLAR
■This seven meter high pillar stands in the courtyard of the mosque.
■ A six line Sanskrit inscription indicates that it was initially erected outside a Vishnu
temple, possibly in Bihar and was raised in memory of the Gupta King Chandragupta
Vikramaditya, who ruled from 375 to 413.
■ The pillar is made of a very exceptional pure iron. Scientists have never discovered how
this iron has not rusted even after 2000years.
JANTAR MANTAR
■ Jantar Mantar, Delhi : Within Connaught Place is the Jantar Mantar Observatory built by
the Rajput King of Jaipur Sawai Jai Singh in 1724.
■ It was believed to have been built with masonry instruments for observing the
movements of the stars and planets.
PARLIAMENT HOUSE
■ Parliament House, New Delhi : A marvelous piece of architecture which can be admired
only from outside on account of security restrictions as it is the seat of Indian
Parliament.
■ Close to President's House, it is circular structure almost a kilometer in circumference,

and was designed by the famed architect Luytens.
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RASHTRAPATI BHAWAN
■ Rashtrapati Bhawan (President's House) : The official residence of the President of the
country, the building was also designed by Luytens.
■ It was the official residence of the Viceroy when the British ruled India. With 340 rooms
and an area of about 330 acres.
■ The Mughal Gardens within the complex are a treat for the eyes and are open to public
during certain periods of the year.
BAHAI TEMPLE/ LOTUS TEMPLE

■ BAHAI TEMPLE : It is to the east of Siri Fort Auditorium is this building shaped like
a lotus flower. Built between 1980 and 1986, it is set amongst pools and gardens.
■ Adherents of any faith are free to visit the temple and pray or meditate, according to own
religion and faith.
BIRLA MANDIR
■ Birla Mandir (Laxmi Narayan Temple), New Delhi : It was built by the industrialist Raja
Baldev Birla in 1938. The temple is an important prayer centre and contains idols of
several deities.
■ Mahatma Gandhi, who inaugurated the temple, was also a regular visitor to it.
JAMA MASJID
■ JAMA MASJID : The country's largest mosque where thousands of Muslims offer
prayers every day.
■ It took over 14 years to complete and was built in 1656.
■ It lies opposite the Red Fort.
CHANDNI CHOWK
■ Chandni Chowk, Delhi : In Shah Jahan's day, it was endowed with fine mansions, had a
tree-lined canal flowing down its centre.
■ It is the country's best known wholesale markets for textiles, electronic goods and many
other items.
■ The entire area was designed by Jahanara Begum, Shah Jahan favorite daughter and was
then inhabited by the well-to-do families of the time.
HUMAYUN TOMB
■ Humayun's Tomb, Delhi : Taj Mahal is known to have been inspired by Humayun's
Tomb, and in many ways this magnificent red and white building is as spectacular as the
famous Taj Mahal in Agra. It is a memorial built by his grieving wife, Haji Begum in
1565-66, nine years after his death.
■ The splendor of this grand monument becomes overpowering on entering through the lofty
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double storey gateway.
■ It is set in the center of a large square garden enclosed by high walls on three sides.
SAFDARJANG’S TOMB
■ Safdarjang's Tomb : It is the last enclosed garden tomb in Delhi in the tradition of
Humayun's Tomb though it is far less grand in scale.
■ It was built in 1753-54 as the mausoleum of Safdarjang, the viceroy of the Awadh under
the Mughal Emperor, Mohammed Shah.
■ It has several smaller pavilions.
PURANA QILA
■ Purana Qila (Old Fort), Delhi : the ruins of the fort are located on a small hill which
once stood on the banks of the river Yamuna.
■ Legend has it that the fort marked the site of Indraprastha, the magnificent capital of the
Pandavas, though the construction was carried out by Sher Shah Suri between 1538 to
1545 AD.
■ The structure houses a mosque which has a double storey octagonal tower.
■ It is said that the Mughal king Humayun fell from the tower and died.
TUGHLAQABAD FORT
■ The massively strong walls of Tughlaqabad, the third city of ancient Delhi, is situated in
east of Qutab Minar.
■ The walled city and fort with 13 gateways was built by Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq. The
storey behind the construction of this massive fort is that the king took away workers
who were engaged in constructing a shrine of Sufi Saint Nizam-ud-din.
■ As a result the Sufi Saint cursed the King that his city will not be inhabited for long
and only Gujars (shepherds) will shelter here. Truly, today is the situation.
AGRA
Agra , the former capital of Hindustan, is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the
northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is 363 kilometres (226 mi) west of the state capital,
Lucknow, and 200 kilometres (124 mi) south of the national capital New Delhi. With a
population of 1,686,976 (2010 est.), it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh
and the 19th most populous in India. Agra can also refer to the administrative district that
has its headquarters in Agra city.
HOW TO REACH
By Air: Agra Airport is about 12.5 km (8 mi) from the city center (Indian Air Force
Airport - no scheduled commercial flights)
By Rail: The luxury trains – the Palace on Wheels, and the Royal Rajasthan On Wheels
also stop at Agra on their eight day round trip of tourist destinations in Rajasthan and Agra.
The Buddhist Special Train also visits Agra.
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Major Attractions:
■ Tāj Mahal : It is one of the most famous buildings in the world, the mausoleum
ofShah Jahan's favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It is one of the New Seven Wonders of
the world, and one of three World Heritage Sites in Agra. Tombs of Shah Jahan
and his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
• Completed in 1653, the Tāj Mahal was built by the Mughal king Shah Jahan as the
final resting place for his beloved wife, Mumtāz Mahal.
• This perfectly symmetrical monument took 22 years (1630–1652) of labour and
20,000 workers, masons and jewellers to build and is set amidst landscaped
gardens. Built by the Persian architect, Ustād 'Īsā, the Tāj Mahal is on the south
bank of the Yamuna River.
■ Agra Fort: The great Mughal Emperor Akbar commissioned the construction of the
Agra Fort in 1565 A.D., although additions were made till the time of his grandson
Shah Jahan. The forbidding exteriors of this fort hight an inner pardise. The fort is
crescent shaped, flattended on the east with a long, nearly straight wall facing the river.
• It has a total perimeter of 2.4 k.m., and is ringed by double castellated ramparts of red
sandstone punctuated at regular intervals by bastions. A 9 mt. wide and 10 mt. deep
moat surround the outer wall.
• There are number of exquisite building like the Moti Masjid-a white marvel mosque
akin to a perfect pearl, Diwan-e-Am, Diwan-e-Khaas, Jehangir's Palace, Khaas Mahal,
Shish Mahal and Musamman or Samman Burj-where Shahjahan was held captive in 1666
A.D.
Open Time: Sunrise to Sunset.
■ Fatehpur Sikri
• The Mughal Emperor Akbar built Fatehpūr Sikrī about 35 km (22 mi) from Agra, and
moved his capital there.
• Later abandoned, the site displays a number of buildings of significant historical
importance. A World Heritage Site, it is often visited by tourists. The name of the place
came about after the Mughal Emperor Bābar defeated Rāṇā Sāngā in a battle at a place
called Sikrī (about 40 km (25 mi) from Agra). Then the Mughal Emperor Akbar wanted
to make Fatehpūr Sikrī his head quarters, so he built a majestic fort; due to shortage of
water, however, he had to ultimately move his headquarters to Agra Fort.
• Buland Darwāza or 'the lofty gateway' was built by the great Mughal emperor, Akbar in
1601 CE. at Fatehpūr Sikrī. Akbar built the Buland Darwāza to commemorate his
victory over Gujarat.
• The Buland Darwāza is approached by 52 steps. The Buland Darwāza is 53.63 m high
and 35 meters wide. it is made of red and buff sandstone, decorated by carving and
black and white marble inlays. An inscription on the central face of the Buland
Darwāza demonstrates Akbar's religious broadmindedness, it is a message from Jesus
advising his followers not to consider this world as their permanent home.
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■ Chīnī kā Rauza
Notable for its Persian influenced dome of blue glazed tiles, the Chīnī kā Rauza is
dedicated to the Prime Minister of Shāh Jahān, 'Allāma Afzal Khāl Mullā Shukrullāh of
Shirāz.
■ JAMA MASJID
This building, with a rectangular open forecourt was constructed in 1648 A.D., by Shah
Jahan's daughter, Jehanera Begum in memory of the famous Shiekh Salim Chistti and
his grand son Islam Khan. Of perticular importants is its wounderful assimilation of
Iranian architecture.
JAIPUR
Jaipur is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. It was founded on 18
November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, after whom the city
has been named. The city today has a population of 3.1 million. Jaipur is also known as
Pink City and Paris of India.
HOW TO REACH
By Air: The Jaipur International Airport is called Sanganer Airport. There are domestic flight
connections to Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jodhpur, Udaipur and several other
places. There are international flights from Jaipur to Dubai and Muscat, Bangkok.
By Train: The Jaipur Railway Station, located west of the Old City, has trains plying
regularly to Delhi (4 ½ hr), Agra (5 hr), Mumbai, Chennai, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Udaipur,
Ahmedabad and so on. The Shatabdi Express, the Pink City Express and the regal luxury
train Palace on Wheels, are the trains from Delhi.
By Road: A convenient mode of travel to Jaipur is by road. Regular bus service of AC and
Deluxe Coaches are available.
PLACES TO SEE
Forts and monuments
Jaipur has a number of forts and monuments like
■ Hawa Mahal: Hawa Mahal is a palace in Jaipur, India. It was built in 1799 by
Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, and designed by Lal Chand Ustad in the form of the
crown of Krishna, the Hindu god.
• Its unique five-storey exterior is also akin to the honeycomb of the beehive with its 953
small windows called jharokhas that are decorated with intricate latticework.
• The original intention of the lattice was to allow royal ladies to observe everyday life in
the street below without being seen, since they had to observe strict "purdah" (face
cover).
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• Built of red and pink sandstone, the palace is situated on the main thoroughfare in the
heart of Jaipur’s business centre.
■ Amer Fort: It is located in Amer (a town with an area of 4 square kilometres

(1.5 sq mi)), 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from Jaipur, Rajasthan state, India.
• It is one of the principal tourist attractions in the Jaipur area, located high on a hill.
Amer Fort was built by Raja Man Singh I.
• Amer Fort is known for its artistic style, blending both Hindu and Rajput elements.
With its large ramparts, series of gates and cobbled paths, the fort overlooks the Maota
Lake, at its forefront
■ Jaigarh Fort: It is situated on the promontory called the Cheel ka Teela (Hill of
Eagles) of the Aravalli range; it overlooks the Amber Fort and the Maota Lake, near
Amber in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.
• The fort was built by Jai Singh II in 1726 to protect the Amber Fort and its palace
complex and was named after him.
• The fort, rugged and similar in structural design to the Amber Fort, is also known as
Victory Fort.
• The fort features a cannon named “Jaivana”, which was manufactured in the fort precincts
and was then the world's largest cannon on wheels
■ Nahargarh Fort: It stands on the edge of the Aravalli Hills, overlooking the pink city
of Jaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The view of the city from the fort is breath-
taking.
• Along with Amber Fort and Jaigarh Fort, Nahargarh once formed a strong defence ring
for the city. The fort was originally named Sudarshangarh, but it became known as
Nahargarh, which means 'abode of tigers'.
■ City Palace: City Palace, Jaipur, which includes the Chandra Mahal and Mubarak
Mahal palaces and other buildings, is a palace complex in Jaipur.
 The palace was built between 1729 and 1732, initially by Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler
of Amber.
 It was the seat of the Maharaja of Jaipur, the head of the Kachwaha Rajput clan.
 The Chandra Mahal palace now houses a museum but the greatest part of it is still a
royal residence. The palace complex, which is located northeast of the centre of the grid
patterned Jaipur city, incorporates an impressive and vast array of courtyards, gardens
and buildings.
■ Jantar Mantar: The Jantar Mantar is a collection of architectural astronomical

instruments, built by Maharaja (King) Jai Singh II at his then new capital of Jaipur
between 1727 and 1734.
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 It is modeled after the one that he had built for him at the Mughal capital of Delhi.
 He had constructed a total of five such facilities at different locations, including the
ones at Delhi and Jaipur.
 It has been inscribed on the World Heritage List as "an expression of the
astronomical skills and cosmological concepts of the court of a scholarly prince at
the end of the Mughal period".
■ Jal Mahal: Jal Mahal is a palace located in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake in Jaipur
city, the capital of the state of Rajasthan, India.
• The palace and the lake around it were renovated and enlarged in the 18th century by
Maharaja Jai Singh II of Amber.
• The palace, built in red sandstone, is a five storied building out of which four floors
remain under water when the lake is full and the top floor is exposed.
• The rectangular Chhatri on the roof is of the Bengal type. The Chhatris on the four
corners are octagonal. The palace had suffered subsidence in the past and also seepage
due to water logging, which have been repaired under the restoration project undertaken
by the Government of Rajasthan
■ Rambagh Palace: The Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, Rajasthan is the former residence of
the Maharaja of Jaipur and now a luxury Taj Palace Hotel, located 5 miles (8.0 km)
outside of the walls of the city of Jaipur on Bhawani Singh Road.
■ Preferred by celebrities and sport stars across the globe, Rambagh Palace, is widely
considered to be one of the best hotels around the world.
■ Central Museum,
■ Albert Hall Museum.
Other places of interest include
 Chand Baori
 Chokhi Dhani
 Kathputhli slum
 Raj Mandir Cinema
Chokhi Dhani, a Rajasthani village themed resort, situated in the outskirts of Jaipur, is
a representation of the culture, traditions and lifestyle of village life in Rajasthan.
Chokhi Dhani village consists of an ethnic village theme resort with 100 (cottages,
royal cottages and haveli suites) and it has multicuisine restaurants, banquet halls, spa,
barbecue and sheesha (Hookah) lounge.
 The village fair attempts to encapsulate the feeling of the rural life and culture of
Rajasthan, a state known for its cultural and historical richness. The chairman of
Chokhi Dhani is Gulraj Vaswani, and the Managing Director is Subhash Vaswani.
 Founded in the year 1989, it is now spread over 22 acres (8.9 ha) of land and has
evolved as one of the most popular tourist attractions in Jaipur and continues to be
one of the major players in the hospitality industry across India.
 Chokhi Dhani Village has a different theme for each day, a festive celebration every
time in a different manner with a preview of real Rajasthani village culture in fun,
entertainment, games, shopping, rajasthani cuisine, folk dance, music and much more
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Golden Triangle
Duration: 5 Nights / 6 Days
Destinations Covered: Delhi - Jaipur – Agra
Day - 1 Arrive Delhi
Arrive Delhi. Meeting and assistance on arrival. Transfer to hotel.
Day - 2 Delhi
Morning tour of Delhi visiting Raj Ghat and Shanti Vana - the cremation sites of
Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, Jama Masjid and drive past Red Fort and Chandni
Chowk. Afternoon visit Qutub Minar built by Qutub-ud-Din Aibek in 1199,
Humayun's Tomb, India Gate (War Memorial Arch), Lakshminarayan Temple - a modern
Hindu Temple. Also drive past President's House, Parliament House, Government
Secretariat Buildings and Connaught Place shopping centre. Overnight Delhi.
Day - 3 Delhi - Jaipur (206 kms - 4 hrs)
Morning drive to Jaipur. On arrival check in at hotel. Afternoon free.
Day - 4 Jaipur
Morning visit Amber Fort. Amber Fort was the ancient capital of the State. Visit the
Sheesh Mahal or the Hall of Victory glittering with mirrors. Afternoon tour of Jaipur.
Jaipur - the capital of Rajasthan was given a colour coat of pink a century ago in honour of
a visiting Prince and ever since, it has retained this colour. Built by Maharaja Jai Singh, the
notable astronomer, this city is 260 years old. Visit Maharaja's City Palace, the Observatory
& Ram Niwas Gardens. Drive past Hawa Mahal & through the pink rose residential & business
areas. Overnight Jaipur.
Day - 5 Jaipur - Agra (256 kms - 5/6 hrs)
Drive to Agra en-route visiting Fatehpur Sikri. Fatehpur Sikri is 40 kms from Agra and
built by Emperor Akbar in 1569 .See the graceful buildings including the Jama Masjid,
Tomb of Salim Chisti, Panch Mahal and other Palaces. Overnight at Agra.
Day - 6 Agra - Delhi (203 kms - 3 hrs)
Morning visit the world famous Taj Mahal built by the Moghul Emperor Shahjehan
in 1630 for his Queen Mumtaz Mahal to enshrine her mortal remains. Later visit the Agra
Fort containing the Pearl Mosque, the Halls of Public and Private Audience. Also visit the
Tomb
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of Itmad-ud-Daullah built by Empress Noorjehan in memory of her father. Afternoon drive
to Delhi. Transfer to international airport to board flight for onward journey.
SAMPLE ITINERARY
Destinations Covered: Delhi-Agra-Fatehpur Sikri-Jaipur-Ajmer-Pushkar-

Udaipur-Jodhpur-Jaisalmer-Bikaner-Mandawa-Delhi
Duration: 15 Nights / 16 Days.
Day 1: Welcome to Delhi

Welcome to the political and Cultural Capital of India … Delhi. Traditional welcome at the
airport by our representative and escorted to your hotel. Day free to relax and get over the
jet lag. Enjoy the night life in Delhi.
Day 2: Delhi
After a leisurely breakfast full day sightseeing tour of Delhi where ornate buildings recall
the days when India was the Jewel in the crown of the British empire. Visit the 11th
century Qutab Minar, India Gate and the grand government buildings, the President's
House, Red fort, Mahatama Gandhi Memorial, also visit Laxmi Narayan temple popularly
known as Birla Temple, Lotus Temple and Akshardham. In the evening get ready to
explore the shoppers paradise and handicrafts of India. Night stay in Delhi.
Day 3: Delhi – Agra (200 km from Delhi, 3-4 hrs. drive)

After breakfast proceed to Agra and check in to the hotel. Visit the magnificient Taj Mahal
- one of the seven wonders of the world surely the most extravagant expression of love ever
created. 20,000 men laboured for over 17 years to build this memorial to Shah Jahan's
beloved wife. Also visit the Agra fort – the rusty and majestic red-sandstone fort of Agra
stands on the banks of the river Yamuna and the construction was started by Emperor
Akbar in 1566. Night stay in Agra.
Day 4: Agra – Fatehpur Sikri - Jaipur (230 km from Agra, 5-5.5 hrs drive)
After breakfast check out of the hotel and proceed to Jaipur. On the way, visit the town of
Fatehpur Sikri which was once the capital city of Mughal Emperor Akbar and abode of the
famous muslim shrine of Sufi Saint Salim Chisti. Another main feature of Fatehpur Sikri is
the Buland Darwaza, the gate of Magnificence. Arrival in Jaipur by evening and check in to
the hotel.
Day 5 : Jaipur
Full day sightseeing of Jaipur which includes places of interest like the City Palace, Jaigarh
Fort, Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar and Amber Fort. The steep approach to the Amber Palace
gives you an opportunity to enjoy an elephant ride up the hill like a King and a Queen with
a
27

scintillating view of the lake below surrounded by hills. Late evening free for shopping. On at
the hotel in Jaipur.
Day 6: Jaipur – Ajmer - Pushkar (145 km from Jaipur, 6-7 hrs drive)
After breakfast proceed on Pushkar via Ajmer. On the way to Pushkar visit the famous
Dargah Shariff, Shah Jahan's mosque and Taragarh fort at Ajmer. Go for a delightful
adventurous Camel Safari in Pushkar. Night stay in Pushkar.
Day 7: Pushkar – Udaipur ( 301 km from Pushkar, 5-6 hrs drive)

In Pushkar visit Brahma temple (said to be one of the few temples in the world dedicated to
this deity) Pushkar Lake, Man Mahal and Savitri temple. Proceed on to Udaipur enjoying
the forts and palaces enroute. Arrival in Udaipur by late evening and relax at the hotel.
Day 8: Udaipur
Morning city sightseeing tour of Udaipur. The city is built in 1559 A.D. by Maharaja Udai
Singh and has been described as the most romantic spot on the continent of India by Col.
James Todd. Visit the City Palace museum, the Jagdish temple, Sahelion Ki Bari (Queen’s
resort for their friends) Bhartiya Lok Kala Mandir (Folk art museum) and the Pratap
Memorial. Rest of the day at leisure. Night stay in Udaipur.
Day 9 : Udaipur – Jodhpur (185 kms from Udaipur, 4-5 hrs drive)
After breakfast proceed by road to Jodhpur. Arrival in Jodhpur and evening at leisure. Night
stay in Jodhpur.
Day 10: Jodhpur

Morning city sight seeing tour. Jodhpur, stronghold of the fierce Rathore clan, was founded
in 1459 by Prince Jodha. Visit the Mehrangarh Fort, situated on a low sandstone hill.
Within the fort, visit Moti Mahal and Phool Mahal. Also visit Jaswant Thada, an imposing
marble cenotaph, built in memory of Maharaja Jaswant singh II around 1899 and Umaid
Public gardens. Night stay in Jodhpur.
Day 11: Jodhpur - Jaisalmer (285 kms from Jodhpur, 5-6 hrs drive)
Morning drive to Jaisalmer through the Kheechan village (famous for its migratory
cranes)& transfer to the hotel. Evening at leisure. Night stay in Jaisalmer.
Day 12: Jaisalmer

After breakfast go for a small city tour and proceed for a camel safari. Lunch & dinner
enroute on camel safari. Night stay in Jaisalmer.
Day 13: Jaisalmer – Bikaner (330 kms from Jaisalmer, 6-7 hrs drive)
After breakfast proceed by road to Bikaner enjoying the small villages and rural sights of
Rajasthan with its sand dunes. Night stay in Bikaner.
Day 14: Bikaner

After breakfast visit the Junagarh Fort, constructed between 1588 and 1593 by Raja Jai
Singh, a general in the Mughal Emperor Akbar's army and the Karnimata Temple at
Deshnok. Also visit the prestigious camel breeding farm in the evening. Night stay in
Bikaner.
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Day 15: Bikaner – Mandawa (190 km from Bikaner, 3hrs drive)
After breakfast proceed to Mandawa, a small and bustling town in the Shekhawati region
lying north of Jaipur. Its importance lies in the splendidly frescoed havelis or mansions-
mostly constructed by the prosperous merchants, between the 18th and 20th centuries.
Day 16: Mandawa – Delhi (250 km from Mandawa, 4-5hrs drive)

After brunch drive back to Delhi to move on to your next destination or board a flight
back home.
KERALA TOUR SAMPLE ITINERARY
Destinations Covered: Kochi- Munnar-Thekaddy- Alleppey- Kumarakom- Kovalam -

Trivandrum
Day 1: Arrive Kochi

Welcome to Kochi, the most charming city of Kerala. On arrival at Kochi airport or
Ernakulam railway station, begin your tour of 'Colours of Kerala'. You will be met and
transferred to your hotel.
Later visit the St. Francis Church, the Mattencherry Palace, the Jewish Synagogue and
view the Chinese fishing nets in Fort Kochi area.
Overnight in hotel.
Day 2: On to Munnar (130 kms/ approx. 4 hour drive)

This morning proceed on a drive through the picturesque countryside to Munnar.
On arrival, check into your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure
Overnight in hotel.
Day 3: In Munnar * Full day sightseeing

Today proceed for full day sightseeing of Munnar where you will enjoy visiting sections of
old Munnar, which includes the charming old Christ Church with its original fourteen rows of
wooden pews and the Tata Tea Museum
Later you will also visit Mattupetty Lake which is flanked by steep hills and woods and has
been created by the small hydro-electricity dam there. The evening is at leisure.
Overnight in hotel.
Day 4 : On to Thekkady (105 kms / approx. 3 and half hour drive)

Today drive to Thekkady (Periyar) the land of spice plantations
On arrival, check into your hotel. Later, walk through the spice market in the Kumily
Village. Overnight in hotel.
Day 5 : On to Alleppey (110 kms / approx. 4 hour drive)

Early in the morning enjoy a boat cruise on Lake Periyar (boats can be hired directly), to
observe wildlife in the Periyar Sanctuary.
Later, drive to the idyllic backwaters of Alleppey and check into your resort. Rest of the day
29

at leisure
Overnight in
hotel.
Day 6 : On to Kumarakom (51 kms / approx. 1 and half hour drive)

This morning drive to your resort in Kumarakom.
On arrival check into your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure. Relax yourself in serenity
of your beautiful resort.
Overnight in hotel.
Day 7: On to Kovalam (190 kms / approx. 5 hour drive)

This morning, you will drive to Kovalam
On arrival you will check into your hotel. The rest of the evening is
free Overnight in hotel.
Day 8: In Kovalam
The day is at leisure. You can opt for a rejuvenating ayurvedic body massage (on direct
payment basis) or simply enjoy the facilities offered by the resort
Overnight in hotel.
Day 9 : On to Trivandrum (16 km / approx. 45 minute drive) | Return home with

happy memories
Today bid farewell to your 'Colours of Kerala' tour, as you are transferred to
Trivandrum airport or Trivandrum railway station for your onward journey .
Singapore-Malaysia-Thailand Itinerary
Day 1: Mumbai – Singapore

Arrive into Singapore. After Immigrations and Customs our Local Representative will
receive you and transfer you to Hotel City Hub or Similar. Check into Hotel after Indian
Lunch. Evening free for shopping in Singapore. Indian Dinner and Overnight at Hotel.
Breakfast (Yes) Lunch (Yes) Dinner (Yes)
Day 2: Singapore
After Breakfast City Orientation tour of Singapore covering places like Merlion, Raffles
Statue, orchid Botanical Garden, Singapore river, the statue of Sir Thomas Stamford
Raffles, the Parliament House, Suntec City, Fountain of Wealth, City Hall, Gems Gallery,
Orchard Road, Swiss - The tallest hotel in Singapore. It’s free time for shopping at Little
India after Indian Lunch. Followed by Sentosa Island Tour (Cable car suspended till 2010)
Underwater world, Dolphin Lagoon, Songs of Sea. Return back to Singapore. Indian
Dinner and Overnight at the Hotel.
Day 3: Singapore – Malaysia

After Breakfast check out and transfer to Malaysia by Coach/ Train. After doing the
Immigrations and customs at the Malaysian check point our Malaysian coach will receive
you and then drive towards
30

Genting Highlands. The journey takes about 6 hrs and is filled with majestic views along
the way. Onroute to Genting Highlands we stop at Batu Caves which is one of the most
visited sites in KualaLumpur. We have South Indian Lunch at a restaurant near the caves
and continue our journey towards the base station of Genting. Take a Cable car upto the
Top. Check into Hotel First World or Similar. Evening asemble in the lobby for an
Orientation tour of Genting Highlands followed by Indian Dinner and a walk through the
Casinos.
Day 4: Malaysia
After hotel breakfast. Full Day to Enjoy the Out door and Indoor theme park rides at
Genting. In the afternoon we assemble at a chosen meeting point for Indian Lunch followed
by some time free to to enjoy the theme parks. Evening Assemble in the Hotel Lobby for
Indian Dinner at Restaurant. Overnight at the Hotel.
Day 5: Malaysia
After Breakfast, check out from the Hotel. Transfer to Kuala Lumpur. Indian Lunch
followed by City Orientation tour of KL covering the National Monument, National
Mosque, Photo Stop at Petronas Twin Towers, KL tower observatory Deck. Check Into
Hotel Cititel Express or Similar. Evening Free for shopping. Indian Dinner and Overnight.
Day 6: Malaysia - Thailand

After Breakfast check out and transfer to airport for flight to Bangkok. Arrive into Bangkok
in the afternoon. After immigrations and customs our local representative will receive you
and transfer you to Pattaya. Check into Hotel Beverly Plaza or Similar. Evening assemble
in the lobby for visit to the famous Alcazar Show. Followed by Indian Dinner and
Overnight at the Hotel.
Day 7: Thailand
After Breakfast transfer by speed boat to Coral Islands. On Route we make a brief stop at
the Parasailing Platform which is an optional activity. Passengers interested in it can pay
directly. View the Corals from the Glass bottom boat followed by some time free at the
Island for shopping and water sports activities (all to be paid directly by passengers).
Return to Pattaya in the afternoon followed by Indian Lunch. Time free to relax. Evening
Visit Gems Gallery followed by Indian Dinner & Overnight.
Day 8: Thailand
After Breakfast check out and transfer to Bangkok. On Route we visit Safari World
Covering shows such as Orang Utan show, Sea Lion show, Stunt show, Dolphin Show
Followed by a drive through the Safari Park. Reach Bangkok in the Evening check into
Hotel DMA Ramada or Similar. Indian Dinner and Overnight.
Day 9: Thailand
After Breakfast we take a City Temple Tour of Bangkok covering temples of Golden
Buddha and Reclining Buddha. After Indian Lunch Time free for shopping at Indra Market
Area which is one of the most famous shopping areas of Bangkok. Along with the
street side

