‘Pearl’ dives deeper for PSAs
Pune-based Pearl Travels, a global wholesaler for packages, is actively looking to expand its network and appoint PSAs across India. It is also busy promoting its website that was recently re-launched with upgrades.
Present in the market for over two decades, Pune-based Pearl Travels has tweaked its business model to include ready packages and is actively looking to appoint GSAs and PSAs to build its network.
Jayesh Ashar, MD, Pearl Travels, says, “We already have about eight to nine PSAs in South India in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka. We want to sign up more PSAs elsewhere like Gujarat, Punjab, DelhiNCR, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. We do not charge any fee; all we want them to do is to be active in promoting and helping the clients.”
So far, it has appointed a single PSA in Karnataka and another with multiple locations in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. “Each PSA has exclusive rights as the presence of multiple PSAs could lead to conflict. But for Gujarat and Punjab, we are looking for citywise exclusive PSAs as the market is very congested,” Ashar says. Pearl Travels copies every transaction to the PSA for transparency. It recently appointed a GSA in Saudi Arabia to look after the country.
It has also recently relaunched its website for the trade with upgraded features and a new design. Ashar gives more details. “Earlier our focus was mainly on selling room nights to agents. But we realised that they may not necessarily be experts on all destinations and therefore be unable to accurately guide their clients. We have changed our business model to combine every aspect of travel and focus on packages now since our expertise lies in creating itineraries,” he says. The consolidator has also just relaunched its website (www.pearltravels.com) in November 2014 that reflects its changed business model.”
The site has a dynamic homepage that promotes six different destinations every month. He specifies that request for bookings on the new website can be sent online with a copy emailed to the agents. “This kind of automation saves a lot of time and increases the speed of transaction. It doesn’t have a payment gateway but most agents prefer bank transfer over paying online by credit card since the amounts are large,” Ashar adds.
Ashar is of the opinion that the market is slated to grow at least six to seven folds. “We are looking at an outbound figure of at least 50 million passengers in a few years! What will change is business shifting from larger to smaller agencies that can provide personal attention to clients. Moreover, it’s a myth that OTAs will not let smaller agencies survive because they ( OTAs) are effectively a distributor. Clients need a human connection and will therefore fall back on agencies that in turn will need to learn how to use technology as a tool,” he states.