Showing posts with label Travel India. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel India. Show all posts
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Thomas Cook India launches travel portal
www.thomascook.in
One Stop Shop - for all your travel needs
 Thomas Cook (India) Ltd., India’s largest integrated travel and travel related services company, today launched www.thomascook.in, the complete travel portal offering end-to-end travel solutions for its customers.

The new website will target the internet savvy leisure travelers, corporate travelers, travel agents and partners who will be integrated with the robust offline business of Thomas Cook India.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Udayan Bose, Chairman, Thomas Cook (India) Limited, said “Today, 75% of e-commerce spend is attributed to online travel booking. An average young entrepreneur, traveling for work or holiday uses the Internet for addressing most of his travel needs and we want to tap into this large market and cater to their needs effectively.”

“We are hoping to leverage the goodwill that the brand name Thomas Cook has established in India, capitalize on the experience that the organization has accumulated over so many years and use our relationship with Thomas Cook Group plc, a leading player in the online space in the UK to create a world class travel site.”, said Mr. Madhavan Menon, Managing Director, Thomas Cook (India) Limited.

Giving an insight into the salient features of the website, Mr. Amitabh Pandey, President and Head – E-Business said, “This initiative will extend our reach enormously. Our portal offers a whole range of travel products and related financial services including domestic and international flight booking, foreign travel insurance, hotels, cruises and Rail Europe tickets & passes. This channel will significantly augment our extensive distribution network.”

Facts about the website:
• The exciting world of Thomas Cook India is now online at www.thomascook.in. Thomas Cook India is now a part of Thomas Cook Group plc, a FTSE 100 company, one of the world’s leading travel groups.
• www.thomascook.in is a comprehensive portal offering travel and travel related financial services.
• Travel Insurance can be booked online through thomascook.in. Get your insurance, print your policy and go!
• One can book a variety of Holiday packages online including Thomas Cook’s own 100% Holidays packages.
• All Rail Europe tickets and passes can be booked and paid for online through the Online Payment facility.
• Holiday Experts provide 24x7 assistance all 365 days a year via our India toll free number 1800 2099 100 or sms “cook” to 56767100
www.thomascook.in will also offer exclusive and attractive promotional deals.

About Thomas Cook (India) Limited

Thomas Cook (India) offers a broad spectrum of travel and related services such as package tours, currency
exchange and travel insurance as well as hotel and flight reservations. Thomas Cook has been present in
India for over 126 years and operates over 160 offices at various locations in the country and has operations
in Sri Lanka & Mauritius. It employs over 2,500 employees and generated Income from Operations of Rs 2.86 billion and a Net Profit of Rs. 519.2 million for 12 months period (Jan 07 – Dec 07). In its initiative to be a ‘One Stop Shop’, the Company offers unique travel products to its customers. During CY07, the Company launched a ‘Thomas Cook Titanium Credit Card’ and a foreign currency Debit Card. It also came up with products designed specially for students traveling abroad for higher studies. The Company was acquired by Thomas Cook Group PLC from Dubai Financial Group in March 2008. Additional information on Thomas Cook (I) Limited is available on the Company website www.thomascook.in

About Thomas Cook Group plc
Thomas Cook Group plc was formed on 19 June 2007 by the merger of Thomas Cook AG and MyTravel
Group plc. The new company is one of the world’s leading leisure travel groups with sales of around £9 billion (€12 billion), 19 million customers, 30,000 employees, a fleet of 97 aircraft, a network of over 3,000 owned or franchised travel stores and a number of hotels and resort properties. It has operations in four regions: UK & Ireland; Continental Europe (Germany, Austria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Slovakia); Northern Europe (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland) and North America (Canada and USA); and German airlines operating under the Condor brand.

For further information please contact

Thomas Cook (India) Ltd
Kruti Sharma (9819998512)
Kruti.sharma@in.thomascook.com

Ad Factors PR
Ketaki Golatkar (9920498503)
read more

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INDIA
TRAVEL INFORMATION

Preparation for travel

U.S. Passports
U.S. Department of State: http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html Make sure that you have a valid passport for at least six months following the visit date with sufficient blank pages.

India – Country specific information
U.S. Department of State: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1139.html This link will provide you with important information before you begin your trip to India including country description, entry/exit requirements, safety and security, crime, information for victims of crime, medical facilities and health information, medical insurance, traffic safety and road conditions, aviation safety oversight, special circumstances, criminal penalties, children’s issues and registration/embassy location.

Indian Visa
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1139.html#entry_requirementsU.S. citizens require a valid passport and valid Indian visa to enter and exit India for any purpose. The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India are unable to assist when U.S. citizens arrive without proper documentation.

The Indian Embassy and Consulates in the U.S. outsourced the visa application process to Travisa Visa Outsourcing: http://indiavisa.travisaoutsourcing.com

India Government Ministry of Home Affairs: http://www.mha.nic.in/
Travelers are urged to check this site before any travel to India to ensure they have the most current information.

Embassy of India
2536 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20008
Tel: (202) 939‐9806
Website: http://www.indianembassy.org

Indian Consulate in Chicago: http://chicago.indianconsulate.com
Indian Consulate in New York: http://www.indiacgny.org
Indian Consulate in San Francisco: http://www.cgisf.org
Indian Consulate in Houston: http://www.cgihouston.org


Health information for travelers to India ‐ Vaccinations and other health precautions
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/india.htm
Be sure you read through this guide.