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shopping it also has big shopping malls to cater to different tastes. Evening Assembly at the
Meeting point. Indian Dinner & transfer back to the Hotel.
Day 10: Thailand – India (Mumbai)

After Breakfast time free for shopping check out of hotel followed by Indian Lunch &
transfer to the Airport for return flight to India.
Breakfast (Yes) Lunch (Yes)
Tour Cost:
• INR 68,000 Per Person on twin sharing basis.
• INR 78,000 Per Person for Single Supplements.
• INR 52,000 Per child Without extra Bed.
• INR 65,000 Per Child with Extra Bed.
Tour Cost Includes:
• Return Economy Class Airfare from Mumbai 3 Country Visa Charges.
• Accommodation in 3 and 4 Star Hotels. Meals and sightseeing as specified.
• Services of a local tour guide.
• Overseas Insurance for passengers upto age of 55 years.
• Airport taxes.
Tour Cost Does Not Includes:
• Costs for passport making. Expenses of personal nature such as mineral water, Laundry,
telephone, minibar etc
• Anything specifically mentioned in “Tour Cost Includes column”
Booking Conditions & Payment Terms:
Non refundable Deposit of INR 20,000 Per Person at the time of booking. Balance to be
paid 21 days prior to the departure failing which tour company reserves the right to cancel
the tour with appropriate cancellation policy in place.
Cancellation Policies:
• Up to 21 days before departure INR 20,000 per person.
• 21 days to 14 days 50% of the tour cost.
• Less than 14 days No Refund.
Passengers who wish to upgrade to a 4 star Hotel can do so at an

additional Price of:
• INR 15,000 Per Person for Twin sharing and Triple Sharing basis.
• INR 28,000 Per Person for Single.
• INR 11,000 Per Child 2-11 yrs with Extra Bed.
• INR 02,000 Per Child 2-11 yrs without extra Bed.
SINGAPORE
Day 1: Arrive in
Singapore
Arrive in Singapore and check in at the hotel. Whole day for relaxation. Overnight stay at
the hotel.
Day 2: Sightseeing in Singapore -Night Safari

Breakfast at the hotel. Proceed for a half-day sightseeing tour of the city. Visit the colonial
buildings, government houses, Little India and Chinatown. Trek up to Mt. Faber to enjoy a
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panoramic view of Singapore. Experience the world's only Night Safari to the 40 hectare
Jingle Reserve in Singapore is highly recommended. Return to the hotel for overnight
stay.
Day 3: Sightseeing in Singapore - Jurong Bird Park - Sentosa With underwater World
Breakfast at the hotel. Proceed for a trip to Jurong Bird Park in the morning. This
landscaped park has an astounding range of birds, nearly 3500 in all. After lunch, proceed for
the Sentosa Island, a seaside resort famous for its beaches, museums, aquariums, and
sporting activities. Return to the hotel for an overnight stay.
Day 4: Departure from Singapore

Breakfast at the hotel. Check out in the afternoon and transfer to the airport. Board the
flight to your onward destination.
MALAYSIA
Destinations: Kuala Lumpur (KL) –Genting Island – Malacca –Lankawi
Duration: 7 nights -8 days
Day 01: Arrival KL

On arrival KL meet and greet by our company representative and transfer to Genting Island
and rest of the day is free. Over night stay at Hotel.
Day – 02: Genting island – KL

After morning breakfast check out genting hotel and transfer to KL enrout visit Batu Caves
(Batu Caves where you will find the Murugan Temple on the big limestone cave, which is
famous pilgrimage place for the Hindus.) check in hotel and rest of the day is free for
shopping and other activities. Over night stay at KL
Day – 03: KL City Tour

After Morning breakfast proceed for a half day city tour of KL. Visit: National Museum,
National Monument, Independence Square, Handicraft center. Photo stop at King Palace,
Twin Tower, National Mosque and Old Railway station
Afternoon return back to Hotel and rest of the day is free. Over night stay at hotel
Day – 04: KL –Malacca

After Morning Breakfast board your coach to Malacca (4hrs of drive)
On arrival Malacca transfer to hotel and rest of the day is free for shopping and other
activities. Overnight stay at hotel.
Day – 05: Malacca

After Morning breakfast proceed for a local tour of Malacca. Visit St. Peter’s Church (1710)
– the oldest Christian Church still in use in Malaysia. Drive past the largest 17th century
Chinese cemetery outside of China, located at Bukit China a.k.a Chinese Hill. Stop at the
foothill to view the Sultan Well’s before driving through the Portuguese Settlement. Then
proceed to the famous gateway Porta De Santiago and the ruins of St. Paul’s Church, lined
by 17th century Dutch tombstones.
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Red Square – the salmon pink Dutch administrative buildings which is housing the
Malacca Museum and government offices. After a visit to Christchurch, proceed for lunch
(local restaurant - Asian Delights). Visit Abode Merciful Clouds a.k.a. Cheng Hoon Teng
Temple – the only temple where you can find 3 major doctrines of local Chinese belief
under the same roof: Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism. Take a stroll along Malacca’s
Jonker Street, which ends by the banks of the Malacca River. Overnight at Hotel.
Day – 06 : Malacca - Lankawi

After Morning breakfast transfer to Malacca cruise station and proceed to Lankawi (2 ½ hrs
cruise) on arrival Lankawi transfer to hotel and rest of the day is free for shopping and
other activities. Over night stay at Hotel.
Day – 07 :Lankawi
After Morning breakfast proceed for a half day local tour of Lankawi Tour will begin with
a visit to the hot springs, followed by a visit to the black sand beach to see the unique color
and then to the Mahsuri Tomb, built to remember the legend of Princess Mahsuri, who was
unjustly accused of adultery. Visit the Marble factory before stopping for shopping at the
Kuah Town.later return back to hotel and rest of the day is free for individual activities.
Overnight stay at Lankawi hotel.
Day – 08 :Lankawi – KL
After Morning breakfast transfer to Lankawi airport to board your flight to KL same day
transfer to KL international airport to board your flight to your country.
BANGKOK
Day 01: Bangkok, Thailand

Upon arrival in Bangkok and transfer to your hotel for check-in and overnight at Hotel.
Day 02: Bangkok

After Breakfast, full day sightseeing in Bangkok. Visit the Prasart Museum, a privately
owned venue rarely shown to the public. Afternoon, travel by long-tail speed boat on the
picturesque Chao Phraya River and klongs (canals) to see the serene family houses and
temples along the waterways that give this city the name “Venice of the East.” Visit the
elegant Temple of Dawn, stop at a neighborhood monastery to learn about Thai Buddhism
and at an old wooden schoolhouse where kids delight in visitors. Afterwards, visit the
Grand Palace, a lavish, awe-inspiring monument of tapering gilded spires, majestic
pavilions, dazzling murals, and brilliant colors. Shopping stops a silk factory, major
shopping mall, antique shops, will be included in todays tour. Dinner at Supatra River
House. Overnight at hotel.
Day 03: Bangkok - Ayutthaya - Bangkok

After breakfast proceed to the countryside to the north of Bangkok, heading for Ayutthaya,
the former capital of Siam. At the magnificent city ruins, you can see the largest Buddha
image of Phra Mongkhon Bophit. Continue to Bang Pa-In Summer Palace of King Rama
V, consisting of buildings in a quaint mixture of European and Thai architecture. You will
have a chance to visit the interior of Chinese Wehat Chamrun Palace. Return cruise to
Bangkok on the Chao Phaya River aboard the luxurious Horizon Cruise. En route,
observe the scenic
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beauty and friendliness of the canal folks as you enjoy a sumptuous lunch. This evening
introduces you to mystical dances, Thai cuisine and truly Thai ambience! During dinner, feast
your eyes on the grace and beauty of the dancers, elegantly performing stories from
classical Thai literature and folktales. The Peninsula Hotel (B,L,D)Overnight at hotel.
Day 04: Bangkok - Chiang Rai

After breakfast, transfer from hotel to Bangkok domestic airport for flight to Chiang Rai.
Arrive in Chiang Rai and transfer to your hotel for check-in and lunch. After lunch, explore
Chiang Saen, a small port town on the banks of the Mekong, where there are the ruins of
the Chiang Saen Kingdom, from 1325, including chedis, images of the Buddha, and earthen
city ramparts and visit the infamous Golden Triangle previously renowned as the center of
the opium trade. Overnight at hotel.
Day 05: Chiang Rai - Mae Sai - Chiang Mai

After breakfast, drive to Mae Sai, the northernmost point of Thailand. This is the perfect
spot to observe border life, as Mae Sai is one of the very few official land crossings
between Thailand and Burma. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. This afternoon, drive to
Chiang Mai and check-in at the hotel. This evening, enjoy dinner at Le Grand Lanna
featuring ancient Lanna culture, the foundation of northern Thai lifestyle for almost a
thousand years. It represents peace, tranquility, and living in harmony with one another and
with the nature around them. Overnight at hotel.
Day 06: Chiang Mai

After breakfast, full day Doi Inthanon National Park. The 58 kms away from Chiang Mai is
a popular destination for one-day excursion- Doi Inthanon National Park. Or you may
choose visit the Mae Taman Elephant Camp; first to see the show, next ride elephants
across the Mae Taeng River and up the hill. Then return by oxcart to the elephant village
where lunch will be served. From here, the rafting adventure starts along the unspoiled Mae
Taeng River. Continue to the Orchid Farm, to view the many beautiful species of orchid.
Overnight at Hotel.
Day 07: Chiang Mai - Phuket

After breakfast, transfer to Chiang Mai Airport for flight to Phuket. You are met at the
airport by a local representative for a Phuket Island tour. Visit Phuket Town with its
Malacca-style houses and bustling markets before stopping to admire one of Phuket’s most
famous temples. Enjoy dinner and evening stroll at Patong Beach. Overnight at hotel.
Day 09: Phuket

After Breakfast, morning canoeing excursion in Phang Nga Bay to explore tranquil,
undisturbed nature. Return to the hotel and enjoy the afternoon at leisure. Tonight, dinner is
at Baan Rim Pa, “the House on the Cliff.” Dine on an open terrace with a view down the
cliff to the waves breaking on the rocky beach below. Overnight at Hotel.
Day 10: Phuket – Bangkok

After breakfast, morning is at leisure until your transfer to Phuket Airport for the flight to
Bangkok. Upon arrival in Bangkok, walk to the Amari Airport Hotel for check-in.
Overnight at Hotel.
Day 11: Bangkok - Depart
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Return to the airport for your departure.
Grand Tour of Far East

Visit: Bangkok, Pattaya, Kuala Lumpur, Genting Highlands & Singapore
Itinerary
DAY 1
Begin your 'Grand Tour of Far
East' Fly to Bangkok
After a buffet breakfast, we drive to the airport for your flight to Bangkok, Thailand - the
land of smiles. Our local representative will be waiting at the ATTA counter located in the
arrival hall. They will welcome you and take you to your hotel.
Enjoy an Indian veg/non-veg dinner.
Overnight at Royal Benja Hotel or similar in Bangkok.
DAY 2
Safari World with Marine Park
After an early breakfast, we proceed on a visit to Thailand's natural safari park - Safari
World with Marine Park. Watch the Sea Lion Show where the sea lions pull one trick after
another. Watch the cowboys and bandits in fist & gun fights at the Cowboy stunt show.
Enjoy a vegetarian lunch. Later watch the Dolphin & Bird shows. Enjoy a safari as you
come face-to- face with giraffes, zebras and other animals and birds living together in a
lush environment. The rest of the evening is free. Enjoy an Indian veg/non-veg dinner.
Overnight at Royal Benja Hotel or similar in Bangkok.
DAY 3
City Tour of Bangkok
Visit Nong Nooch Village
See Mini Siam
Beach Party in Pattaya
After a buffet breakfast, sit in an air-conditioned coach as we take you on a city tour of
Bangkok. See two of the famous temple monasteries. Visit the temple of Reclining Buddha
and the temple of Golden Buddha. At the Gems Factory, shop for the famous Jade stones.
Later, we drive to Pattaya - the resort city of Thailand. Enroute, enjoy a vegetarian lunch.
Visit the Nong Nooch Village. See a Thai cultural show with traditional dances and
performances. The highlight being a spectacular elephant show. Take a stroll around the lakes
& beautiful tropical garden renowned for its Orchid species and bonsai gardens. The
evening is free for you. Or take this opportunity to visit Mini Siam. This miniature city
with more than 100 models has replicas of 80 sacred places and important historical
sites around
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Thailand. There are also models of the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, London's Tower
Bridge and the Trevi Fountain. This evening, enjoy a special Beach Party. Dance to your
favourite Bollywood hits and enjoy an Indian veg/non-veg dinner too! Overnight at Siam
Bayshore Resort or similar in Pattaya.
DAY 4
Coral Island
Tiffany Show
After a buffet breakfast, we set out in a speed boat to the scenic Coral Island - the largest of
Pattaya's archipelago. See the amazing display of sea treasures and coral formations through a
traditional glass bottomed boat. A thrilling parasailing ride has been specially included for
you. Experience the excitement as you glide over the blue sea and get a birds eye view of
Pattaya. You can enjoy other water sports - sailing, water skiing, etc. on your own. The rest
of the evening is free for you to explore Pattaya on your own. In the evening we take you to
the ‘Tiffany’ - a famous night club show where you'll have the time of your life. Enjoy an
Indian veg/non-veg dinner. Overnight at Siam Bayshore Resort or similar in Pattaya.
DAY 5
Fly to Kuala Lumpur
After a buffet breakfast, we check out of the hotel and drive to the airport for your flight to
Kuala Lumpur. On arrival at Kuala Lumpur Airport, our local representative will welcome
you and take you to your hotel. Your hotel has been carefully chosen to allow you to shop
to your heart's content at the malls close by. Kuala Lumpur offers the best shopping
bargains for clothes, footwear, watches, electronics, computers, cosmetics or cameras. Visit
the many shopping plazas - Lot 10, BB, Suria KLCC, Sungai Wang or Putra Place, next to
your hotel.
Enjoy an Indian veg / non-veg dinner. Overnight at Dorsett Regency Hotel or similar in
Kuala Lumpur.
DAY 9
Shop to your hearts content
Evening tour of Kuala Lumpur
Dinner at KL Tower
Enjoy a buffet breakfast at your hotel. The day has been kept free for you to go shopping in
Kuala Lumpur. In the evening, we take you on a city tour of the sprawling city of Kuala
Lumpur. See the 88 storey Petronas Twin Towers, Lake Gardens with National Monument,
National Mosque & Merdeka Square. We proceed to the famous 'Menara Kuala Lumpur'
popularly known as "KL Tower" which is majestically poised at a breathtaking height of
421 meters. Enjoy an overwhelming view of Kuala Lumpur from the observation deck,
equipped with an audio guide to give you comprehensive information of Kuala Lumpur.
You can also shop for souvenirs at the Tower souvenir shop. Later, enjoy a delicious Indian
veg / non-veg dinner at the KL Tower. Overnight at Dorsett Regency Hotel or similar in
Kuala Lumpur.
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DAY 6
Onto Sunway Lagoon
Sunway Lagoon Theme park
After an early buffet breakfast, we proceed to Sunway Lagoon. En route we visit Thean
Hou Temple dedicated to the Goddess of the Seas. Now, get ready for a truly unforgettable and
the ultimate hotel experience in Malaysia, as you enter the luxurious Pyramid Towers at
Sunway Lagoon - an exclusive for SOTC customers. The day is free to explore the wonders
of Sunway Lagoon Theme Park, specially included for you. Find entertainment, adventure
and excitement at the Waters of Africa, Wild West & World of Adventure and loads of
shopping. Enjoy an Indian veg / non-veg dinner. Overnight at Hotel Sunway Pyramid
Tower.
DAY 7
Onto Genting Highlands
Outdoor Theme Park
Visit Casino de Genting
After an early buffet breakfast, we proceed to Genting Highlands Mountain Resort. En

route we stop for a short visit at the magnificent Batu Caves, a Hindu shrine. Enjoy a
vegetarian lunch. Visit the Nong Nooch Village. See a Thai cultural show with traditional
dances and performances. Enjoy the breathtaking scenery, lush green hills and beautiful
landscapes, as we continue our journey to Genting Highland. Enter a world of fantasy and
adventure at the Genting Theme Park. Check into the Resort Hotel (check in time is 3 pm).
At the Genting Outdoor Theme Park, enjoy unlimited rides, games, shows, high-tech
rides, roller coasters, mini trains, boating on the lake, etc. at a nominal price. Enjoy an
Indian veg / non-veg dinner. Tonight, you may visit Casino de Genting, the biggest casino
in Asia. Overnight at the Resort Hotel or similar in Genting Highlands.
DAY 8
Drive to Singapore
Sentosa Island
After an early buffet breakfast, sit back in an air-conditioned coach as we drive to

Singapore. On arrival in Singapore, we proceed to the dream Island of Sentosa and check
in to Shangri- La's Rasa Sentosa Resort, the only beachfront hotel set on a stretch of sandy
white Siloso beach inside Sentosa Island. Enjoy every moment at this wonderful paradise
hotel, an exclusive for SOTC customers only. Spend a fun-filled day at Sentosa Island.
Take the free shuttle that takes you around Sentosa. See the Animal show and Bird show.
Enjoy a dynamic simulation ride that will leave
you on the edge of your seat, at Cinemania on Sentosa Island. Later, enjoy the fabulous
light & sound show at the dancing Musical Fountains. Enjoy an Indian veg / non-veg
dinner. Overnight at Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort.
Add: 101 Siloso Road, Sentosa, Singapore 098970. Tel: (65-6) 275 0100. Fax: (65-6) 275
0355.
Extend your tour by 3 days
38

Add on a fun-filled experience aboard the fabulous 'SuperStar Virgo'.
Visit Port Klang.
Click here for details.
DAY 9
Enjoy more of Sentosa Island
City tour of Singapore
After a buffet breakfast, experience the pleasures of wonderful Sentosa Island. Take a stroll
down the Merlion Walk, a 120-metre-long Gaudi-inspired mosaic walkway. Treat your
senses to the aromas from over 50 types of spice and herb plants in Herb & Spice Gardens.
Visit the Carlsberg Sky Tower, one of Sentosa’s latest attractions. Enjoy a breath-taking
360 degree view of Sentosa as the revolving cabin ascends to a height of 130 meters.
Before leaving the Sky Tower, enjoy a Sky Cooler drink too. We check out of Sentosa and
transfer to Hotel Golden Landmark.
Enjoy a packed vegetarian lunch. Later we proceed on a city tour, an exciting experience of
the metropolis of Singapore. See 'Westin Stamford' - one of the tallest hotel in the world,
Parliament House and City Hall. Visit Mount Faber for a splendid view of the harbour and
the city of Singapore. We drive through Orchard Road and take a photo stop at The
Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, Singapore's pride. From the waterfront, capture the sight
of city's business district and Merlion - Singapore's famous symbol. Later, we take you on a
traditional Cruise on the historical Singapore River. See tall skyscrapers juxtaposed with
colonial buildings. Our last stop is Chinatown. Here you have an opportunity to buy
souvenirs at bargain prices. Enjoy a veg/non-veg Indian dinner. Overnight at Golden
Landmark Hotel or similar in Singapore.
DAY 10
Jurong Bird Park
Visit Night
Safari
After a buffet breakfast at the hotel, we take you on a visit to Jurong Bird Park. This
beautiful park houses more than 3000 different birds from all over the world. Experience
great entertainment as you witness the many exciting performances of these exotic birds.
Enjoy a chinese vegetarian lunch. The rest of the day is free for you to shop to your hearts
contents. In the evening take an Optional tour to the world's first Night Safari. Set in a
jungle adjoining the Singapore Zoo, the Night Safari will unfold the mystery and drama of
the tropical jungle with stunning effect. Enjoy an Indian veg / non-veg dinner.
Overnight at Golden Landmark Hotel or similar in Singapore.
DAY 11
Return home with wonderful memories
After a buffet breakfast, the morning is free. Later we drive to the airport for your flight
back home.
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40

MODULE II
PACKAGE TOURS
TRAVEL AGENCY: WORK AREAS
Travel and tourism is one of the world’s largest industries which is fascinating with its aura
of international glamour, excitement, and romance. Like any business the travel and
tourism industry must match its offering to prospective buyers.
Constantly changing air fares and schedules, and a proliferation of vacation packages make
travel planning difficult and time consuming. Consequently, travelers often turn to
TRAVEL AGENTS for assistance in making the best travel arrangements who assess their
needs and help them make the best possible travel arrangements.
Travel agents encourage people to travel and help them plan and prepare for the trip. They
help clients define their travel interests and needs, including time and budget requirements.
They work out tentative plans and suitable alternatives and then make all the arrangements.
MAJOR WORK AREAS OF TRAVEL AGENTS

The travel agent’s services include a vast array of arrangements that a traveler would
require on a trip. Since the tour can be domestic or international, the agents have to provide
multifold services.
Travel agents may book clients on cruises and tours; organize group tours and design trips
for individuals. Travel agents consult a variety of published and computer-based sources
for information on departure and arrival times, economical fares, car rentals, and hotel
ratings and accommodations. Sources include maps, official guides, tariff books, computer
terminals, and other reference materials to obtain schedules, fares, and related information.
Agents make airline, hotel, and car reservations. They make the reservations and issue
itineraries using computerized reservation and ticketing systems similar to those used by
airlines. They also compute costs and take deposits. Ticket Agents can customize a
vacation or travel plan by arranging special accommodations, adapting a schedule to fit
client needs, and designing group packages and tours.
Agents inform clients about customs regulations, passports, visas, immunization

requirements, and currency exchange rates. They offer tips on climate, prices, what to bring
or buy, and attractions worth seeing. They keep up-to-date by traveling, reading travel
publications, and attending industry seminars and trade shows.
Travel agents may specialize in one region or in one form of transportation. Similary, it is
not mandatory for every agent to provide all the above services. The range of these services
vary from agent to agent.
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Depending upon the size and areas of operation, the services may vary. Putting it in other
words, one travel agent may specialize in tour packages for outbound clients and thus, he
may be into the provision of all the outbound travel services that would be required by the
passenger like air ticket, hotel arrangements, visa, currency exchange etc. At the same time,
not these services are expected to be provided by an Inbound and a domestic tour operator.
In general, travel agents give advice on destinations and make arrangements for
transportation, hotel accommodations, car rentals, tours, and recreation. They also may advise
on weather conditions, restaurants, tourist attractions, and recreation. For international
travel, agents also provide information on customs regulations, required papers (passports,
visas, and certificates of vaccination), and currency exchange rates.
Broadly, we can understand that the specific tasks of a travel agent in general may
include:
 Talking with customers to determine destination, travel dates, financial
considerations, and other preferences
 Consulting a variety of published and computer-based sources for information on
departure and arrival times, fares, and hotel ratings and accommodations
 Selling travel package tours
 Providing travel information such as weather conditions, restaurants, recreation, and
tourist attractions
 Making train, ship, plane, and hotel reservations
 Visiting hotels, resorts, and restaurants to evaluate their comfort, cleanliness, and
the quality of food and service
 Proving ancillary travel services like passport, visa, currency exchange, Travel
insurance policies etc.
 Using telemarketing, direct mail, and the Internet to promote their services
Nature of the Work

Also, many major cruise lines, resorts, and specialty travel groups use travel agents to
promote travel packages to millions of people every year.
They may visit hotels, resorts, and restaurants to evaluate comfort, cleanliness, and quality
of food and service so that they can base recommendations on their own travel experiences
or those of colleagues or clients.
Travel agents also promote their services, using telemarketing, direct mail, and the Internet.
They make presentations to social and special-interest groups, arrange advertising displays,
and suggest company-sponsored trips to business managers. Depending on the size of the
travel agency, an agent may specialize by type of travel, such as leisure or business, or
destination, such as Europe or Africa.
FUNCTIONS OF A TRAVEL AGENCY/AGENT

The functions of a travel agency/agent depend on the size of, and the scope of activities that
the agency takes up, such as:
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The retail travel agent provides a direct link between the customer and the suppliers of the
tourist services. He sells on behalf of the actual producers of the tourist service and gets the
commission. The functions of a travel agent depend on the size of, and the scope of
activities that the agency takes up. It can be stated as follows:-
I. PROVISION OF TRAVEL INFORMATION – A travel agent provides information

relating to the destination, climate, modes of travel available, prices, timetable, visa,
currency etc. to the people who wish to travel. The travel agent is a personal counselor or
psychologist. He should have an excellent knowledge of various travel alternate plans; give
up to-date and accurate information regarding various services and information about
travel. He should try to understand the needs and the interests of the customer e.g. in case
of the age group of the travellers, social class.
II. PREPARATION OF ITINERARIES – A travel agent not only sells a package tour
but may also prepares different itineraries for varying demands of travelers suiting their
motivations e.g. holiday, business. It requires perfect organization of both technical and
practical facts.
III. PREPARING PACKAGE TOURS – A travel agent may sell pre-prepared package
tours prepared by a tour operator for a commission or may prepare his own package as per
the requirements of the customer. When he sells a package on behalf of the wholesale tour
operator he gets a certain commission. Travel agents commonly prepare packages and
promote places that sell easily and the profit margin is high, e.g. Goa, Shimla, Hawaii,
Malaysia etc. To prepare a practical itinerary, travel agents need to travel to these places.
Sometimes the promoters provide a FAM tour to the travel agents so that they may see the
new destinations.
IV. TOURS & EXCURSIONS – Travel agencies offer readymade tours and tailor made
packages for GIT or an individual. Travel agencies or ground operators have their own
tourist coaches and cars and offer regular sightseeing tours at fixed prices. The trips are
costed per seat depending on the type of vehicle. Excursion tours include lunches, local
entertainment, overnight accommodation where required. Some government and state
bodies also offer coaches or transport for excursions e.g. ITDC – Indian Tourism
Development Corporation.
V. TICKETING– The scope of the job of a travel agent also involves booking and
reserving an air seat on the computerised reservation system and an IATA approved travel
agency is authorized for the issuance of air ticket as well.
Selling tickets and getting reservations for the different modes of travel or in the
accommodation sector requires a lot of awareness and a thorough knowledge of the
schedules and an addition of new schedules making the job of the agent a constant
challenge. CRS has made reservations much easier now. This software provides all the
information required by the agent in terms of fares, schedules, new inclusions, status of the
traveller etc so that he may be able to give a definite answer to a client without a waste of
them. Computerisation has also made possible the payment of these services with more
ease through the use of credit cards.
VI. INSURANCE – Agencies offer insurance policies for accident risks and of baggage
loss or damage. Air transportation automatically includes insurance for the passengers but
43

most hotels do not provide these covers. The travel agent offers these policies to the
[passenger to make him feel secure and safe and offer a protection against any losses while
travelling.
VII. PROVISION OF FOREIGN CURRENCIES – Travel agents either help the

traveler or provide complete services for the provision of traveller’s cheque, foreign
currency. This saves a lot of time and energy for the client by avoiding visits to the bank.
VIII. WORKS AS A HANDLING AGENCY- They provide services at the destination only
but do not make arrangements for transportation to and from the destination. The handling
agency manages inbound tourists and makes all their arrangements of sightseeing
accommodation, transfers and guides at the destination on behalf of some other travel
agent.
ECONOMIC BENEFITS TO A TRAVEL AGENT

