Group members- MMS- IV

Sunita Iyer 14

S. Rajalakshmi 41

Shweta Shetty 49

Shruti Shinde 52

Dhaval Patel 63

0

Table of Contents

Sr. no. Topics Page no.

1. Introduction to Tourism sector 2

2. Introduction to the Company 3

3. Service marketing triangle 4

4. Marketing Mix of Kesari Tours 6

4.1. Product 6

4.2. Price 14

4.3. Place 18

4.4. Promotion 20

4.5. People –Moment of truth 24

4.6. Process – Service blueprinting 27

4.7. Physical evidence- Servicescape model 31

5. Service quality dimensions 33

6. Kesari & its competitors 35

7. Servuction model 37

8. Customer relationship management at Kesari 40

9. Recommendations 44

10. Conclusion 45

Bibliography 46

1

1. Introduction to Tourism sector

Tourism is one of the major engines of economic growth in most parts of the world including

India. In 2011, the contribution of tourism to the country’s GDP, and to total jobs (direct and

indirect) in the country was estimated at 8.8 per cent, and 7.5 per cent respectively. In absolute

numbers, the total number of tourism jobs in the country increased from 38.6 million in 2002-03

to 37,655,000 jobs in 2011.

According to the UN World Tourism Organization, tourism provides 6 per cent to 7 per cent of

the world’s total jobs directly and millions more indirectly through the multiplier effect in this

sector. Tourism also plays an important role in the country’s foreign exchange earnings, as its

share in India’s export of services accounted for 13 per cent of the total export of services in

2009-10.

In India, the tourism sector witnessed significant growth in recent years. The tourism industry

earns foreign exchange worth 21,828 crore. Previous year the growth rate of the tourism sector

of Indian economy was recorded as 17.3% .During the period 2004 to 2009, the CAGRs of

foreign tourist arrivals and foreign exchange earnings from tourism in rupee terms were 8.1 per

cent, and 14.5 per cent respectively. The foreign exchange earnings from tourism in the year

2010 witnessed a growth of 18.1 per cent over the previous year in rupee terms compared to the

decline of 3.3 per cent in 2009. Domestic tourism also plays an important role in overall tourism

development in the country. The number of domestic tourist visits increased to 650 million in

2009 as compared to 562.98 million in 2008, witnessing a growth of 15.5 per cent in spite of

various adverse factors during this period.

The growth in the tourism industry is due to the rise in the arrival of more and more foreign

tourists and the increase in the number of domestic tourists. Tourists from Africa, Australia, Lain

America, Europe, Southeast Asia, etc are visiting India and they are growing by the thousands

every year.

The factors for the growth of the Tourism sector of Indian economy

Increase in the general income level of the populace

Aggressive advertisement campaigns on the tourist destinations

Rapid growth of the Indian economy

2

2. Introduction to the Company

The trailblazing journey of Kesari began in 1984 with a pledge - “When you make a promise to

your guests, honour it.” A firm belief in honest and transparent deals, no hidden costs and no

compromise on sight seeing - that's what makes Kesari the first choice of generations of guests.

Kesari strives for 100% customer satisfaction and that has earned them immense goodwill.

Kesari has specialized divisions to cater to the needs of all types of travelers; whether it is a guest

looking for the safety and security of escorted group tours (Kesari Tours), or someone seeking

exclusive customised holidays (Strawberi Holidays) or the business traveler (Kesari MICE).

Vision "Kesari-The World Class Travel Company, spreading smiles and happiness..."

Mission "Kesari is passionately committed to Total Quality Travel, with continual delivery of

value added services. Kesari upholds the highest ethical standards and believe in creating new

benchmarks in the industry."

Kesari believes in providing innovative holidaying ideas to its guests hence created unique

concepts to cater to their ever evolving needs, which have been acknowledged as innovations in

the Indian Tourism Industry and have translated into smiles on the faces of our happy guests.

Trusted name

Kesari India - First Travel Company certified to ISO 9001 & OHSAS 18001

Lacs of satisfied tourists. Maximum repeat guests.

Winner of major National and International Tourism Awards.

Preferred company by Tourism boards, Airlines and Associates.

500 dedicated professional Kesarians in offices all over and 400 exclusive Tour

Managers, to serve you.

A variety of tours all over the World, from 4 to 21 days to suit every budget.

3

3. Service Marketing Triangle

Service marketing is unique in many ways in the travel and tourism industry. There are 3 players

in the transaction process:

Company: Kesari tours listens to the customers and evolves/develops the travel/tour package

and it communicates the attractiveness and the utility of that very tour package directly to the

customers. The company makes promises to the customers.

External Marketing: It makes promises to the customers, for e.g. Kesari promises world class

tours to the customer.

Internal Marketing: The Company enables the providers to fulfill the promises made by it to the

customers.

Providers: They are a travel company’s internal customers constituting employees and agents.

The company does internal marketing with the providers educating and motivating them about

4

Company – Kesari Tours

Providers –agents, hoteliers, etc.

Customers

Internal marketing (enabling promise)

External marketing (setting promise)

Interactive marketing (delivering promise)

the idea of the particular tour package that they can offer to their customers. This is done to

enable the providers to effectively carry out the survive transportation process. The providers

make provisions for office space, accessibility and connectivity. The company enables promises

to be kept by this infrastructure association.

The Providers include all the entities that finally fulfill the Company’s promise to the Customers.

