Mumbai, December 2023: SOTC Travel, one of India’s leading travel and tourism companies, has been honoured with two awards for the second time this year at The Economic Times Travel & Tourism Annual Awards. The Company won the awards for ‘Outbound Travel Operator of the Year’ and ‘Domestic Tour Operator of the Year’. The second edition of The Economic Times Travel and Tourism Annual Awards brought together top leaders from the travel and tourism industry on a single platform. The selection criteria covered a range of parameters, with the nominations being judged by a grand jury and validations by Ernst & Young.

SOTC was recognized for its innovative product development based on unique preferences of customers and strong delivery across its Domestic and Outbound portfolios. The Company’s Regional focus resulted in strong demand emerging from tier 2 and 3 cities. SOTC launched their website in multiple regional languages - Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and Tamil, to support customers and target the strong travel intent, high disposable income, combined with aspirational value of holidays emerging from these markets.

SOTC’s sustained focus on digitization resulted in a significant drop in the average age of its customers by approx. 10 years. To empower India’s digital native, the Company launched a portfolio of 'Book Easy. Go Easy. - Instant Holidays by SOTC' - ready-to-book options for domestic and visa-free international destinations where customers can simply pick a holiday of their choice and book it seamlessly online, without any human interaction; also exciting/experiential elements in its long-haul portfolio.

The Company also leveraged multiple opportunities including special occasions, long/extended weekends, summer/winter breaks and the festive season to create exceptional holiday portfolios. This played a vital role in maximizing their business potential.

Mr. Daniel D’souza President & Country Head - Holidays, SOTC Travel said, “It is a special honour to win at The Economic Times Travel & Tourism Annual Awards for the second time this year! The prestigious awards ‘Outbound Travel Operator of the Year’ and ‘Domestic Tour Operator of the Year’ acknowledge our leadership in the travel sector and recognizes our innovation in product development and efforts towards delivering exceptional holiday experiences.

On the cusp of our 75th year, we take immense pride in being an Indian-born brand, and we firmly believe that no one understands the Indian traveller better than us! We are committed to cater to a spectrum of travel requirements, always keeping in mind the unique tastes and preferences of our customers to ensure unforgettable journeys that encompass comfort, convenience, and excellent value for money.

Our Regional focus has successfully resulted in strong travel demand emerging from India’s tier 2-3 cities. Regional India is a critical market for us and making our website available to customers in a language of their choice, builds reassurance and deepens our customer connect. To cater to our customers we have curated a wide range of holidays/special departures to match their unique requirements that include local food, regional language speaking expert tour managers, etc.

I dedicate this win to our teams and thank them for their sincere efforts to create exceptional holiday experiences for our customers.”

SOTC Travel’s powerful hybrid omnichannel network continues to offer customers the choice and convenience of selecting their preferred mode or a combination of channels: virtual holiday store, website, call centre, or extensive retail network pan India.