Wins PATA Gold Awards 2023 for ‘Kick – starting travel again & connecting diverse Indian travellers’
SOTC Travel has been honoured with an award for Marketing excellence for ‘Kick – starting travel again & connecting diverse Indian travellers’ at Pacific Asia Travel Association’s (PATA) Gold Awards 2023.
PATA Gold Awards recognizes exceptional achievement in a range of endeavours, acknowledging and rewarding the very best that the Asia Pacific’s travel industry has to offer. Since its inception in 1984, the PATA Grand and Gold Awards have been setting industry standards for excellence and innovation.
SOTC won the award for their initiatives to build consumer confidence in travel. Post pandemic, to encourage and kickstart holiday bookings, the Company launched its ASSURED Safe Travel Program in association with Apollo Clinics; TravShield – a 360° safety commitment: physical, financial and mental safety; Doctor on Call 24×7 – to connect with top quality doctors while on holiday; Covid-negative certification; India’s first Safe Holiday Helpline – free expert advice – on travel/health protocols and regulations; also a dedicated online Travel Guidelines section updated with ongoing changes in protocols.
SOTC also pushed the envelope to enhance its regional connect via the launch of its website in three regional languages, in addition to English. The Company’s curated range of holidays focuses on the cultural nuances of regions including Gujarat, Bengal and South India. To ensure added comfort and reassurance, all SOTC group tours are escorted by their expert tour managers who also speak the regional language.
Daniel D’souza, President & Country Head – Holidays, SOTC Travel Limited said, “We are truly honoured to accept the PATA Gold Award 2023 for Marketing. This award recognizes our team’s efforts to innovate and inspire customers to travel post the challenges of the pandemic. We re-conceptualized our strategy post pandemic to build confidence to travel and create apt products/experiences to ensure a memorable holiday.
Regional India is a critical market for us and thus to deepen our customer connect, we launched our website in three regional languages and introduced special departures from various geographies that highlight cultural nuances of the region. To ensure customer comfort and reassurance, all our group tours are escorted by our experienced tour managers speaking the regional language.
I would like to thank PATA for recognizing our team’s efforts with this prestigious award.”
The PATA Award Winners were presented to outstanding entries in two principal categories: Marketing, and Sustainability and Social Responsibility. The winners were selected by an eminent jury consisting of industry stalwarts from the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors.