Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu’s proposal of ‘Incredible Rail for Incredible India’, under which auto-rickshaw and taxi operators – who are the first point of contact – will be trained as guides at major tourist stations, has been welcomed by travel companies.

“There is a paucity of trained travel guides in India and this is a welcome step,” said Sharat Dhall, President of Yatra.com.

Rajesh Magow, Co-Founder and CEO (India), MakeMyTrip, said, “The Budget commits to a broader objective of enhancing customer experience and providing better services. Setting up of a passenger helpline, better ticketing facilities, upgraded stations and cleaner trains are all positive developments for the sector.”

Seat sharing tie-ups

The Minister also proposed to explore the possibility of offering some coaches in select trains, connecting major tourist destinations, to travel agencies on a revenue-sharing model. Dhall said that this announcement is interesting and the travel company would await details.

“While planning a trip offsite, the biggest concern and expense is in arranging transport. For instance, an Innova will usually charge ₹9,000-10,000 for a to-and-fro trip from Delhi to Rishikesh but one can get railway tickets for the same destination booked at just 1/10th of the cost,” said Ankur Bist, Co-founder of Akki Adventure, an adventure and outreach company.

“Having such coaches will considerably draw down expenses, especially when we are talking about groups as large as 40-50 people,” Bist added.    

The Budget also announced that IRCTC will work on promoting the Gandhi circuit to attract tourists to mark 100 years of the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India.

Dhall said, “India is literally synonymous with Mahatma Gandhi. Taking tourists on the route that Gandhiji explored on his return to India will be exciting and a revelation to travellers in numerous ways.”

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