INDIA’s Creative Travel will launch a new brand specialising in wildlife tours to the sub-continent.
The name of the brand is being registered, and operations will be up and running in July to prepare for full programmes that will run from October, when parks reopen after the cold season.
Just like Plan It!, Creative’s MICE brand, the new wildlife brand is a division of Creative. Even though it has its own specialists to program tours and front-end staff for client servicing, it shares back-end operations with Creative.
Rajeev Kohli, joint managing director of Creative, said the brand was not about ecotourism or adventure travel, but about nature. “Think flora and fauna, birds and butterflies, beyond the big cats and nature walks, rather than trekking or rafting. It’s not just about taking clients to wildlife parks, but a field that requires real specialists who have knowledge of wildlife.
“There is no company out there (in India) that has real wildlife specialists.”
Kohli won’t be selling direct, but will continue to “respect the travel chain” and wholesale the programmes to retail agents.
“I expect a volume of 1,000 pax in the first year. This is on top of the wildlife tours Creative already organises,” he said.
Asked why he needed to launch a new brand for this business, he said: “It’s marketing. The market as we know responds to niche brands and specialisation differently. I wish I could project everything through Creative, but having separate brands and packaging do make a difference, as each projects its own perceptions and values to clients.”
In a separate development, Creative has also launched a tourism academy in New Delhi, which can take in 200 to 250 students. Kohli said the Creative Tourism Academy would start by offering basic courses. Former Kuoni Academy principal, Preeti Anand, has been appointed dean of the academy.
– Full report, TTG India, August issue