Earnings of travel agents depend mainly on commissions from airlines and other carriers,
cruise lines, tour operators, and lodging places. Commissions for domestic travel
arrangements, cruises, hotels, sightseeing tours, and car rentals are about 10-20% percent
of the total sale, and for international travel, about 7 percent. Travel agents may also charge
clients a service fee for the time and expense involved in planning a trip.
Intangible gains to travel agents include benefits in travel for personal reasons since agents
usually get reduced rates for transportation and accommodation. In addition, agents
sometimes take "familiarization" trips, at no cost to themselves, to learn about various
vacation sites. These benefits attract many people to this occupation.
SOURCES OF INCOME
Travel Agents provide services on the behalf of Suppliers e.g. Airlines, Railways, Hotels,
Surface Transporters, Shipping Lines etc. The Agent makes commission from the
transactions on behalf of customers though customer pays the same price as advertise by
the Principals/Suppliers.
The travel Agent/Tour operator is not allowed to charge Service charges for which
commission is paid by the suppliers/Principals
JOB OUTLOOK
Travel agents organize and schedule business, educational, or recreational travel or
activities. Other employment opportunities with similar responsibilities include tour guides,
meeting planners, airline reservation agents, rental car agents, and travel counselors.
Employment of travel agents is expected to grow more slowly than the average for all
occupations through 2010. Many job openings will arise as new agencies open and existing
agencies expand.
New developments will continue to limit the need for travel agents. The Internet
increasingly allows people to access travel information from their personal computers,
enabling them to research and plan their own trips, make their own reservations and travel
arrangements, and purchase their own tickets. Further, suppliers of travel services now are
able to make their services available through other means, such as electronic ticketing
machines and remote ticket printers. Also, airline companies have put a limit on the amount
of commissions they will pay to travel agencies, reducing revenues.
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However, many consumers still will prefer to use a professional travel agent to ensure
reliability, to save time, and, in some cases, money.
Projected employment growth stems from increased spending on tourism and business
travel over the next decade. With rising household incomes, smaller families, and an
increasing number of older people who are more likely to travel, more people are expected
to travel on vacation—and to do so more frequently—than in the past. Business travel also
offers vast opportunity for growth as business activity expands. Further, managerial,
professional, and sales occupations are projected to be among the fastest growing, and
people in these occupations do the most business travel.
A variety of other factors will also lead to greater business for travel agents. For example,
charter flights and larger, more efficient planes have brought air transportation within the
budgets of more people, and the easing of regulations on air fares and routes has fostered
greater competition among airlines, resulting in more affordable service. Also, travel agents
are often able to offer various travel packages at a substantial discount. Although most
travel agencies now have automated reservation systems, this has not weakened demand for
travel agents.
Some developments, however, may reduce job opportunities for travel agents in the future.
The travel industry is sensitive to economic downturns and international political crises,
affecting the decisions to travel. The Internet also has increasingly allowed people to access
travel information from their personal computers and make their own travel arrangements.
Further, suppliers of travel services now make their services available through other means,
such as electronic ticketing machines and remote ticket printers. Airline companies have
lately put a cap on the amount of commissions they are willing to pay to travel agencies.
The full effect of these practices, though, have yet to be determined, since a number of
consumers will still prefer to use a professional travel agent to ensure reliability and to save
time and, in some cases, money.
ORGANISATION/DEPARTMENTS OF A TRAVEL AGENCY
A travel agency may have all or some of the following departments depending on the
diversity of its functions and the importance of their requirement.
I. PLANNING/SALES DIVISION – Looks after the organizational planning of fares and
costing. Feasible itinerary, planning and survey for practicalities.
II OPERATIONS SECTION – This section runs the tours. Under this comes the
arrangement to be made for the availability of buses, coaches, contracts with hotels,
carriers, as well as the “meet and greet department” which is deputed for receiving and
dropping off tourists and guides etc.
III PROMOTION & PUBLIC RELATIONS – Looks after the marketing for the agency.
They research and survey new markets and incorporate these into their itineraries. They
are then presented to the target market with the right means of advertising/frequency.
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IVOUTBOUND SALES – For the outbound travellers, arrangements have to be made
with ground operators at the place of destination. All information required should be
acquired and presented to the client as well as all the bookings/reservation/arrangements for
the client should be made through the ground operator for a confirmed status.
V. ACCOUNTS – Deals with foreign currencies, payments, rates of exchange of different

currencies, exchange control regulations, collection of payments and receipts, etc.
VI. RESEARCH – Collects and analyses the data and literature available for various
destinations. Looks into the possibilities of including a destination into an itinerary as an
excursion/ stopover/ destination. The facilities available at a destination and how they can
be best adapted to the itinerary.
Broadly, on the basis of the multifarious functions of a travel agency, we can classify the
different departments into the two major facets i.e
1. SALES
2. OPERATIONS
SALES
The front office of a travel agency works as a sales team to handle the queries of walk-in
customers as well as those who contact the travel professional over the phone.
It is the front office/desk which serves as a first point of contact for all the prospective
travelers coming to a travel agency for certain travel needs.
They provide the information regarding various travel services required by the customers,
guide and direct them about various destinations, handle their queries and finally convert
the query into a booking.
Thus, the front desk executives work as the counter sales executives of the travel agencies
as they sell the travel packages and other services relate to travel without going out of the
office. Thus, the sales department can be divided into two parts:-
1. COUNTER SALES
As the name suggests, this department is the mirror of the organisation which is entrusted
with the task of providing travel Information to the clients. Such information can be
provided over the telephone as well as to the walk-in customers.
Putting it other way round, this department acts as a Client handling unit of the agency.
2. FIELD SALES
Unlike the Counter Sales, this particular department is responsible for generating the chunk
of business to the travel agency.
The thin line of difference between these two departments of one single organisation is the
fact that Counter sales have to contribute to the kitty of the agency while sitting in the
office premises itself.
On the other hand, the field sales force has to do the same with prior appointments with the
clients and meeting them at a place as per the convenience of the latter.
OPERATIONS/BACK OFFICE
As it is evident from the name itself, the operations department of any organization is
responsible for processing the bookings and handles the documentation related to every
individual client of the company.
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Similarly, in a travel agency, the operations team is accountable for making travel
arrangements for the booked passengers of the organization.
In other words, the clients first come in contact with the sales team of the travel agency and
then the same clients are handed over to the operations team. Till the time the client is not
convinced with the tour product being offered to him in response to his query, he is the
responsibility of the sales people. The moment he gets convinced, and he becomes a
booked passenger by filling up a booking form and paying some booking amount as an
advance, as per the company norms, his overall travel needs are taken care of by the
operations team.
Generally, a medium/big size travel agency has following divisions under the operations
department:-
1. Reservations (Booking of hotels/other services)

The job of the reservations department entails the booking of the accommodation and
making other travel arrangements required by the traveler at the destination viz the
sightseeing, guide services and transfers from airport to the hotel and back.
2. Ticketing counter (International/Domestic)

It is not mandatory for every travel agency to indulge itself into the ticketing operations.
Travel agencies with a large network of ticketing clientele have a separate ticketing
division as a part of the operations department.
This separate ticketing counter caters to the needs of ticketing clients. Depending upon the
size and operations, a travel agency can have either the domestic ticketing only or both
domestic as well as international ticketing.
However, this may be noted that the ticketing counter works as both the ticket reservations
counter and the tickets issuance counter.
There can be some travel agencies which do not have the authority to have a stock of the
ticket and issue them on behalf of airlines whereas they have the rights to search and block
an air seat on the prevailing Computersied reservation systems like Galileo, Amadeus etc.
Such travel agencies are called Non-IATA travel agencies.
IATA is an organization which regulates the air transport (Passenger as well as cargo) and
tourist traffic worldwide and works as a link between the airlines and the travel agents.
Besides, IATA also lays down certain rules and regulations which authorize a travel agency
to become eligible for maintaining a stock of the domestic and international tickets and
issue them.
Thus, it is only an IATA approved travel agency which can have a separate ticketing
counter for both the reservations and issuance of an air ticket.
This is to be understood that there are travel agencies which may specialize only into
ticketing and thus, for such organizations, it is mandatory to be IATA approved if they like
to issue the tickets on their own.
The ticketing division of a non-IATA travel agency handles the ticketing queries of the
customers, informs and guides them about the routes, the availability of the seats through a
search on the CRS, quotes air fares and blocks the air seats as per the availability. Their job
ends with the confirmation and reconfirmation of the blocked seats and getting the tickets
issued from an IATA agent.
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3. Accounts
The accounts department deals with the monetary aspect and the financial transactions of
the booked clients. Right from the time the advance booking payment is collected from the
booked passenger by the sales department, till the time the full balance amount is collected,
the accounts department is on its toes holding the booking file in its grip.
Meaning thereby that it is the accounts department which generates the bills and invoices
of the total tour payment made by the client and thus maintains the financial records of
every individual client booked and traveled with a travel agency. In addition, some
companies also maintain daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly or yearly sales reports through
the coordination between the accounts and sales department in order to evaluate the total
net earnings of the organisation based on various aspects.
This may be however concluded that not all the travel agencies in the trade have the above
mechanism of sales and operations of their tours. There are some small time agencies
which are handling their complete sales and operations as one man show as well.
Yet, the structure of an organized medium/big size travel agency generally entails the
above process where the separate divisions work together for delivering a single product by
imparting the total satisfaction of the client.
SOME AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION IN TRAVEL WORLD

Travel agents may specialize in foreign or domestic service, leisure or business travel,
specific geographical areas, individual or group travel, airplane charters, or package tours.
Leisure vacation travel counselors help customers with leisure travel plans, and advise
them on all their travel needs, including hotel accommodations and airline, cruise, tour,
package and car reservations.Corporate travel specialists assist business travelers. Many
corporate agents arrange special meeting fares to a city for a discount.
Group travel planners work exclusively with groups. The planner works with the tour
leader in planning the itinerary and making all arrangements for the group, including group
sightseeing and any other arrangements the group wants. Meeting and incentive planners
work with businesses in planning company meetings and/or conventions
Hence, it all depends upon what are you as a travel agent specialize in, and thus your work
will be based on what your clientele is, what segment of market you target at.
In short, it can be concluded that the work areas of a travel agent include almost everything
that a traveler requires. The rule of the travel trade says that never say no to a customer for
any service even if you are not in a business of providing the same,
Since, travel; agents are middlemen, they can provide any such travel service that may be
required by a particular tourist which a travel agent originally does not have in his area of
operations. In such a case, he will act as a middleman between the actual producer of that
service and the customer and get his commission, yet pleasing the customer by never saying a
“ No”. In the world of One Stop Travel Shops, the consumer wants everything in one travel
agency and thus, this is what the travel agents strive for in order to raise their incomes
48

substantially through the earning of various commissions gained by the sales of various
services.
PRE-REQUISITES FOR THE EFFECTIVE OPERATIONS OF A

TRAVEL AGENCY
 Dedicated, personalized support
 Latest data management systems
 Creative options for cost-effective travel, whether for individual or group, business
or leisure
 Quality assurance
 Regular staff training
 An attentive, dedicated and focused owner
 Customer satisfaction
With the changing scenario the role of the travel agent has also changed tremendously. The
burgeoning travelers are becoming more dependent on the travel agencies for all their
travel needs. Due to the increased disposable income, the traveler of today doesn’t mind
paying extra to a travel agent for his individual services but looks for the best of the packet
which allows him to relish the trip comfortably without undergoing any sort of hassles.
Thus, a travel agent has to make a cutting edge for himself by providing exclusive travel
services in order to stand out and survive in this highly competitive travel world.
Package Tours
A tour package is a prearranged tour, planned for an individual, or a group, which can
include all the travel related services like airfare, rental care, lodging, and other activities.
It can be considered as a holiday or a tour for which one pays a fixed price that includes
travel, accommodation, meals, etc arranged by a travel agent.
The chief reason what necessitated the use of a tour package made by the operators is the
hassle free dealings. If a person does not buy a tour package and instead tries to buy
Individual travel services from different service providers, he will land up paying more.
A tour package gives the tourist the ease of visiting a destination with all the services in
one single packet so that the passenger does not have to undergo the job of searching,
booking and confirming individual services with the individual service providers.
Elements of a Tour Package
What is to be included in a package tour depends on various factors such as the generating
country, target market, destination, and the various service providers.
Package tours can be tailored as well if none of the set readymade packages fit the
customer’s need. Infact, Customer's demands have been as diverse as they have been
numerous. That’s the reason why almost every travel company dealing with the package
tours strives to give person-to -person service either to guests traveling privately or with
groups by helping them tailor every tour to their satisfaction.
A standard package tour has two major components:

Travel arrangements
Ground Arrangements
Travel arrangements include travel to the destination, at the destination and back which
comprise of arrangements by air, road and rail or by sea (cruises) in order to travel to the
49

destination. At the destination, car hire services, boat services and local transport / taxi
services are arranged as
a part of travel arrangements.
At the destination, the tourist would require accommodation & meal arrangements,
transfers, excursions and sightseeing trips, tour guides, and escorts. All these arrangements
are called Ground arrangements which are done mostly by the ground operators on
behalf of the arranging tour operator.
A TOUR PACKAGE-INDUSTRIAL INCLUSIONS

A tour package is generally made and sold comprising of certain services as the inclusions
and there are few elements, which though required by most of the tourists, are excluded
from the package and thus, these exclusions are not a part of the total price which a
customer pays to the service providers.
GENERAL INCUSIONS OF A TOUR PACKAGE

Travel Element: It is the mode of transport used to reach the destination from the point of
origin.
Accommodation-The other important element without which a tour package can not be made
is the accommodation that specifies the kind of hotel and the room offered in the package
as per the occupancy i.e a Single, double, twin or a triple sharing.
Meals:- The food element constitutes a major part of the tour package which is provided
along with the hotel package itself. Although the room packages can be sold without meals
also, most of the times the passengers like to have only the breakfast included in the
package. However, in some cases the dinner is also included.
Internal transportation-The mode of transport used by the passenger to travel within or
around the destination for the purposes of sightseeing, excursions and the transfers from
one place to the other is also included in a tour package most often than not.
BASIC INCLUSIONS & EXCLUSIONS OF AN INTERNATIONAL

SAMPLE 3NIGHTS/4 DAYS TOUR OF SINGAPORE
INCLUSIONS
• Accommodation per person on twin sharing basis for 3 nights/4 days
• Daily buffet Breakfast in the hotel
• Return Airport/Hotel/Airport transfers
• Return economy class air ticket per person
• City tour (HALF DAY Seat In Coach BASIS)
EXCLUSIONS
• Lunch and dinner per person
• Visa, POE, Mediclaim insurance charges
• Airport taxes
• Additional sightseeing & excursions
• Guide, escort, interpreter services if required
• Entry ticket if any
• Expenses of personal nature like shopping, beverages etc
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Tour-Packages
Tour- can be defined as any form of travel from place to place, with multiple features, that
can be packaged & sold as a single unit.
History
Thomas cook introduced for the first time an organized group travel by train in 1841. He
arranged a trip from Leicester to Loughborough and back for 570 passengers who were
supposed to attend a religious meeting. Tour is also referred as” cook's tour”.One of the
reason's tours are so popular is that they come in myriad forms and can be organized to fit
almost any traveller's interests and budget.
Travel professionals identify 2 basic types of tour's
• Custom-designed tour's
• Pre-packaged tour's
Custom designed tour's
• Are Tailor made tour's. According to the need's &requests of the client are kept
such as accommodations,transport,meals,entertainment and similar element's.
• referred as an F.I.T-”Foreign independent tour”
• Are more expensive
• Not widely sold by travel professionals because incentives are low.
Pre-packaged tour's
Are the packages made by the tour-operator in bulk to suit the needs of the
tourists. Are of three types
• Independent tour's
• Hosted tour's
• Escorted tour's
1. Independent -tour's
Participant's travel independently without a group or guide
They can depart or return on any day & even adjust the length of their stay to suit
individual needs & preferences.
Traveller's purchase some or most of their travel elements as a package.
select from a variety of hotel's
Many independent tour's provide only the basics
Hotel stays can be booked anytime of year,although during certain times have to pay
premium for accommodation's may extend beyond original tour beyond tour
specification's by paying a fixed rate for each additional night of their extended stay.
Fly/drive tour-is a type of independent tour which allows Traveller's to visit multiple
destinations' during their trip & includes air transport,car rental,lodging,with a selection of
hotel's,guest houses and even farm houses. Travelling is on a “go-as-you -please” basis.
2. Hosted Tour's
Guidance & assistance from host
Often participant's arrive separetely or in group's.
Involve single or multiple destination's& single or several host's.
Good for tourist's who want
• Independence
• Flexibility
• On site guidance
3. Escorted tour's
• For traveller's who want higher level of on-site assistance.
• Tour escort accompanies
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• Escort co-ordinates various element's of a tour.
• He may take help of step on guides.
• Not flexible,group itinerary comes before individual needs
• New concept of modules.-add flexibility.
Tour components
• Transport
• Accommodation
• Itineraries
• Sight-seeing
• Meals
Advantages of selling tour's
■ Advantages to traveller's
• Time -efficiency
• Increased security
• Ease& convenience
• Cost saving's
• Less time in planning
• Social
• Advantages to Travel professional's
• Profit potential
• Customer relationship development
• Repeat bussiness potential
• Provide real client value
Tour -Brochures & price -quotations
• Key aspects of Tour-brochure

• Tour brochure checklist
• Tour Brochure & price Quotation
• Key aspects of a tour Brochure
Tour brochure- is an essential part of your sales tool kit.
• Provides information
• Photographs.
• Maps
Professional approach to be followed while showing the brochures
 Qualify your client
 Show brochures based on your assessment
 Make important elements of tour brochure clear to the client.
 Encourage clients to read the brochures
 Review the key provision of brochure with client
• Tour Brochure checklist
• Cost- clarify what is included & not included. Avoid surprises.
• Itinerary-understand your client &offer him what is best for him.
• Group-size- in which he /she be comfortable.
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• Pace
• Terminology -clear to clients
• Single- supplement
• Consumer-protection
• Conditions
• Questions of clients
Tour -Brochure Price Quotation
• Pre -tour transport
• Accommodation
• Sight-seeing & Attractions
• Accommodation occupancy
• Travel insurance-trip cancellation,interruption,travel delay,emergency medical
expense,accident
Single supplement. A charge added to a per-person occupancy rate that is based on an

assumption of double occupancy, as on a cruise ship.
Double occupancy rate. The rate charged when two people will occupy a room, suite,
apartment, etc. For example, a hotel might charge an individual $100 per night for a room
(single occupancy) but charge two people only $130 for double occupancy of the same room.
TOUR RESERVATION & ACCOUNTING PROCEDURES

• TOUR RESERVATION PROCEDURES
• TOUR ACCOUNTING PROCEDURES
TOUR RESERVATION - PROCEDURES

 Once you have qualified your client
 You need to make a reservation-Means- telephone,CRS,INTERNET. Reservation
would be done either directly with the tour operator or sales agent of the operator.
List of details to be covered up with Tour-operator-:

• Your full name & name of your agency
• Name &availability of tour
• Dates of proposed tour
• Full details of clients/participant's- name, addresses, phone no., fax no...
• City of departure &details of conclusion of tour
• Any special requests i.e. meal preferences, health conditions &allergies; birthday or
anniversary plans.
• The information has to be repeated back to the tour operator for verification.It is
important to develop, implement & follow up on a system of booking tour's.this will
improve efficiency &accuracy of managing the accounting & administrative process.
TOUR ACCOUNTING PROCEDURES

Appropriate system for Tracking accounting &administrative procedures is also
important.
Most T.O(Tour-operator) have automated systems / done manually. In either case ,it is
important to establish written agreements with T.O.
EACH T.O have different procedures for reservations, deposits, refund's & commissions.
FOLLOWING PROCEDURES TO BE FOLLOWED

• Name & date of the specific tour booked
53

• No. of PAX
• Date passengers booked on the tour
• Date &amount of initial deposit
• Date final amount is due
• Rates for various tour participants
• Document delivery dates
• Your commission for tour sale
• Name &contact information for tour operator's representative.
Tour booking condition's & limitations of liability
TOUR BOOKING CONDITIONS

Marketing portion of a tour procedure is often misleading
It is important to cover features that are
• Included tour features
• Excluded tour features
• Add on components
• Deposit & payment schedule
• Cancellation &refund policy
• Status of tour brochure fares & rates
• Seasonality
• Currency fluctuations
Limitations of liability
• Not liable for any alterations done by T.O
• not liable to any person as a result due to inaccuracy ,misdescription or changes in
itinerary due to strike,war or other causes.
• Baggage &personal effect's are the passenger's own risk.
• T.O claims no responcibility for participant's health'injuries& any delays on
experienced tour.
• T.O ONLY Guarantee a reservation,if travel agent provide some form of payment.
COMPONENTS OF A PACKAGE TOUR

What is to be included in a package tour depends on various factors such as the generating
country, target market, destination, and the various service providers.
However, some of the services are always a part of the package tour. A standard package
tour has two major components:
• TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS: Travel to the destination, at the destination and

back would include arrangements by air, road and rail or by sea (cruises). At the
destination, would be provided through car hire services, boat services and local
transport / taxi services are arranged.
• GROUND ARRANGEMENTS: At the destination, the tourist would require

accommodation & meal arrangements, excursions and sightseeing trips, tour guides,
and escorts.
Travel agents at the destination sometimes make ground arrangements on behalf of

the arranging tour operator. They are called Ground Operators. These travel agencies
54

arrange the accommodation, transfers, and sightseeing and excursions for the tourists
being referred to them by the tour operator.
The advantage of taking up the services of a ground operator are:

• The ground operator is well aware of the ground realities of the destination, and incase
of unexpected conditions in the itinerary, it is easier to mould and modify the package
arrangements.
• The local resident operators give a better and more hospitable service to the guests.
• A tour operator may not be able to get as much discount from the service providers in
the area as compared to the ground operator.
• Payments and credit dealing are better handled from the destination.
TYPES OF PACKAGE TOURS:

A tour operator deals with a variety of tour packages catering to the diverse needs of
tourists such as holiday package tours, adventure, architecture, cultural, business and
conference, incentive tours, health and ayurvedic packages, religious packages, adventure,
cruise, special interest and education tours. The types of package tours may be prepared
before hand (pre- prepared tours) OR may be adjusted to the requirements of the tourist
(Tailor Made).
INDEPENDENT TOURS:
Independent tours are prepared / formulated for those tourists who wish to travel
independently. The components may be altered according to the requirements of the tourist
and give the freedom to plan the activities according to their own choice.
ESCORTED TOURS:
An escorted tour includes the services of a well educated and trained tour manager .
Basically, these tours are recommended to those tourists visiting a destination for the first
time and wish to be guided through the trip OR a group of tourists traveling together. The
escort’s duties are to provide comprehensive information and assistance to the tourists at
the origin, enroute and the destination place.
INCENTIVE TOURS:
This is a motivational programme or a fully paid holiday which is given to the employees
by their employers as a reward. These tours are given to those employees to increase
output, improve image of the company and earn long term loyalty of the employees.
SPECIAL INTEREST TOURS:

These tours are arranged keeping in mind the special requirements of the tourist group
wishing to travel. Educational tours, Business and conference tours, adventure and wildlife
safaris etc are specially organized for the tourists traveling.
ARRANGING A TOUR
The process of arranging a tour is divided into three parts:
TOUR PLANNING:
• Market research and understanding the needs of the target market
55

• Research of the tour destination(s), surveying the facilities available and selecting
the best ones to be included in the package.
• Designing the itinerary for the packages keeping in mind the destinations and
excursions to be visited, travel and visiting time, suitability to the tourist, and target
market etc.
• Costing the package: Negotiations are held with the producers e.g. hotels, transport
services, excursion arrangements and guides to get the best prices for the package.
• Appointing a handling agency (ground tour operator) for the package handling.
• Launch and sale of the package: This includes the way in which the final product is
marketed and delivered to the final tourist. This may be through designing and
distribution of brochures, creating reservation systems e.g. through the internet,
GSA’s and retail travel agencies, and delivery of the product.
TOUR ARRANGEMENTS:
• Offer the options of the available itineraries and packages according to his sphere of
interest, time duration available, mode of transport, accommodation and meal
service preferred.
• Finalize the package according to the options given by the tourist.
• After the confirmation of package, a down payment of 10% approximately is made
so that the tour operator can start the formal booking and confirmation process.
• Send a requirement to the service providers i.e. airlines, hotels, car rentals,
sightseeing attractions for tickets and confirmed reservations. This may also be
done through the ground operators at the destination.
• On payment of the package cost, the tourist is given vouchers of his confirmed
booking as well as itinerary for the trip. He is also given details about the
destination, cultural, climate and time differences and his documentation e.g. visa,
foreign exchange endorsements, insurance documents.
• Before the trip commences, the fares and tariffs due are to be paid to the different
service providers. This ensures the final confirmation of the itinerary.
• Send a copy of the itinerary to the ground operator, tour guide/escort and the
accommodation sector if they provide any kind of extra services e.g. in resorts.
TOUR HANDLING:
• This includes passenger handling from the time that the journey starts to the time
that they come back to the origin.
• When the guests reach the destination, the ground operator must be there to receive
them. He handles the tour according to the itinerary given to him by the tour
operator.
• In escorted tours, the escort accompanies guests on all excursions, for shopping,
sightseeing, imparting information, giving advice and is ready for all unexpected
situations. At the end of the trip, the escort drops the guests at the airport/ railway
station.
• A letter is generally sent to the guests to get a feed back of the trip. Photographs
may also be exchanged. This gesture creates better and longer relations with the
guests.
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COSTING OF A TOUR PACKAGE
TYPES OF TOURS:
Outbound tour
Inbound tour
Domestic tour
Cost of outbound package includes:

Airlines cost
• Return airfare
• Airport Tax
Land arrangements
• Hotel
• Transportation
• Meals
• Sightseeing
Visa fees
 Cost of visa
 Processing fees
 Mediclaim
 POE (if required)
 Forex
Points to be kept in mind while completing a cost sheet

 Accommodation: Whether Single bedroom, Double/ Twin bedroom
 Meal plan: Whether EP, CP, MAP or AP
 Transportation: Whether travel is by air or by train or by road
 Sightseeing: Which all places covered and whether entrance fees of the monuments
is included in the package
SAMPLE COST SHEET
Malaysia 03 nights 04 days package cost per person
Return airfare (Del/Kul/Del) by IC INR 19,500

Tax INR 2,500
Hotel package
(03 nights) on Twin Sharing Basis INR 6,850 ($150 )
57

• Visa fees INR 650
• Processing fees INR 300
• Mediclaim INR 700
• Total INR 30,500
Note: Extra night rate USD 40 (INR 1865) per person
Add on Singapore in the cost

Return airfare (Delhi/Singapore/Kuala Lumpur/Singapore/Delhi) on IC
INR
19,500Tax INR
4,200
Hotel package: on Twin Sharing Basis
Malaysia 03 nights USD 150 (INR 6,850)
Singapore 03 nights USD 140 (INR 6,530)
Visa fees:
Malaysia INR 650
Singapore INR 500
Processing fees INR 600
Mediclaim INR 800
Total INR 39,630
Extra night rate

• Malaysia: USD 40 (INR1865) per person
• Singapore: USD 35 (INR1632) per person
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MODULE III
HOTEL BOOKINGS
Booking a Domestic and International hotel

Booking a hotel
Fill in the booking form. Enter all the details i.e.
• Name of the pax
• Check in date
• Check out date
• No of nights
• No of rooms
• Room type (if any)
Domestic bookings can be sent
by:
• E-mail
• Fax
• Telephone
Format of the email

Dear Sir,
Please confirm the following booking as per the below mentioned details:
Pax name: Mr. ABC x 2
Check in: 11 Dec
Check out: 14 Dec (03
nights) Rooms: 01 Double
(Sea view)
Regards,
XYZ.
• If the booking is sent by travel agent to tour operator:
• He has to mention the name of the hotel
• Name of the package under which he needs services for his client.

