Log on: Online booking is gaining popularity

Meghdoot Dadegaonkar, a training manager at a software company in Hyderabad, couldn’t have asked for a better wedding gift ? a five-night, six-day package in Kulu-Manali worth Rs 18,000 for just Rs 3,000. Sounds incredible? Well, five years ago, Dadegaonkar spotted this dream package on the Bazee website. That was the beginning. Ever since, he has been planning his vacations online.

Dadegaonkar is not alone. With cheaper air fares and easy access to the Net, more and more Indians today prefer making their travel plans online. Reasons Ashwin Damera, chief operating officer, Travelguru, a travel portal: “That’s because of the popularity of carriers like Air Deccan, Spice Jet and Kingfisher. These airlines have aggressively pushed online sales.

Also, the increasing convenience of credit cards and Internet penetration are driving people to spend online on travel.”

Travelguru started its online operations in February 2006. Within two months of its launch, it registered hundreds of members.

Depending on what your requirements are, travel websites take care of your tour plans. Says Samir Sabnis, an instrumentation sales engineer in Mumbai, “If it is an official trip and you know your destination, you can book through a website.” In such cases, websites such as Indian Railways’s www.irctc.co.in or any airline company’s website can be of help.

In case of holidays, sites such as Traveljini and Allindiatravel.com offer complete information on the destination, tour package, time of visit, the best deals and so on. If you are looking for the best deals on hotels or airfares, log on to Travelguru and makemytrip.com, which offer the best options in a matter of seconds.

However, the growing popularity of online bookings isn’t giving traditional tour operators sleepless nights. They point out, when it comes to families going on vacations, tour operators are still the ones who are more in demand.

If it’s a single ticket, people opt for online booking. But since a tour operator usually makes bulk bookings, the cost per family goes down considerably, says Subhash Jain, a partner at Subhash Travelling. He also highlights another point. “Online packages are usually rigid whereas tour operators offer customised vacation plans to travellers.”

But Dadegaonkar disagrees. He argues, “Online bookings also offer a wide choice substantiated by first-hand experiences.” Damera, on his part, adds that many travel websites are very informative. Not only do they offer information on places but they also post the opinions of people who have already visited the place. A travel community is thus created online and there is a healthy competition among different websites. If makemytrip.com offers a refund to clients who are dissatisfied, Travelguru displays fares inclusive of taxes to the customer and tickets are delivered at your doorstep, free of cost. The railway website, on the other hand, offers a discount to State Bank of India credit cardholders.

However, despite the convenience of making your travel plans online, consumers should exercise caution while booking a hotel or purchasing a ticket. Dadegaonkar recalls how he once booked an air ticket to Bangalore on a leading website, which claimed to sell the cheapest tickets. Having made the booking, he realised that the flight had been cancelled while the website continued to advertise the availability of tickets for the same flight.

He got a refund but the harassment was unwarranted. So he suggests: “When you book tickets online, always double check with the airline to make sure you have a genuine ticket.”

Sabnis also emphasises the need to make sure that the website has secured payment gateways. Some websites may also have hidden costs. The Indian railways website, for example, levies a charge on the credit card payment. Other charges may include taxes, which are sometimes not mentioned in the displayed fare. It is always better to be aware of these costs before you make the final payment.

So having read the fine print, go ahead ? your dream destination could be just a click away.

best deals

For airlines and hotels

www.travelguru.com

www.makemytrip.com

For railway bookings

www.irctc.co.in

For holiday packages

www.travelgini.com