They undertake ‘Interactive Marketing’, because they are in touch with the final customer. Thus

in the case of Kesari, this would include the transportation providers (Kingfisher airlines, Air

India, Local Bus transportation, Local Trains in Kuala Lumpur, Car and two-wheeler rentals),

the different hotels within Malaysia (for tour to Malaysia), souvenir outlets at tourist areas,

tourist spots (KL Towers, Twin Towers, etc.), restaurants (KFC Joints, Mary Brown, Pizza Hut),

etc.

Customer (Travelers): The customers are the reasons that the Travel Company exists and for

whom the company has designed the traveling and touring package as well as setup the

infrastructure facilities and spent money on employee developments programs. Here the

providers are the only ones who interact with the customers, like the travel agents interact with

the customers and not with the company. The agents perform interactive marketing that is ‘on

time, all time, and every-time. This is the most crucial of service marketing in the travel and

tourism sectors. Those agents have the responsibility of ‘keeping promises’ made and enabled by

the company. The providers (agents) are responsible for the perceived quality level of the service

transaction. This underlines the uniqueness of service marketing.

5

4. Marketing Mix of Kesari Tours

4.1. PRODUCT

Escorted group tours

World tours at Europe, South East Asia, America, Australia, Africa, Mauritius,

Japan, China, Dubai, Sri Lanka.

India tours at Himachal, Kashmir, Rajasthan, Kerala, Nainital, Mussourie, etc.

Specialty tours

Students Special - Welcome to the 'Masti ki Pathshala'!

Kesari Students Special Tour, where your curiosity meets our care. When it comes to travel for

children, Kesari is the first choice. The trust parents have in our name is only matched by the fun

children have traveling with us.Friends, isn't it a wonderful idea to explore the world on your

own, have lots of fun, observe, experience, make new friends and learn while traveling around

the globe?

Kesari Students Special tour will make you independent. It will show you how to enjoy

freedom with a sense of responsibility and also create unforgettable travel memories. Parents call

it as a confidence-booster.

So friends, hop on, let's go... let's explore!

6

Honeymoon Tours - An Everlasting Love Story

The most special holiday for a couple is their honeymoon. This is the time they discover each

other and bond for life. These tours are specially designed keeping in mind the mood and

requirements of honeymooners. The schedule is different from that of regular tours. Overnight

journeys and early wake-up calls are generally avoided. Couples get their privacy as also the

opportunity to meet and enjoy the company of other couples.  

Jungle Tours : Lets love and save wildlife

Lets love and save wildlife. Its an amazing opportunity to refresh yourself from your boring,

artificial routine. Enjoy the nature trail in open jeeps through lush green forest, calls of various

birds, freely moving wild animals, pug marks on the path. experience the unexpected and

delightful world of wildlife on Kesari's Jungle Tours.  

Marigold Tours : Yatra to Spiritual Places

Marigold is the latest addition to Kesari's bouquet of speciality tours. It is uniquely designed to

help you connect to your spiritual side. A marigold tour offers you opportunities to unwind and

be touched by the rich, diverse and cultural heritage, Along with scenic beauty and peaceful

vibrations of our country's most sacred and holy places.

The temples of Chardham, Kashmir Amarnath Vaishnodevi and Kailash Mansarovar which are

7

surrounded by the mighty Himalayas, Shri Krishna's Mathura & Dwarka, coastal temples

Rameshwar & Somnath, the pious Kashi and Pashupatinath or Maharashtra's Ashtavinayak and

Jejuri, all these places are enriched with spirituality and positiveness.

My Fair Lady Tours : Popular Ladies Special Tours

Ladies only tour, an original and pioneering innovation in the world of tourism.This concept

was born with an idea to give a chance to ladies to explore and enjoy their freedom by

visiting destinations around the world with women alike. So far, this ladies-only tour has had

a blast in Thailand, Mauritus, Singapore, Dubai,Malaysia, Europe and India.Various

generations of women have had the time of their life on these hugely popular , highly

enjoyable tours.

The fun never ends for My Fair Lady! Enjoy the world with entertainment like games,

antakshari, dance, fashion show, paithani show and dhamaal on tour. Come join the fun...

Second Innings Tours - A Journey of Celebrations

Your Golden Age is a time for real celebration... Kesari Second Innings is a tour especially

designed for senior citizens. It is a great opportunity to meet seniors from different walks of life

and experience the culture of new destinations. A fun filled tour that promises non stop

enjoyment, a comfortable travel experience and select sightseeing.

Come, Join the Second Innings golden gang and be a part of wonderful celebration.  

8

Kesari Agro Tours : Green Grass Golden Hay Agro The Kesari Way

Changing technology and concepts have revolutionized the field of agriculture. The focus

today is on how to get higher yields with limited resources. The new concepts of soil-less

agriculture and organic farming are also becoming popular. While some countries are

surging ahead with research and advances in farming technology, others have focused on

certain key areas like dairy farming and horticulture and become leaders in these fields.

Farmers are traveling abroad to study advanced technologies and returning to incorporate

the changes in their farming techniques. ‘Agro Tours’ is a special concept designed to

enable farmers to have a larger global vision that they can incorporate in their own

business. It is our effort to make these tours a genuine learning experience for our

farmers.  By reaching out to the grassroots, we wish to contribute

to society in our own small way.

Chota Break - Escorted short tours

(These tours are scheduled for long weekends) In today's world, life is full of busy schedules,

meeting deadlines and breathlessly shuttling between home and work. And to face this hectic life

it is necessary to take small breaks from routine and return refreshed, rejuvenated and enriched...

That's what this tour is all about! Short, but long on quality time with your dear ones!

