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Shopping for holidays

Where to go during the holidays, should not be a hassle. With a place to shop for holidays, life's good

OFFERING THE WORLD According to Benny Thomas, holidays should be relaxing

And now a `holiday shop.' Sounds strange, but it's true.

At Plamoodu, Thiruvananthapuram there is one such shop for those who would want to just get out and see the world. When it is evening and the sun begins to set, you find families with a wanderlust trooping in at `Holiday Shop' to have a glimpse of what is in store for a travel.

" Holiday Shop is a subsidiary of `Vacation India,' an inbound tour operator in South India. A new concept, we aim to tap the huge potential in domestic tourism,'' says Benny Thomas, Managing Director of Vacation India and Business Manager of Holiday Shop.

How does it work? " Just as you buy shirts or any other material from a shop, you can buy holiday and related services from Holiday Shop according to your budget, taste and time. Like any other shop, it remains open from morning to eight in the evening,'' he says.

Creating awareness

Holiday Shop aims at creating an awareness regarding various holiday destinations and budget packages.

"Customers can come and pick up our sample package tours. Or, we prepare one for them,'' says Benny. He elaborates on the purpose of the new venture and why it is so named:

"The word ` shop ' we believe will makes us more accessible to the customers. . They can expect products with different price tags depending on their budget," he says.

All information on aspects related to holidaying comes free of charge. " We would like the public to realise that holidays are affordable and are for relaxing," he adds.

According to Benny, most people try to squeeze in the maximum in a short trip. "Many start their trip at night, reach in the morning, sight-see, and return at night. Some might take the next day off. No relaxation," he says.

The reason for this, he points out is due to ignorance on the word `holiday' and the lack of travel information.

According to him the Holiday Shop has experienced staff who provide the information needed and who assist the customers design a packet of their liking.

Holiday Shop also carries out the usual functions of any tour company, but a difference is in the designing of a tour.

" There are some clients who do not want the whole tour package. They intend to travel by their own means . We book the hotel according to their requirement. We offer flight tickets around the world on a very competitive basis . As for transportation, we have mini coaches and our drivers are well trained and multi-lingual," says Benny.

The shop has introduced a new scheme called `Financing a Holiday.' "It's based on our policy of Travel now, pay later. We have a tie-up with a bank to finance the holiday according to the financial capacity of the customer,'' he says.

According to Benny, people from all strata of the society are showing an interest to travel. "Earlier our clients used to be doctors, engineers, businessmen, chartered accountants and the like. Now others too have evinced interest in travelling.''

Special holiday packages

The shop is now conducting a special `Holiday Packages Sales Festival,' which ends on April 9.

"There will be 10 round tables with trained personnel who will speak on the various destinations; flight fare, visa requirements, number of days required for sight seeing, flight connectivity and so on," he says.

The Shop hopes to offer trekking on motorbikes through mountainous regions for foreign tourists and introduce a `culture cum study tour,' for youngsters.

A special tour programme for women is also on the cards.

G. JAYAKUMAR

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