Rao Travels, a leading tour operator in New Delhi, is looking for speedy implementation of policies which can overhaul the country’s infrastructure and taxation issues and can ultimately revive the domestic travel and tourism industry. The 40-year-old firm, which is a formidable player in the north Indian market, has categorically stated that its growth plans completely hinge on the unwavering support from the new government at the Centre.
In an exclusive interaction with MOTORINDIA at its office-cum-outlet at Vasant Enclave, Mr. S. Srinivas Rao, Owner, Rao Travels, asserted: “Honestly speaking, India’s travel and tourism industry needs a huge fillip. In fact, the government should promote it in a holistic manner just like the way it happens in other countries. Once that happens, a company like ours can naturally think of increasing its fleet size or expand into new holiday destinations.”
Asked about the kind of thrust required, Mr. Rao said: “First of all, we need a uniform tax structure, and there should not be any heavy imposition of toll taxes while crossing cities or States. Moreover, there should be speedy implementation of GST in the country. Secondly, there should be more expressways which ensure seamless travel. Thirdly, fuel prices have been pretty erratic, which ultimately increases our operational costs.”
The views expressed by him were fully endorsed by its peers too. Even though the company has been going through tough times because of the downbeat outlook of wannabe travellers (largely because of cloudbursts at Uttaranchal hills last year and job insecurity), its unique offerings stand it in good stead.
“We not only work as a transporter, but also as an end-to-end tour operator. We have our own tours which we promote. We coordinate for hotel bookings, air bookings, train bookings and whatever a traveller needs. We include everything in one package and offer it to our customers. So we don’t depend on others for additional services. We have a tie-up with the hotels and caterers for the same. We have access to huge infrastructure, as well as more fine tuned service development, while still offering the personalised service that has always been our strength and to ensure that quality of service is maintained at all times. Also, we don’t perceive online travel players as a major threat because they provide point-to-point services to their customers and are not responsible for wholesome tour operations like us.”
Established in 1977 by S. Subbarao with the prime motive of handling domestic and inbound tourists, Rao Travels was primarily started as a tour operator and a travel agency. With leisure travel as a core business the company is also involved with corporate travel solutions. 
It owns a big fleet of cars, MUVs and luxury coaches. Among its 150-odd vehicles, it also owns 20 Volvo buses. As for its customer base, nearly 25 per cent are foreigners.
Mr. Rao also disclosed that the customer demand has changed a lot, with most of them actively looking for luxurious interiors, comfortable seats and air suspension, among other amenities.
Rao Travels has won the prestigious National Tourism Award several times for being the ‘Best Domestic Tour Operator’ from the Ministry of Tourism. “We express our gratitude to all our customers having faith and trust in us for the last nearly four decades. We want to make people travel to various destinations. We want to make holidaying a better lifestyle,” signed off Mr. Rao.