9

Prince Charming - Men's Tours, Men's Way!

A welcome break from routine and responsibilities, it gives men a chance to reconnect

with old buddies, family members or simply the unknown few...A perfect getaway for

guys to rediscover their youthful days, enjoying their jokes, their activities and

amusements.

K & S : Cost Saver Tours From Kesari

To make our beautiful world affordable to every Indian, Kesari has come up with a Cost Saver

tour brand, K&S. These economical tours are genuinely all-inclusive with no hidden cost or extra

expenses to be paid on tour. Choose your favourite destination and fulfill your holiday dream.  

Tailormade holidays- Strawberi Holidays

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Kesari MICE

Supplementary services

Kesari Forex: An authorized 'Full Fledged Money Changer' by Reserve Bank of India,

Kesari Forex tries to fulfil to all currency needs of the Indian traveler going abroad.

Kesari Forex Pvt Ltd, a full-fledged Money Changer to take care of your forex

requirements . K-Forex deal in Purchase & Sale of All Traded Foreign Currency Notes,

Travellers' cheques and Forex Currency Cards.

Traweltag : While traveling abroad, whether for business or pleasure, there is an

undeniable element of medical risk involved. And given the astronomical costs of

medical treatment abroad, this risk can debilitate one’s finances permantly. Trawelltag –

a complete Travel Insurance Policy covers not only medical risks, but also covers you

against other frequent occurrences such as loss of passport, baggage etc.

Features of Kesari Tours & Travels

11

a. Trusted tour programmes

• Meticulously planned, well designed itinerary to suit everyone.

• All 'Must See' sightseeing included.

• More sightseeing, less bus journey, mostly no backtracking of routes.

• Choice of Mono to Multi countries, Tour Dates, Days and Prices.

b. Trusted services

• Professional services with a Personal touch.

• Conveniently located Hotels, appreciated by all traveled guests.

• Hi-tech, Air conditioned/Air cooled coaches with reclining seats.

• All meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner included as per itinerary.

• Sumptuous Indian meals on tour.

• Extra toppings like Ice-cream, Softy, Tea, Coffee, Juice, Soft drink at various places to

add to the fun.

c. Trusted entertainment

• See and enjoy World with Entertainment, Smiles and Laughter.

• Games, Antakshari, Dance and fun on tour.

• Attentive, caring Tour Manager to make the tour more enjoyable for every guest.

d. Trusted policies

•Transparent, Honest and Fair dealings with all.

• Committed to Ethical Business Practices.

• No advertising gimmick.

• No false promises.

12

PRODUCT LEVELS

In planning its market offering, the marketer needs to think through five levels of product. Each

level adds to the customer value, and the five constitute a customer value hierarchy.

The levels of the product that the travel and tourism industry offers to its customers are as

follows:

a) Core product

The core product offered by KESARI is the destination. It is core because the main aim of the

tourist is the destination where he has to reach or go.

b) Basic product

The basic products offered by Kesari are ticket booking, transport, sight seeing, hotel booking.

c) Expected product

These are the products that the customer expects the organization to offer. These are impeccable

services, seat availability on needed time as it is critical to business travelers, accurate

information, and quick check in for the senior manager of the company, authentic information,

information about various packages, different routes leading to a particular destination.

d) Augmented product

These are the products that are offered by the companies to distinguish itself from others. These

products become expected products in the future. Those are flat beds in business class, Wi-Fi

connection in hotels, customized meals on board, tele-checking 8hrs booking in hotels, hotels

providing laptops on request, internet access as complimentary for the corporate packages.

e) Potential products

If space travel becomes a reality Kesari will be the first to start offering group tours to the moon.

13

4.2. PRICE

In pricing decisions, the product or the service mix of the tourist organization is important.

They have to set prices in line with the quality of services to be made available to the

customers and the type of customers they are targeting. Pricing decisions are influenced by

internal factors like pricing policy of the company, and external factors like the destination

itself. They are required to think in favor of discounting price. These may include discounts

for cash payments, seasonal discounts, trade discounts etc. But while offering the discounts,

it is not to be forgotten that it may also create image problem since some of the value

sensitive tourists may doubt the quality.

Factors affecting pricing in tourism:

Seasonal demand

Tactical price-cutting and price wars

Low prices

Fixed capacity

The customer’s total purchases

Increased use of the Internet

Late booking

Pricing by Kesari

Trusted price

• Worldwide tours at its best price.

• Clear cut one line tour price.

• No hidden costs.

• No extra charges for stipulated sightseeing in tour programme or meals when on tour.

• Air fare, Airport taxes (except fluctuations), Visa Charges, Insurance (for selected tours)

included.

• Tips to guides and drivers included.

14

Holiday Investment Plan (HIP) Benefit

They Say Money Can't Buy Happiness. But 'Kesari HIP' will. For You And Your Family.

Now you can Plan Your Holiday three years in advance. Select your Future Tours. Pay the

advance. Every advance payment you make for these tours will give you More & More

Discounts.

Remember, prices may fluctuate, but discounts are assured. No Wonder, the Return on this

Investment is Priceless –Customer’s Happiness.