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How to send booking to hotel suppliers
• To overseas suppliers, booking is sent through email.
• Here name of the hotel also needs to be mentioned as the booking is not going to a any
specific hotel. The overseas agent will book the hotel whose request has been
forwarded by the agent.
Format
Please confirm the following:
Pax name: Mr. ABC x
2 Hotel:
Hilton/Shangrila
Dates: 11 Dec - 14 Dec (03 nights)
Rooms: 01 Twin
Package code: Singapore sensation (S-015) OR
Services: apt/htl/apt transfers, daily bfst, half day CTR, sentosa island with transfers.
Regards,
XYZ.
GTA hotel booking system - Overview

• How to use GTA – demo on system
• Searching n bkg a htl on gta
• Issuing a htl voucher on gta
Reservation is done for GIT & FIT .In both cases REQUEST IS SEND TO THE HOTEL.
The details in case of GIT is passed for single TOURIST & in case of FIT ,details of group
is passed on to the hotel.
The procedures involved in the booking is -:
1. Checking of availability
2. Booking based on availability
3. Confirmation AFTER DURATION
60
MODULE IV
VISAS
PASSPORT
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the
purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements
of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth.
The Consular Passport and Visa (CPV) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs of
the Govt. of India is responsible for issuance of Indian Passport to the Indian Citizens.
All travelers to India (except nationals of Nepal and Bhutan) must possess a valid
passport. The travelers are required to carry valid identification documents at all times
The Consular, Passport and Visa (CPV) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs
(MEA) provides passport and consular services to Indian citizens through the Central
Passport Organization (CPO), and consular and visa services to foreign nationals and
Indians residing overseas through the passport, visa and consular wings of Indian Missions
and Posts abroad.
In India, there are 37 Passport Issuing Authorities (PIAs) - Regional Passport Offices
(RPOs)/Passport Offices (POs) under the CPO and the Office of Chief Secretary Andaman
& Nicobar Islands, which deal with passport matters as per provisions of the Passport Act,
1967 and the Passport Rules, 1980 as amended from time to time.
Besides these 37 PIAs, there are also 14 Passport Application Collection Centres (PACC),
495 District Passport Cells (DPCs) and 1154 Speed Post Centres (SPCs) which serve as
application collection centres. In addition, 179 Indian Missions & Posts abroad render
passport, visa and consular services worldwide.
HISTORY AND BACKGROUND OF PASSPORT ISSUANCE IN INDIA
There was no practice of issuing Indian passports before the First World War. During that war, the Government of Ind
The Act expired six months after the end of the War. It was, however, desired that the Government of India should reta
The Government of India, therefore, enacted the Indian Passports Act, 1920 which substantially retained the earlier pro
Though 'Emigration' continued as a Central subject even after passing of India Act, 1935, the Central Government dele
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passports on its behalf. Some of the State Governments viz., Mumbai, C.P. &
Berar, Delhi, United Provinces etc., opened regular passport offices for this
purpose functioning under their Home Departments.
5. Subsequently, the issue of passports became a Central subject under the Indian
Constitution and was allotted to the Ministry of External Affairs. Till 1954, this
work was continued to be carried out by the respective State Governments on
behalf of this Ministry.
6. It was in 1954 that the first five Regional Passport Offices at Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi,
Chennai and Nagpur were set up. This necessitated the setting up of a separate
organization and the Central Passport and Emigration Organization was created in
1959 as a Subordinate Office of this Ministry.
7. Up to 1966, the issue of passports was regulated through administrative
instructions. The power to issue passports was exercised by the Government of
India. However, as the Parliament was not in session, the Government
promulgated the Passports Ordinance, 1967 and after six months replaced it with
the present Passports Act, 1967,which came into force on June 24, 1967.The Act
was amended by the Passports (Amendment) Act, 1978 (31 of 1978) and by Act
35 of 1993.
8. Under the Passports Act, 1967, the Central Government has the powers to frame
rules thereunder. The first such Rules called the Passport Rules, 1967 were thus
framed the same year. Following various amendments in course of time these
were consolidated and the Rules were last issued as the Passport Rules 1980
which have been further modified partially.
GOVT. OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
CONSULAR PASSPORT & VISA DIVISION
ISSUANCE OF PASSPORT & VISA
From where to obtain Passport?

The Indian Passport is issued by the Consular, Passport and Visa (CPV)
division of the Ministry of External Affairs of the Govt. of India through Regional
Passport Offices (RPO) or Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) in India and through the
Consulates/Embassies in other countries.
There are 37 RPO's across the country and 77 PSK's in India currently and 179
Indian missions abroad
What is the procedure of getting Passport issued/ How to Apply for Passport?
One can apply for a passport either at an RPO (only certain cases), or a Passport
Seva Kendra (PSK) or the District passport Cells (DPC) and, if outside India, at the
nearest Indian Consulate.
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http://passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/welcomeLink can be used to locate
a nearby PSK or a DPC. An RPO/PSK/DPC will accept applications from
applicants residing at the time of application within the jurisdiction of the office.
PROCEDURE OF APPLYING FOR A PASSPORT
1. Get the Passport Application Form: One can apply for Passport through Online
Registration, (after doing online registration, get print outs of the application form). Apart
from this applicant can submit directly in the respective passport office/ DPCs/Speed post
centers.
2. How to fill the Form: The Passport Application Form is Machine Readable. Please
follow the instructions as follows:
 Use capital letters only. Particulars given in the form will be printed in the passport.
Therefore, please be careful in filling up the form and avoid any mistakes.
 Use black/blue ball pen only
 Do not fill the form with pencils or ink-pen.
 While filling up the boxes, kindly leave one box blank after each completed word.
 Write clearly within the box without touching the boundaries.
 Adjust the information to fit within the number of given boxes.
 Do not write anything outside the box. Avoid over-writing
 Incomplete application will not be accepted.
Note: All original documents are to be shown at the time of submission of the passport
application form. With the Original Passport Application Form, self-attested copies of all
required documents need to be attached. Illiterate applicants should put only thumb
impression in the box meant for thumb impression/signature. In case an applicant has stayed
at more than one address during the last one year, he/she should furnish two additional
photocopies of the PP (Personal Particular) form for each additional place of stay.
3. Where to Apply: For Online Registration, the applicant has to submit the print outs of the
application form along with required documents to the respective passport office in the
appointment date and time printed. Apart from this Passport Applications can be submitted at
1. The counter of the Passport office

2. The Speed Post centers
3. District Passport Cells
4. Passport Collection Centers
An application for a passport may be submitted personally OR through a representative (any

close member of the family or recognized travel agent(s) only) carrying an authority letter.
Depending on whether an application is for issue of fresh passport or re-issue of passport,

Passport Office shall decide whether Police Verification is required for issuance of
Passport.
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In most cases of issue of fresh passport, pre-police verification would be required,
exception being Government servants on submission of ‘Identity Certificate’, or minors whose
parent(s) hold valid passport etc. In most cases of re-issue, depending on records available
in the Passport Office system, police verification would not be required or only post police
verification would be required, exceptions being re-issue of passport in lieu of lost passport
or complete change of name.
Application Form No. 1
Form No. 1 is to be used for Fresh/ Reissue/Replacement of Lost /Damaged passports/

Change of Name/ Appearance/ Exhaustion of pages . The same application form is used
for passports for minors as well.
New passport means applying for a passport for the first time or applying for a passport if
you have never held any passport earlier. In case an application was ever made at any
Passport Office prior to the present application and whether the application was processed
or closed, or even if passport was issued and not received by the applicant, details thereof
should be given in the relevant column in the present application. Failure to disclose these
details, if any, would invite applicable penalty.
Reissue means an application for another passport in lieu of an existing one which has
either expired or is about to expire. An applicant may apply for a new passport in lieu of an
expired/ about to expire passport upto 5 years after and 1 year before the expiry of the
Passport. Re- issue of passport should not be mistaken for renewal of passport. Renewal of
passport means that a passport which was originally issued for a short validity of one to
five years - under certain emergency conditions on the part of the applicant - is now
required to be extended to its full validity of ten years from the date of issue of the
passport. (Renewal is a zero fee service and the application should be made in Form No. 2).
A New passport is issued in lieu of a lost/damaged passport.
Application Form No. 2
Application Form No. 2 is for making application for Police Clearance Certificate,
Deletion of ECR Stamp, Inclusion of Spouse's name and change of address. The same Form
is used for renewing a short term validity passport to its full term validity.
Personal Particulars Form (PP Form)
PP Form is used for Police Verification Report. This is a part of Application Form No. 1.
This can be filled up separately if required by the Passport Office for reverification. In case
an applicant has resided at more than one place in last one year, an additional set of PP
form for each address/ place has to be filled up.
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Police Verification is done in most cases before issuing a passport. However in certain
cases police verification may be done after issuing as well.
The application process is similar for new passports and re-issuance of passports, and for
normal and tatkal process, though the documentation requirements may vary.
While applying for fresh passport attach two copies of the following documents:
(a) PROOF OF ADDRESS (attach one of the following):
Applicant’s ration card, certificate from Employer of reputed companies on letter head,
water /telephone /electricity bill/statement of running bank account/Income Tax
Assessment Order /Election Commission ID card, Gas connection Bill, Spouse’s
passport copy, parent’s passport copy in case of minors. (NOTE: If any applicant
submits only ration card as proof of address, it should be accompanied by one
more proof of address out of the above categories).
(b) PROOF OF DATE OF BIRTH (attach one of the following):

Birth certificate issued by a Municipal Authority or district office of the Registrar of
Births & Deaths;
Date of birth certificate from the school last attended by the applicant or any other
recognized educational institution.
Note.: In the case of applicants born on or after 26.01.89, only Birth Certificate
issued by the Municipal Authority or the Office of the Registrar of Births &
Deaths is acceptable. . For others School Leaving Certificate (Class 10) or
similar is accepted.
(c) Citizenship Document if applicant is a citizen of India by Registration or

Naturalization.
(d) Government/Public Sector/Statutory body employees should submit “Identity
Certificate” in original.
(e) Documents required for Emigration Check Not Required (ECNR).
Though the list is quite long, any educational certificate that is equivalent to
matriculation (Class 10) or above is sufficient. This is required for Tatkal applicants as
well.
ECNR stamps are now NOT affixed. Only certain categories of applicants may have
Emigration Check Required (ECR) stamp on their passports.
II. WHEN APPLYING FOR REISSUE OF A PASSPORT AFTER 10

YEARS, ATTACH:
(a) Old passport in original with self-attested photocopy of its first four and last four pages,
including ECR/ECNR page.
(b) Government/Public Sector/Statutory body employees should submit “Identity Certificate”
in original.
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(c) Documents required for Emigration Check Not Required (ECNR). Though the list is quite
long, any educational certificate that is equivalent to matriculation (Class 10) or above
is sufficient. This is required for Tatkal applicants as well.
(d) If there is any change in address, Birth certificate issued by a Municipal
Authority or district office of the Registrar of Births & Deaths; Date of birth certificate
from the school last attended by the applicant or any other recognized educational
institution.
(e) If the old passport does not contain spouse name, copy of marriage certificate issued
by the Registrar of Marriage is to be produced.
III. When applying for a minor’s passport attach:

(a) A Declaration affirming the particulars furnished in the application about
the minor child (signed by both parents), (Single parents who are separated
but not formally divorced/Single parent of the child born out of wedlock),
(when passport is being applied for by single parent or legal guardian) .
(when a minor between 15-18 years of age applies for a full validity 10 year
passport OR in case either parents who do not hold valid Indian passport
while applying passport for their minor child), as the case may be.
(b) Attested photocopy of passport, if any, of both parents, applicable.
(c) Original passports of parents should be presented for verification of
particulars.
(d) If one parent is resident abroad, a Sworn affidavit by the parent resident
abroad attested by the Indian Mission along with affidavit from parent
residing in India as well be submitted.
Ordinarily the consent of both parents is required for issue of a passport to a
minor (below 18 years of age). However if it is absolutely not possible due
to any reason, the parent applying for a passport for his/her minor child may
submit an affidavit and based on the same passport application will be
processed. In case where the parent(s) is/are resident outside India, such
consent from the parent(s), in the form of a sworn affidavit, duly attested by
the Indian Mission abroad, is acceptable. In the cases where the minor
children who are less than 18 years of age, the details of valid passports
held by BOTH OR EITHER parents should be furnished. In such cases,
passport to their minor child will be issued without any police verification
basis.
Children of all ages including new born must apply for separate
passports. However, those below 15 years will be given 5 years validity
passport or passport till 18 years of age. In case the minor child who is
between 15 and 18 years of age wishes to obtain a full validity passport for
10 years, the same can be issued only on post-police verification basis on
submission of Standard Affidavit required documents of parents In the case
of single parents or of parents who are separated but not formally divorced,
an affidavit is to be submitted.
(B) CHANGE OF NAME
I. Following marriage, remarriage or divorce:
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(a) A woman applying for change of name/surname in existing
passport due to marriage must furnish:
(i) Photocopy of the Husband’s passport, if any, and
(ii) An attested copy of marriage certificate issued by Registrar of
Marriage OR an affidavit from the husband and wife along with a joint
photograph.
(b) Divorcees applying for change of name OR for deletion of

spouse’s name in existing passport must furnish
(i) Certified copy of Divorce decree.
(c) Re-married applicants applying for change of name/spouse’s

name must furnish:
(i) Divorce deed/death certificate as the case may be in respect of first spouse,
and
(ii) Documents related to second marriage.
(C) OUT OF TURN ISSUE OF PASSPORT UNDER TATKAAL SCHEME

A ‘Tatkal’ scheme for issue of out of turn passport has been introduced from 1st
January, 2000. Under this scheme passports are issued on payment of additional fee
besides nominal fee to those in genuine urgency to go abroad.
If an applicant desires to obtain his passport under the Tatkal Scheme, a Verification
Certificate and Standard Affidavit should be submitted along with the TATKAAL
fee. The Passport Issuing Authority shall retain the right to verify in writing the
authenticity of the Verification Certificate from the official who has issued it. All
applicants seeking a passport out of turn under the TATKAAL Scheme are advised to
submit their application, documentation and fee. No proof of urgency is required for
Out-of-Turn issue of passport. Post Police Verification shall be done in respect of all
passports issued under the Tatkaal Scheme.
The applicant also has the option to obtain a passport under Tatkal Scheme on
submission of these documents :
Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC);
Service Photo Identity Card issued by State/Central Government, Public Sector
Undertakings, local bodies or Public Limited Companies;
SC/ST/ OBC Certificates;
Rations Cards;
Income Tax Identity (PAN) Cards;
Student Photo Identity Cards issued by Recognized Educational Institutions;
Birth Certificates
(All above documents to be produced in original along with self-attested copies)
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The TATKAAL fee is in addition to the applicable passport fee and payable either in
cash or DD in favor of Passport Officer concerned. The additional fee for out of turn
TATKAAL passport, would be as follows:
Fresh Passport
1. Within 1-7 days of the date of Rupees 1,500/- plus the passport fee of
Application Rs.1000/-
2. Within 8-14 days of the date of Rupees 1,000/- plus the passport fee of
Application Rs.1000/-
Duplicate Passport (in lieu of Lost/Damaged Passport)
1. Within 1-7 days of the date of Rupees 2,500/- plus the duplicate
Application passport fee of
Rs.2500/-
2. Within 8-14 days of the date of Rupees 1,500/- plus the duplicate
Application passport fee of
Rs.2500/-
Re-issue cases after expiry of 10 years validity
1. Within 3 working days of the Rupees 1,500/- plus the passport fee of
date of application Rs.1000/-
(F) CASES OF LOST/DAMAGED PASSPORTS: The applicant has to fill the

passport application form and submit the same along with following deeds:
i) FIR in original
ii) First and last four pages of old passport.
iii) If there is any change in address, proof of address.
Important Facts:
An adult (above 18) has passport has the validity period of 10 years from the date of
issue
Minors passport ( below 18) has a validity period of 5 year
Children who are of age 15 -18 can now apply for 10 years validity
passport A passport has to get renewed after the completion of its validity
period
In case of applicants born on or after 26.01.89, only Birth Certificate issued by
the Municipal Authority or the Office of the Registrar of Births & Deaths is
acceptable. . For others School Leaving Certificate (Class 10) or similar is accepted.
A fresh passport generally has 36 pages. Whereas business passport has upto 60
pages.
RECENT UPDATES:

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From 01-June-2013, Passport Department has changed the procedure for taking
appointment. Earlier it was required to select a date, but now the website will allot
date.
Mobile Application "mPassport Seva" has been launched to to offer a wide variety
of services to smartphone users such as Passport Application status tracking,
locating the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) and general information on various steps
involved in obtaining a Passport. This will help people in getting anytime anywhere
information on basic Passport-related procedures and services. mPassport Seva has
been made available first on the android platform. The latest version of the
application could be downloaded from Passport Seva Portal
"www.passportindia.gov.in".
w.e.f. 14/06/2013, online fee payment is mandatory for the applicants seeking
appointment under RPO Dehradun, Chandigarh, Visakhapatnam, Ahmedabad,
Surat, Jammu, Srinagar, Guwahati, Chennai, Madurai, Trichy, Coimbatore,
Amritsar and Jalandhar. Passport Mela has been conducted at PSK - Malappuram on
June 15,2013.
BIOMETRIC PASSPORT
A biometric passport is a combined paper and electronic identity document that uses
biometrics to authenticate the citizenship of travellers. The passport's critical information is
stored on a tiny RFID(Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is an automatic
identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices
called RFID tags or transponders.) computer chip, much like information stored on
smartcards. Like some smartcards, the passport book design calls for an embedded
contactless chip that is able to hold digital signature data to ensure the integrity of the
passport and the biometric data. The currently standardized biometrics used for this type
of identification system are facial recognition, fingerprint recognition, and iris
recognition. These were adopted after assessment of several different kinds of
biometrics including retinal scan.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation defines the biometric file formats and
communication protocols to be used in passports.
On 25 June 2008 the Indian Passport Authority issued the first e-passport to
President of India, Pratibha Patil. The e-passport is under its first phase of
deployment and is restricted to Diplomatic passport holders
 Ordinary Passports are the normal passports issued to most citizens and have no
special connotations.
 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.
o Officers of the Indian Foreign Service (Branch A) when proceeding out of
India on official business.
o Such officers of the Indian Foreign Service (Branch B) and the other officers
of the Ministry of External Affairs or other Ministries or Department of the
Government of India who are proceeding abroad on official business or are
posted to Indian Mission or Posts abroad .

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 Official or Service Passports are issued to employees of a government travelling
for work related reasons
o Government officials and non-officials when their passages are paid by the Govt.
o Officials of Reserve Bank of India, the State Bank of India, Nationalized Banks,
Corporations, Undertakings and other Institutions owned or controlled by the state
and officials of autonomous bodies set up by the State, proceeding out of India on
the official work of their respective organizations;
o Permanent Government officials on deputation to foreign Governments, the United
Nations Organisations and its specialised agencies and other inter-Government
organisations/agencies recognised by the Government of India .
o Government officials sponsored by the Ministries in the Government of India and
their departments, for attending international conferences, seminars and meetings or
for undergoing training either independently or under any of the scholarship
schemes for the time being in force
o Fully dependent mother/father/mother-in-law/brother/sister of an officer belonging
to Indian Foreign Service (Branch A), when proceeding out of India, with the
permission of the Government, to reside with the officer at the place of his posting
abroad.
Alien's passports are documents issued by some countries to non-citizen residents.

Emergency passport (Temporary passport): Issued to persons whose passports were lost
or stolen, and who do not have time to obtain replacement passports. Sometimes laissez-
passer are used for this purpose.
Laissez-passer are documents issued by organizations such as the United Nations for their
officials.
Collective passport: Issued to defined groups for travel together to particular destinations,
such as a group of school children on a school trip to a specified country.
Family passport: Issued to family members—father, mother, son, daughter. There is one
passport holder. The passport holder may travel alone or with one or more other family
members. A family member who is not the passport holder cannot use the passport for
travel unless accompanied by the passport holder.
Business Passports are passports with extra pages issued to frequent travellers.
Camouflage passport
A camouflage passport is a passport issued in the name of a non-existent country that is
intended to look like a real country’s passport. To minimize potential legal implications
that the distribution of these fake documents may entail, camouflage passports are officially
marketed as a "protection for security-conscious international travelers" and usually made
and sold by various individuals via the internet or mail order. These documents are also
often sought by persons wishing to conceal their identity, misrepresent themselves or
to commit fraud.
The passport's distributors claim that the "camouflage passport is designed to look
realistic enough to allow a person to conceal his nationality in event of a hijacking,
riot or some similar situation where his identity may single him out as a crime victim".
Such passports are also often sold with several matching documents, including an
international driver’s license and similar supporting identity papers.
Camouflage passports are generally issued in names of countries that no longer exist
or have changed their name. Others use the names of places or political subdivisions that
exist within a real country, but that have never issued and cannot issue passports. Still
others are
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issued in the names of wholly fictitious countries but that typically have a plausible or
familiar ring to their names.
Hajj passport
A Hajj passport is a special passport used only for a hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
Issuing countries
Afghanistan,Algeria,Bahrain,Bangladesh (For Bangladeshi Muslims Only),Brunei,China (For
Chinese Muslims Only),Egypt ,India (For Indian Muslims natives Only); excluding
Kashmiris, Indonesia, Iran ,Jordan (Also issues a temporary Jordanian passport combined
with a Hajj passport to Israeli Arabs) ,Kuwait ,Lebanon (For Lebanese Muslims
Only),Libya
,Malaysia (For Malaysian Muslims only) ,Pakistan (For all Pakistani Muslims, including
Kashmiris) ,Palestinian Authority (For Arab Muslims Only),Morocco ,Qatar ,Senegal ,Sri
Lanka (For Ceylonese Muslims Only) ,Syria ,Thailand,Tunisia ,Turkey & United Arab
Emirates .
Nansen passport
Nansen passports were internationally recognized identity cards first issued by the
League of Nations to stateless refugees. Designed in 1922 by Fridtjof Nansen, in 1942
they were honored by governments in 52 countries and were the first refugee travel
documents. Approximately 450,000 Nansen passports were issued, helping hundreds of
thousands of stateless people to immigrate to a country that would have them. The Nansen
International Office for Refugees was awarded the 1938 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to
establish the Nansen passports.
The Nansen passport was developed after the Russian Revolution, when 1.4 million
Russians moved out of Russia due to ideological conflicts with the communist
government. Hundreds of thousands of them stayed permanently abroad. It proved to be a
great success, one of the few that could be attributed to the League of Nations.
While Nansen passports are no longer issued, present national authorities, including the
United Nations, issue documents for stateless people and refugees. These include: Certificate
of Identity (or Alien's Passport), Travel Document (also known as a "Refugee Travel
Document") and Laissez-Passer. The idea of a refugee passport was renewed between
1998 and 2002 by the Republic of Lomar Foundation but discontinued in the wake of the
post 9/11 constraint on such documents.
Frequently Asked Questions when Applying for an Indian Passport
1. I currently live in XXX city/town, while my hometown/permanent address is YYY.

Can I apply in XXX with address of YYY. Or Can I apply in YYY with YYY. Can I
have permanent address mentioned though I do not currently stay there.
The address that needs to be filled in needs to be the current one and one cannot use an
address that one is not currently true. So you need to apply in XXX with current XXX
address.
2. I applied in XXX RPO and the application is still pending. Can I apply in another
city or RPO or apply again in the same RPO?
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No, you can not apply in another RPO/PSK while an application is still pending or
unresolved. You need to either get the old application resolved and passport issued, or
closed and get a closure report. Alternatively you can also get the application transferred
from one RPO to another.
3. I applied under Normal, but now want the passport urgently. Can I apply again
under Tatkaal.
An application under Normal can be converted to Tatkal by speaking to the RPO/PSK staff.
Under no circumstances should another application be made for any reason while another is
pending at any RPO.
4. I missed my passport appointment made at the RPO/PSK due to (any) reason. Can
I just walk in or do I need a new appointment or do I need to complete a new
application.
It is not a good idea to miss an Appointment. If you do miss one, You can not just walk in,
you need to fill the entire applicatiion again under a new ID and make a fresh appointment.
The data already entered is apparantly deleted.
5. How long does a Normal passport application take from application to passport in
hand.
While no timelines can be promised (no one here works for the RPO) and a lot depends on
the specifics of each applicants case, as also RPO applied at, time of year etc, the RPO
advices that it endeavours to issue a passport in 45 days time. Going by the timelines
posted on this site, It generally takes between 2 and 3 months in practice however in most
RPO's.
6. My passport was refused or is pending because of wrong info furnished by the

agent/me as I was unaware of the procedure. Or I had an adverse Police report. Or I
have been penalized for falsification. How to resolve this.
The best way is to be honest and truthfull on the passport application form and with all
officialdom. And ignorance is no excuse. Deal with the issues as soon as possible and with
honesty and humbleness (if you have made a mistake). That is the only advice that can be
given in general on a general website/forum.
7. I do not have a Birth Certificate. What is the alternative. My BC does not have my
name, will it be accepted.
If you were born on or after 26/01/1989, then you do need a BC, and there is no
alternative. If you were born before, a Class X or another document that has your birth date
will be acceptable. All BC's issued should have the name of the person.
8. I do not have any Proof of Address on my name. What is the alternative.
The Proof of Address need not be on the name of the applicant. However you need to
provide a document that proves how you are linked to the name on the Proof of Address.
E.g If proof of address is in Parent's name, a Birth cerificate or Education certificate with
that parents name.
9. I am married. I do not have a Marriage certificate.
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All passports issued to married persons are required to now have the name of the spouse
mentioned on the passport. Those married in the past decade or so, will need a Marriage
certificate for a passport. However there does not seem to be a fixed cut off date like one
exists for the BC. For those whose passports were issued before marriage, renewal/reissue
will be with the spouse name.
10. I am recently married. Do I need to change my name/surname to my husband's

before applying for passport. If I already have a passport, do I need to apply for
change of name after I get married.
It is not mandatory to change either the name or the surname or both after marriage.
However the choice is entirely yours and if you decide to do so, you should get the passport
reissued under your new name, as well as the other documents like PAN card etc that you
have..
11. I want to apply for a passport for my Baby/minor child. What do I need.
In addition to the regular documents required for a minor, the parent(s) passports are also
required and most RPO's insist on the spouse name to be endorsed on both passports of
minor's father and mother. If either of the parents does not have a passport, it is a better to
apply for minor's and spouse's passport together. If either of the parents is not currently in
India, they should provide an Affidavit permitting the other parent to apply for the minor's
passport. The affidavit should be certified by the nearest consulate of India.
12. I am separated from my spouse. Can I get the spouse name removed.
Spouse name can only be removed in case of death or a legal court issued divorce.
Police Verification
Police Verification Overview
Q: I applied for my passport 6 months ago and the police verification is still
pending?
Should I keep waiting or can I apply in the new system?
A: The Regional Passport office (RPO) has embarked on a special pendency clearance
drive. Please wait for four weeks. If you still do not receive your passport, please visit
the Passport Office (PO).
Q: Why is Police Verification required for issuance of passport?
A: Passport is a very valuable document. Thus, in order to ensure that it does not go in
wrong hands, police verification is required for issuance of passport.
Q: What are various Police Verification

modes? A: There are 3 modes of police
verification:
1. Police Verification is not required.

2. Police Verification is required on a Post-Passport Issuance basis.
3. Police Verification is required on Pre-Passport Issuance basis.

