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Ashwini Phadnis

New Delhi , Nov. 19

If you have the entrepreneurial skills, want to be your own boss, have between 250 to 1,000 sq m of space and are in position to make a capital investment of Rs 10-15 lakh, then you may be just the person that the 248-year-old travel company Cox & Kings is looking for.

In an effort to further expand its presence within the country, the travel company plans to set up a network of franchisees, each of whom will offer a host of travel-related services under one roof with the sole purpose of making travel simpler for a customer. This is the first time that the company is going in for a franchise arrangement.

One-stop shop

"What we are looking to do is provide a one-stop shop for travel with a distinct feel and look. We plan to have around 700 franchisees in the next two-three years each of whom would be provided with systems that would give access to all sorts of information including what a customer can do over a week-end in London or how to access the cheapest fare," the Company's Chief Executive Officer, India, Ms Urrshila Kerkar, told Business Line.

The company is primarily looking for franchise arrangements in category II and category III cities including Tirupati, Coimbatore, Rameshwaram and Kodaikanal.

The services that would be provided at the franchise locations include flight, rail and hotel bookings, car rentals, sight-seeing, cruise and holiday packages, apart from travel insurance and visa and documentation services. In a few locations, foreign exchange facilities would also be available.

Arrangement

What is planned is a business arrangement whereby Cox & Kings grants the franchisee the licensed right to own and operate a business based on the travel company's (Cox & Kings) business concept, using its trade mark.

In addition, Cox & Kings will also help start the business, provide training, assistance with site selection, site development and ordering of inventory apart from providing marketing support.

The move to follow the franchise route comes at a time when the travel and tourism industry in the country is growing by leaps and bounds. During 2005, foreign visitor arrivals touched 3.9 million and is pegged to be around 4.4 million this year.

Similarly, the Ministry of Tourism estimates that the number of domestic tourists in 2005 was around 300 million and this is expected to increase 15 per cent annually.

More Stories on : Outlook | Channels and Franchises | Travel & Places

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