Investment Benefit - World Tours:

 

Additional amount paid by the

guests

Payment made days before tour departure

300-400 401-500 501-600 601 & above

Up to 5000 250 300 350 400

5001 - 10000 500 600 700 800

10001 - 25000 1250 1500 1750 2000

25001 - 50000 2500 3000 3500 4000

50001 - 75000 3750 4500 5250 6000

75001 - 100000 5000 6000 7000 8000

100001 - 150000 7500 9000 10500 12000

150001 - 200000 10000 12000 14000 16000

Above 200000 12000 14000 16000 18000

 

15

16

Investment Benefit - Indian Tours:

Additional amount paid by the

guests

Days before tour departure

300-400 401-500 501-600 601 & above

Up to 500 25 30 35 40

501 - 1000 50 60 70 80

1001 - 15000 75 90 105 120

1501 - 2000 100 120 140 160

2001 - 5000 250 300 350 400

5001 - 10000 500 600 700 800

10001 - 15000 750 900 1050 1200

15001 - 20000 1000 1200 1400 1600

Above 20000 1200 1400 1600 1800

A part of the entire price of tour had to be paid at the time of registration. The registration

amount varies for Indian tours and world tours.

For world tours

Tour Price between (INR) Registration Amount (INR)

Below 1,00,000 20,000

1,00,001 to 1,50,000 25,000

1,50,001 to 2,00,000 30,000

2,00,001 to 3,00,000 35,000

3,00,000 to above 50,000

For Cruise Tours 40,000

17

For Indian tours

Indian Tours : Advance Pay

Tour Price Advance

Upto 5000 3000

5001 - 10,000 5000

10001 - 20,000 10,000

20001 - 25,000 15,000

Above 25,001 20,000

This includes A2A tours also.

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4.3. PLACE

Most tour operators sell their services through travel agents, however some deal directly with the

consumers and eliminate middlemen. Kesari has its own branches situated throughout the

country so they are easily accessible. Kesari has its branches in India at Mumbai, New Delhi,

Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Kolhapur, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur. It also has its

overseas branch in London.

The customer, in the travel and tourism industry, has to go to the service provider. Hence

strategic locations are very important for Kesari.

Overseas office at London

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Preferred Sales Agent (PSA)

Kesari also distributes its services through a Preferred sales agent. A PSA promotes brands like

K & S, Special Tours like Agro Tours,My Fair Lady ,Second Innings,Marigold etc.

Kesari's PSA will be authorized to take bookings for KTPL Products. Kesari PSA's will be

supported by Providing Promotional Material Like Brochures , Facia .

A PSA will have to select the right outlet, furnish it, manage opex including rental, telephone

charges, conveyance etc, appoint staff and pay for their salaries. PSA will have to ensure smooth

financial functioning of the Agency.

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4.4 PROMOTION

Creation of awareness has a far-reaching impact. Kesari bears the responsibility of informing,

persuading and sensing the potential tourists in a right fashion. The marketers need to use the

various components of promotion optimally so that they succeed in increasing the number of

habitual users. Promotion helps in maximizing the duration of stay, frequency of visit by offering

new tourist products in the same country to areas, which have remained untapped or partially

tapped. The various dimensions of promotion are as follows:

Advertising: Advertisement gives important information to the actual and potential

tourists. Its coverage is wide. Advertising is aimed at the public to create awareness of

the travel offers available on a resort and its attractions to influence their business

decisions. Intangibility can be compensated with the help of visual exposure of scenes

and events. Kesari project hotel bedrooms, well-arranged restaurants and cafeterias,

swimming pools etc.

Publicity: It focuses attention on strengthening the public relations measures by

developing a rapport with media people and getting their personalized support in

publicizing the business. It helps in projecting the positive image of tourist organizations

since the prospects trust on the news items publicized by the media people. The publicity

program include regular publicity stories and photographs to the newspapers, travel

editors, contact with magazines on stories etc. advertising is a part of publicity. The

Kesari Art and Culture Foundation was launched five years ago, as a social initiative. It is

through this platform that Kesari engages in activities that particularly focus on social

welfare. This exclusive Kesari initiative also focuses on encouraging Indian art and

culture. Kesari believes in sharing its growing revenues with the society that has given so

much. Every year through this foundation, Kesari performs its social bit and endeavors to

bring moments of joy and happiness in the lives of the less fortunate. In 2011, Kesari Art

& Culture Foundation is celebrating the ''Year of Light". In line with the theme, Kesari

organized a special day’s outing for the special students of National Association for the

blind (NAB). On 23rd July, 2011, a group of 200 students from the National Association

21

for the blind were escorted by the efficient staff of Kesari’s Art and Culture foundation to

the famous Essel World  in Mumbai.

Kesari brings a light of joy in the lives of the ‘Sightless’

Sales promotions: Sales promotion measures are the short-term activities seeking to

boost sales at peak demand periods to ensure that the firms obtain its market share and

are used to help launch a new product or support an ailing or modified one. The tool of

sales promotions is designed to appeal particularly to those customers who are price-

sensitive. There are a number of techniques to promote sale and the tourist professional

need to use them in the face of their requirements vis-à-vis the emerging trends in the

business. Kesari offers give-aways to their clients, such as flight bags, wallets for tickets,

Foreign Exchange (Forex) and covers of passport. The hotels offer a number of facilities

like shoe shine clothes, first aid sewing kits, shower caps and shampoo. Further, the VIP

clients also get fruits and flowers in their rooms.

Word-of-mouth Promotion: Most communication about tourism takes place by word-

of-mouth information, which in a true sense is word-of-recommendation. In the tourism

industry it is found that the word-of-mouth promoters play the role of a hidden sales

force, which helps the process of selling. The high magnitude of effectiveness of this tool

of promotion is due to high credibility of the channel, especially in the eyes of the

potential tourists. The sensitivity of this tool makes it clear that tourist organizations need

to concentrate on the quality of services they promise and offer. The marketers or the

tourist organizations need to keep their eyes open, identify the vocal persons or the

22

opinion leaders and take a special care of them so that they keep on moving the process

of stimulating and creating demand.

