Do you need a list of the Top 10 Travel Companies in India? In India, the travel industry is expanding incredibly quickly. Numerous new travel agencies entered the market. To stay afloat in the fierce competition, travel agencies offer a variety of beneficial features to their clients.
What is a Travel Company?
A travel company is a private retailer or government agency that offers the general public travel and tourism-related services on behalf of lodging or travel suppliers to offer various travel bundles for each destination.
Outdoor recreation activities, airlines, car rentals, cruise lines, hotels, trains, guidebooks, travel insurance, package tours, logistics for the delivery of luggage and medical supplies to travellers upon request, public transportation schedules, car rentals, and bureau de change services are all things that travel agencies can offer. Travel agencies can also serve as generalised sales agents for international airlines.
Travel Technology
The major computer reservation systems, which enable comparison and sorting of hotel and airfare rates among different providers, are used by the travel industry. Bookings made through travel agencies, including internet agencies, may or may not be quickly confirmed.
Instead of having their own booking engine like online travel agencies do, metasearch engines and scraper sites like Skyscanner, Kayak.com, Rome2rio, and TripAdvisor provide search query results and then send users to service providers or online travel agencies to make a reservation. It is possible for travel agents to work with airline consolidators.
Tourism in India
India’s economy is heavily dependent on the quickly expanding tourist sector. The World Travel and Tourism Council estimates that in 2018, tourism provided 42.673 million jobs, or 8.1% of all employment in India, and generated 16.91 lakh crore (210 billion US dollars), or 9.2% of India’s GDP. By 2028, the industry is expected to increase at an average annual rate of 6.9%, reaching $320 billion (or 9.9% of GDP), or 32.05 lakh crore.
In October 2015, the medical tourism sector in India was valued at $3 billion; by 2020, it is expected to reach US$7-8 billion. 184,298 overseas patients came to India in 2014 to receive medical care.
India welcomed more than 17.9 million foreign visitors in 2019 compared to 17.4 million in 2018, an increase of 3.5%. India is now the eighth most visited country in Asia and the Pacific and ranks 22nd overall. In 2012, there were 1,036.35 million domestic tourist visits to all states and union territories, a 16.5% increase from 2011.
The most visited states in 2014 were Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu. Agra, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Jaipur were the top five Indian cities visited by international visitors in 2015. According to the number of international visitors, Delhi is the 28th most popular tourist destination in the world, followed by Mumbai (30), Chennai (43), Agra (45), Jaipur (52) and Kolkata (90).
The World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Development Index 2021, which superseded the body’s previous Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, places India 54th overall out of 117 countries. In the most current Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, which was published in 2019, India was ranked 34th out of 140 countries. The report ranked the price competitiveness of the Indian tourism sector 13th out of 140 countries.
According to the article, India has reasonable ground and port infrastructure in addition to a fairly good (ranked 28th) air transportation infrastructure (ranked 33rd). Additionally, the nation received great marks for its natural resources (ranked 14th), cultural resources, and business travel (ranked 8th).
According to the World Tourism Organization, India came in 16th overall and 7th among Asian and Pacific nations for tourism receipts in 2012.
The ministry of tourism develops national policies for the expansion and promotion of tourism. The Ministry collaborates and communicates with other federal ministries and agencies, state and union territory administrations, and business representatives throughout the process.
Specialized tourist goods like rural, cruise, medical, and eco-tourism are being actively promoted. The Incredible India programme, which promotes travel to India, is still being run by the ministry of tourism.
History
- Cox & Kings established the first travel agency in recorded history in 1758.
- Bernardo Abreu founded the Abreu Agency in Porto in 1840, making it the first agency in history to offer its services to the general public.
- Baptist preacher Thomas Cook made a deal with the Midland Railway in 1841 to arrange the transportation of 500 members of his temperance movement from the Leicester Campbell Street train station to a rally in Loughborough in exchange for a commission. Cook believed that alcohol was to blame for social problems. Thomas Cook & Son, which ultimately evolved into The Thomas Cook Group, was founded by him. In 2019, it declared bankruptcy and went through liquidation.
- Dean and Dawson was established in the UK in 1871, and Thomas Cook bought it in the 1950s.
- The Polytechnic Touring Association was established in the UK in 1870.
- Walter T. Brownell founded Brownell Travel in 1887, the country’s first travel agency, and he escorted 10 passengers on a trip to Europe on the SS Devonia, departing from New York.
- Alfred K. Baldwin, previously a printer, bookbinder, and publisher in Tunbridge Wells, launched Baldwins Travel in 1895. Baldwins starts selling train tickets and arranging friends’ trips to Europe and other destinations. As word gets out, the erstwhile printers at 27 Grosvenor Road’s Baldwins Stationery slowly develop a successful travel-related side business.