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Depending on whether an application is for issue of fresh passport or reissue of
passport, Passport Office (PO) shall decide whether Police Verification is required for
issuance of Passport to you. In most cases, of issue of fresh passport, pre-police
verification would be required, exception being Government servants on submission
of 'Identity Certificate' , or minors whose parent(s) hold valid passport etc. In most
cases of reissue, depending on records available in the Passport Office system, police
verification would not be required or only post police verification would be required,
exceptions being reissue of passport in lieu of lost passport or complete change of
name.
Minor
Q: I want to apply for a passport for my one year old baby. Would Police
Verification be done in his/her case also?
OR
Q: I am a minor and wish to apply for a passport. What documents do I need to
submit to escape Police Verification?
A: If either parent of the minor holds a valid passport with spouse name endorsed,
passport will be issued to the minor without any police verification. Original passport
of parent(s) should be presented for the verification of particulars. If parent(s) hold a
valid passport, but spouse name is not endorsed, then they must get the spouse name
added in their passport. For this, they have to apply for reissue of passport and get the
specified change done in personal particulars. If either parent does not hold a valid
passport, passport will be issued to the minor only after police verification or you can
apply under Tatkaal scheme to get the passport on post police verification basis.
Q: If parents have passport with adverse Police Verification Report or they have a
criminal background, can passport be issued to minor on urgent basis?
A: In such cases, minors can be issued passport under the Tatkaal scheme subject to
Assistant Passport Officer's (APOs) approval.
Q: If a minor (age 14) is applying for a passport and his parents (who held a valid
passport) have expired but they had passport. Can he/she submit his/her
deceased parent's passport copy and death certificate to avail NO Police
verification?
A: In the given case the applicant doesn't have to submit the deceased parent's passport
copy and death certificate of his/her parents. Following documents have to be
submitted:
1. Proof of DOB
2. Proof of Present Address (Of Guardian)
3. A Declaration affirming the particulars furnished in the application about the
minor child (signed by guardian)
4. Attested photocopy of passport, if any, of the guardian
Senior Citizen
Q: I am 65 years of age and want to travel abroad to visit my children. What
documents do I need to submit to escape Police Verification?
A: Passport cannot be issued without police verification in your case. But if you either
produce copy of child's (Age>18) passport, who is staying abroad (with page having
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parent's name) as an additional document along with your application or apply under the
Tatkaal scheme, you can be issued a passport on post police verification basis.
Employees of Government/PSU/Statutory Body
Q: Is Police Verification done for Government/Public Sector/Statutory body
employees?
A: Government/Public Sector/Statutory body employees can be issued passport without
police verification, if they submit Identity Certificate in original as an additional
document along with the application form. They can be issued a passport on post
police verification basis, if they submit No Objection Certificate (NOC) as an
additional document along with the application form.
Q: Is No Police Verification (PV) possible in case of change in name of
Govt./PSU/Statutory Body employees? If yes, what documents are required?
A: The following documents are required:
 Issue of fresh passport: In case of change in name of Govt./PSU/statutory

body employees, Pre Police Verification (PV) will be done. Post Police
Verification (PV) will be done on submission of Tatkaal documents.
 Reissue of passport: In case of change in name of Govt./PSU/statutory body
employees, if the old passport has clear or exempted Police Verification (PV)
Report and required documents are submitted No Police Verification (PV) will
be done.
Students
Q: I belong to Ludhiana, Punjab and am currently studying in Delhi for past two
years. I want to apply for a passport. Will the police verification be done at my
permanent address also?
OR
I belong to Jammu & Kashmir and am currently studying in Delhi for past two
years. I want to apply for my passport. Will the police verification be done at my
Permanent address in J&K as well?
A: Police verification will be done at both permanent and present address.
Retired Government Officials
Q: I am a Retired Government official. Can I be issued a passport without Police
Verification?
A: You cannot obtain a passport without police verification. But, if you apply under the
Tatkaal scheme or submit "Pension Payment Order", passport can be issued on Post
police verification basis (i.e. police verification would be done after the issuance of
passport).
Residents of J&K
Q: I belong to Jammu & Kashmir and am currently studying in Delhi for past two
years. I want to apply for my passport. Will the police verification be done at my
Permanent address in J&K as well?
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A: Police verification will be done at both permanent and present address.
Applicants having Diplomatic/Official passport and applying for ordinary passport

while in service
Q: Will Police Verification be done for the applicant having Diplomatic/Official
passport and applying for ordinary passport while in service?
A: In the given case, Government/Public Sector/Statutory body employees can be issued
passport without police verification (PV), if they submit Identity Certificate in original
as an additional document along with the application form. They can be issued a
passport on post Police Verification (PV) basis, if they submit No Objection
Certificate (NOC) as an additional document along with the application form. Else,
passport will be issued on pre Police Verification (PV) basis, or post Police
Verification (PV) basis - if they apply under Tatkaal scheme.
Dependent Family Members of Government/PSU/Statutory body employees
Q: My father is an I.A.S officer. Will the police verification be done in my case? If
yes, can I escape police verification by submitting some documents?
A: Dependent family members of Government/Public Sector/Statutory body employees can
be issued passport without police verification, if they submit the following additional
documents along with their application form:
1. "Identity Certificate" in original (of dependent).
They can also be issued passport on post police verification basis, if they apply under
the Tatkaal scheme.
Applicants who have changed their names in past
Q: I have changed my name from Ashim Arora to Sachin Arora. Can it create a
problem during Police Verification?
A: You need to attach the required documents along with your application form.
Applicants who are convicted or court case is pending against them
Q: A court case is pending against me. Can a passport be issued to me after
successful Police Verification?
A: If a criminal case is pending against you in any court, you can be issued a passport
subject to the condition that you enclose a written permission granted by the court
allowing you to travel abroad. Normally a short validity passport valid for one year is
issued, subject to conditions if any, mentioned in the Court order as per GSR 570 (E)
dated 25 August, 1993.
Q: I have been convicted by court last year. Can a passport be issued to me after
successful Police Verification?
A: Yes, subject to Assistant Passport Officer's (APOs) approval.
Applicants who have been repatriated/deported
Q: I am an Indian Citizen by origin and have been repatriated from Bangladesh. I
want to apply for a passport. Can I be issued a passport without police
verification?
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A: No, passport cannot be issued without Police Verification in your case.
Other Police Verification (PV) Related Queries
Q: The file status on the website indicates that my police verification is
"incomplete".
What does this mean?
A: The most likely problem
is:
Your police report says you have been at your current address for less than a year. We
need clearance from all your previous addresses for the past one year, to be able to
clear your file for issue of a passport. The other reports are still awaited. You may be
required to follow up on those.
OR
The police report may have some inadequacies, or the police authorities may not have
properly completed some columns. These are normally sent back to the police for
completion. You may like to follow up with the police for speedier resolution.
OR
The police report might have said that some of the documents requested by the police
to satisfy themselves regarding the period of your stay at that address, may not have
been produced. In such cases, we write to you for clarifications and thereafter process
your file further.
Post-issue police verification will be done in such cases.
Q: The file status shows that my police report is "adverse". How should I proceed
further?
A: The most likely problem is:
Your police report says you do not reside at the address given, or that you were not
available for police verification. If you feel that the absence was temporary and that
you normally reside at that address, you can write (giving your file number) and request a
re- verification. We need to get a clear police report from the re-verification, to be able
to process your file further, and clear it for issue of a passport.
OR
The police report might have said that you have unresolved criminal cases against
you. In such cases, your file cannot be cleared, unless the cases are cleared by the
courts. If the cases have indeed been dismissed, you could submit a copy of the court
order and approach us for a re-verification by the police. We will refer your file to the
police, along with a copy of the court order.
On receipt of a clear report from the police, your file will be processed further for
issue of a passport. In cases where the information regarding the criminal case had not
been disclosed, a penalty will be imposed and the file cleared after the payment of
penalty.
Q: Is police verification done before issuance of passport under the Tatkaal scheme?
A: No, police verification is not done before issuance of passport under the Tatkaal
scheme. In case of the Tatkaal scheme, police verification is done on No or post police
verification basis as per the case.
Q: Can I get a passport on Post police verification under the Normal scheme?
OR
Can I get a passport without police verification?
A: Depending on whether an application is for issue of fresh passport or reissue of
passport, Passport Office shall decide whether Police Verification is required for
issuance of passport to you. In most cases of issue of fresh passport, pre-police

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verification would be required, exception being Government servants on submission
of 'Identity Certificate', or minors whose parent(s) hold valid passport etc. In most
cases of Reissue, depending on records available in the Passport Office system, police
verification would not be required or only post police verification would be required,
exceptions being Reissue of passport in lieu of lost passport or complete change of
name.
The issuance of passport on Post police verification under the Normal scheme
depends on case to case basis. The applicant has to submit the additional required
documents along with the application form to get the passport on No or Post police
verification basis. To check the list of additional documents to be submitted along
with the application.
Q: How will I know the type of police verification on which I will be issued passport?
A: The type of police verification on which the applicant would be issued passport
depends on the decision taken by Passport Office. But the applicant can submit the
additional required documents along with the application form to get the passport on
No or post police verification basis.
Q: Do I need to be personally present for Police Verification?

A: Yes, it would be advisable that you should be physically present at the time of Police
Verification.
Q: How can I prove that I have stayed at my present address for more than a year
during Police Verification?
A: You can submit the Address Proof to prove that you have stayed at your present
address for more than a year.
Q: While applying for a fresh passport, the applicant mentions his paying guest
address as present address in the application form. If the applicant shifts to
another address before police verification, what should he/she do?
A: He/ She should intimate the Department In charge of Police Station.
Q: I have stayed at three different addresses during last one year. Will the police
verification be done at all the places?
A: Yes, the police verification will be done at all the three addresses where the applicant
has resided in the last one year. The previous addresses will be the places where the
applicant has resided for the longest period during last one year
VISA
Visa- (short for the Latin carta visa, lit. "the document having been seen") is a
document issued by a country giving an individual permission to formally request
entrance to the country during a given period of time and for certain purposes and most
always stamped or glued inside of a passport, or are sometimes issued as separate
pieces of paper.
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Many countries require possession of a valid passport and visa as a condition of entry
for foreigners, though there exist exemptions –
1. Some states of the former Soviet Union, require that their citizens, and sometimes
foreign travelers, obtain an exit visa in order to be allowed to leave the country. Until
2004, foreign students in Russia were issued only an entry visa on being accepted to
University there, and had to obtain an exit visa to return home. This policy has since been
changed, and foreign students are now issued multiple entry (and exit) visas.
2- Citizens of the People's Republic of China who are residents of the mainland are
required to apply for special permits in order to enter the Special Administrative Regions
of Hong Kong and Macau (and SAR (special administrative region) residents require a
Home Return Permit to visit the mainland).
TYPES OF VISA
Transit visa-usually valid for 3 days or less, for passing through the country to a
third destination. In India transit visa is valid for 15 days
Tourist-Visa-for a limited period of leisure travel, no business activities allowed.

Some countries (for example, Kuwait) do not issue tourist visas. Saudi Arabia
introduced tourist visas only in 2004 although it did (and still does) issue pilgrimage
visas for Hajj pilgrims. In India issued for 180 days. Tourist visa up to 5 years
may be granted if the foreigner is connected with the tourism trade.
Business -Visa- for engaging in commerce in the country. In India, the duration
for which business visa is issued varies from 1-5 years.
Temporary Visa- for approved employment in the host country. These are
generally more difficult to obtain but valid for longer periods of time than a
business visa.
Examples-1) H-1B visa in USA 2) L-1 visa in USA
H-1B - is a non-immigrant visa category in the United States under the Immigration
& Nationality Act. It allows U.S. employers to seek temporary help from skilled
foreigners. The H-1B classification is for “specialty occupations” only. The
occupation must require a bachelor’s degree or equivalent for the application of
theoretical and highly specialized knowledge.
L-1 visa -An L-1 visa is a visa document used to enter the United States for the
purpose of work in L-1 status. It is a non immigrant visa, and is valid for a relatively
short amount of time - generally three years.
On arrival Visa granted immediately prior to entering the country, such as at

an airport or border control post. The on-arrival visa usually is nothing more
than an entrance fee, though the visitors can still be denied entry even with a visa.
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Spousal-Visa -granted to the spouse of a resident or citizen of a given country,
in order to enable the couple to settle in that country. Examples include the United
Kingdom's EEA family permit.
Student-Visa - which allows its holder to study at an institution of higher

learning in the issuing country. Students studying in Algeria, however, are issued
tourist visas.
Medical-Visa-Is issued to persons who are going for their treatment & surgery
to foreign countries. In case of India duration of VISA is 6 months, but can be
extended on prescription of the doctor.
Working Holiday Visa- for individuals traveling between nations offering a

working holiday programme, allowing young people to undertake temporary
work while traveling.
Diplomatic-Visa- (sometimes official visa), which confers diplomatic status on

its holder and is normally only available to bearers of diplomatic passports.
Courtesy-Visa- issued to representatives of foreign governments or

international organizations who do not qualify for diplomatic status but do
merit expedited, courteous treatment. A courtesy visa does not normally confer
privileges or immunities.
Journalist Visa-which some countries require of people in that occupation when

travelling for their respective news organizations. Countries which insist on this
include Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, the United States (I-visa) and
Zimbabwe.
Fiancee-Visa-granted for a limited period prior to intended marriage based on

a proven relationship with a citizen of the destination country. For example, a
German woman who wishes to marry an American man would obtain a Fiancee
Visa (also known as a K-1 visa) to allow her to enter the United States.
Immigrant-Visa -granted for those intending to immigrate to the issuing country.

They usually are issued for a single journey as the holder will, depending on the
country, later be issued a permanent resident identification card which will
allow the traveler to enter to the issuing country an unlimited number of times. (for
example, the United States Permanent Resident Card)...
Trekking-visa - trekkers etc in a team must provide full details for the visas for the
required duration
SPORTS-VISA -Visas may be granted to teams or individual sportsmen

wishing to participate in international sports events being held in India.
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Electronic visa. The visa is stored in a computer and is electronically tied to the
passport number; no label, sticker or stamp is placed in the passport prior to travel.
Australia pioneered electronic visa issuance with the Electronic Travel Authority for
tourists.
CUSTOM CLEARANCE
There are two channels for Custom clearance:

 The Green Channel or Walk through Channel – without any question being asked
by Customs is meant for passengers who have nothing to declare and are carrying
dutiable goods within the prescribed free allowance.
 The Red Channel is meant for passengers who have something to declare or are
carrying goods in excess of the duty free allowance.
Articles allowed free of duty:

 Personal Effects
 Personal jewellery
 One camera with 5 roles of films
 One handy cam
 A pair of Binoculars
 One portable musical instrument
 One portable type writer
 One tent and other camping equipments
 Sports equipments as one fishing outfit
 One non – powered Bicycle
 One pair of kayak
 One pair of skies
 Two tennis rackets
Prohibited Items:
► The travelers cannot bring gold coins, gold or silver bullion into the country.
► Possession of narcotics is strictly prohibited.
► Any kind of weapons brought into the country should be licensed and must
be declared at the Customs.
► Any cash or travelers over US$10,000 or equivalent must also be declared.
Prohibited items on departure:
► Gold jewellery valued above Rs.6,000
► Animal skins or skin products
► Antiques (over 100 years old)
► Wild plants, seeds or parts
Special-Permits -Some sensitive areas in India- usually border – are out of

bounds for most travelers. However, if tourist groups wish to visit these remote
81

fascinating places, they may obtain special permits at no extra charge from the
Indian missions abroad or govt. agencies within India, for a limited number of
days.
Conference Visa -For the duration of the conference or seminar .Letter of

invitation must come from the organiser of the conference. Tourist visa up to 5
years may be granted if the foreigner is connected with the tourism trade. If visa is
for more than 180 days, registration is compulsory within 14 days’ of arrival in
India.
Extension of visa in - Delhi - MHA - Director (F), Jaisalmer House, 26 Mansingh Road,
New Delhi -110011.
Instructions have been issued whereby Nepalese and Indian citizens, while travelling by
air, between the two countries must be in possession of any of the following documents to
prove their nationality:
(i) Valid National Passport ;
(ii) Valid photo identity card issued by the Government of India / State Government or
UT Administration / Election Commission of India ;
(iii) Emergency certificate issued by the Embassy of India, Kathmandu to Indians and by
the Embassy of Nepal in Delhi in respect of Nepalese citizens.
The above arrangement is in operation since 1.10.2000.
PREPARING VISA CASES

All foreign tourists to India (barring nationals of Nepal and Bhutan) must possess a valid
visa.
● For a visa, the travelers should contact the consulate of the concerned country
● Nationals of Maldives are permitted to enter India without Visa up to 3 months.
● Visas are not issued on arrival.
● Visa costs US $40 for up to 6 months,US $65 for up to 1 year and US $180 for
more than 1 year and up to 5 years.
● Tourists’ visas, valid for three to six months, allow multiple entries to simplify
visits to neighboring countries.
Visa Application Form -Visa application form is available at the office of Indian
Embassy in the country where the NRI/PIO resides. Visa form for nationals of Pakistan
and Bangladesh are generally different. All NRIs/PIOs, including children (who don’t
possess OCI or PIO card) need to apply for Visa in separate visa forms.
Procedure for obtaining Visa -Visas can be applied for in person or by post at the High
Commission of India based in the country from where the candidate intends to depart for
India. Specific visas are granted for a variety of purposes that are aforementioned.
Requirements for Visa- Generally the following documents are required for obtaining
Indian Visa. However, the requirement may vary from country to country.
82
● Original passport valid for at least 6 months
● Visa fee
● Two passport size photographs
● Supporting documents, where necessary
● Duly completed application form
Visa for NRIs and PIOs- Persons of Indian Origins and Non-Resident Indians who
possess either OCI (Overseas Indian Citizenship) or PIO card don’t need Indian Visa.
OCI and PIO give them the freedom to visit India without visa. OCI and PIO cards are
multi-purpose life long visa for visiting India. However, those NRIs and PIOs who don’t
have OCI or PIO card can apply for and get Indian visa through the procedure mentioned
above.
Collective Visas: Foreign tourists traveling in groups of at least four, and under a
recognized travel agent, may be granted tourist visas or collective visas without prior
reference.
Procedure:
(i) least three days before departure, the agency sponsoring the group must submit to
the Indian Mission in that country 4 copies of a list containing particulars of each
member of the group;
(ii) After checking, the Mission stamps a collective visa- it is not necessary to stamp
individual passports – and returns three copies of the list to the sponsoring agency;
(iii) The person in charge of the tourist group hands over two copies of the list to the
immigration authority on arrival in India. Indian agents must furnish a list of group
members to the immigration authorities at least four hours before the flight arrives;
If the tourist group is split into smaller groups to visit different parts of India, the
Immigration authority grants a collective “license to travel “, listing the particulars of
the members of the smaller groups.
Guidelines for conducting International Conferences

The organizers conceiving an idea of holding an event in India will be required to submit
proposal which must contain information like:-
Name of the organizer with complete mailing address.
Topic/Topics to be covered in the event.
Venue of the event.
Date of the event.
Tentative lists of the participating countries and participants with nationality, brief
background suiting participation in the event, address, personal and passport details.
Proposal should invariably be submitted to the nodal ministry and not to the Ministry
of Home Affairs. The nodal Ministry will give clearance to the event. The nodal Ministry
will obtain clearance of Home Ministry or other agencies, if necessary within the time
frame (8 weeks). For organisers it will be a single window clearance.
The nodal/administrative Ministry means the Ministry of Govt. of India which is

dealing/regulating framing rules etc. in respect of subject matter chosen for the event. For
example, if an organizer is proposing to hold an event on the topic of "Adult Non-
83

formal education", then, the nodal/administrative ministry shall be Ministry of HRD,
D/o Education.
Time frame required to be followed:-Organizers are required to submit their proposal to

administrative/nodal ministry at least 8 weeks before the commencement of the event.
Visa to the foreign participants:- Once an event is cleared by nodal Ministry,

organizers may send invitation to foreigners who wish to participate in the event.
With invitation letter the participants should approach Missions abroad for grant of
conference visa.
VISA PROVISIONS
Tourist visa up to five years may be granted if the foreigner is connected in tourism
trade.If visa is for more than 180 days, registration is compulsory within 14 days of the
arrival in India. Instructions have been issued where by Nepalese and Indian citizens, while
traveling by air, between the two countries must be in possession of any of the following
documents to prove their nationality.
● Valid national passport
● Valid photo identity card issued be the Govt. of India /state govt or Union Territory
Administration/Election commission of India
● Emergency certificate issued by the Embassy of India, Kathmandu to Indians, and
by the Embassy of Nepal in Delhi in respect of Nepalese citizens.
Exemption from registration:Foreigners coming to India on tourist visas for 180 days or
less do not need to register with any authority. They may visit any part of the country
except restricted/protected areas and prohibited places. Family passports issued by other
governments are recognized without discrimination
LANDING PERMIT FACILITY (FOR GROUP TOURISTS)
Foreign tourists in groups of four or more arriving by air or sea, sponsored by

recognized Indian travel agencies and with a pre-drawn itinerary, may be granted a
collective landing permit for a specified period of time on the written request of the travel
agencies.
The Immigration Officer will need personal and passport details of the group
members, their itinerary and an undertaking that the entire group will follow the
itinerary, with no dropouts.
EXTENSION VISA
As a rule, no extension of stay is granted on a tourist visa beyond 180 days, except in
exceptional cases. If foreign tourist obtains extension beyond 3 months, he must surrender
his Certificate of Registration and Residential Permit before leaving India.
To extend tourist visa,MHA, Lok Nayak Bhawan,New Delhi, must be contacted.
84

Type Period Documents required
Tourist Visa 6 months Docs supporting the

applicant’s financial standing
Business Visa One or more years Letter from the sponsoring

organisation
Student Visa For the duration of the

academic course of study or
for a period
of five years whichever is less Proof of admission to
recognized
Universities/Institutions in
India
Transit Visa Maximum For 15 Days Evidence of onward travel

to a destination
outside India
Conference Visa For the duration of the conference

or seminar Letter of invitation from the
organizer of the
conference
VISA APPLICATION FORM

Visa application form is available at the office of Indian Embassy in the country where the
NRI/PIO resides. Visa form for nationals of Pakistan and Bangladesh are generally
different. All NRIs/PIOs, including children (who don’t possess OCI or PIO card) need to
apply for Visa in separate visa forms.
PROCEDURE OF OBTAINING VISA
85
Visas can be applied for in person or by post at the High Commission of India based in the
country from where the candidate intends to depart for India. Specific visas are granted for
a variety of purposes that are aforementioned.
REQUIREMENTS FOR VISA

Generally the following documents are required for obtaining Indian Visa. However, the
requirement may vary from country to country.
Original passport valid for at least 6
months Visa fee
Two passport size photographs
Supporting documents, where necessary
Duly completed application form
VISA FOR NRIs & PIOs

Persons of Indian Origins and Non-Resident Indians who possess either OCI (Overseas
Indian Citizenship) or PIO card don’t need Indian Visa. OCI and PIO give them the
freedom to visit India without visa. OCI and PIO cards are multi-purpose life long visa for
visiting India.
However, those NRIs and PIOs who don’t have OCI or PIO card can apply for and get
Indian visa through the procedure mentioned above.
For more details visit our Section on 'Indian Missions/Embassies Abroad'
INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOREIGNERS COMING TO INDIA
TRAVEL DOCUMENTS REQUIRED

Foreign Nationals coming to India are required to possess a genuine and valid national
passport or any other internationally recognized travel document establishing his/her
nationality and identity and bearing photograph of the foreigner.
Nepal and Bhutan nationals if entering India by land or air from the Nepal or Bhutan
border respectively do not require a passport for entering into India. However, they are
required to possess, authorized identity proof. Further if they are entering India from a
place other than their own country then possession of passport is a must.
VISA REQUIREMENTS
86

There is no provision of 'Visa on Arrival' in India. Foreigners are advised to ensure that
they are in possession of valid Indian Visa before they start their journey to India.
Different categories of visas with specific endorsement of numbers of entries allowed and
duration of stay in India are mentioned on the visa depending upon request and subsequent
decision of the visa issuing authority. Foreigners may also look for specific endorsement if
any, on the visa for their guidance. In case of any doubt, they may seek clarification from
any of the Indian Missions abroad.
Nationals of Nepal and Bhutan do not require visa to enter India. However, citizens of
Nepal require a visa when entering India from China.
Nationals of Maldives do not require a visa for entry into India for tourism purpose and
stay up to 90 days. A separate Visa regime exists for diplomatic/official passport holders.
Immigration officer may grant TLP (Temporary Landing Permit) up to a maximum period
of 72 hours by retention of passport, if the foreigner is not having a valid visa, and if he is
satisfied of the purpose and that the transiting foreigners must have a confirmed onward
journey tickets within 72 hours for grant of TLP. Nationals of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh,
Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Nigeria, and Ethiopia are not granted TLP facility.
On production of bonafide proof and on satisfaction of FRRO/FRO cum District
Superintendent of Police, Temporary Landing Facility (TLF) can be granted to the
foreigners arriving in India without valid VISA, in emergent situation, like death/illness in
the family up to a period of 15 days. For further extension of stay in such cases, the
foreigner concerned should report to Ministry of Home Affairs, Foreigners Division,
Jaisalmer House, 26, Man Singh Road, New Delhi.
Indian currency equivalent to US$40 is charged for TLP/ TLF.
A foreigner may be refused entry, if he/she is not entering India from the designated port,
not in possession of valid passport and visa, is insane or suffering from infectious or
loathsome disease which is prejudicial to public health, involved in an extraditable offence
or his/her entry is is prohibited under the specific order of the Central government.
IMMIGRATION CHECK REQUIREMENTS ON REACHING INDIA

Immigration check is carried out for all passengers at the port of arrival in India. The
passengers are required to furnish true particulars in the disembarkation card (Arrival Card)
as to his name and nationality, his age, sex, place of birth and address or intended address
in India, the purpose of his visit and the proposed length of stay in India. Immigration
check includes checking of Passport, Visa, Disembarkation Card, entering foreigner’s
particulars in computer, retention of Arrival Card and stamping of passport of the foreigner.
Pakistan nationals other than those on Diplomatic visa are required to carry a Visa
application form (duplicate copies) which will be issued in addition to regular visa on their
passport by the Indian Mission concerned. On presentation at immigration check post, they
are issued Regular Residential Permit and are required to report at the designated office or
concerned Police Station in their places of stay within 24 Hrs unless and until they are
officially exempted from police reporting .
Afghanistan Nationals are issued Temporary Residential Permit at the immigration Check
post, with a direction to get themselves registered within 7 days with the concerned
FRRO/FRO of their place of stay.
Passengers may ensure that their passports are duly stamped before leaving the
immigration counter.
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Foreigners carrying a valid PIO (Person of Indian Origin) Card or OCI (Overseas Citizen
of India) Card along with their valid national passport are authorized to enter India without
obtaining India visa separately.
REQUIREMENTS CONCERNING STAY OF FOREIGNERS IN INDIA
Foreigners are required to comply with the purpose for which a visa was initially applied,
and also to abide by conditions, endorsed on the visa. If the visa is valid for more than 180
days, then every foreigner entering India or resident in India shall present in person or
through an authorized representative to the satisfaction of the appropriate Registration
Officer at the place of his stay within the specified period mentioned on visa except certain
visa categories requiring registration within the specified time. Such registration shall be
not necessary in the case of a foreigner entering India on a visa valid for a period of not
more than one hundred and eighty days and who does not remain in India beyond the said
period.
All those foreigners arriving on authority of Tourist Visa with maximum period of 6
months need not require to be registered and do not want their visa to be extended , need
not require to be registered. Further, generally speaking ,Tourist visa is not extendable.
To facilitate foreigners, those arriving on ‘Entry ‘ or ‘Business visa’ valid for more than
180 days in duration, can stay without Registration, if each stay does not exceed 180 days
It is a mandatory requirement for all Foreigners arriving on Missionary (M),Student(s),
Employment(E),Research(R),Medical (M) or Medical Attendant (M X) visa to register
themselves within 14 days of their first arrival in India, irrespective of duration of stay.
In addition, specific endorsement or guideline on Indian visa, if any, needs to be followed.
At the time of Registration every foreigner shall furnish accurate information, to the
satisfaction of the Registration Officer and shall, sign the Registration Report, in the
presence of the said officer. The foreigner shall also be provided a copy of Certificate of
Registration (Part III of Form A).
Foreigners may go through the instructions given on Registration Certificates for their
guidance concerning stay and future reporting.
Every foreigner shall within twenty-four hours of demand being made a Registration
Officer, magistrate or police officer, not below the rank of a head constable, produce, at
such place as may be specified in his passport or such other proof of his identity and/or
Registration Certificate as may be required for any purpose connected with the
enforcement of Foreigners Act/Registration of Foreigners Rules.
PASSPORT & VISA

VISA REQUIREMENT
Foreigners wanting to visit India can do so after obtaining visa from the Indian Mission in
their country of residence. They should possess a valid National Passport - except in the
case of nationals of Bhutan & Nepal, who may carry only suitable means of identification.
TOURIST VISA
Usually, a multi-entry visa, valid for a period of 180 days, is granted for the purpose of
tourism. The visa is valid from the date of issue.
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COLLECTIVE VISA
The facility also exists for the issue 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 collective "license to travel" from the immigration authorities in India.
However, they must reassemble and depart as the original group.
TRANSIT VISA
Transit visas are granted by Indian Missions abroad for a maximum period of 15 days.
Exemption from Registration
Foreigners coming to India on tourist visas for 180 days or shorter period are not required
to register themselves with any authority in India. They can move about freely in the
country, except to restricted/protected areas and prohibited places. Nationals of Bangladesh
are exempted from registration upto six months. If their stay exceeds six months, they have
to register themselves. Individuals without nationality (stateless persons; IRO refugees,
persons receiving legal or political protection, holders of Nansen passport etc.) should have
valid passports, identity documents or sworn affidavits along with the visa for which they
should apply two months in advance. Family passports 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 group 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 upto a period of 90 days to see their relatives, in case
they happen to come without a visa.
Tourist Groups
A tourist group arriving by air, ship or by a chartered or scheduled flight may be granted a
collective landing permit for a period of upto 30 days by the immigration authorities on
landing, provided the group is sponsored by a recognized travel agency and a predrawn
itinerary is presented along with details of passport etc. of the members, and the travel agency
gives an undertaking to conduct the group together.
If a foreigner wishes to come to India for a purpose other than tourism, he should come
after obtaining one of the following visas
Business Visa
A foreigner can obtain one from an Indian Embassy abroad. A multiple entry visa is valid
for 5 years, provided he wishes to come for some business. Foreigners of Indian origin can
obtain a 5 year multiple entry visa for business, to meet their relatives etc.
Student Visa
A student visa can be obtained from the Indian Embassy on the production of proof of
admission and means of sustenance while in India, etc. The visa is valid for one year but
can be extended in India for the duration of the course.
Conference Visa
Delegates coming to attend international conferences in India can be granted Conference Visa
to cover the conference as well as for tourism in India. Delegates are advised to apply to
Indian Embassies well in advance. ** Employment Visa : Foreigners desirous of coming to
India for taking up employment should apply for an Employment Visa, which are issued by
Indian Missions abroad. Initially granted for a period of one year, it can be extended in
India upto the period of contract. ** Recreation : Foreigners wishing to undertake any
international
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sporting event, trekking, botanical expeditions, yoga, journalists, media men, documentary
and feature film makers may obtain visas after due formalities from the Indian Embassy.
Visa & Customs
Tourists visas are available for a maximum period of 180 days. No charge are levied for
visa extension within the maximum period of 180 days.
Identical passport photographs are required. However, in case of an extension beyond 180
days, which is allowed only in exceptional cases, an extension fee is charged.
Tourists from other countries are advised to check current applicable visa fee/visa
extension fees with government of India Tourist Offices or Indian Consular Offices located
in their respective countries.
Visa Extensions
Tourists visas are available for a maximum period of 180 days. No charge are levied for
visa extension within the maximum period of 180 days.
Identical passport photographs are required. However, in case of an extension beyond 180
days, which is allowed only in exceptional cases, an extension fee is charged.
Tourists from other countries are advised to check current applicable visa fee/visa
extension fees with government of India Tourist Offices or Indian Consular Offices located
in their respective countries.
Customs Formalities and Regulations

The usual duty free regulations of one bottle of whisky, i.e. 950 ml or less and 200
cigarettes apply for India. If the tourist brings in more than $ 1000 in cash or in traveller's
cheques, it must be declared by completion of currency declaration form.
While small items like perfumes, cosmetics etc., are allowed into the country, larger items
like video cameras are likely to be entered on a "Tourist Baggage Re-export' form to ensure
that the article is taken away on departure. The TBRE form should be re-submitted on
departure.
Goods brought in excess of this are chargeable to duty as per prevailing law.
Foreign Travel Tax
For international travel from Indian airports Airport Travel Tax must be paid for travel to
all other countries. This tax is also applicable to infants who may not be occupying seats.
Special permits
Special permits can be obtained if specifically asked for while applying for a visa or they
may be obtained after arrival in India.
The FRROs (Foreigners' Regional Registration Offices) in Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta and the
Chief Immigration Officer in Madras can issue the same as well as group permits. This
permit is valid for a maximum period of 15 days only. Permits must be applied for at least
two weeks in advance for group tourists.
Permits are required for the following places
North Eastern Frontiers: Permits are available at the FRRos in Delhi, Calcutta, Bombay and
with the Chief Immigration Officer in Madras.
Andaman Islands: Permits are obtainable from an Indian Embassy or Consular Offices abroad
or from the FRROs in Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta and the Chief Immigration Officer in Madras.
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Basic Travel Document for Outbound travel – VISA
Documents required for Singapore & Malaysia visa

Valid Passport
Photographs
Visa application form duly filled and signed by the applicant
• Bank statements (last 06 months)
• Income tax returns (last 03 years)
• Proof of occupation
• If business man
• Proof of registration
• Company Bank statements (last 06 months)
• Company Income tax returns (last 03 years)
• If Salaried
• Leave certificate from the employer
• Copy of appointment letter
• Salary Slip
Confirmed return air ticket
How to apply for Singapore / Malaysia visa?

