Akquasun Group, a destination marketing company based in India is all set to aggressively focus on technological investments in 2018. In 2017, the company has witnessed a growth of around 30 per cent in terms of business.
Speaking about the growth BA Rahim, Group Director, Akquasun Group said, “In 2017 there were a lot of changes in the Government and economic policies such as introduction of GST. Despite these challenges, Akquasun Group has witnessed 30 per cent growth in overall business strategy. All our DMCs especially Hong Kong, Mauritius, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Russia, Dubai have grown significantly. We saw a growth of 30 per cent in MICE as well as leisure.”
In 2017, the company added Morocco to its network by opening an office. The company has also changed its strategy and is working on a complete or a partial ownership model.
Rahim added, “We have 18 offices across the globe. Last year we opened an office in Morocco and also have strengthened our business into the European market. We have adopted a new strategy for Aqkuasun, wherein we either own a DMC or do a partnership. We no more do networking. All our 18 offices are owned by us completely or with an equal share as per that country’s law. Also, 2017 ended with a good note as we were awarded as the World’s leading DMC by WTA, which is one of the most prestigious hospitality award globally recognised.”
This year the group is looking to invest into the technology segment and plans to introduce home grown systems. The company is also eyeing expansion into Australia and New Zealand markets.
Speaking about the development Rahim added, “We are now only left out in Australia and New Zealand, which we will fulfil by this year. Then we will completely move into Technology after completing 20 DMCs. It will be our own online system and our own hotel beds by us which are contracted. This will be a unique system, with our own contracts implanted in the portal. We want to be Asia’s largest bank for beds. For 2018, the main strategy is all about developing our online portal efficiently.”
The group has also recently tied up with Tourism Malaysia for a joint promotion which includes a comprehensive promotion in major cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai. The promotion will also reach other cities including Bangalore, Lucknow, Surat, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Pune, Hyderabad, Mysore, Cochin, Coimbatore, Chandigarh, Rajkot, and Ahmednagar.
Speaking about the trade engagement activities for the year, Rahim said, “We have planned a lot of trade activities in India by participating in key travel trade shows. We have tied up with Malaysian Tourism Board for one to one promotions across India. We will cover around 12-14 cities under this joint promotions. Overseas we will be attending ATM, ITB and close to seven exhibitions by taking our own stands.”
