Indian holiday for families
Trans India Holidays is educating agents and operators that India has excellent offerings for families too. The firm has introduced itineraries to keep kids engaged.
For as long as one can remember, India has been regarded as a mature traveller’s or couple’s travel destination only, and worldwide people have been hesitant about travelling to India with families and young children. Trans India Holidays took it upon themselves to rectify this notion, and educate the travel agents and tour operators that India has excellent offerings for families as well. Talking about the general misconception, Kapil Goswamy, Managing Director, Trans India Holidays remarked, “I had very often heard from FTOs that clients with young and teenage children were hesitant to travel to India, presuming , and quite rightly so, that the children would be very quickly bored of seeing temples and visiting forts and palaces in India.” According to him, FTOs always said that clients with young children went to destinations where there were activities to keep kids busy, or where, in addition to regular city tours, they could do at least one child-friendly or, adventurous activity a day. Thus, the kids could enjoy the holiday as much as the adults.
Keeping this in mind, during late 2014, Trans India put together a small set of itin- eraries, specially designed for families with young and teenage children. “Touring in Delhi was modified, to not only have the standard city tours, but to also have activities like the Segway tour. Likewise, touring in Jaipur, of course has the City Palace and Museum, but also have an early morning or late afternoon Hot Air Balloon ride and a visit to the Dera Amer or the Elefantastic, where the young and old alike enjoy the interaction with the elephants. Touring options in places like Jodhpur, for family audiences now include, beside the usual Mehrangarh Fort visit, the zip line adventure, which is a wonderful way to get a bird’s eye view of the Fort and the surrounding city.” The family holiday options have proven extremely popular, and according to Kapil Goswamy, the company is in the process of putting together another set of itineraries with destinations and activities , that will be popular with families.
Regarding new offerings planned in the near future, he added, “Among the new offerings, there will be skiing holidays in Gulmarg, easy and moderate treks in the Eastern Himalayas, horse safaris in Rajasthan, and village walks in the Himalayas.”