• Personal appearance for the above visa is not required. Visa can be applied
through a travel agent or a visa agent.
• STEP 1: A travel agent or visa agent submit all the documents with the embassy
• STEP 2: Then the visa agent collects the documents from the embassy after the visa
is stamped.
Documents required for UK/US/Schengen visa

• Valid Passport
• Photographs
• Visa application form duly filled and signed by the applicant
• Tour confirmation & Hotel confirmation
• Bank statements (last 06 months)
• Income tax returns (last 03
years) Proof of occupation
• If business man
• Proof of registration / ownership
• Company Bank statements (last 06 months)
• Company Income tax returns (last 03 years)
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• If Salaried
• Leave certificate from the employer
• Copy of appointment letter
• Salary Slip
• Property Papers
• Vehicle Registration
• Proof of fixed deposits / investments
How to apply for UK visa?

For UK, visa is applied through VFS (Visa Facilitation
Services) What is the Procedure ?
STEP 1: All the documents along with the Passport are submitted at the VFS centre by the
traveler
STEP 2: After that all the applications are forwarded to the High
Commission Photograph - ( 45 MM WIDE BY 35 MM ).
In many cases applications are approved without the need of applicant to appear for the
interview. In this case customer’s passport endorsed with the appropriate UK visa will be
returned to the VFS centre by courier
If the Visa Officer cannot make a decision on the basis of papers submitted, VFS will
contact you to book an interview appointment.
• Time taken: Visa is issued next day
How to apply for US visa?

• Personal presence at the embassy is MANDATORY for everyone
• To apply for US visa, traveler has to visit the website called www.ttsvisas.com. He
has to fill the online visa application form.
• After completion of the form, the embassy will give the appointment to appear for
the interview at the Embassy
• Time taken: Visa is issued same day
• Photograph- 50 mm square with white background
Basic contents of a Visa form
• Personal Details
• - Name, Date of Birth, Personal address
• Passport Details
• - Passport no, passport issue and expiry date, passport issuance city
How to apply for Schengen visa?
► The Schengen Visa has made traveling between its 26 member countries (23
European Union states and 3 non-EU members - Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland)
much easier and less bureaucratic.
► This is particularly beneficial for persons who wish to visit several European
countries on the same trip.
► The Schengen visa is a “visitor visa”. It is issued to citizens of countries who are
required to obtain a visa before entering Europe
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► It is strongly recommended to plan your journey within the timeframe of the
Schengen Visa as extensions can be very difficult to obtain, thus forcing you to
leave to stay in compliance with the Schengen rules and regulations.
► A Schengen visa allows the holder to travel freely within the Schengen countries
fora maximum stay of up to 90 days in a 6 month period.
 Personal presence is mandatory for first time travelers

 Valid UK or US visa is favorable
 Step 1: All the documents along with the Passport are submitted at the Embassy by
the travel agent or visa agent
 Step 2: The visa agent collects the passport from the embassy when the visa is
stamped.
NOTE: Embassy might call the person himself for the interview.
How to apply for Dubai visa?

• There are 2 ways to attain Dubai visa
1. Through sponsorship which can be attained either from any relative in dubai or from
a hotel in dubai.
If from a Hotel, then the hotel is booked, scanned copies of the passport are sent to the
hotel. Visa is issued in 3-4 days and is sent through fax.
Obtaining visa from Emirates

This is an electronic visa and the person who is traveling on Emirates can get this visa.
Procedure:
PNR is created on the CRS
Once all the sectors are confirmed, visa can be applied by submitting the documents to the
Emirates visa section.
Once the visa is done, it is reflected in the PNR not on the passport.
• No. of entries
• Single entry visa
• Double entry visa
• Multiple entry visa
• Validity of visa – Visa is valid for certain duration.
Things to be checked in visa

• Name (as per the passport)
• Passport no.
• Date of birth
• Validity (as per the traveling date)
• No. of entries
CASE STUDY
TOURIST VISA ON ARRIVAL BY INDIA
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The foreign national of following Eleven countries viz.
1.Finland 2.Japan 3.Luxembourg

4.New Zealand 5.Singapore 6. Cambodia
7. Vietnam 8. Philippines 9. Laos
10.Myanmar 11.Indonesia
can get a Tourist Visa on arrival with a maximum validity of 30 days with single entry
facility by the Immigration officer at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata Airports and
NOT in any other Immigration Check Posts(ICPs).
1. ELIGIBILITY:
A Tourist Visa-on-Arrival shall be granted to a foreigner who is a national of

Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand , Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam,
Philippines, Laos, Myanmar and Indonesia.
1. Whose sole objective of visiting India is recreation, sight seeing, casual visit to
meet friends or relatives, short duration medical treatment or casual business
visit etc and no other purpose/ activity;
2. Who does not have a residence or occupation in India;
3. Who holds a passport with minimum six months validity, and a re-entry
.permit if that is required under the law of the country of nationality of the
applicant;
4. Who is a person of assured financial standing ( the production of a return
ticket and availability of sufficient money to spend during his stay in India
may be considered sufficient for this purpose).
5. Who is not a person-non-grata to the Government of India;
6. Who is not considered an undesirable person and is not the subject of a black
list or any warning circular or other restrictive list;
Note:
1. A citizen from the above-named countries who wants to come to India for a
longer duration should be granted a visa of the appropriate category by the
Indian Mission/Post concerned.
2. This facility shall not be available to the citizens of above-named countries if
the person or either of his/ her parents or grandparents (paternal or maternal)
was born in , and was permanently resident in Pakistan. Such persons can
visit India after obtaining appropriate visa from the Indian Mission/ Post
concerned.
2. VALIDITY:
A Tourist Visa-on-Arrival will be valid for entry and stay into India within the period of
its validity subject to conditions specified. The Immigration officer may grant single entry
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Tourist Visa-on-Arrival up to 30 days to nationals of Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New
Zealand, Singapore , Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Laos, Myanmar and Indonesia.
3. CONDITIONS FOR TOURIST VISA ON ARRIVAL:
Tourist Visa-on-Arrival shall be non-extendable and non-convertible. At the time of issue

of Tourist Visa-on-Arrival, the Immigration officer must make it clear to the foreigner
that a Tourist Visa-on-Arrival can neither be extended nor converted to any other kind visa
during his/her stay in India except in the following circumstances and with the prior
approval of the Ministry of Home Affairs:
a) Tourist Visa-on-Arrival may be converted to 'X' (Entry) Visa if a foreigner who has
come to India on Tourist Visa-on-Arrival marries an Indian national during the validity of
his/her Tourist Visa-on-Arrival. Such conversion would be considered subject to
fulfillment of following conditions:
1. Submission of a copy of a Registered Marriage Certificate, and

2. Report from the concerned FRO/FRRO about their marital status which
will, inter-alia, include his/her antecedents, confirmation about their living
together and security clearance.
b) Tourist Visa-on-Arrival of the foreigners who fall ill after their entry into India
rendering them unfit to travel and require specialized medical treatment may be converted
to Medical visa if they are eligible for grant of Medical Visa and medical certificate is
obtained from the government / government recognized hospitals. In such a case, Tourist
Visa-on-Arrival of the attendant accompanying the foreigner ( whose Tourist Visa-on-
Arrival is converted to Medical Visa) may also be converted into Medical Attendant[Med-
X] visa co-terminus with the Medical visa of the Foreigner.
4. FEE FOR TOURIST VISA ON ARRIVAL
A fee of US $60/- or an equivalent amount in Indian rupees per passenger( including

children) will be charged from each foreigner for the grant of Tourist Visa-on-Arrival.
5. REPEAT VISITS:
Tourist Visa-on-Arrival shall be allowed for a maximum of two times in a calendar year to
a foreigner with aminimum gap of two months between each visit.
The Tourist Visa-on-Arrival facility shall not be applicable to holders of Diplomatic/ Official
passports.
6. Required documents:
1 Passport with 6 month validity
2 2 Passport size photographs
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3 Photo copy of passport
4 Hotel booking confirmation if possible
5 On production of Return Ticket
VISA ON ARRIVAL FOR PAK NATIONALS
 Eligibility:
Visa on Arrival for a single entry, 45 days stay, maximum up to 5 places will be available
at Attari Immigration Point to a Pakistani national who is more than 65 years old and is
crossing Attari border on foot and:
1. Whose sole objective of visiting India is to meet friends or relatives

(individuals who want to avail business, medical,conference or pilgrim visa
should apply to the respective Mission/Post for the requisite visa);
2. who does not have a residence or occupation in India;
3. who holds a passport with minimum validity of six months;
4. who is not a persona-non-grata to the government of India;
5. who is not considered an undesirable person and is not the subject of a
black list or any warning circular or other restrictive list; and
Note:
1. A Pakistani national of age more than 65 years, who wants to travel to

India for a longer duration, should apply for a visa in appropriate category
at the Indian Mission/Post concerned.
2. A Pakistani national desiring to avail this facility should fill the
prescribed Immigration Card at Attari Immigration Point and present-
(a) copy of his/her National Identity Card (NIC) with translation in English;
(b) Copy of the utility bill as proof of residence;
(c) His/Her Pakistani Passport valid for not less than six months;
(d) Photocopy of the passport;
(e) Two passport-size photographs;
(f) Confirmation of booking in case he/she is to stay in a hotel in India.
(g) Name and address of the person he/she is visiting in India.
(h) Sponsorship certificate ( duly attested by the Authorized Officer in India) taking
responsibility for the bonafides and good conduct of the Pakistani nationals.
DM/SP/SDM/Tehsildar/BDO/SHO/Group ''A'' officers of the Central and State
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Government/Principal of Government college/Principal or Head Master of Government
school are authorized for this purpose.
3. Pakistani nationals who desire to avail Visa on Arrival shall be required to fill the
online visa form on the website (http://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/) and carry a
printout of the same when they come to ICP Attari.
 Validity:
The Immigration Officer may grant single entry Visa-on-Arrival upto 45 days. Since all
individuals, more than 65 years are exempted from Police Reporting, all such visas will
also be endorsed "Exempted from Police Reporting".
 Conditions for Visa-on-Arrival:
Visa-on-Arrival shall be non-extendable and non-convertible. At the time of issuance of

Visa-on-Arrival, the Immigration Officer must make it clear to the Pakistani national eligible
for such a visa that a Visa-on-Arrival can neither be extended nor converted to any other
kind of visa during his/her stay in India except with the prior approval of the Foreigners
Division, Ministry of Home Affairs.
Visa-on-Arrival would not be given for visiting Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Kerala,
Cantonment areas and other areas and places under restricted/protected area regime.
 Entry points and Exit Points:
The Visa-on-Arrival will be provided only at the Immigration Check Post at Attari, Punjab to
Pakistani nationals crossing on foot. All such visa holders will be allowed to exit only from
Attari (on foot).
 Fee for Visa-on-Arrival:
A fee of Indian Rupees 100/- or US $2/- or Pakistani Rupees 176/- per individual as per
prevailing exchange rate will be charged for the grant of a Visa-on-Arrival.
 Repeat Visit:
Visa-on-Arrival shall be allowed for a maximum of two times in a calendar year

to a Pakistani nation
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Module V
HOW TO SET UP A TRAVEL AGENCY

Setting up of a travel agency in India requires a high degree of skill and
organisational capacity. A travel agency may be large and not so large. A large travel
agency has several members on the staff while a smaller unit is managed by only a few
hands. Some travel agencies may offer complete service including airline ticketing, hotel
booking, tour packaging, cargo, shipping and rail bookings while others may limit their
activities to certain specified areas.
It is necessary to obtain a number of recognitions and approvals to start a travel

agency. For getting the recognition easily, the following conditions need to be followed:
 The agency should be centrally located, preferably in a business area and easily
accessible to general public. A ground floor location is preferred.
 Should have been in business for at least one year and must demostrate its desire
and ability to promote travel in a professional manner.
 Have compotent and experienced staff to quote fares and schedules, make
reservations and issue tickets.
 Have adequate finance .
 Maintain ethical standards of business in its dealings with passengers or / and the
principals.
 Be able to obtain the required government licences where applicable. The travel
agents in India offering documentation services, like passport and visa, have to be
on the approved list of the Regional Passport Office of the Ministry of External
Affairs as well as on the Reserve Bank of India for release of foreign exchange and
for eligibility of passengers to travel.
 Have the approval of International Air Trasport Association (IATA) to represent

member airlines. Seperate recognition is required for passenger and cargo sales.
This
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recognition is granted only after satisfactory functioning of a travel agency for
atleast one year. The airlines insist on certain minimum financial guarantees for
IATA approval. Similarly, Indian Airlines demands seperate bonding for its
approval. Private airlines in India accept IATA approved travel agents for their
sales distribution.
 Have the approval of Indian Airlines to sell Indian Airlines tickets. Here again,
seperate recognition is needed for selling passenger tickets and booking air cargo on
Indian Airlines.
 Have the approval of the department of tourism to claim publicity and promotional
benefits for tour operatiors hadling inbound tourists.
Overall the IATA approved travel agencies sell more than 60% of demestic and 75% of
international tickets in India. The rest of the selling is done either directly by airlines or
their General Sales Agents (GSA) which have mushroomed in many parts of India. GSAs
are normally appointed by an airline exclusively for the sale of its own tickets –
technically, only at the place where an airline has no office of its own or where there is no
IATA agent.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM
GUIDELINES FOR RECOGNITION AS APPROVED TRAVEL AGENT
1. The aims & objectives of the scheme for recognition of Travel Agent is to encourage
quality standard and service in this category so as to promote tourism
in India. This is a voluntary scheme open to all bonafide (genuine) travel agencies.
2. Definition: A Travel Agency is one which makes arrangements of tickets for travel by
air, rail, ship, passport, visa, etc. It may also arrange accommodation, tours, entertainment
and other tourism related services.
3. All applications for recognition shall be addressed to the Additional Director General
(Tourism), Ministry of Tourism, Transport Bhawan, No.1, Parliament Street, New Delhi-
110001.
4. The following conditions must be fulfilled by the Travel Agency for grant of recognition
by Department of Tourism:-
i) The application for grant of recognition shall be in the prescribed form and submitted in
duplicate.
ii) The travel Agency has a minimum paid-up capital (or capital employed) of Rs.3.00
lakhs duly supported by the audited balance sheet/Chartered Accountant’s Certificate.
iii) The Travel Agency should be approved by International Air Transport Association
(IATA) or should be General Sales Agent (GSA)/Passenger Sales Agent (PSA) of an IATA
member Airlines.
99

iv) The Travel Agency should have been in operation for a minimum period of one year
before the date of application.
v) The minimum office space should be 250 sq.ft. Besides, the office may be located in a
neat and clean surrounding and equipped with telephone, fax and computer reservation system
etc. There should be sufficient space for reception and easy access to toilet facilities.
vi) The Travel Agency should be under the charge of a full time member who is adequately
trained, experienced in matters regarding ticketing, itineraries, transport, accommodation
facilities, currency, customs regulations and travel and tourism related services. Besides
this, greater emphasis may be given to effective communication skills, knowledge of
foreign languages, other than English. There should be minimum of four qualified staff out
of which at least two should have Diploma/Degree in Travel and Tourism from recognised
University.
The academic qualifications may be relaxed in case of exceptionally experienced personnel in

Airlines, Shipping, Transport and PR agencies, Hotel and other Corporate Bodies and those
who have worked for 3 years with IATA/UFTAA Agencies. There should be a minimum of
two qualified staff.
vii) The Travel Agency is an income-tax assessee and has filed Income Tax Return for the
current assessment year.
viii) The Travel Agency should employ only Regional Guides trained and licensed by the
Department of Tourism, Government of India and State level Guides as well as local guides
approved by State Governments.
ix) For outsourcing any of the services relating to tourists, the travel agencies shall use
approved specialised agencies in the specific field of activity.
5. Recognition as travel agency will be granted for 3 years and renewal thereafter for 5
years on an application made by travel agency along with fee.
6. The Travel Agency will be required to pay a non-refundable fee of Rs.3, 000/- while
applying for the recognition and renewal of Head Office as well as each Branch Office.
The fee will be payable to the Pay and Accounts Officer, Department of Tourism, in the
form of a Bank Draft.
7. Recognition will be granted to the Head Office of the Travel Agency. Branch Offices
will be approved along with the Head Office or subsequently, provided the particulars of
the Branch Offices are submitted to Department of Tourism and accepted by it.
8. The Travel Agency granted recognition shall be entitled to such incentives and
concessions as may be granted by the Government from time to time and shall abide by the
terms and conditions of recognition as prescribed from time to time.
9. The decision of the Government of India in the matter of recognition shall be final.
However, the Government of India may in their discretion refuse to recognise any firm or
withdraw/withhold at any time recognition already granted with the approval of the
competent authority. Before such a decision is taken, necessary Show Cause Notice would
invariably be issued and the reply considered on merit. This will be done as a last resort
and circumstances in which withdrawal is resorted would also be indicated.
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STAR CRUISE
Star Cruises is the third-largest cruise line in the world behind Carnival Corporation and
Royal Caribbean Cruises, and dominates the Asia-Pacific market .
A primary business activity of the company is cruise and cruise related operations under
the brand of Star Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL).
Genting Hong Kong, formerly known as Star Cruises Limited, is a leading global leisure,
entertainment and hospitality enterprise, with core competences in both land and sea-based
businesses:
1. Star Cruises - Asia-Pacific

2. Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) - A 50% joint ownership
3. Resorts World Manila (RWM) - Manila, Philippines; joint partnership with Alliance
Global Group under Travelers International
A pioneer in its own right, Genting Hong Kong was incorporated in September 1993,
operating its fleet under Star Cruises, to take on a bold initiative to grow the Asia-Pacific
region as an international cruise destination. Star Cruises together with NCL is the third
largest cruise operator in the world, with a combined fleet of 18 ships cruising to over 200
destinations, offering approximately 35,000 lower berths.
The company's first ships were two cruise ferries acquired from the bankrupted estate of
Swedish Rederi AB Slite. In the following years the company purchased several other used
ships. In 1998 Star Cruises took delivery of its first new build, SuperStar Leo, followed by
sister ship SuperStar Virgo in 1999.
In the year 2000, Star Cruises acquired 100 % of Norwegian Cruise Line (including its
subsidiaries Orient Lines and Norwegian Capricorn Line) and became the first global
cruise line. Norwegian Capricorn Line operations were soon merged into those of Star
Cruises. Before the purchase of NCL, Star Cruises had several new builds either planned or
under construction, but most of these joined the NCL fleet instead of that of Star Cruises.
In August 2007 Star announced that in exchange for $ 1bn (US) that 50% ownership of
NCL would pass to a large US Private Equity group - Apollo Management LP.
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In 2001 Star Cruises founded a new sister company Cruise Ferries which began operating one
ship, Wasa Queen, on short cruises from Hong Kong to Xiamen; then on overnight
gambling cruises from Hong Kong, and from July 2007 similar overnight gambling cruises
from Port Klang (Kuala Lumpur) Malaysia.
With the operations of Norwegian Cruise Line having proven more profitable than those of
Star Cruises itself, since 2006 the trend has been that new ships are built for NCL, and the
old ships they replace are then transferred to the Star Cruises fleet in Asia
Star Cruises, the leading cruise line in Asia-Pacific, operates 4 vessels which include
SuperStar Virgo, SuperStar Aquarius, SuperStar Libra, Star Pisces and offering various cruise
itineraries in the Asia Pacific region.
Resorts World Manila is Genting Hong Kong's first foray in a land-based attraction. RWM
opened its doors to the public in August 2009, and is one of the premier leisure brands
under the Genting Group, representing a flagship integrated leisure and entertainment
complex featuring 3 hotels including a six star all-suite Maxims Hotel, an iconic shopping
mall, 4 high-end cinemas and a multi-purpose performing arts theatre.
Genting Hong Kong's mission statement is to create world class entertainment and leisure
experiences for our visitors..
Headquartered in Hong Kong, Genting Hong Kong has a presence in more than 20
locations worldwide with offices and representation in Australia, Cambodia, China, India,
Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Sweden,
Taiwan, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States and
Vietnam.
Features of STAR CRUISE
1) Star Cruises has played the leading role in shaping the cruise industry in Asia-Pacific by
offering new and luxurious megaships and exciting itineraries.
2) Headquartered in Hong Kong, Star Cruises is represented in more than 20 locations
worldwide with offices and representatives in Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,
Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, United
Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States of America.
3) The company also made important investments in marketing, operations, information
technology, reservations systems, safety and infrastructure
4) Star Cruises made it to the Top 50 Asian Brands in 1999 and is the second leading brand
that has the “Greatest Upward Movement Potential”. It achieved the top brand name in the
leisure category for “Top 50 Asian Brands League
5) The company has also been presented the "Best Cruise Operator in Asia-Pacific” award
by the TTG Travel Awards for ten times and with this, Star Cruises was honorably
inducted into TTG Travel Awards Hall of Fame in 2008.
2011- "Favorite Travel Destination 2011" , The award was organized by Southern Metropolis
Daily
2010 -The Most Exclusive Leisure product Award by Travel and Tourism Fair (TTF) INDIA
6) Star Cruises have set new standards of cruising in Asia-Pacific. Ships like SuperStar
Virgo now represent the best and most exciting vacation experience option to both the
Asian holiday maker and experienced cruiser from America, Europe and Australia.
7) Star Cruises is also committed to developing the growing meetings and incentive
segment of the cruise MICE market in Asia-Pacific. The fleet is able to cater to meeting
and incentive groups of various sizes with their world-class food and beverage,
entertainment and recreation facilities.
8) Star Cruises' award-winning product is noted for its excellent service standards and
the highest crew-to-passenger ratio (1:2) of any major cruise line, reflecting the high
standards of the hospitality industry in Asia-Pacific
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9) Star Cruises Group and Singapore’s low-cost carrier Valuair have launched what is
being termed as the first fly-cruise package for travel between Singapore and Bangkok.
10) The fly-cruise package from Singapore would see passengers flying to Bangkok
with Valuair and cruising back to Singapore onboard Superstar Virgo with a
stopover in Ko Samui
11) Star Cruises wins its first Caring Company logo. The only cruise liner to be
awarded this esteemed honor at “TheCaring Company Recognition Ceremony
2008/2009 on 10 February 2009. Star Cruises has been actively committed to the various
communities in Asia Pacific during our 16 years history. Charitable activities are
organized by the various regional offices from time to time. STAR Cares, Star Cruises
Volunteer Team(Hong Kong), was established in June 2008 primarily to serve the
community
Safety, Training and Security
The safety, health and well-being of cruise passengers are Star Cruises’ top priorities. Star
Cruises is one of the first cruise lines to be certified for the ISM (International Safety
Management) Code in 1998 as directed by the IMO (International Maritime Organisation).
Star Cruises has a young and modern fleet equipped with the latest in navigational control
and fire systems and has implemented extensive safety features such as “Hi-Fog” even in
the engine rooms which are not required by IMO (International Maritime Organisation)
regulation until 2005.
In training her officers, Star Cruises has built its own ship training simulator located within
the Star Cruises Terminal, Port Klang complex. Completed in 1998, the Star Cruises Ship
Simulator Centre (SCSS) is the only one of its kind in the world owned by a shipping
company. The operation of the Centre is a joint-business agreement between Star Cruises
and FORCE Technology-DMI (formerly known as Danish Maritime Institute).
Star Cruises also created history by becoming the first shipping company ever to be
accredited by the Panama Maritime Authority to carry out the STCW-95 (Seafarer’s
Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Code) without involvement by other external
training institute. The STCW-95 training programmes are conducted on board Star Cruises’
vessels and is fully endorsed by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and used to
train captains, officers and crew.
In addition, the Star Cruises Terminal in Port Klang and the Jetty Terminal on Langkawi
Island, Malaysia have been awarded Statements of Compliance under the ISPS
(International Standards Pertaining to Security) Code.
The Code which came into mandatory effect in July 2004 sets out a framework involving
cooperation between contracting governments, government agencies, local authorities as well
as members of the shipping and port fraternity to detect and assess security threats and to take
preventive measures.
Corporate Headquarters -Hong Kong SAR (Special Administrative Region)