Kesari has its own blog (http://kesari-tours.blogspot.in/) where the travelers can post their

experience of holidays.

Exhibitions The participants include state and national tourism promotion boards, travel

agents and tour operators, airlines, car rentals, cruise liners, holiday financiers,

technology providers, hotels and resorts, education institutions in the field of hospitality

and tourism.

Kesari Tours and Travels recently took part in the Travel Mela hosted by Ananda Bazar

Patrika - the No. 1 Bengali daily in Kolkata.

The mela was held at the Netaji Subhashchandra Bose Stadium in Kolkata, from the 1 st to

the 3rd of July 2011, and witnessed tour operators from across the country gather under

the same roof. Giving Kolkata residents a preview of their packages, the exhibition was a

success, with many a travel-happy people getting packages that were an absolute fit for

their needs. The response and adoration of the people left Kesari’s team extremely

humbled.

23

Other methods of promotion

Facebook page

24

4.5. PEOPLE

Like other industries, the tourism industry depends substantially on management of human

resources. The tourism industry is an amalgam of the services of a lot of people and hence this

industry cannot work efficiently if the travel agents, tour operators and travel guides lack world

class professional excellence. Of course the offices of travel agents depend on the new

technology but after all employees and the other staff contribute significantly to the process. The

travel guides need professional excellence since the projection of a positive image regarding a

destination in particular requires their due cooperation, failing which even the world class

services offered by the travel agents are found meaningless. The tour operators also need to

manage human resources efficiently.

In the tourism industry the travel agents and the travel guides are the two most important people

who speak a lot about the industry. Hence it is imperative that they have to be at their best at all

times. Travel guides especially, are expected to have a lot of patience, good sense of humour,

tact to transform the occasional tourists into habitual ones, thorough knowledge of the places,

linguistic skills etc.

EMPLOYEES – They are the representatives of the company. Their performance can create a

positive as well as negative impact of the service process and the image of the company.

Keeping ‘people’ factor healthy is one of the prime concerns of the Kesari. Employee welfare is

the top priority of the company and it aims at providing the best working atmosphere for all its

employees.

Kesari motivates its employees by giving them incentives, awards like Koscar awards on the

lines of Oscar to best performing employees.

25

SERVICE ENCOUNTER – Moment of Truth

The so-called stage service encounter or moment of truth is the element of interaction between

those providing services and the customers. The instances of service encounter in travel and

tourism industry are –

In the ticket booking process when the customer calls the service provider that is the

front line staff in order to book the tickets is the first service encounter incidence. It’s the

moment of truth where, there is one to one interaction between the service provider who

is booking the ticket and the customer who wants the ticket booked. This interaction

takes place on the phone.

26

In the itinerary planning process the service encounter takes place when the customer

visits the travel and tourism agency to purchase a holiday package and meets the travel

manager.

When the customer is experiencing the holiday package there are numerous service

encounters that he goes through and one of them is his constant interaction with the

tourist guides.

These were some examples of service encounter.

This stage is a very crucial one where in the provider has to perform at the optimum level in

order to avoid the customer from having the experience of credence quality.

27

4.6. PROCESS

It is the way of undertaking transaction supplying information and providing services on a

way, which is acceptable to the consumer and the effective to the organization. It is necessary

for the organization which provides services to recognize the critical moments in the entire

process which makes the service acceptable or not acceptable to the customer depending on

the zone of tolerance and effective or not effective to the organization. Further to realize what

are the critical moments in the considered process, a concept of blue printing is introduced.

Process to book a tour

Customers can book their tour at any of Kesari’s Branch Offices or at local Kesari's

Preferred Sales Agents. If customers are residing out of India they can book their tour

Online through the wesbite, the process is

Select your Tour > Tour Dates & Price > Select your City > Select your

Departure Date > Click Here > Book Now.

Kesari offers a wide variety of tours all over the world as on this website. Please

browse through the website select your tour, read and understand the Tour Itinerary,

Inclusions and Exclusions, Joining-Leaving Places, Tour Price, Payment Schedules,

Terms and Conditions etc. Once you get convinced about everything, go ahead &

book your tour.

Service blueprinting

A service blueprint is the visual portrayal of a service plan. It is a key tool in service designing. It

is a detail flowchart of different stages in the process. It displays the service by depicting the

process of service delivery, points of customer contact, the roles of customer and employees.

Blueprints are useful in designing and redesigning the service process.

28

Reception –

This is where the customer first comes across the minute he enters the office. The

lady at the reception asks the customer his requirement i.e his name, whom he wants

to meet and his purpose of visiting. The customer when he conveys his desire –

which place he wants to go, the lady at the reception then asks the customer to visit a

particular manager. The receptionist will ask the customer whether he has received

any brochure from the company regarding the tour in which he is interested in. if he

has not received any brochure then, he is given brochures to see.

Information -

Once the customer is assigned a particular manager, the manager briefs him about all

the information about the destination the customer wants to visit. He briefs the

customer on various aspects of the tour, such as:

Sight-seeing places

29

Reception Information

Payment of advanceAccounting

Bookings Payment of balance

BriefingPost tour

Itinerary

Food- veg or non veg, which the customer needs to inform well in advance

before booking the tour.

