Creative Travel, serving the travel industry since 1977, has been at the forefront of service-led experiential travel. With that philosophy, they have rebranded their luxury outbound brand ‘Signature Tours’ to its new avatar ‘Away&Co’. This brand is created to sell experiences rather than just focusing on the destination. The concept will surely score with the highly cultivated traveller with an appetite for the unusual, looking for something enriching and authentic, discovering new secrets, and finding new stories across continents. With their deep knowledge and great partnerships across the world, Away&Co intends to rewrite the idea of experiential travel in an ever-changing world. Speaking exclusively to TTJ, Rohit Kohli, Joint Managing Director, Creative Travel Group, shares more about the venture.
– Prashant Nayak
Q. What was the thought behind rebranding Signature Tours to its new avatar Away&Co?
The world of experiential travel has changed, and so has the consumer’s mindset. We felt it was time to refresh the brand to appeal to the new, evolved consumer. The Creative Travel family has been a leader in luxury and experiential travel for over four decades. We are proud of our legacy and the opportunities this brings us. Taking our expertise to the outbound business is the most natural progression for the organisation.
Q. Please tell us about Away&Co from your perspective?
Away&Co intends to become a statement in experiential journeys. It’s never going to be just about the destination. Our focus will be on what we know best – experiences. Our amazing global relationships, built over forty-five years, will ensure we have access to some of the finest experiences around the world. We will never be just a ‘travel company’. Even though travel is what we sell, our guests will come to us when they seek life-altering experiences.
Q. Can you tell us about a few unique experiences that Away&Co curates?
I can’t give ‘away’ too much, but I can tell you, none of our trips will be led by just guides in any part of the world. Our guests will travel with experts in their respective domains, whether it’s a journey focused on wildlife in Rwanda, the cuisines of Puglia, or an adventure to the Antarctic polar region.
Q. How do you ascertain that some travel experiences that you curate will be ideal and loved by the Indian traveller?
The Indian traveller has matured to a level of sophistication over the years. We see many parallels in the expectations of an evolved Indian traveller and one from the western world. Most destinations on the planet are seeking out Indian traveller because of this level of maturity. Money is no longer the only decision driver for those who appreciate the nuances of luxury travel.
Q. How do you scout or connect with your global partners to bring out these extraordinary experiences?
We are very fortunate to have fostered amazing relationships around the world in our four-plus decade journey. It’s been relatively easy for us to establish a pool of partnerships that will allow us to create some of the best journeys across the world. Our long-standing legacy has also helped us open many doors from which our guests will benefit a lot.
Q. How do you reach out to your segment of hi-value or the discerning traveller in the Indian market?
There is obviously no easy answer for this because customer acquisition in today’s crowded space is the key to any company’s success. We believe referrals from our wonderful guests will play a very large role in our growth. Our marketing activities will be highly targeted towards a very specific niche and subsect of the customer base.
Q. From your experiences, can you let us know about the evolution of the outbound Indian travellers in the past decade and more so with the pandemic?
India, like many other mature travel markets, has now become multi-dimensional and multi-layered. All segments of the industry continue to grow. There is growth in the mass group market as much as there is a demand for very high-value private trips. This evolution has happened over the past years due to many factors, key of which are economic growth, exposure to the world, and most importantly, the desire for more existential journeys around the world.