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer- Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay
Chief Operating Officer – Cruise- Mr. William Ng Ko Seng
Fleets of star cruise----SuperStar Virgo, SuperStar Libra, SuperStar Aquarius, Star Pisces
Destinations----Hong Kong, Naha (Okinawa Islands), Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan,
Thailand,Vietnam
ONBOARD FACILITIES OF STAR CRUISE
Accommodation- wide range of well appointed suites and staterooms that include staterooms
with balcony on ships like SuperStar Virgo and SuperStar Aquarius.
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Suite occupants enjoy priority check-in and will be accompanied onboard by Guest Services
staff while luggage will be sent directly to the cabin .
Dining- Enjoy up to 6 meals a day which are included in the cruise package at the main
dining restaurants or dine at our alternative restaurants which includes the Taj, a fully
certified 'Halal' outlet on SuperStar Virgo at moderate charges.
Please present your Access Card when entering any restaurant for verification purposes.
There is a nominal corkage charge if you bring your own alcoholic beverage to any of
the dining outlets.
Gala Dinner- Guests are advised to book early for their gala dinner seating in their choice of
restaurant to avoid disappointment.
Entertainment- A wide spectrum of entertainment which includes exciting live cabaret

shows, discotheques, karaoke and card rooms, video games, organised activities and deck
games are available onboard.
Recreation- active workout at the gym or a game of basketball to something more

relaxed like the jaccuzi ,pool and sauna
Swimming Pool-The use of the swimming pools and Jacuzzis are for adults and teenagers
over the age of 12 years only while there are also children's swimming pools and Jacuzzis on
certain vessels.
Beauty Services
Shopping Onboard- most items ranging from luxury duty-free items and souvenirs to daily
necessities like sunscreen and toiletries at outlets like the Ports O'Call* and Star Boutique*.
Photo Gallery- Guests can view photographs taken during the cruise for available for
purchase.
Shore Excursions For shore visits, casual wear and comfortable walking shoes or sandals are
recommended while suitable beachwear are ideal for island excursions. (Skimpy beachwear
is inappropriate in Muslim countries). Bring sports or gym attire if you are planning to play
golf, tennis or workout.
Child Care / Children's Activities-fun activities for the young ones under the care of
staff. A baby-sitting service at a nominal charge.
Medical Facilities- In the event of minor accidents, inconveniences and emergencies while at
sea, there is a fully qualified physician and a team of nurses onboard to assist. The clinic is
open daily at posted hours. Emergency medical attention is available around the clock by
contacting the Reception. Basic medicine with your doctor's prescription are also available.
Star Navigator-The Star Navigator is a daily bulletin that takes you through entertainment,
dining and other activities onboard.
Laundry-We offer complete laundry and valet services at a nominal charge.
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Room Service-Continental breakfast and snacks are available throughout the day at nominal
charges.
Safe Deposit Box- Safe deposit boxes are available free of charge in some cabins and at the
Reception.
Telephone Calls / Facsimile / E-mail- There is a charge for using the satellite network
for telephone and facsimile services or e-mail.
Tipping- 'No Tipping' policy onboard.
Wake Up Call-Electrical Outlets-Power outlets in the cabins provide 110V or 220V power
with 2-pin and 3-pin sockets.
Water- The water onboard is perfectly safe for drinking. Hot water can be delivered to
stateroom by Housekeeping on request.
SuperStarVirgo
SuperStar Virgo offers so much more than first class dining and entertainment - it takes you
to places where the sun, sea, people and culture blend colourfully well.
Every deck onboard SuperStar Virgo teems with endless fun, entertainment and activities. As
you cruise to the most exotic parts of Asia on this floating five-star resort, its more than 25
outlets of food and beverage, entertainment and recreation outlets will impress you.
In fact, it is the only cruise ship in the world that has an authentic Indian restaurant on
board that is certified 'halal'!
Ship Facts
Gross Tonnage : 76,800grt
Length (metres) : 268m/879ft
Width (metres) : 32m/106ft
Average Cruising Speed (knots) : 24kn
Maximum Cruising Speed (knots) : 25kn
Fin Stabilizers : Yes
Bow & Stern Thrusters 3
Full Satellite Navigation System 2
Number of Cabins 902
Passenger Capacity (based on lower berths) : 1,804
Total number of Deck-13
CABINS
Executive Suite-Outside Suite with Balcony & Jacuzzi, 1 king-size bed (Deck 9 and
10)Category-AA and AB
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Junior Suite- Outside Suite with Balcony & Jacuzzi, 1 queen-size bed & 1 double sofa
bed (in living room) (Deck 9 and 10) Category-AC and AD
Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony- 2 single beds (convertible to 1 queen-size bed) & 1
single sofa bed / 2 single beds (convertible to 1 queen-size bed) & 1 double sofa bed
(Deck 11,10 and 9)Category-BA, BB and BC
Oceanview Stateroom with Window- 2 single beds, 1 pullman bed & 1 single sofa bed / 2
single beds (convertible to 1 queen-size bed), 1 pullman bed & 1 single sofa bed (Deck
8,9,6 and 5 ) Category-8&9-CA, 6-CB and 5- CC
Oceanview Stateroom with Porthole- 2 single beds (convertible to 1 queen-size bed), 1

ceiling pullman bed & 1 single sofa bed (Deck 6 and 5 ) Category-6 and 5- CD
Inside Stateroom-2 single beds (convertible to 1 queen-size bed), 1 wall pullman bed & 1
slide bed(Deck 5,6,8,9,10 and 11)Category-10&11- DA, 8and 9- DB 6-DC,5-DD
Wine & Dine

As the liner takes you to places where feasting is an everyday affair, our chefs onboard
prepare you for the gastronomical journey by cooking up only the best.
At our various dining outlets, we are sure to please even the most discerning palate.
Savour Japanese specialities at Samurai Restaurant or exotic Indian temptations at The Taj!
Check out some of our dining highlights below.
 The Taverna (Poolside snack bar)

 Café Gelato (Ice-cream, fresh fruit juices and desserts)
 Mediterranean Buffet and Terrace (International buffet)
 Samurai Restaurant (Japanese restaurant)
 The Taj (Indian (halal) buffet)
 Bellini (Champagne bar)
 Blue Lagoon (Southeast Asian favourites)
 Noble House (Chinese fine dining)
 Palazzo (Italian fusion specialty restaurant)
 The Pavilion Room (Chinese family style restaurant)
 Bella Vista (International dining)
Onboard Entertainment
After a fun-filled day with the kids at Neptune's Wet and Wild, retreat to some world-class
performances at any of our entertainment outlets.
You can dance the night away at the Celebrity Disco or join us for a game or two at any
of our game rooms if you prefer a quiet evening.
 Galaxy of the Stars (Live music, dance lounge and cocktail snacks, afternoon tea
and cocktails)
 The Lido (Showlounge)
 The Picture House (Cinema/Auditorium)
 Out of Africa (Karaoke)
 Oasis (Games of chance)
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 The Mahjong Room (Mahjong games)
 Celebrity Disco (Discotheque)
Sports & Fitness

Staying in shape and keeping fit need not be boring. You'll find our comprehensive range
of facilities make working out anything but mundane.
After sweating it out at the gym, end your session at the Apollo Spa and Fitness Centre.
Choose to rejuvenate your way from any of the exotic spa treatments.
 Amphitheatre (Jumbo chess board, Jumbo checkers and table tennis)

 Universal Gymnasium (Gymnasium)
 Parthenon Pool (Outdoor swimming pool, jacuzzi (4), sunbathing)
 Aquaswim (Jet current exercise pool)
 Star Track (Jogging circuit)
Other Facilities
Should you unexpectedly have to attend to some business, our business centre is equipped
with the telecommunications systems to help you stay in touch with friends, love ones or
business associates.
Otherwise, choose to shop through SuperStar Virgo as you would a shopping mall.
 Ports O'Call (Onboard shopping)

 Computer World (Computer centre in the child care centre)
 Starlight Video Arcade (Video games)
 Oscar's Hair and Beauty Salon (Hairdressing and beauty salon)
 Library/Writing Room (Book loans and reading room)
 Charlie's Child Care Centre (Children's playroom and nursery)
7 STAR reasons why to sail with star cruise
1. GREAT PROMOTIONAL OFFERS

Ensuring value-for-money and affordable packages that suits each taste; each ship
bears its own flavour and special highlights that leaves you with a great variety of
different and rich experiences! Check out our latest hot deals TODAY! Or do a
Quick Search to find your favourite cruise deal TODAY!
2. FREESTYLE CRUISING
Star Cruises are the pioneers in this region offering Freestyle Cruising which
means total freedom onboard! You can indulge in any of the extensive variety of
sumptuous cuisine and activities you like, whenever you like or do nothing at all. No
formalities or fronts. Just be yourself and rejuvenate and relax your way.
3. WORLD-CLASS ENTERTAINMENT
All about offering rich and diverse experiences, that ensures you take home only the
most profoundly beautiful memories, Star Cruises presents an excellent variety of
world-class entertainment aboard its fleet. Be it award-winning international artistes
to in-house multi-million dollar crew production shows and a whole lot more! Check
out the latest highlights by ships now!
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4. INTERNATIONAL CUISINE SPREAD (UP TO 6 ALL-INCLUSIVE MEALS A
DAY)
Our specialist chefs are passionate about whipping up only the most mouth-
watering, sumptuous cuisine ranging from exotic Asian and Chinese specialties,
Continental, Japanese, Indian and a whole lot more. Come satisfy your appetites
with the wide variety of gastronomical delights aboard! Check out the different
cuisines available by ships now!
5. REJUVENATING & EXCITING RANGE OF SPORTING &
RECREATIONAL FACILITIES
With in-built facilities and recreational options such as spas, kids playroom, mini-
golfing, swimming pools, gyms, photo-house and a whole lot more, there's non-stop
activities to have fun, fun and more fun! Check out the exciting facilities by ships
now!
6. SUPERB CRUISE DIRECTORS & INTERNATIONAL CREW
Made of more than 40 different nationalities and the expert Scandinavian Captains
and Officers, the Cruise Staff are amongst the rich experiences and joy that our
cruisers will take home as part of their outstanding memories! Check out who's-who
that'll be serving you on each ship now!
7. HAPPENING & FUN THEMES & PROGRAMMES TAILOR-MADE FOR
ALL!
Truly exciting programmes and vibrant themes such as holiday camps @ sea, the red-
hot Fiesta celebrations, Wellness, Spa & Fitness Programmes, Marriage Cruises, etc
are crafted out for all! Be it families, seniors, kids, couples and even corporate groups,
there will be something tailor-made for each to enjoy! Check out our latest
highlights by ships now!
Cruising Guide
Travel Documents
An international passport with a minimum validity of six months from the date of sailing is
required for international cruises while domestic cruises require a government photo identity
card.
(Any child whose travelling document is attached to the parent's passport must travel with the
parent).
For domestic routes, the child's original birth certificate is required.
For all destinations cruise, international passport with work permit / employment pass /
student pass / immigration card is required.
You may also need to obtain visas for certain countries on your cruise itinerary and we
advise that you contact your travel agent for details and assistance .
Check –In and Embarkation
Arrival at the check-in area

Upon arrival at the check-in area ,please present your Confirmation Slip to the staff present
and proceed to one of the colour coded carpets that correspond to the following:
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Yellow for Admiral Class, red for Balcony Class* and blue for World Cruisers.
If you're an Admiral Class guest, our Guest Services Co-ordinator will meet and assist
you with the check-in.
For Balcony Class* guests, it is best that you check in together with your family, relatives
and friends if everyone is cruising on Balcony Class to enjoy priority embarkation.
Please present your passport / government photo ID and Confirmation Slip at the counter
where you will be given an Access Card. Access Card is important as it serves as a
boarding pass, cabin key and charge card onboard. Upon receipt of Access Card, sign
it immediately like any credit card.
Total baggage weight should not be more than 30kg. each guest take no more than one
suitcase and one hand baggage
Boarding
Guests will need to pass through security screening and present their Access card prior to
boarding.
Those cruising with children may hold their Access Cards on their behalf.
As embarkation procedures may change and vary from port to port please follow
the directions of the crew and signage to embark the ship.
Upon entering the ship please hand your Access Card to the crew to 'swipe' and 'encode' your
cabin details and record your presence onboard.
Remember to swipe your access card whenever you leave or enter the ship.
Vaccination
At the current time, no vaccinations are compulsory for any Star Cruises destination
Currencies
Most foreign currencies are accepted onboard at prevailing exchange rates. The onboard currency will
be that of the country where the ship is based (e.g. Singapore dollars for cruises out of Singapore,
Hong Kong dollars for cruises out of Hong Kong). Most major credit cards (Visa / Master / JCB /
Amex / Diners) are accepted, along with travellers cheques, but not personal cheques.
Embarkation Ports
HONG KONG-Name of Port-Ocean Terminal
CHINA-Name of Port -Sanya Phoenix Island International Cruise Terminal
MALAYSIA-Name of Port - Penang International Cruise Terminal (PICT)
Langkawi Island Terminal
Port Kelang
SINGPORE-Name of Port -Singapore Terminal
TAIWAN-Name of Port -1.Keelung Port 2.Kaohsiung Port
STAR CRUISE TERMINAL
The Star Cruises Terminal, located at Pulau Indah, Selangor, opened its first phase for operations in
December 1995. Adjacent to the cargo terminal of West Port, it is the first purpose-built modern
dedicated cruise terminal in Malaysia for cruise passengers with easy accessibility and comfort in mind.
Its ideal and strategic location within Port Klang, Malaysia's biggest and busiest port makes it an
excellent gateway to all the exotic destinations within Malaysia and the Southeast Asian region. Hop on
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the bus or charter a taxi to take you to the various attractions within easy reach when the ship berths.
Kuala Lumpur (KL), the modern capital city, is only a 45-minutes' drive from the Terminal. Experience
the hustle and bustle of the city as you enjoy a day-tour or simply have a fun-filled day exploring the
city sights.
Langkawi
The Star Cruises Jetty at Pulau Langkawi, the island of legends, serves as a gateway to the northern
parts of Malaysia. It is also an excellent point for tourists bound for Southern Thailand and the beautiful
Andaman Islands.
Pulau Langkawi is located off the west coast of the state of Kedah, north-west of Peninsular
Malaysia. It offers idyllic relaxation with its pristine beaches, resort hotels, legendary tales and
rustic charm.
There is a pleasant blend of the modern with its laid-back "kampung" feel of the island.There are many
attractions here on the island, natural and mystical, thus giving you a good combination of culture and
natural beauty.
Cruise Package:
Inclusions
Just about everything - accommodation, meals in designated outlets, entertainment and many onboard
activities are all part of the fare.
Exclusions
Optional shore excursions, alternative dining, selected shows / entertainment, items of personal nature
such as beverages, telephone calls, facsimile or e-mail services, shop purchases, laundry, beauty
treatment, hairdressing and massage services, medical services, port charges, fuel charges, insurance,
government taxes and fees are not included in the fare.
STAR CRUISE VIRGO ITINERARY OCT.2011-MARCH 2012
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2- Night Redang Island Cruise (Wed):Singapore-Redang-Singapore
Major Attractions to see:
 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
From the Star Cruises Terminal in Port Klang, head out to Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia
and discover a bustling metropolis that uniquely blends the traditional and modern. Enjoy
exceptional shopping, dining opportunities and other attractions like the Petronas Twin Tower, the
tallest twin towers in the world.
 Langkawi Island, Malaysia
This island of myths and legends offers pristine beaches, magical islands and mysterious mangroves.
Delve into local legends about the virtuous Mahsuri, the Seven Wells Waterfalls where fairies bathe,
and the Lake of the Pregnant Maiden; or visit Awana Porto Malai, where you can shop, dine and
enjoy a cultural show or two.
 Malacca, Malaysia
An ancient Dutch trading port, the communities and cultural heritage of Malacca have been shaped
by centuries of foreign influence. Visit traditional Chinese temples and the bustling old city, where
craftsmen and antique traders still ply their trade in turn-of-the-century shophouses.
 Penang, Malaysia
Dubbed the ‘Pearl of the Orient’, Penang is perhaps best known for its wonderful beaches, but there's
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much more to experience on this delightful island. Explore the vibrant lanes of Chinatown, ancient
temples and streets of colonial villas and be sure to sample hawker fare - an unforgettable culinary
experience.
 Redang Island, Malaysia
Redang Island or ‘Pulau Redang’ is one of the most captivating islands in Malaysia. Visitors to this
island will be greeted by crystal clear blue waters, pure white sands and swaying coconut trees.
Discover some of the more beautiful corals and witness a world of spectacular seascapes of colourful
fishes as you go diving and snorkelling. Declared as a Marine Park to preserve its natural beauty,
Redang Island is one of the best places to just relax and soak in the sun.
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CASE STUDIES
COX & KINGS
TOPSHOTS
Peter Kerkar, Group CEO, Cox & Kings,
Ms Urrshila Kerkar, CEO, India, Cox & Kings
Cox & Kings is the longest established travel company in the world. Its distinguished
history began in 1758 when it was appointed as general agents to the regiment of Foot
Guards in India under the command of Lord Ligonier.
By 1878, C&K were agents for most British regiments posted overseas, including the
Royal Cavalry, Artillery and Infantry, as well as the Royal Wagon Train and the
Household Brigade. The Royal Navy was next and in 1912, The Royal Air Force came
under its wings. Between 1750's and 1950's, Cox & Kings was witness to an
exciting era in Indian history, and, in its own way, helped to shape it. In 1947,
the British administration departed, but bound by strong ties to India, Cox & Kings
stayed on and flourished. Today, Cox & Kings is a premium brand in all travel
related services in the Indian subcontinent, employing over 800 trained professionals.
Sir Richard Cox was its founder.Its India operations are headquartered in Mumbai and
has the status of a limited company. It has over 12 fully owned offices in India across key
cities such as New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Hyderabad,
Pune, Goa, Nagpur and Jaipur .
The worldwide offices are located in UK, USA, Japan, Russia, Singapore and Dubai. It has
associate offices in Germany, Italy, Spain, South Africa, Sweden and Australia.
The principal services offered by the company are:
 Destination Management
 Outbound Tourism
 Business Travel
 Incentive & Conference Solutions
 Domestic Holidays
 NRI
 Trade Fairs
 Foreign Exchange
 Insurance
The C&K Advantage

 Best Brand for over 249 years and been operational non-stop since 1758.
 One Stop Travel Fulfillment Center (Online as well as Offline Fulfillment) for all
Travel Related Services including a range of third party products
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 Integrated Information Technology Platform to offer centralized reservation systems
for all business units
 Excellent Supplier Contracting Terms & Capabilities
 Strong online Presence
 Timely & Accurate MIS
 Knowledgeable Staff
 Support via BPO & Call Centers
 Innovative Products Design and Creative Marketing
 Global Shareholder of Radius
DESTINATION MANAGEMENT
COX & KINGS is India's market leader in destination management, with substantial
competitive advantage in this business segment. Cox & Kings operates a range of group
and individual tours to destinations throughout the Indian subcontinent for clients from
all over the world. Cox & Kings overseas is a renowned travel brand and an Indian
subcontinent tour specialist and been quoted as one of the top 5 premium tour operators
by 'Conde' Nast Traveller'. This division also provides specialist services to foreign
participants visiting India for international meetings, conferences, ad hoc incentives and
exhibitions and also caters for domestic conferences and corporate incentives. Ground
related services to international cruise companies touching Indian shore with a provision of
shore excursions are other leading activities of this division.
OUTBOUBD TOURISM
India is one of the largest potential outbound tour markets in Asia. In 1995, Cox & Kings
began a full-fledged in house tour operating activity by designing its own brochure
product under exclusive arrangements with direct suppliers and local agents across
the globe. Cox & Kings has been undertaking path-breaking initiatives to reach out to the
travelers through innovative products. These include:
'Duniya Dekho' Holidays to Europe, USA, Far East, South Africa, Mauritius, Australia
and New Zealand. For the "value for money" traveller .
'FlexiHols' is a concept in holidaying where the traveller enjoys all the comforts and
convenience of a planned holiday but at a pace & price that is set by him. This is targeted at
the more discerning Free Individual Traveller
Luxury Escapes - It takes a travel company that has been round for two hundred years, to
know everything about royal treatment. Cox & Kings rolls out a whole new concept in
Holidays - Luxury Escapes. Spoil yourself. Get pampered rotten. Holiday like a king. Join
us as we unveil country after country laced with sinful indulgence and fine living. The
finest luxury hotels in the world to the most exclusive entertainment experiences await you.
Cox & Kings also represents and retails many international third party products including
Cosmos, Rail Europe, Silversea Cruises, Star Cruise, and Escorted Tours to USA etc.
NRI - The NRI Division of Cox & Kings caters to the Non Resident Indians who would
like to travel around the world with Indian families. Cox & Kings organises special tours
for these families where the NRI community would like to travel with like-minded families
across the world. Duniya Dekho & FIT Packages are specifically designed for this Market
Segment by this division.
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BUSINESS TRAVEL
Cox & Kings are one of the market leaders in business travel services in India, offering a
full range of business travel services to over 200 corporate clients, including major
multinational companies. C&K's strength in this business area is evident when one of the
world's largest conglomerate in business travel - Radius the First truly global travel
management partnership/consortium with merger of Travel Trust International and
Woodside Travel Management Corporation in 1992 selected Cox & Kings as their
Indian partner.
C&K - Radius Overseas Travel Fulfilment Solutions through the Radius Brand
Leveraging the partnership with Radius, Cox and Kings can offer Travel Fulfilment
Services to Corporate Clients who are having offices overseas or project teams working on
site at their customers site, through its Radius Shareholders in the respective overseas
regions. All travel requirements will be controlled through the off shore 24 x 7 Travel
Center based in Mumbai.
DOMESTIC TOURISM
India with its large domestic consumer offers Cox & Kings a unique opportunity to launch
its portfolio of 'domestic holidays' for people resident in India. Launched in 2000, 'Bharat
Dekho' (see India) is today's leading 'branded' product in the country with a wide
range of 'Indian Holidays' from cultural holidays, pilgrim holidays, wildlife holidays,
honeymoon tours, weekend getaways, customized FIT Tours to nature trails, Bharat
Dekho has captured over 50% of the domestic market.
Incentive Solutions
Over 7000 incentives in the last 4 years makes Cox and Kings the biggest player in
Incentives. The Incentive Solutions Division of Cox & Kings provides cost effective
travel incentive schemes for clients that recognize and reward exceptional effort of its
employees, customers, suppliers or dealers. A team of handpicked industry specialists
committed to handling every aspect of an incentive / conference event are a part of this
team.
MICE
The growing importance of MICE - Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions led to
the launch of this division. The division has existing tie ups with various Chambers of
Commerce and National Tourist Offices.
Currency Exchange
Cox & Kings has a full-fledged money changing division in Cox & Kings Offices servicing
the needs of the corporate traveller and the leisure travel clients. A strong distributor of
American Express Travellers' Cheques, Cox & Kings has been awarded 'Top
Performer' for several years.
Travel Insurance
Policies for Leisure Domestic as well as International Travel and special Corporate Deals
on Insurance covering an array of specialized travel areas, some of which are:
 Loss of baggage (checked)
 Bounced Hotel / Airline Bookings
 Missed connections

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 Personal Accident
 Trip Cancellation due to hospitalisation, death or curfew.
 Emergency Hospitalisation Death
High Technology Platform

Cox & Kings today deploys highest information technology platform in the Indian Travel
Industry. It has developed totally integrated front, mid and back office solutions. This has
brought about huge cost savings for the organisation, thus managing to offer 'quality'
service to its customers at a great cost savings.
Our Company
Cox & Kings are truly the experts in organising travel within India since 1758. Our 249
years grand history gives us an un-rivalled experience at organising your meeting and event
across India and the Sub-continent.
Our Presence
12 offices in India Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi,
Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur & Pune. Our International and representative offices are in UK,
USA, Germany, Spain, Japan, South Africa & Australia.
Our Partner
Our association with Radius, amongst the world's largest travel conglomerate gives us a
global reach into 70 countries with over 6000 branches.
Our Membership
TAAI, IATA, PATA, ASTA, IATO, ICCA and ICPB
Start Your Business With A 249 Year Advance
Cox & Kings is one stop shop for all needs Destination Management to Incentive Holidays;
Charters to Cruises; Outbound and Domestic Tourism; Business and Corporate Travel
including our in-house Foreign Exchange, MICE Meetings, Incentives, Conferences &
Events & of course our School Division to take care of your school tour programs. We
believe that learning does not stop in the classroom.
Our Hall Of Fame
Cox & Kings undoubtedly is the best Travel Company in India today.
This has been proved from the list of awards that we have been conferred with:
"Best Outbound Tour Operator"by Galileo Express Travel for 2003 2004
"Best Foreign Tour Operator" South East Asia by Malaysia Tourism between 2000 - 2001,
2001 - 2002 , 2002 2003
National Tourism Award for being the "Best Conference Agency" awarded by
Government of India, Department of Tourism between 1995 - 1996, 1998 - 1999,1999 -
2000, 2001 -
2002, 2002 - 2003, 2003 - 2004, 2004 2005 .
3 Awards for being the "Best Domestic Tour Operator" awarded by Galileo Express
Travel and Indian Express between 2003-2004, 2004-2005, 2005-2006
FAMOUS -TAGLINES
DUNIYA-DEKHO
is bascially a tagline to attract the native people to visit foreign places.It enables visit
abroad. Under it a number of packages are offered for a number of overseas
destinations.These include -:
Europe
Anand Yatra Discovery -14 Days / 13 Nights -United Kingdom, Belgium, The Netherlands,
France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Italy.
European Experience -10 Days / 09 Nights -United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany,
Switzerland, France
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Glimpse of Europe -7 Days / 6 Nights -Germany, Switzerland, France
Swiss Splendour -05 Days / 04 Nights -Liechtenstein, Switzerland
Exotic-Destination's- Dubai Delight,Glorious Greece,Land of The Pharaohs,Magical

China, Mauritian Marvel,South African Adventure ,Sri Lankan Sojourn,Turkish
Delight .
Far East -Fascinating Best Of Far East -Pattaya, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Macau, Genting
Highlands, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore;Fascinating Far East -Pattaya, Bangkok, Genting
Highlands, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore;Fascinating Malaysia; Fascinating Malaysia and
Singapore -Genting Highlands, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore;Fascinating
Singapore;Fascinating Thailand ;Malaysia & Singapore ;The Orient & Magical
Malaysia -Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore
Australia - New Zealand - Amazing Australia ; Fascinating Australia .
FLEXIHOL
BHARAT-DEKHO
North India- Bhutan - Land of the Dragon ;Enchanting Nepal ;Exciting Himachal; Flavour
of Kashmir;Glorious Kashmir;Golden Triangle;Heartland of Rajasthan;Heritage of
Uttaranchal;Himachal Splendours;Jewels of Rajasthan;Kashmir - Paradise on Earth
;Kashmir Experience;Royal Nepal ;Scenic Himachal;Splendours of Uttaranchal.
South India-Colours Of Kerala;Enchanting Kerala;Experience South India ; Gateway to
the Deccan Highlands ; Glorious Kerala;Hills Of Southern India ;Images of South India
;Keralan Experience ; South India Delight;Southern Odyssey ;Spectacular Vizag
East India-Eastern Himalayan Delight;Eastern Himalayan Splendour;Sikkim Delight
;Splendours of Orissa; Splendours of the East .
Central India- Heartland Of India ;Heritage Of Madhya Pradesh;
West India- Maharashtrian Delight ;Temple Tour Of Gujarat ;The Colours Of Gujarat .
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YOUNG ADULTS SCHOOL TOURS
The Main objective of Cox & Kings school trips is to stimulate the intellectual ability and
strengthen the understanding of the importance of the environment and the vastness of
Indias rich cultural and traditional heritage, thus giving todays young adults an opportunity
to discover life beyond formal education.
Our products are a result of extensive planning, considerable research and we ensure the
most comprehensive travel experience. Our team is well groomed and is trained to come up
with creative ideas while planning comfortable and easy travel itineraries, recommend
good clean hotels, organize hygienic and wholesome meals and ensure safety. Needless to
mention our buying power ensures that we get most competitive rates for our school
partners.
Activities on Cox & Kings School Trips (To Differ With Destinations)
Rafting & River Crossing,Rappelling ,Races & Treasure Hunt ,Basic First Aid, Tent
Pitching, Rope Knots ,Camel & Jeep Safaris, Cycling,Impromptu skits, Musical
evenings ,Bird and animal watching ,Kite Flying & Rural Games ,Social Visits - Local
Village, Orphanage, School etc
On Trip Real Experience

On trip real experience
Development of leadership and team spirit qualities ;Time management & decision making
ability
Self-development through improved self-esteem, trust and confidence ;Self-reliance;And
above all lots and lots of fun .
Cox & Kings ka Double Dhamaka (22nd, October 2007)

