Business of Travel Podcast

Business of Travel

Qtech Software
Having been in the travel industry for over 15 years, Qtech Software and OTRAMS have been a familiar name to many of us. Through this initiative we want provide a voice to all the amazing folks working in the travel industry who make our dream holidays possible. Through this podcast we want to create conversations about all the latest developments in the travel industry and travel technology. We would be inviting industry leaders, our partners, and customers to share their insights and stories.
Part 2 - Role of Technology in Travel Business - With Bhavesh Oza of Bluestar Air Travel Services
In this episode of Business of Travel Podcast, we have invited Mr Bhavesh Oza of Blue Star Air Travel Services. Blue Star is a long standing customer of Qtech Software. It is a 34-year-old online Travel Brand, with a network of 35,000 registered Travel Agents Across India. In the Part 1 of the episode, He talked about the pandemic, its impact and what the outlook looks like for domestic, international, leisure and corporate travel In this Insightful Part 2, he talks about the role of technology in travel industry. How Bluestar has been able to leverage technology and launch new travel services every year.  The Indian Aviation Market and the potential it shows. Bhavesh also talks about the Corporate Travel Sector and what to expect in the next year.  Towards the end, he talks about 3 major changes / innovations he wants to see in Travel technology. How Travel agencies and Travel Businesses leverage technology to gain more customer trust and become a one stop solution for all the travel need of the user.  Business of Travel Podcast is an initiative of Qtech Software. World's Leading Travel Technology Provider. For more information: About Qtech Software: https://www.qtechsoftware.com About OTRAMS Travel ERP: https://www.otrams.com About Blue Star Air Travel Services: https://www.bookonbluestar.com/
Apr 27, 2021
18 min
Part 1 - Running a Successful Online Travel Agency - With Bhavesh Oza of Bluestar Air Travel Services -
In this episode of Business of Travel Podcast, we have invited Mr Bhavesh Oza of Blue Star Air Travel Services. Blue Star is a long standing customer of Qtech Software. It is a 34-year-old online Travel Brand, with a network of 35,000 registered Travel Agents Across India. Bhavesh Joined Bluestar in 2009 and is actively involved in Technology, Sales & Operations side of the business. He has travelled the length and breadth of the country, meeting travel business owners and agents. He is a technology enthusiast and actively talks about adopting technology to drive the next phase of growth.  From 3000 agents in 2010 to over 35000 registered travel agents in 2021, Blue Star's journey has been incredible. From time to time, Bhavesh leveraged technology to build a portfolio of services for Blue Star.  In the Part 1 of the episode, He talks about the pandemic, its impact and what the outlook looks like for domestic, international, leisure and corporate travel. Bhavesh also provides some solid advice to Travel Agents. 3 key things, every Travel Agent must do to get more business at the window.  From Travel Technology to Traveler sentiment, this episode is filled with solid insights, million dollar advice and lot of learnings.  Do not miss out!  Stay Tuned for the Part 2 where we talk more about the Indian Aviation Sector, the journey of Bluestar and 3 key Technology trends.  For more information visit: https://www.bookonbluestar.com/ About Qtech Software: https://www.qtechsoftware.com  About OTRAMS Travel ERP: https://www.otrams.com 
Apr 20, 2021
20 min
How can Your Travel Business evolve in 2021?