- Travel agencies initially primarily served middle-class and upper-class clients, but as commercial aviation developed, they spread to more people.
- K. P. Chen founded the China Travel Service, the first travel agency in China, in 1923 after experiencing poor service from a British travel agency.
- The Second World War was difficult for the industry. However, the Post-World War II economic boom in mass-market package tours led to an increase in the number of working-class-focused travel companies.
- The first travel agency in Japan was founded in 1905 by Nippon Travel Agency.
- Intourist was established in 1929 as the Soviet Union’s official state travel agency with the intention of luring tourists to the region.
- One of Australia’s first travel firms, the forerunner to Helloworld Travel, opened its doors in 1951.
- The first black-owned travel agency and the first to transport sizable numbers of black visitors to Africa were both accomplished by Henderson Travel Service in 1955.
- Early in the 1980s, American Airlines’ Sabre division developed eAAsySabre, a direct-to-consumer service for booking flights, hotels, and vehicles.
- When travel restrictions for South Koreans were relaxed in 1989, Mode Tour established itself as the first travel company in the nation.
- Hotels.com’s predecessor, Hotel Reservations Network, was established in 1991. In the beginning, hotels did not offer many commissions.
- With the development of the internet, travel agencies moved online and experienced disintermediation due to the decrease in prices brought on by the elimination of layers from the distribution network for package holidays.
- Travelweb.com debuted as the first online hotel directory in 1994.
- The first airline ticket was sold on the Internet in 1995 by Internet Travel Network.
- The first significant internet travel company, Expedia.com, was introduced in October 1996 thanks to hundreds of millions of dollars in funding provided by Microsoft.
- Additionally, Cheapflights began operations as a listing service for consolidator-provided flight offers.
- In the UK, Lastminute.com was established in 1998.
- European airlines started doing away with or cutting back on commissions in 1999, while Singapore Airlines started doing the same in areas of Asia. Several American airlines followed suit in 2002, which prompted a lawsuit alleging collusion amongst the airlines that was dismissed on appeal in 2009.
- Online travel bookings grew in 2007 as a result of the release of the iPhone and related mobile applications.
- The establishment of Airbnb in 2008 gave rise to an online market for extra rooms and apartments.
- The debut of HotelTonight in 2011 featured immediate same-day hotel room booking.
- Baldwins Travel Group, an 1895-founded travel firm, was acquired by business organisation Inc & Co in 2021.
Now that we know enough about travel companies and tourism, let’s take a look at Top 10 Best Travel Companies In India 2023 –
1. MakeMyTrip
Indian travel agency MakeMyTrip was established in 2000. The company, which has its headquarters in Gurugram, Haryana, offers a variety of online travel services, such as airline tickets, local and foreign vacation packages, hotel bookings, and rail and bus tickets.
As of March 31, 2018, they have counters in four major Indian airports, over 30 franchisee-owned travel stores in 28 cities, and 14 company-owned travel stores in 14 cities. MakeMyTrip has additional overseas locations in New York, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Phuket, Bangkok, and Dubai.
On its website, MakeMyTrip provides services for booking hotels, rental homes, rail and bus tickets, and flights to several destinations. MakeMyTrip released mobile travel applications in 2012 for Windows Phone, iPhone, Android, and Blackberry gadgets. The MakeMyTrip route planner offers all the fundamental details needed for more than 10 lakh (1 million) routes around India. MakeMyTrip now sells Hyderabad Metro rail tickets.
Headquarter- Haryana, Gurugram
Contact- 1244628747
2. Thomas Cook India
Travel services offered by Thomas Cook (India) Ltd., an Indian travel company with its headquarters in Mumbai, India, include foreign exchange, domestic and international vacations, visas, passports, travel insurance, and MICE. Thomas Cook, the original owner of the now-defunct British company Thomas Cook & Son, founded the company in 1881.
Thomas Cook opened the company’s first office there before expanding to over 233 offices in 94 cities around India, Sri Lanka, and Mauritius. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Fairbridge Capital (Mauritius) Limited, and its controlled affiliates, which hold 67.63% of the firm, Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited is the parent company of Thomas Cook India.
This travel agency is also well-known for its vacation travel packages, which include international holiday packages to Thailand, the Maldives, Dubai, and other locations, as well as India holiday packages that can handle the country’s diversity of landscapes and cultures. On their website, you can also check out the most popular Visas, honeymoon vacation packages, international destinations, and much more.