Additional benefits/ facilities

Some customers have not decided about the destination which they want to visit. In

such cases, the manager checks the availability of seats on the spot with the help of

software. This enables the manager to know whether seats are available or not.

Payment of advance-

Once the customer is briefed about a particular destination, he shows interest/

disinterest in the tour considering the itinerary and other facilities. If the customer is

satisfied and interested in the tour, he has to first register himself by filling the

Registration form. This form contains the details like name, address, contact number,

destination to be visited, number of travelers, number of days, mode of payment, etc.

The customer then has to pay advance as per the tour selected by him.

Accounting –

After advance has been paid, the accounting manager then prepares and gives the

receipt of payment of advance to customer. The receipt also shows the balance due

from the customer.

Bookings –

The payment of advance indicates the guarantee that the customer is going to take the

tour. The manager makes the bookings including hotel bookings, rail , air, cruise

tickets, sight-seeing places etc.

Here is where the back office comes into picture. The back office is concerned with

submitting the visa, passport, photos etc. All documents are checked and a final

document is prepared which is submitted to the embassy. The embassy gives the date

for visa. The back office manager will go and collect the visa. The customer is

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informed whether he has been grated visa or not. If he has not been granted the visa,

he is required to apply again. In this case, no refund of fees for application is given.

Payment of balance -

Once the customer gets the visa, he is asked to pay the balance amount either by cash

or cheque.

Briefing -

A few days before the departure, there is a get together of all the tourists. They are

briefed regarding the tour- the date of departure, the itinerary, the date of arrival etc.

Post tour -

After the tour is completed, there is a get together where the travelers are provided

with snacks, souvenirs like caps, badges, certificates etc.

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4.7. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE

It is a very important factor for the travel and tourism industry. It is important in 2 distinct

ways:

as the environment in which the sales takes place

the environment where the product is consumed

Explanation of the first case

When the purchasing of the product is taking place, the customer cannot be sure whether they

will enjoy the product or not. In the mean time their expectations and emotions are

influenced by factors like layout of the room, the furniture, noise level, temperature, lights

and other factors like the brochure of the company. In case of customers who by

electronically the appearance of the website is the physical evidence.

Explanation of the second case

In the travel industry where the product is being experienced s particularly important in

securing repeat business thus extensive facilities that prove to be physical evidence are

provided to lure and woo the customer

The tangibles include flat beds in business class, Wi-Fi connection in hotels, customized

meals on board, tele checking 8hrs booking in hotels, hotels providing laptops on request,

internet access as complimentary for the corporate packages.

Servicescape of Kesari tours

In the hospitality industry, customers pick up cues based on the physical environment

Consumers interact with the servicescape prior to experiencing the service in an exchange with

a service agent.

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Visual Cues

• Color -different colours stimulate varying personal moods and emotions

• Kesari employs the shades of red

• The color red is a warm color and can excite and stimulate emotion

• The service personnel are also seen dressed in red

• They are seen to be warm and welcoming

• The sofa and other seating arrangements are in shades of red and add to the overall

ambience of the place.

• Customers are served water as they come in for an enquiry

Lighting

• Light influences the perceptions of form, colour, texture, and enclosure.

• Proper lighting impart the necessary vibrancy and life to the surroundings

Space & function

• The furnishings in a servicescape link the space with its occupants and convey the

personality of the servicescape through form, line, colour, texture, and scale

• The office is seen to be spacious and proper seating and furniture at place

• Beautiful paintings are also set up on walls that enrich the place and give a positive

feeling to the customer

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5. Service Quality Dimensions

The well-known concept of five-quality dimension RATER, we hereby relate them to 7’s of

Travel and Tourism. So what do we mean by 7’s Travel and Tourism Industry and what is its

significance in relation to RATER.

5.1) RELIABILITY - Suchna - Information

The way and the kind of information, which is provided, by any Travel and Tourism

organization to its customers is the parameter of judging the Reliability of that organization. The

various services provided by Kesari includes Planning Itinerates, Ticketing, Working out travel

routes , Providing information on Destinations ,Arranging visas, Making stay reservations. Here

information plays a very dynamic role. Let us assume that the customer comes for booking a

ticket. It is very important on the part of Kesari to give accurate information on all types of flight

available, their fairs, and new schemes going on which would in turn help customers to choose

most suitable product for their traveling. Such repeated and accurate information creates of a

reliable organization. i.e. in future the customer would trust the organization for any information.

5. 2) ASSURANCE - Suraksha - Safety

It is one of the prime factors considered when talking about this sector. A safe travel is the top

priority of any traveler. Thus it is very important for Travel and Tourism organization to consider

the safety of the tour package. The safe travel will in turn ensure the customers traveler.

5.3) TANGIBLES - Swagat – Suvidha – Safai.

These are the backstage elements, which help in a great way for the customers to evaluate the

service. When we talk about tangible product in Travel and Tourism the 1st would include

a) Swagat

It means warm welcome. Everyone loves a warm welcome. It really gives a good start to the

whole holiday. Thus keeping this tangible factor in mind the tourism agencies for example

Kesari always keeps in mind the Swagat of their traveler. One good example of such is in this

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package of Kesari from Mumbai to Goa, wherein they give a welcome drink to travelers and

provide them with a fruit platter and famous cashew nuts of Goa.

b) Suvidha

It means facility. Today if you talk top any business traveler they want to be pampered silly from

flat beds in business class to Wi-Fi in hotels customize the needs. These are the kind of facilities

they expect. Thus if a Travel and Tourism organization is able to provide all such demanding

facilities then it adds value to its travel products and makes the product hike from standard

quality level to superior quality level.

c) Safai

It means cleanliness. Hygiene is also an important factor of a travel package. Clean hotel rooms

and lobby create a spik and span impression of the package and add to the quality level.

