The Hindu Business Line : European tours galore

As the mercury soars, tour operators across the country are warming up to some stiff competition. Tourists are now being wooed by cruise holidays, purse-friendly packages and travel to exotic locales.

This holiday season, read the brochure's fine print before taking a decision. Check the credentials of the service provider, the rates, and the hidden costs. There should be nothing more than the overall package price and there is no place for "optionlas" says Kiran from Club 7, Delhi. Through its tie-up with Trafalgar and Star Cruises, the tour operator offers 80 itineraries for Premium Tour options in Europe and Britain. There are also packages to South America, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Russia and Central Europe as well.

The Geographical Company has tailor-made packages to Greece, Turkey, Austria, South of Spain, Italy and South of France. Says Gopika Khanna, from the company, "South of France and Spain are very upmarket. Last year, we even sold self-drive, tailor-made packages from London to Scotland. There were takers for similar packages to Ireland as well." The company also offers personalised exotic packages like the Nile Cruise, and holidays to Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia, Israel, Turkey, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Dewan Worldwide Holidays also has variety on the cards at moderate prices. A nine-day tour to Europe costs Rs 95,744, and includes a Stenna HSS Cruise, Full Day Eurodisney tour and a visit to Madam Tussauds in London. Packages to Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Hong Kong are available too.

Not to be left behind, Thomas Cook too is stressing on product and quality. "Our itinerary starts from the bottom of Europe and then goes up, allowing more time at each destination," says Kanwardeep Singh at Thomas Cook. Most of the visas and taxes, meals, insurance and Eurostar fare from Paris to London are included along with several must-see sightseeing options.

Thomas Cook's 17-day European Extravaganza, inclusive of two days in Dubai, covers 10 European countries in 15 days including UK, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Holland and France. There are other choices of varying duration available as well. Then there's a nine-day Swiss Delights package tour and the 15-day Surprising Scandinavia package with Russia for those willing to chart new routes.

Europe is also high on the agenda of Cox & Kings. Its Europe packages range from Rs 70,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh.

Amongst the more upmarket destinations, cruises are top on the list, as they provide the romance of sailing on the high seas. Royal Caribbean offers some of the best cruises in the seas around Europe and the US. It gives its guests a chance to explore up to seven European countries in a single vacation, without the hassles of endless airports, train stations and hotel check-in lines. This summer, the company is offering five itineraries that take guests to a host of historic cities throughout the Mediterranean, the British Isles and Northern Europe, all from the comfort of three state-of-the-art cruise ships. Of the lot, the Alaska cruise is a "must try" trip; the cruise is from Vancouver to Seward (Alaska) and back. Similarly, cruise offers to exotic islands of Caribbean and Bahamas and to Mexico out of Los Angeles are also available.

Nearer East, Star Cruise has introduced a Star Saver scheme by which all those who plan their trip to the Asia Pacific at least 45 days in advance get special offers. However, most tour operators have not started promoting their package tours to the US, Australia and Asia Pacific till date. The greatest competition is in getting the best chunk of the European market. The campaign for the US will start next, followed by Australia and the Far East.

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