Positioned to cater the pent-up demand for travel, Rahim Aslam, Founder and Consultant, One Above Destination Management Services is focusing on expanding its in-destination travel experiences network, which is the company’s core business pillar alongside its extensive leisure and corporate travel operations.
Bharti Sharma
Results are primarily based on intention, sincere effort and smart execution; Rahim has endorsed it as an imperative recipe, enabling One Above to be exclusive from the competition. At the same time, it is a prerequisite for any travel company wishing to crown their customers port-of-call. They set their parameters to revive whilst remaining competitive in the market. Through long-standing industry connections, One Above delivers a wide range of unique experiences at the starred destinations.
Industry rising like a phoenix
If anything good has come of it, the coronavirus pandemic has taught destinations and businesses a great many lessons, the most paramount being the need to reinvent themselves. ‘One Above’ has rightly caught the pulse of it and Rahim being the chief has manoeuvred his way out of the rough terrain.
The travel industry is still reeling from the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. The pandemic created a severe, global and sustained shock for travel services. On the other hand, the industry witnessed strong leadership actions that have kept companies afloat while remaining focused on long-term growth objective. “Many players have acted quickly to retain customer goodwill, tap into new sources of liquidity, and work effectively with their team with new work protocols. We have also seen innovation and a focus on customer experience. These examples illustrate the travel industry’s strength that helped them chart a way forward through these challenging times,” Rahim states.
Experiential and sustainability – the way forward
The pandemic has caused a major transformation in how people travel and these key trends will dictate how the travel sector evolves in 2021. Decoding one of such trend, Rahim feels that people are keen to explore short getaways that are a drive away from their abode or connected via direct flights. He explains, “There is an increasing interest in travel experiences that are off-the-beaten-track, offering both affordability and adventure while also benefitting local communities. Safety and hygiene have emerged as the new comfort and luxury in travel. Post-Covid, travellers are looking for more control over their journeys. This is leading many to opt for higher category hotels, premium homestays and independent villas. We have seen confidence among travellers by making services contactless as far as possible.”
Maldives, the show-stopper
“In terms of outbound, first is undoubtedly the Maldives but UAE is set to open up tourist visas to all COVID vaccinated people. Mauritius is easing out travel protocols for vaccinated travellers from September 1st. Destinations such as Thailand, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bali, London, Switzerland, and Paris have also opened their doors,” Rahim shares. The Maldives has received over 550,000 tourists between January and June this year and the government aims to achieve 1.5 million tourist arrivals by the end of this year.
FITs poised to take off
Rahim is pretty confident that 2021 is the year for ‘FITs’ and 2022 for business travel as he mentions, “This year it’s majorly for FITs, small family holidays and leisure. By 2022 second quarter, with most of the business travellers getting fully vaccinated we are hoping business travel to take off with good numbers. Our DMC’s are already witnessing good number of enquiries on business travel for 2022.”