5.4) EMPHATY - Sahyog – Cooperation.

Empathy is sahyog i.e. co-operation i.e. listen to the customers understand them and co-operate

with them to come down to a solution this factor creates a very positive impression in the minds

of the customers and helps the service to get a tag of its excellent service quality.

5.5) RESPONSIVENESS-Sanrachna – Information.

This is the last element in the concept of RATER. It is related to the last‘s’ i.e. Sanrachna which

means infrastructure. Why do we relate infrastructure to responsiveness is because how flexible

is the infrastructure of Travel and Tourism organization affects the service responsiveness. For

example if you plan and book a Qualis car to travel from place A to place B and if the car breaks

down then how fast can you respond by replacing it with a new car shows the flexibility of the

infrastructure i.e. the no of cars.

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6. Kesari and its Competitors

Established in 1984, Kesari Tours is a premium travel company, which offers world-class

holidays in India and around the world. Kesari have perfected their tour itineraries to meet the

special needs of the Indian tourist abroad. The motto of organization is ‘No compromise on

quality’.

At Kesari Tours, they have made a motto that if they make a promise to their customers, they

honor it. They believe in honest, transparent deals. No hidden costs and no compromise on

sightseeing. They strive for 100% satisfaction of tourists. The company enjoys an immense

goodwill. That’s what they earned out of their beliefs.

The Kuoni Travel Group, India, is the country’s largest travel and Tourism Company and a

100% subsidiary Kuoni Travel Holding.

Kuoni India’s vision focuses on providing all travel and travel-related services to travellers

from, within and to India.

Kuoni Travel Group, India was formed when Kuoni Travel Holding, Switzerland acquired

100% equity in SOTC on May 22nd, 1997. The Company was renamed Kuoni Travel (India)

Ltd. SOTC World Famous Tours became a valued brand.

Kuoni Travel (India) Ltd. became India’s largest travel company with the acquisition of SITA

World Travel a forerunner in Destination Management, incentive and business travel market.

Today, Kuoni-India is active across virtually every travel segment and operates a number of

highly successful brands in India as also controls strategic markets around the world

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Cox & Kings is the longest established travel company in the world.

At present, the COX & KINGS group has offices in UK (2 offices), USA, Japan, Germany Italy,

Turkey, Pakistan and Nepal. In India, Cox & Kings has offices in Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai,

Bangalore, Calcutta, Ahmedabad, Cochin, Hyderabad, Pune, Goa and Jaipur and one satellite

office in Andheri in Mumbai and Gurgaon in Delhi

Thomas Cook is one of the world’s leading international travel and financial services groups

and serves over 20 million customers a year. They provide services to customers at 4,500

locations in more than 100 countries and employee over 20,000 people.

The Thomas Cook Holiday comes with a 150-year-old guarantee of eternally sunlit memories.

They couldn’t expect any less from the people who invented travel for leisure. They offer the

world’s most enjoyable holidays, to exotic destinations in India and abroad where everything is

taken care of from beginning to end.

A passion for Travel & a vision for creating innovative travel packages were the two driving

forces saw the beginning of a Travel Company in a very modest way in Mumbai’s Masjid

Bunder.The tremendous success & satisfaction of their tours paved way for Raj to hold its

banner high & it continues to do so till date. They are proud to say that year after year they

have improved on the product, adding new destinations, new attractions, pro-active marketing,

& building customer confidence.

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7. Servuction Model

This model is used to illustrate factors that influence service experience, including those that are

visible and invisible to consumer.

Invisible component consists of invisible organization systems.

It refers to the rules, regulations and processes upon which the organization is based. Although

they are invisible to the customers, they have a very profound effect on the consumer’s service

experience.

Visible part consists of 3 parts: Servicescape (inanimate environment), contact personnel/service

providers, and other consumers.

Inanimate environment: It refers to the use of physical evidence to design service environments. It

consists of ambient conditions such as music, inanimate objects that assist the firm in completing

the tasks, such as furnishing and business equipment. All non-living features present during service

encounter.

Contact personnel: Employees other than primary providers that interact with the consumers.

Ser vic e Provider : Primary provider of core service.

Oth er Cus tomers : Customer A: Recipient of bundle of benefits created through service experience

and customer B are other customers who are part of Customers A’s experience. Servuction model

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demonstrates consumers are an integral part of service process. The level of participation may be

active or passive, but always there. Managers must understand the interactive nature of services

and customer involvement in production process. The four components of the servuction model

combine to create the experience for the consumer and it is the experience that creates the bundle

of benefits for the consumer.

Thus the servuction system comprises of two main part, the service operation and the service

delivery system.

Service operation at Kesari:

• Meticulously planned, well designed itinerary to suit all kind of customers.

• The company has 500 dedicated professional Kesarians in offices all over and 400

exclusive Tour Managers, to serve the customers

• Kesari tours have tie ups with hotels that are located at all the major cities.

• It offers a variety of innovative tour and travel packages to suit all kind of customers.

• The packages are designed in a way to ensure there are no hidden costs and the prices are

inclusive for sightseeing and meals.

• The packages are designed to include more sightseeing, less bus journey, mostly no

backtracking of routes.

• All 'Must See' sightseeing need to be included in the tours and travel package.

Service delivery at Kesari:

• The Kesari tours website has been carefully designed to guide the traveller through the

intricacies of travel arrangements, helping them to choose their destinations according to

their budget and choice.