Mumbai, September 07: Cox & Kings, the oldest established travel company, has launched
the Double Dhamaka offer. Two families get to travel to breathtaking destinations of India
for the price of one! The prices start from a minimum of Rs. 37,820 for a family of two and
another family of two can join them at no extra price. Similarly, a family of three can avail
of a fantastic holiday starting at Rs. 48,500 and have another family of three join them at
the same price. The packages start from a minimum of six days / five nights stay and are
valid till March 31st, 2008. These six packages have been designed to offer an ultimate
holiday experience for families to the exquisite locales of Kashmir, Himachal, Eastern
Himalayas and South India. All this and more at Cox & Kings.
The packages are as follows:
Best of Kashmir (6 days / 5 nights) - Srinagar, Sonamarg, Gulmarg, Pahalgam.- priced at
Rs. 37,820 for four persons (two families of two members each) and Rs. 48,500 for six
persons (two families of three members each).
Enchanting Himachal (7 days / 6 nights)-picturesque Shimla, breathtaking Manali,
splendid Panchkula at Rs. 45,570 for four persons (two families of two members each) and
Rs. 56,730 for six persons (two families of three members each).
Royal Rajasthan (8 days / 7nights)-Jaipur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur at just Rs.
59,960 for four persons ((two families of two members each) and Rs. 71,640 for six
persons (two families of three members each).
Eastern Himalaya (6 days / 5 nights)-Gangtok, Kalimpong, Darjeeling; visit to these
magnificent locales is going to take your breath away-priced at Rs. 43,920 for four persons
(two families of two members each) and Rs. 54,240 for six persons (two families of three
members each).
Southern Heritage (7 days / 6 nights)-Nestled in the beautiful blue hills of the Nilgiris and
the rolling Palani Hills, the delightful hill stations of Ooty, Kodaikanal along with Mysore -
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costs Rs. 51,420 for four persons (two families of two members each) and Rs. 63,540 for
six persons (two families of three members each).
Best of Kerala (6 days / 5 nights)-Cochin, Munnar, Thekkady, Kumarakom-price of Rs.
55,980 for four persons (two families of two members each) and Rs. 68,140 for six persons
(two families of three members each).
The above mentioned tour prices include accommodation, meals as per the itinerary,
transfers and sightseeing as per the itinerary and travel insurance for the paid passengers.
The price also includes free return air tickets as part of early bird offer on an airline of
Cox & Kings choice.
Cox & Kings portal buys Forever Travel

ezeego1.com, the travel and tourism portal from Cox & Kings, has acquired majority stake
in Forever Travel Distribution Pvt Ltd (FTD), which owns the B2B travel portal
`eToursonline'.
`Travelz' -The company also plans to host `Travelz', India's first online central reservation
system for hotels, which is expected to ring in revenue worth Rs 600 crore.
"The deal will give us a foothold in the Indian tourism industry," Ms Neelu Singh, COO,
ezeego1.com, told Business Line on Tuesday. She, however, did not give any financial details
of the deal. "There is a huge potential for virtual travel marketplace in India. ezeego1.com
will be a one-stop online travel market that offers all travel-related services — from
holiday destinations and tour packages to airlines to hotels and insurance and forex dealers.
The meta search site will have booking facilities as well. The customer will have to simply
select the package and confirm the deal," she said.
Growth target
Post-deal, eToursonline will remain a separate entity and free to share its database with
other market players for a consideration. "The deal will better the position of ezeego1.com
as a meta search portal and increase its distribution channels.
"With this deal we are aiming at a growth of Rs 100 crore in three year's time," said Mr
Yogesh Rathi, CEO, FTD.
The portal ezeego1 is promoted jointly by Mr Peter Kerkar, CEO, Cox and Kings,
and Ms Urrshila Kerkar, CEO - India, Cox & King. The portal, according to Ms Singh,
is valued at Rs 150 crore even before the launch.
"We intend to bring all the industry players under one roof. We will exhibit their services,
packages and prices for free and help them get direct business.
"Our incentive will be the commission on effected business. We are working out deals with
major tour operators, tourism boards and travel agents of repute to list in the site," she said.
Cox & Kings to brand mountain in the Alps

For promoting outbound tourism from India.
Mumbai, July 9 As a countdown to completing 250 years in the travel business, Cox &
Kings has decided to lease a mountain in Switzerland and brand it under its own
name as Mt. Cox & Kings.
Taking it over from its existing owner, the mountain will used by the company for a period
of two years to promote outbound tourism from India.With a slew of activities arranged
on the mountain top, visitors can indulge in chocolate-making, glacier rides and Swiss
folk dances with authentic Indian dinners arranged for them.Expecting to generate
additional revenues to the tune of almost Rs 50 crore as a result of this exercise, Cox &
Kings has also lined up a promotional campaign to highlight its 250th year.“No one has
ever branded a mountain and we expect to generate additional revenues of Rs 50 crore
from this exercise,”
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said Mr Peter Kerkar, Global CEO, Cox & Kings.Betting on outbound tourism, the Rs
1,400- crore tour operator is expecting business to grow at 45 per cent this year.
According to Mr Kerkar, “The emergence of low-cost carriers has made travelling more
affordable for Indians and outbound tourism has become the real growth driver for
the business. As a result, we have unprecedented growth at 45 per cent on a yearly
basis.” However, inbound tourism continues to be dismal for the industry, hovering at
growth rates below 10 per cent.“The market has reached a point of saturation as there is
shortage of hotel rooms. Besides, artificial demand has been created, as a result of which
room rates have been hiked. We have managed to grow between 12 to 13 per cent in our
inbound business while inbound tourism growth has been below 10 per cent for the
industry at large,” said Mr Kerkar.
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MAKE MY TRIP
Tagline of company is- Memories Unlimited
Deep Kalra ,founder & CEO ,started the company in April,2000.it is the premier online
travel planning & flight booking site.Its headquarters are at Gurgaon.Other offices are
located in Delhi, Mumbai,Nagpur Nashik ,Goa,Ahmedabad ,Aurangabad, Bangalore
,Kolkata ,Surat, Vadodara, Chennai, Ludhiana, Indore,Jaipur,Coimbatore,Pune,
Chandigarh, Lucknow,Hyderabad . MakeMyTrip.com is an Indian online travel agency that
holds a major market share, with one-out-of-every-twelve domestic flights in India booked
via it . MakeMyTrip.com offers its customers a variety of travel services and products, with
international and domestic airline tickets, Indian Railways tickets, domestic bus tickets,
international and domestic hotel reservations, car rentals, international and domestic
holiday packages, MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions), visa services,
B2B services, and more. Founded in April, 2000, MakeMyTrip.com today has offices in 20
cities across India and international offices in New York and San Francisco,USA,
UAE,Canada and Singapore in addition to several franchise locations.
Founded in 2000 by Deep Kalra, MakeMyTrip.in had its beginnings in a small office in
Okhla, New Delhi. Deep Kalra, formerly V.P. Business Development for GE Capital had
the mandate to develop and partner new distribution channels for the company’s consumer
financial products. The internet appeared as an interesting choice with untapped potential
and his role at GE Capital provided him the opportunity to be closely involved with the
then nascent internet industry in India. Shortly thereafter, Deep began considering his
entrepreneurial options, interested in a couple of sectors of the Indian economy, including
travel. When he found that the travel industry lent itself seamlessly to the Internet and had
tremendous potential as a sector, MakeMyTrip.com was conceptualized
Deciding that the Indian market was not yet ready for an online travel agency,
MakeMyTrip.com instead concentrated on the US India travel sector. In a relatively short
span, MakeMyTrip.com grew to emerge as a major travel website in the US to India sector,
and today has an approximate 4% share of the NRI market, which is pegged at Rs. 4500
crore (USD 1 billion.With the revolution in the Indian travel industry caused by the
emergence of the domestic Low Cost Carriers, MakeMyTrip launched its website for the
Indian travel market in September 2005.In its first year of operation, it was India’s largest
e-commerce companyAccording to MakeMyTrip’s Company Profile, “the company is on
track to achieve sales of INR 2500 crores (approximately US$ 500 million) in the financial
year ending March 2010, making it India’s largest travel company
Thanks to MakeMyTrip.com, over one million people have traveled with the 100% assurance
that got the best deals possible. And why shouldn't they? Their unbeatable offerings like
Money Back Guarantee, Lowest Airfare Guarantee and India's Lowest Prices go on to
prove that we put our money where our mouth is.
For consistently providing all these value-added services to our customers, MakeMyTrip.com
has recently been ranked as the number one travel website by JuxtConsult.
MakeMyTrip.com is also the proud recipient of the “Emerging India Award” presented
by ICICI Bank & CNBC-TV18, powered by CRISIL for being a medium sized enterprise
that has created benchmarks of excellence through their outstanding performance in the
Travel and Tourism category.
The young pioneer in travel was voted one of Asia's hottest technology startups after
undergoing a stringent review process&also adjudged among the top 100 companies in
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Asia by Red Herring's editorial team. In a recent development, Red Herring adjudged
MakeMyTrip.com. It is also the top seller among online and offline travel companies
for all the major airlines and hotels in India.
 Services Offered :
 Air Tickets: Search, compare and book tickets on any airline, including LCCs (Low
Cost Carriers) and full service airlines
 Hotel Reservations: Real-time booking of over 25,000 domestic and international
hotels at discounted tariffs
 Car/Taxi Bookings: Book a car at special prices for airport transfers and excursions
 Holiday Packages: Buy holiday packages within India or foreign holidays at great prices
 Road trips: Myriad options for motorable trips from all large cities; with interactive
maps
 Weekend Breaks: Thousands of options for short stay holidays at all price points
MakeMyTrip.com offers B2B(business-to-business ) services too. Local agents around
the world can access the above products through its extranet, IndiaAhoy.com.
 MICE: The meetings, incentive, conferences and exhibitions team provides a stellar
service which has been testified by over 200 corporate houses.
 Customer Support :All operations of MakeMyTrip.com are supported by their
24x7 customer care centre. Prospective travelers and customers can call toll-free
numbers in the US (1800-INDIA-10), India (1800-11-8747) or can chat online with
the Travel Consultants to seek assistance for their travel needs. This world-class,
350-seat call centre is located in the NCR region (Gurgaon).
 Management :
 Deep Kalra, Founder & CEO, started the company in April, 2000.
 Keyur Joshi (Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer).
 Sachin Bhatia (Co-Founder & Chief Marketing Officer).
The board of directors includes eminent experts:
 Mr. Philip C. Wolf, globally renowned travel guru
 Mr. Sanjeev Bhikchandani, Founder and CEO-Naukri.com
MakeMyTrip.com has over 700 employees on board and offers 24x7 customer service.
 GROUP TRAVEL MakeMyTrip.com entertains the needs of family, college
students,lawyers ,working professionals& bussinessman with Group Travel or
MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) options. While business
professionals look for a perfect destination, hotel or weekend break to bond with
colleagues while conducting formal meetings and discussions, college students may
look for an alternate life with fun and glamour attached. With MakeMyTrip’s
services, you can choose to travel to a destination of your choice and stay in your
desired hotel - and all this at rock bottom prices. Group Travel is now simpler to
plan, co – ordinate and execute. Being a leading travel company, MakeMyTrip
performs various operations: -
• MICE (Meetings-Incentive-Conferences-Exhibitions/Events)
• Trips for institutions – school/college trips, site visits, reunions etc.
• Family gatherings/weddings/holidays in groups (more than 20 people)
• Product launch/Road shows
• Fun activities/Picnics
MakeMyTrip’s Group Desk takes complete charge of your requirements and delivers top
notch services - right from charting your travel plans, getting your booking done and
delivering the tickets to your doorstep.
Advantage of MakeMyTrip.com
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• MakeMyTrip’s Event Management team has well - experienced and trained professionals
with an combined experience of over 30 years
• Lowest airfare guarantee, including LCCs (Low Cost Carriers) and full service airlines
• Satisfaction guaranteed or money back on holiday packages
• 24x7 world-class customer service
• Convenience of booking anytime, anywhere
• Efficient group handling at the best rates
• Search, compare and book tickets on any airline. Real-time booking of over 1,000 hotels
online at discounted tariffs
• Myriad options for motorable trips from all large cities with interactive maps and tools
• A variety of short stay holidays at all price points
• Unmatched choices of locations and services at any domestic and international locale
 Corporate travel
The MakeMyTrip Corporate Travel Program offers ideal travel solutions for your business
needs.It has
dedicated team of corporate travel consultants to assist (24x7) and offer you convenient,
economical and hassle-free options. From domestic and international airfares to hotel
reservations and car rentals, they provide value-added services and benefits that let you
simply sit back and relax.
 Payment Security
MakeMyTrip.com ensures that every transaction you conduct online is in a safe and secure
environment. To achieve this, MakeMyTrip.com is protected by Secured Socket Layer
(SSL) technology by VeriSign, the leaders in encryption technology. The process of
encryption takes your credit card information and converts it into bits of code that are
securely transmitted over the Internet. This scrambled data cannot be read as the
information travels over the Internet. Your credit card details may be shared with our
service providers or vendors to the extent deemed to be necessary.
The packages offered generally are categorized as:
1. HOLIDAY-PLUS
For all of us at MakeMyTrip.com, every customer is extra special. We therefore ensure that
your entire holiday is a unique and unmatched experience, filled with nothing but
wonderful memories. Planned, coordinated and directed by our team of in-house industry
experts, your holiday has been flawlessly engineered. Everything - from the locations to the
accommodation, meals to the coaches - has been tried, tested and inspected with the utmost
care and diligence by our experts. We want you to have more than a great holiday...we
want you to have a perfect one by feeling cared for the whole way. That is our promise, our
guarantee.
Under holidayplus make my trip offers international packages & domestic packages.
2. RAIL-TOURS
 MAHA PARINIRVAN SPECIAL
Rate: Rs. 14,100* - Duration: 7 nights
Tour route:
Delhi -Gaya-Bodhgaya-Rajgir – Nalanda- Varanasi-Sarnath-Gorakhpur -Kushinagar-
Lumbini-Agra- Delhi
 Discover India rail tours
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Other information provided on the Travel -portal are- Tavel guides
,airlines,hotels,foreign exchange,Visa Regulations etc.
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KUONI
KUONI, which has grown into not only the largest travel company in Switzerland, but also
one of the leading travel organisations in the world, was founded by Alfred Kuoni in 1906.
Today Kuoni has branch operations in more than 40 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa,
Australia and North America.
Kuoni Travel Group, India - a 100% subsidiary of the Kuoni Group - is the leading travel
and tourism company. The company was formed in 1996 through the acquisition of SOTC,
India’s foremost outbound package tour brand and became India’s largest travel company
in 2000 through the acquisition of SITA – India’s No.1 Inbound travel brand. Kuoni India
further strengthened its position in 2006 with the launch of ‘Kuoni’ India’s only travel
brand focussed exclusively on the luxury segment.
Today, Kuoni India is active across virtually every travel segment including Leisure
Travel, Business Travel, Destination Management Services, and Education. The company
employs over 3,500 travel professionals.
Kuoni Outbound Division Kuoni is the first and only luxury holiday brand in the country
that exclusively caters to the unique needs of the luxury traveller. Taking holidaying to an
all- new level, Kuoni offers enhanced and distinctive holiday experiences - complete with
expert suggestions from a panel of Kuoni Certified Counselors.
Kuoni India's key outbound travel brand is SOTC. SOTC was acquired by Kuoni Travels in
the year 1996 and is a leader in all segments, namely Escorted Tours, Free Individual
Travel, and Domestic Holidays amongst others. SOTC Corporate Tours is the leader in
Incentive, Trade Fair tours and Sports.
Kuoni Destination Management The company handels all segments of the incoming market
under its umbrella brand Kuoni Destination Management, and its sub brands SITA and
Distant Frontiers.
Kuoni Business Travel Kuoni India’s Business Travel Division operates under the brand
HRG Sita India. HRG Sita India is one of the largest Business Travel companies in India
with 10 fully owned business travel centers and a global network in 120 countries.
Kuoni Academy Was Launched in 2003. Today KA has 24 centres across India and one
centre in Guangzhou, China.
Kuoni India also supports the Mumbai Police in its endeavour to provide the nation its first
police force dedicated to the safety and well-being of tourists, the Tourism Police. It has
also partnered with the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and separately with
India Tourism in various clean-up initiatives.
Board of Directors
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Peter Rothwell-Chief Executive Officer Kuoni Group
Executive Board
Mr Rajiv Duggal- Managing Director,India and South Asia

Mr Zubin Karkaria-Non-executive Chairman KUONI and CEO and Managing Director of
VFS Global
Kashmira Commissariat-Chief Operating Officer Outbound
Dipak Deva-Chief Executive Officer Kuoni Destination Management, India & South Asia
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
• Kuoni India wins Today’s Traveller Award for Best Outbound Tour Operator 2011
• Award for Innovation in Operations (Travel/ Tour Operators) category at the prestigious
GMR Express TravelWorld Awards 2011
• Award of Excellence for the category Best International Tour Operator at the Kuala
Lumpur Mayor’s Tourism Award 2011
• PATA Gold Award for “Marketing – Industry” – won in 2011
• Kuoni Travel India Pvt. Ltd. as a Sentosa Star Preferred Partner Sep 2011 to Aug 2012
• Kuoni Travel (India) Pvt. Ltd. in appreciation of support for 2010-2011 by Star Cruise
• Ministry of Tourism Award- excellence in service and highest foreign exchange earnings,
20 times till now
• Conde Nast Traveller Readers Travel Award 2010 as "Favourite Tour Operator / Travel
Agency"
• Avaya Global Connect Customer Responsiveness Award 2010 for “India’s Most
Customer Responsive Travel & Tourism Company” for
SOTC.
• TAAI Travel Award 2010 as “Outbound Tour Operator of the Year”
The Kuoni Group Worldwide turnover in 2009 was CHF 3 894
million. KEY AREAS OF OPERATION
● Outbound
India 's No.1 Outbound Travel Company
Kuoni India's key Outbound Division operates under the umbrella brand name of SOTC
and is the country's largest outbound tour operator.
SOTC World Famous Tours is the flagship brand of SOTC, which pioneered the
designing and marketing of escorted tours to cosmopolitan travellers across India. SOTC
has
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escorted over 350,000 travellers 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.After an in-depth customer research undertaken recently SOTC has
articulated a more contemporary expression of its brand philosophy “Expect More” to
further consolidate its current leadership position in the minds of the customer. This
distinctive positioning commits to give to the customer more – more value, superior
customer service and high quality of products. SOTC has a wide distribution network of
130 sales outlets and 3,500 travel agents across India to retail its range of products and
serve its customers better. Ask anyone who's travelled with SOTC, and they will confirm
that SOTC lives up to its promise to take them around the world whilst the company strives
to look after their comfort. SOTC's innovations, customer-focused strategies and extensive
reach have ensured its prolific growth and consolidatd its position as the uncontested leader
in India's Outbound travel market.
Kuoni Holidays
A part of the 100-year old, Switzerland based travel group, Kuoni and winner of the
esteemed “World’s Leading Tour Operator” award for eight years, Kuoni Holidays was
launched on Jan 24 th 2006. It’s the first & only holiday brand in the country that
exclusively caters to the unique needs of the premium traveller.
Taking holidaying to an all-new level, ‘Kuoni’ offers enhanced and distinctive holiday
experiences - complete with expert suggestions from a panel of Kuoni Certified
Counsellors. Trained as per Kuoni global standards they plan the customer’s holiday from
the beginning to the end - leaving them with nothing to do and thereby enabling them to
make the most of every moment. The certified holiday counsellors personally visit the
customer and help them plan out their perfect holiday, offering expert advise on the most
splendid sights to see, a listing of the finest shopping and dining options, and highlight
special offers at the most luxurious hotels, resorts and palaces, which are exclusively for
Kuoni customers only.
With ‘Kuoni’, vacationers can get ready to experience holidays quite unlike anything they
would expect, but exactly the way they have always dreamed of.
Kuoni India's Outbound Business operations broadly encompass the following

strategic business units:
SOTC World Famous Tours : The Flagship brand of SOTC, which pioneered the
designing and marketing of escorted tours to cosmopolitan travellers in India.
SOTC Sport Abroad : Sport Abroad provides global sports-based holidays ranging from
football, golf, tennis, cricket, F1 and many more exciting sports across the world.
SOTC Do-It-Yourself Holidays : This holiday brand caters exclusively to the needs and
requirements of the discerning Free Individual Traveler (FIT). It offers a wide range of
customized, fully flexible holidays that cater to seasoned travelers, who wish to see the
world at their own pace.
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SOTC Holidays of India : Is the domestic holiday brand which offers a wide range of
organized domestic travel options across India, namely, Classic Holidays, Fun-filled Beaches,
Hill Stations, wildlife Holidays and Spiritual Retreats
SOTC Corporate Tour : This division caters exclusively to the needs of the corporate
world by offering travel products for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions.
SOTC Trade Fair Tours : SOTC Trade Fair Tours specialises in organising Business Travel
arrangements to Trade Fairs and Exhibitions around the World.
SOTC International Markets Division : The International Markets Division caters to the
NRIs and other global travellers. In addition to escorted tours, SOTC IMD offers Independent
Global Vacations and Independent India Vacations.
● Destination Management
Think India, Think SITA.
Kuoni Destination Management – India is the leading Destination Management

Company in the country. Kuoni handles over 160,000 incoming tourists to India from all
over the world every year. With our strong brands – SITA, Distant Frontiers, Tour Club
and E-holidays, we are the preferred choice for tour operators sending their clients to the
sub-continent.
The phenomenal volume and growth of business is testimony to the company's

professionalism, responsiveness to customer needs and attention to detail. Its large network of
offices in the country and a dedicated team of over 350 members gives you Incredible India
at its incredible best! Kuoni Destination Management business activities are categorized
under 4 strategic business units
Kuoni Destination Management business activities are categorized under 4 strategic

business unit
SITA Caters to all the needs of international traveller from across the globe offering
services to groups and the individual traveller. SITA also specializes in MICE and cruises.
Distant FrontiersCaters to luxury individual traveller and those looking for unique incentive
programmes in the destination
Tour Club Focuses on individual travel and special tailor-made itineraries.
E-holidays Specialist in dot com business and provides services via the internet with chat
facilities.
● Business Travel
129

HRG Sita India - one of India's leading business travel specialists
Kuoni India's Business Travel arm operates under the brand HRG Sita India in a strategic
tie- up with HRG, one of the world's leading business travel management companies.
With a team of 30,000 professionals spread across 3000 offices in 80 countries and a
turnover of US$ 12 billion, HRG through its parent company - Hogg Robinson Group - has
a long and prestigious history of more than 160 years of experience specialising in a range
of high quality corporate services for multinational and national clients throughout the
decades.
One of the leading Business Travel organizations in India, HRG Sita India has a network of
12 fully owned business travel centres in different locations across India. Many of India's top
companies have chosen HRG Sita India for its global capabilities and specialist local
expertise. For each client, HRG Sita India delivers true value through its consultancy
services and re-engineers the entire corporate travel process. Offering lithe solutions, HRG
Sita India travel specialists not only efficiently organise the clients' business travel
activities, but also facilitate substantial reductions in their travel costs.
Having the best people with the right skills and knowledge is the key to our business
success. Time-strapped corporate customers get all their travel needs met as a single
window. Implants within their offices provide personalised service with backup from
branches. Customers also get the convenience of 24-hour telephone helpline and toll-free
global assistance. Within HRG Sita, India there is an intrinsic understanding of the
management challenges that multinational companies face in delivering consistent global
standards. HRG Sita, India is also perceptive of the needs of each individual client and
offers unrivalled experience in servicing top companies.
At present, HRG Sita, India handles about 500 Multinational and Indian Corporations.
HRG Sita, India personnel never lose sight of their fundamental goal of providing
comprehensive and unique business travel. solutions. By going that extra mile, they have
achieved exceedingly high levels of customer delight.
● Visa Services
VFS Global.
No. 1 in serving diplomatic missions worldwide.
Apart from conventional travel business activities, Kuoni- India is also active in the visa
services business.
VFS, a 100% subsidiary of Kuoni- India, was established in 2001 to fulfill a very specific
purpose to manage for diplomatic missions all the administrative and non-judgmental tasks
related to visa application, thus enabling the missions to focus on the key tasks of
assessment and interview.
130

The visa services business is based entirely on trust and efficiency. It was clear from the
beginning that if VFS was to serve as a specialist partner to diplomatic missions, it would
have to demonstrate integrity, reliability and unquestionable expertise. Out of this
imperative grew the three pillars on which VHS has b uilt its business: Trust, Technique
and Technology. This three-pronged manifesto enables VFS to maximise convenience and
efficiency for both diplomatic rnissions as well as applicants.
VFS has dedicated and convenient application centres, state-of-the-art call centres and
operation hubs, comfortable waiting lounges, online appointment scheduling facilities and
courier pick-up and delivery services. These services have resulted in enhanced applicant
satisfaction and significantly reduced administrative burdens and costs for diplomatic
missions. VFS provides e ach diplomatic mission with dedicated staff and state-of-the-art
infrastructure. By ensuring the highest possible levels of service and efficiency and
committing to continuous process and technology upgrades, VFS has confirmed its position
as the market leader in the field of visa services.
Innovation and flexibility are the hallmark of VFS’s customised approach and the company is
working closely on new initiatives like Biometrics and high end automation.
What started out barely six years ago as a single office in Mumbai, serving just one
customer, has grown into an operation of global proportion. VFS Global serves the interest
of 16 diplomatic missions in 25 countries around the world.
Today, VFS handles over three and a half million visa applications per annum across its
146 offices worldwide. And every month, the numbers are growing!!.
131

REFERENCES:
www.starcruises.com
tourism.gov.in/
passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/statusTracker/trackStatusInpNew
www.immihelp.com › NRI › Indian Passport

passport.gov.in/
http://www.immigrationindia.nic.in/Instr_Online_filing2.htm
visasupport@nic.in
www.mha.nic.in
132

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Student Handouts

COURSE: MASTERS IN AIRLINES, TOURISM &

Ms. SANGEETA RANI

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TRAVEL AGENCY & TOUR OPERATIONS

MODULE 1-Itinerary planning, Itinerary and its importance, Types of

MODULE 2-PACKAGE TOURS

MODULE 3-HOTEL BOOKINGS

MODULE 5: HOW TO SET UP A TRAVEL AGENCYIATA Rules and

CASE STUDY DISCUSSION

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2 Itinerary planning, Itinerary and its importance, Types of 13- 16

6 Designing & Costing of a package tour 58-59

7 HOTEL BOOKINGS: Booking a domestic and International 60-61

12 CASE STUDY DISCUSSION 114-121

13 Make my Trip.com 122-125

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TYPES OF TRAVEL AGENTS

1 (a) WHOLESALERS (b) RETAILERS

2 (a) SPECIALIZED TRAVEL AGENTS (b) GENERAL TRAVEL AGENTS

ADVANTAGES OF USING A TRAVEL AGENT’S SERVICES

 Save time and effort

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Thomas Cook has been considered as the father of Tour operations.

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THOMAS COOK INDIA

• Thomas Cook launched its operation in India in 1881.

Thomas Cook (India) operates in the following areas of business, namely:

THOMAS COOK SERVICES

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AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

The advantage of taking up the services of a ground operator are:

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GSA: GENERAL SALES AGENT:

TRAVEL AGENCY COMMISSION

The payment of commission as remuneration for services rendered or products sold is a

Offering monetary compensation in the form of commission alone, or commission in addition

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TRAVEL AGENCY BUSINESS

VARIOUS SECTORS WHERE WE CAN GET COMMISIONS

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VARIOUS OPERATIONAL AREAS/ SERVICES

FUNCTIONS OF A TRAVEL AGENT

DEPARTMENTS OF A COMPLETE TRAVEL AGENCY

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FUNCTIONS OF A TRAVEL AGENT

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MAJOR ONLINE TRAVEL AGENCY IN INDIA:

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TOUR ESCORT’S ITINERARY: A tour escort is an important person in a tour company.

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DELHI,AGRA & JAIPUR

Two cities (Old Delhi & New Delhi)

■ Travellers to Delhi get two cities for the price of one.

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Area: 1,483 square kms

Language: Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, English

Religion: Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam and Christianity

Altitude: 216 m above sea