Safety tips for traveling abroad
U.S. Department of State: http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/tips_1232.html
This is an important safety guide. Please make sure you read through this guide. Register your travel plans with the State Department at https://travelregistration.state.gov is recommended
by the State Department.

OVERSEAS CITIZENS SERVICES:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/emergencies/emergencies_1212.html
Call 1‐888‐407‐4747 (from overseas: 202‐501‐4444) for answers related to questions concerning the:
• Death of an American citizen abroad
• Arrest/detention of an American citizen abroad
• Sending Money
• Help for American Victims of Crime Overseas
• American citizens missing abroad
• Abduction of a child abroad
• Lost and Stolen U.S. Passports Abroad

U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India:
The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi is located at Shanti Path, Chanakya Puri 110021; telephone +91‐11‐2419‐8000; fax +91‐11‐2419‐8407. The Embassy's web site is
http://newdelhi.usembassy.gov.

The U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai (Bombay) is located at Lincoln House, 78 Bhulabhai
Desai Road, 400026, telephone +91‐22‐2363‐3611; fax +91‐22‐2368‐5483. The web site is
http://mumbai.usconsulate.gov.

The U.S. Consulate General in Kolkata (Calcutta) is at 5/1 Ho Chi Minh Sarani, 700071; telephone +91‐33‐3984‐2400; fax +91‐33‐2282‐2335. The web site is
http://kolkata.usconsulate.gov.

The U.S. Consulate General in Chennai (Madras) is at 220 Anna Salai, Gemini Circle, 600006;
telephone +91‐44‐2857‐4000; fax +91‐44‐2857‐4443. The web site is
http://chennai.usconsulate.gov.

Reminder: Have your important documents, contact information, medications, a set of clothes and other necessities in your carry‐on luggage in the event of lost or delayed luggage.

Cultural/national information for India:
 

India profile
U.S. Department of State: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3454.htm
Information Includes geography, people, government, economy, history, political conditions, defense, foreign relations, U.S.‐Indian relations, and travel and business information.

U.S. Central Intelligence Agency: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the‐worldfactbook/geos/in.html
Information covers background, geography, people, government, economy, communications,
transportation, military and transnational issues.

Wikitravel: http://wikitravel.org/en/India
Information Includes religions, cities, other destinations, understand, get in, get around, talk,
buy, eat, drink, learn, work, stay safe, stay healthy and respect.

Education system
• Government of India ‐ http://www.education.nic.in/
• India Embassy ‐ http://www.indianembassy.nl/pg133000.htm
• World Education Services ‐ http://www.wes.org/ewenr/06feb/practical.htm
• India Education ‐ http://www.indiaedu.com/education‐india/
• Wikipedia ‐ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_India

Reminder: Please check the educational system in which the visited institution resides and make sure the visited programs are postsecondary level in the host country.

Etiquette and customs in India, business etiquette and protocol in India
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global‐etiquette/india‐country‐profile.html
Source: Kwintessential Cross Cultural Solutions

Culture of India
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_India

Indian name
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_name

Other useful information and links about India
* Holiday Calendar ‐ http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/?year=2011&country=35 or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_holidays_by_country#India

Reminder: Please request that the institution provide the institution’s work week, daily schedule for praying, local, national and religious holidays.

* Currency ‐ The currency is the Indian Rupee (INR), which is divided into 100 paise (singular
paisa). Use the currency converter at http://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/.

* Money – where to exchange money? Can I use traveller cheques or credit card? Get info at
http://www.wordtravels.com/Travelguide/Countries/India/Currency
 
Reminder: Don’t forget to notify the banks of all credit cards that you plan to carry with you of the dates and locations of travel. Otherwise, they may think that any charges to your card are fraudulent and put a hold on the card, leaving you unable to use it during your travel.
* Airport/Transportation Guides
http://www.wordtravels.com/Travelguide/Countries/India/Airports

* Dialing Code – The international access code for India is +91. The outgoing code is 00 followed
by the relevant country code (e.g. 0044 for the United Kingdom).

* Time – Local time is GMT +5.5. http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=771
(Delhi) or http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/custom.html?continent=asia&sort=1
(select a city in India)

* Weather ‐ visit Yahoo!'s up to date weather for India at
http://weather.yahoo.com/india/;_ylt=ArpCVuEChwmr_17KiD66pLAiYfME

* Language – Although English is generally used for official and business purposes, Hindi is the
official language and is spoken by about 30 percent of the population. Urdu is the language
common with the Muslim demographic. There are 16 other languages also spoken.
* Electricity ‐ 240 volts, 50Hz. A variety of power outlets are used in India, but most plugs have
two or three round pins.
Reminder: Check to see if adapters are needed for lap tops or electronic devices.

* Tipping ‐ Taxi drivers do not expect to be tipped, however all other services expect small tips, including porters, guides, hotel staff and waiters in small establishments. In tourist restaurants or hotels a 10% service charge is often added to bills. Baksheesh is common in India, it is more a bribe than a tip and will ensure better service; it is given before rather than after the service.
http://www.wordtravels.com/Travelguide/Countries/India/Basics

* Translation Services ‐ if you need a translation service, you can try this link at
http://www.atanet.org/onlinedirectories/individuals.php

* News ‐ check out all the latest Google news on India at
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=India

* History – read about the long and rich history of India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_India
read more