• The sitemap on the Kesari Tours website leads the first timers through the website till

he/she finds what he is looking for.

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• The team of Kesari tours professionals ensures that each tourist is attended personally,

delivering their promises.

• The prices charged by Kesari travels are the best and designed to suit every budget.

• Independent Contractor means a person and/or organization selected by Kesari Tours Pvt.

Ltd. to render services including transport, hotel, Restaurants , sightseeing to the tourist/s.

• The company strives for 100% customer satisfaction which has fetched it immense

goodwill

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8. Customer Relationship Management at Kesari Tours

Customer loyalty is an important driver of profitability so firms need to assess lifetime customer

value and narrow gap between actual and potential value

Values of customer are created through:

Confidence benefits

Confidence in correct performance

Ability to trust the provider

Lower anxiety when purchasing

Knowing what to expect and receive

Social benefits

Mutual recognition and friendship

Special treatment

Better price

Discounts not available to most customers

Extra services

Higher priority when there is a wait.

Kesari offers a number of tailor-made tour and travel packages. E.g.

Escorted group tours : world tour and national tour

Escorted Short Tours

Farmers' Special

For Newly-Weds

Ladies' Special

Men Only

Pilgrimage Tours

Senior Citizens' Special

Students' Special

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Wildlife Special etc

It also provides trusted services at affordable prices which suits the budget of the customers.

• Worldwide tours at its best price.

• Clear cut one line tour price.

• No hidden costs.

• No extra charges for stipulated sightseeing in tour programme or meals .

• Tips to guides and drivers included.

Objectives of the customer relationship management system:

Data collection Collecting data about customers for

example preferred tourist spots, frequency

of travel, contact details etc.

Data analysis Based on the data collected creating

customized tour packages for all kind of

travelers which suits their budget.

Sales force automation Trying to provide additional benefits to the

regular customers like discounts on opting

for different travel packages, cost saving

tour options etc.

Market automation Creating marketing campaigns focusing

on the target segments. Helps to target the

right kind of customers e.g.: corporate,

students, honeymoon packages etc.

Call centre automation Call center staff have customer

information at their fingertips resulting in

improved service levels to customers

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Integrated frame work for CRM process:

Strategy development process

The mission and vision of the company aims

at continual delivery of value added services

to customers

Value creation

Customers benefit through the customized

service which are provided at affordable

prices.

The trips are carefully planned with an eye for

details and a personal touch.

Further the company can come up with

strategies for providing effective discounts to

regular customers to increase customer

retention.

Multichannel Integration

Cater to all kind of travelers:

Corporate, students, family packages, agro

tours, etc.

Offers tailor-made packages to customers of

all the different segments.

The website offers all the different tour

package options of which the customers can

choose the option which suit them.

Maintaining a central access to the database of

all its relevant customers.

Performance assessment The company has maximum repeat guest. The

company can install an effective feedback

system to analyze potential areas of

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improvement.

Information management process

Installation of an effective feedback system,

central access to the database of all customers

would help in effective customer relationship

management.

Strategies for developing loyalty bonds with customers:

Reward based bonds :

• Incentives that offer rewards based on frequency of purchase, value of purchase, or

combination of both.

• Discounts are provided on full payments that are made in advance.

• Social bonds:

• Professional services are provided with personal touch.

• Customization bonds :

• Kesari has specialized divisions to cater to the needs of all types of travellers

• Guest looking for the safety and security of escorted group tours or seeking exclusive

customised holidays or the business traveller etc.

• Structural bonds:

• Align customers' way of doing things with supplier’s own processes.

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9. RECOMMENDATIONS

Pursue strategies in international context

Kesari should pursue global strategy by obtaining the benefits of international value

network to diversify its products. It should develop products that better suit the local

nations. For example, Kesari tours in UK should offer more products to ageing

population. It should establish its operations in countries where the workforce is cheap

and close to its destination points. Kesari could develop a diversification strategy by

expanding into international markets like UK etc.

Focus on forward vertical integration

Kesari could concentrate on forward vertical integration by acquiring hotels in most

operational areas.

Improvements in online bookings

As the technology is growing rapidly and the use of internet is also growing faster, people

are more comfortable in booking online. So Kesari has to improve its online booking

facility to cope up with the future demand.

Maintain a balanced portfolio

Kesari must maintain a balanced portfolio of products by developing new products to

keep the growing revenue sustainably.

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10. CONCLUSION

Product differentiation– a successful strategy for Kesari tours

The company believes that is innovative products are different from the ones in current

market and are considering product differentiation as its core competency. Kesari has

developed more and more innovative products like “Agro tours”, that provides a chance

to the farmers in India to visit the foreign countries to explore the new technologies and

methods of farming. Kesari tours understand its market segment properly and design

products which suit a particular segment.

Kesari tours competitive base

The competitive base of Kesari tours is its hybrid strategy that is based on low price and

product differentiation which offers more value to its customers. It charges premium

prices for some products which are particularly targeted towards a focused group of

customers. Premium products are tailor made packages and business tours like Straberi

and MICE.

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Bibliography

Christopher H. Lovelock, Jochen Wirtz, and Tat Hean Keh (2002), Services Marketing in

Asia: Managing People, Technology, and Strategy, Singapore: Prentice Hall.

Websites

http://www.oifc.in/Article/Tourism-in-India-Key-Potential-and-Opportunities www.kesari.in

http://kesari-tours.blogspot.in/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_India

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