Blazing ahead

Jehangir Katgara, chairman and managing director of Trail Blazer Tours India Private Limited (TBi) and Homa Mistry, chief executive officer, received the National Tourism Award for 2010-11 at the hands of President Pratibha Patil in New Delhi on February 29, 2012. TBi obtained first position in category three for Inbound Tour Operator. This is the second time in the five years of its existence that TBi has secured this honor, having won it also in 2008-09 in category four. TBi is owned by the Katgara Group.

Jehangir Katgara (center) and Homa Mistry receiving National Tourism Award from President Pratibha Patil

"We are proud to win this Award and we look forward to working together with the Department of Tourism, our industry partners and our clients to promote inbound tourism on a larger scale,” Katgara stated. "We have moved from category four to category three because of an increase in our turnover (and higher foreign exchange earnings),” explains Meher Bhandara, vice president, corporate communications. While travelers from North America, Europe, Australia, Japan and South Korea continue to make India their destination, the country’s national geographic, cultural and culinary variety is attracting increasing numbers from China, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and South America, Bhandara states in reply to Parsiana’s query. In addition to all-time favorites like Delhi, Agra, Rajasthan, Kerala, Karnataka, etc., "recently there has been an interest in eastern and north-east India (West Bengal, Orissa and Sikkim),” she adds. To a fairly large extent India is keeping pace with its competitors as far as tourism is concerned, she believes. "The choice and range of hotels is much better today at most places. But there is still scope for improvement in the tourism infrastructure, that is better roads, midway facilities and better amenities at all the monuments throughout the country,” she observes.

With many a modern Indian traveler thirsting for unique experiences, TBi’s website offers exotic locales — a luxury camp on the edge of the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, a cave hotel in Turkey or ice hotel in Swedish Lapland, Arctic and Antarctic cruises, trans-Siberian rail journey or a mountain top trip to Machu Picchu, the ancient Inca site in Peru, South America. For corporate travel and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions), TBi ensures a "seamless delivery of a range of travel services” at the most competitive prices, states their press release. Happy with their year on year increase in numbers, "we look forward to improving our performance this year,” notes Bhandara.