2021 has brought a renewed hope for the travel industry with over 50% of the countries opening up their domestic tourism sector. The pent-up demand for holidays and travel is now being realized. According to a recent survey, Business Travel could resume to a sizeable level by the end of the second quarter of 2021. However, it is imperative for travel businesses to also embrace the changes that are now becoming and acceptable norm. In this episode, we want to visit the new developments in the travel sector and how can agencies incorporate them. And to take us through this, we have Priyanka Prabhu with us. Priyanka is a Customer Success Lead at Qtech Software. She partners with Travel businesses to understand their requirements and help them overcome business challenges through technology solutions. 2021 has started on a very positive note, we are in an era where things are evolving at a high speed and many of our clients are ready to embrace the change with more diversified services. We have encountered two major themes: Preference towards Cash and Real time payments Vs the Credit System B2B Travel companies, extending their service to B2C There has been little to no realizations last year and the cash crunch can be felt. Now that the demand is rising and customer expectations are evolving, we are seeing this shift in B2B Travel from Credit to Cash. It is helping companies to keep a healthy service quality and extend added services like Safety Protocols and on-demand assistance. In such a scenario, it would be difficult for businesses to retain the travel agents booking in their system. How can travel companies overcome this?  We have helped some of our customers overcome this challenge by adding multiple layers of programs that make it lucrative for agents to book from their system. For example: We have added the Loyalty Program and a Coupon Module to our B2B and B2C Booking engines for our customers. It helps them deliver added value to their travel agents and customers. The change has been well received by the agents. In the first month of 2021 we have already helped two of our customers launch their online B2C services. Primarily these businesses have been B2B for over a decade. And we are seeing more such interests from other B2B customers. When a B2B Travel Agency wants to launch B2C services, what are the most critical aspects to consider?  There are 3 critical aspects: Addition of Flights module Integration of Insurance services & Demand for Channel Manager Integration What are the focus areas for Travel companies to grow in B2C? 1) Technology and Online tickets are he (Only) Way Forward 2) Mobilization will continue to grow  3) Intent data will drive decision making 4) A good social media handle is what one needs To know more about how your travel business can leverage technology to overcome the challenges in 2021, connect with us at www.qtechsoftware.com / www.otrams.com 
Feb 15, 2021
17 min
Innovations that empower travel companies and agents in their road to recovery.
During the pandemic, most of us have either taken up new skills or upgraded ourselves somehow. And that’s what the good folks behind OTRAMS have been doing. Gearing up with new features and functionalities that provide extra arsenal to our customer and travel companies in their road to recovery. So for our first episode, we thought of starting much closer to home and invite Santosh Kirodian, Product Manager for OTRAMS as our first guest on the podcast. In this podcast, Santosh talks about how Travel Companies can leverage OTRAMS as their preferred technology platform to achieve their business objectives. Some highlights are as follows:  1) B2C Travel Portal - Online Travel Agencies, Start-ups in B2C Travel or B2B Travel Companies that want to enter the B2C domain can now benefit from the newly added functionalities on OTRAMS. You can provide services across Hotel Booking, Flight Booking, Transfers, Car Rentals, Tours from one single platform. OTRAMS now allows login using social platforms like Facebook, Google and Twitter which makes it easier to use. Loyalty Programs, In-built content management system and Mobile App all add to the user experience of your specialized B2C travel portal, powered by OTRAMS  2) Flight Booking Engine: OTRAMS has a powerful flight booking engine that allows travel operators to integrate any GDS in their feed and book flights across the world. In addition to flight booking, travel agents can now also book ancillary services like meal booking, special requests etc. The all new powerful Flight reservation engine on OTRAMS has a very visual seat selection module which further adds to the experience.  OTRAMS has just announced that it will be soon partnering with AMADEUS and SABRE as a preferred technology provider which will provide a host of benefits to its customers. NDC Compliance is going to be another huge addition to this power packed Flight module.  3) Loyalty Program: OTRAMS offers loyalty programs to B2B customers so they can create different loyalty tiers for their travel agents, office staff and customers. In addition the loyalty program is now available to the B2C customers as well. One of the best loyalty programs for travel companies.  4) Local Contracting: As the demand for domestic travel increases as well as customers choosing to book individual properties and villas as compared to hotels, Travel Companies need to add more local properties at best possible rates to their catalogue. This is made possible by the very powerful local contracting engine on OTRAMS which also features and Extranet. Corporates who want to create a booking portal for their employees, Destination Management Companies and Travel Management Companies who want to add more local inventory can leverage Extranet on OTRAMS. Local contracting is now also available for Transfers, Activities and Car Rentals.  5) API Redistribution: API Redistribution on OTRAMS has enabled Travel Agents and Companies to distribute their Hotels inventory, With the new updates, Companies can also distribute Transfers, Car Rental and Activities through API to any customer across the globe.  These new updates and continuous innovations by OTRAMS are enabling Travel Companies to focus on the changing trends in the market, add services most desired by their customers and keep adding new lines of business.  Know More about OTRAMS 
Oct 13, 2020
17 min