Headquarter- Mumbai, India
Contact- 18002099100
3. Yatra
Indian internet travel agency and search engine Yatra.com. Its headquarters are in Gurugram, Haryana. In August 2006, Sabina Chopra, Manish Amin, and Dhruv Shringi formed it. Early investors included Intel Capital, Norwest Venture Partners, TV18 Group’s Web18, a division of Network 18’s TV18 Group, and Reliance Venture Asset Management Ltd.
It announced fundraising in April 2011 from investors including Valiant Capital Management, Norwest Venture Partners (NVP) managed by Promod Haque, and Intel Capital totaling 2 billion (US$25 million).
By login into Yatra.com, users can be sure to get the greatest discounts and cash back incentives on their air, train, and bus bookings; hotel and housing facilities; vacation packages; and many other offers all in one place.
Additionally, it offers consumers the chance to reserve automobile rentals through its website in a number of Indian cities as well as worldwide, and its auto rental network reaches at least 5000 major cities. It features good customer support services that are available around-the-clock and enable users to quickly and easily book rail, car, air, bus, and lodging from any location at any time.
Headquarter- Gurugram
Contact- 0120-6907410
4. Clear trip
Global online travel firm Cleartrip, formerly known as Cleartrip Travel Services Private Limited, is based in Mumbai. In order to book flights, railway tickets, hotels, and activities in India and the Middle East, the company runs an online travel aggregator website. It has offices in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, and India.
This travel agency provides domestic and international vacation packages, online e-booking services for train and aeroplane tickets, and hotel reservation services. It has also made it simpler for travellers to get to their selected locations and explore the diverse treasures of the world in the most efficient ways. There is therefore no lack of travel choices for clients to choose their site whenever and from anyplace, whether it is in India or beyond.
The best way to understand Cleartrip.com is to look at their secure payment options, secure payment options, and simple delivery booking processes. It greatly aids users in organising business tickets, vacation packages, tickets, and many other things.
The website’s affordable fare calendar, which helps users choose the greatest deals based on their budget, trip dates, etc., is one of its most important features.
Headquarter- Mumbai
Contact- 124 435 2500
5. Goibibo
Ashish Kashyap launched the internet travel agency Ibibo Group in January 2007. MakeMyTrip (MMT) Limited, which owns a 100% share in Ibibo Group, is the parent company of the business.
Goibibo, a B2C online travel aggregator, and RedBus.in, an online bus ticketing website, both are owned by the group.
Making a strategic alliance with the ibibo Group on January 31, 2017, MakeMyTrip (MMT) acquired a 100% equity stake in the company from MIH Internet, a Naspers indirect subsidiary, in accordance with a transaction agreement signed October 18, 2016.
Additionally, Goibibo.com offers enticing discounts on buses and trains. It communicates flight, train, and hotel information on a regular basis. Additionally, it provides a tonne of cash back features to its consumers with each booking they make in the form of cash and coupons. Goibibo.com has established itself as a reliable resource for both domestic and foreign tourists seeking to take advantage of the services offered by the top Indian online travel agencies. By visiting their websites or installing their mobile applications, one can hunt for the finest bargains and promotions.
Headquarter- Haryana, India
Contact- 1246280407
6. EaseMyTrip
Nishant Pitti, Rikant Pitti, and Prashant Pitti launched the Indian internet travel agency EaseMyTrip in 2008. The company, which has its headquarters in New Delhi, offers hotel reservations, airline tickets, vacation packages, bus reservations, and white-label services. EaseMyTrip maintains offices abroad in Bangkok, Dubai, Singapore, and the Maldives.
Without spending much on branding or marketing initiatives, the travel agency set a new record in this cutthroat industry by gaining the loyalty of more than 8 million direct customers with its first-rate round-the-clock customer support. Without receiving any VC money, this travel agency’s revenue in 2021 reached Rs. 2000 Cr. It has a sizable travel website that has been profitable consistently since it opened.
Due to its USP of charging Zero Convenience Fees and providing customers with rate transparency, EaseMyTrip has grown in popularity among users. Within India, Thailand, Singapore, Dubai, and the Maldives, there are roughly 28 branch offices for it. The B2B network of this travel agency includes 65,000 travel agents, 2500 franchise locations, 7000 corporate, 1600 distributors, and 640 solutions. Along with affordable flights, the company also offers fantastic rates on hotels, bus tickets, vacation packages, and MICE packages.
Headquarter- Delhi, India
Contact- 011 – 43131313, 43030303
7. Club Mahindra Holidays
Indian hospitality enterprise Club Mahindra Holidays was established in 1996. It offers timeshare-based vacations and is a part of the Mahindra Group. The Mahindra Group’s Leisure and Hospitality division includes Mahindra Holiday & Resorts India Limited (MHRIL). Its primary product is vacation ownership, and its leading brand is “Club Mahindra.” MHRIL primarily provides family vacations through memberships in vacation ownership clubs for a duration of over 25/10 years.
