Travel operator, Cox & Kings India, is scouting to acquire travel firms in English-speaking markets such as the US, Canada, England, Australia and New Zealand, a senior company official said. Cox & Kings, which raised Rs 610-crore through a public issue in December last year, has earmarked Rs 150-crore to fund such acquisitions."We have a fund of Rs 150-crore earmarked for this (acquisitions). We are very comfortable with countries where the laws are familiar like the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand...it becomes very attractive for us particularly since these countries are just coming out of a recession," Cox & Kings, executive director, Peter Kerkar, told PTI here today.He said the company is still looking at opportunities and that "it could be several small companies or one large company".Last year, Cox & Kings acquired MyPlanet Australia Pty Ltd and Bentours International Pty Ltd, adding to its product and retail distribution presence in Australia. Besides, it also has a strong presence there through the acquisition of Tempo Holidays Pty Ltd, a leading wholesaler in the outbound tourism market.Kerkar said the company would focus on enhancing its distribution reach within India, through franchise sales outlets as well as through the Internet."Going forward, we want to increase our distribution in India, particularly on a franchise circuit. We plan to take the total number of franchise outlets to 150 by December-end and will focus on Tier II and Tier III cities," Kerkar said.Cox & Kings currently has 80 franchise sales outlets in 44 locations across India. The company is betting big on the inbound tourist traffic from the US, UK, Russia and Japan because it feels that a recovery in the foreign markets would further enhance its earnings prospects.Besides, it expects to attract more business from international tourists through the Maharajas’ Express, India’s first pan-India super luxury train that began its first journey last month from Mumbai to Kolkata.The Maharaja Express was launched by the Royale Indian Rail Tours Ltd (RITL), a joint venture between IRCTC and Cox and Kings India Ltd."Certainly, the new initiative on the luxury train will be a hit with international tourists. We are expecting a very strong response (and already) 150 tour operators worldwide have signed up with the product," Kerkar said.Kerkar said he expects to see a 10-15 per cent growth in India's inbound tourist travel next fiscal after arrivals hit a low in the previous year led by the financial meltdown, the 26/11 terrorist attacks and swine flu.  

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