Customers who join Club Mahindra are eligible to take a week off each year for 25 years, subject to availability. By way of exchange, members can stay at resorts owned by Club Mahindra, Holiday Club Oy, or RCI. For the members, there is also a ten-year option.
When purchasing a membership, members choose a specific season and apartment. They have the option to trade their season and apartment as part of the exchange programme, or they can carry over their annual rights, subject to some restrictions. The four varieties of holiday seasons are purple, red, white, and blue.
No matter where you want to travel, there is always perfectly appropriate housing there for you. It provides a service where you may get tickets to more than 100 resorts in India and throughout the globe, where a vast array of events are available to you. This travel agency will give you the greatest experience when it comes to exploring your destination, whether you want to unwind by the beach in Goa or stay in an igloo in Manila.
Headquarter- Chennai, India
Contact- +91 (044) 3504- 1000
8. The Travel Guru Inc.
The most popular travel website in India, Travelguru, gives you access to the lowest rates on hotels, airlines, and vacation packages both domestically and abroad. Travelguru makes it simple and convenient to plan and purchase a vacation or business trip.
Currently, Travelguru offers cruises, holiday packages, hotel rooms, and airline tickets. Our services will soon be expanded to include a variety of travel-related services, including automobile rentals.
It was founded in 2005, is currently headed by Sanjeev Kumar, and provides all of the needs of Indian travellers. But what makes it a wonderful travel agency in India is that it offers transparent pricing while covering 60,000+ hotels in 1100+ cities.
The website is user-friendly, making it simple for customers to browse the inventory, packages, and planning section. Since this travel agency is currently expanding, they are focused on offering exceptional customer care at a reasonable price. You may find many attractive deals on the website that are difficult to pass up.
Headquarter- Mumbai, India
Contact- +91 92111 77444
9. SOTC
A step-down subsidiary of Fairfax Financial Holdings Group, SOTC Travel Limited, formerly SOTC Travel Private Ltd and Kuoni Travel (India) Pvt. Ltd., is owned by two entities: Thomas Cook (India) Limited (TCIL), a publicly traded company in India, and Travel Corporation (India) Ltd., a subsidiary of TCIL. It is a travel and tourism business that operates in a variety of travel markets, including leisure travel, business travel, destination management services, and distribution visa marketing services. The company was founded in 1949.
Worldwide vacation packages are available from SOTC. Additionally, it provides packages for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events)-related travel needs as well as Corporate Tours. The mission of SOTC Trade Fair Tours is to meet the needs of business people attending or exhibiting at international trade shows. It asserts to have been the first company to create and advertise escorted trips for foreign tourists in India.
Through trip packages, SOTC has established various channels, including “Bhraman Mandal” for the Marathi-speaking people and “Gurjar Vishwadarshan” for the Gujarati-speaking population. In order to provide an integrated spiritual and leisure experience throughout the well-known holy places in India, SOTC recently introduced a religious travel programme named “Darshans.”
Headquarter- Mumbai, India
Contact- 1800 209 3344
10. International Travel House limited
Founded on June 29, 1981, International Travel House Limited is a public company. It is registered with the Registrar of Companies in Delhi and is categorised as a Non-Government Company. Its paid-up capital is Rs. 79,945,000, and its authorised share capital is Rs. 120,000,000. It has to do with supporting and auxiliary transportation functions as well as travel agency operations.
Subrahmoneyan Chandra Sekhar, Pradeep Vasant Dhobale, Nakul Anand, Homi Phiroze Ranina, Jagdish Singh, Hariharan Bhagwateshwaran, Anil Rajput, and Vrinda Sarup are the directors of International Travel House Limited.
This travel agency currently runs 39 offices, employs more than 1000 people, and serves more than 3000 satisfied clients in 19 Indian cities.
One of the best things about this travel agency is that it provides its clients with a variety of different services. The services include home stays, temporary housing options, magical adventures, safe driving getaways, emergency travel assistance, and business travel advice services.
Headquarter- Gurugram, India
Contact- 011 – 26017808
Bottom Line –
These were the top travel agencies in India, and the list was compiled based on the convenience and comprehensiveness with which they met the needs of their clients. All of these businesses have long held the top positions in India’s travel sector, proving their value to customers and setting the standard for the best tourist amenities.
Now is the time for you to use the advantages that these travel agencies have to help you make a completely informed selection and organise your vacation at your convenience and comfort without any contention.
So make informed decisions and have fun on your trip!
