To position its unique mobility solution for inter-city travel, Ola Outstation, the company partnered with seven state tourism boards in the country to take popular travel social media influencer Shenaz Treasury to 7 states re-discovering lesser known locations while propagating the theme of responsible tourism. We spoke to the Ola team to understand the influence of #GhoomoResponsibly campaign.

1. What is the key objective behind #GhoomoResponsibly campaign?
Intercity travel in India is fairly unorganized and consumers do not really have affordable or convenient personal transport solutions. Thus, customer-focused offerings such as Ola Outstation are a great fit for those who want to travel by road, plan travel at the last minute, and want convenient personal transportation where they can just sit back and enjoy the journey. Ola Outstation has been a great success across the country, well-liked by commuters and driver partners.
As a category that plays a key role in boosting tourism across the country, we launched #GhoomoResponsibly with Ola Outstation and state tourism boards of 7 states (Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Gujarat, Assam, and Rajasthan) across India to celebrate World Tourism Day, raise awareness about responsible tourism, and promote road travel. In line with the UN’s theme for world tourism day this year, Ola, together with the tourism departments urged travelers to leave a positive impact on the places they travel to, sensitizing travelers to travel responsibly; minimize waste, be respectful of the local culture and sentiment, and promote the local economy.

Shenaz Treasury promoting #GhoomoResponsibly in Maharashtra

2. The idea behind recruiting Shenaz Treasury for the campaign.
Given the purpose behind the campaign, we were keen to rope in someone who is an avid traveller as the torchbearer of the message. Popular travel vlogger and actress, Shenaz Treasury is a passionate traveler and has travelled across the world, often taking the road less travelled to explore new places. She is someone young travellers can easily relate to and get inspired to travel. Her appeal transcends generations who have known and appreciated her as one of the most liked VJs in the early days of her career. Given her experience and passion, we thought she would best represent the campaign’s purpose. Her being the face of the campaign has helped us leverage the responsible tourism message among people of all age groups across the country.

3. In the context of India, do you think Responsible Tourism is still at a nascent stage?

India continues to be a world tourism hub given its diversity and rich cultural heritage. Indian tourism offers a potpourri of different cultures, traditions, festivals, and places, driving millions of tourists every year to visit the country. Home to over thirty plus world heritage sites, the country has a lot to offer but it is up to every single traveler to ensure that the sanctity of these places are maintained and preserved. With the birth of eco-tourism and the more environmentally sensitive millennials taking up offbeat travel, there is a visible shift in the attitude of tourists.

In the latest Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index released by the World Economic Forum in April 2017, India is ranked 40 among 136 economies across the world, up 12 places since 2015.The government has launched several key projects to boost Travel and Tourism in the last 3 years with Swachh Bharat Abhiyan being one of the key initiatives.

With the intent to promote clean and responsible tourism, Ola initiated #GhoomoResponsibly campaign, where we are promoting the importance of preserving the country’s rich cultural heritage.

4. As of now, what’s been the influence of the campaign on Social Media? 

Ola’s association with Shenaz Treasury and the tourism departments has helped maximize the campaign’s reach to create large scale awareness about responsible tourism and offbeat travel. The 14-day campaign received a great response not only from the seven states Shenaz toured to but also, nationally on social media channels. Given the common goal that Ola Shared with the state tourism boards, even ministers took to social media to support the cause and spread the message. Our hashtag was trending across the country on Twitter for more than 5 hours on World Tourism Day i.e. 27th September.

Total hashtag mentions: 5145
Total hashtag impression on Twitter: 93.6 million

The campaign reached more than 5 million users on Facebook & Instagram.

Shenaz Treasury in Kerala

5. Being in the service industry, how do these campaigns help Ola in balancing the consumer sentiment for on-demand cab services viz-a-viz long-term positioning of Ola Outstation cabs in the travel space.
We are a young company and we want to be the change the country needs and inspire others to join us too. Our approach to campaigns such as the on-going #FarakPadtaHai, reflects the sentiment of our customers too. Today, many are waking up to the reality of pollution and congestion that is really affecting the quality of life in cities and are adopting smart mobility solutions such as shared commute to save time, money, and reduce the impact of vehicular emissions.

Shenaz Treasury promoting #GhoomoResponsibly in Jaipur

Ola Outstation is yet another smart mobility solution for inter-city travel, tailor-made to enable convenient and affordable road transport to deeper corners of the country, ensuring a truly unique and unforgettable experience for domestic and international tourists alike. The category currently connects 1000+ routes in the country, comes with the best fleet of cars and, trained, verified and top rated driver partners. To ensure that the customer enjoys a smooth and comfortable on-road experience, every cab on the Outstation category goes through stringent checks. With one-way trips enabled from 80+ cities already, the category is set to grow substantially over coming months.

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To make the celebrations of World Tourism Day, Gujarat Tourism along with FICCI hosted a conference on One Billion Tourists One Billion Opportunities – Role of ICT in Tourism Promotion. The prime focus of all the discussions was on how internet, social media and mobile technology can be leveraged to boost tourism in the state. Speakers from the Gujarat Tourism and multiple tech companies joined the sessions to raise awareness about the importance of technology in tourism industry.

Group photo of esteemed speakers at the dais on World Tourism Day celebrations by Gujarat Tourism & FICCI in Ahmedabad

Here are some key discussions that took place at the event:

#1 Unexplored destinations need to be promoted

While the prominent tourist destination drive a large number of tourists on a regular basis, it is important to discover and develop relatively lesser-known destinations. A large number of young travellers are always looking for new places to explore and promoting the lesser-known destinations can help attract them to the state. Mr. S. J. Haider, Secretary (Tourism) highlighted the importance of streamlining such trends without diluting the local culture.

#2 Virtual Reality has got great potential

Mr. Rajiv Vaishnav, Vice President, NASSCOM shared his views on how the state can inspire more people to travel using virtual reality tools. It is a relatively new medium that offers an experience closer to real as compared to other media and can be used to promote heritage sites and adventure activities in the state. Virtual tours will inspire more people to experience the destination for real.

#3 Internet of things can be a great opportunity for travel brands

The phrase ‘Internet of Things’ covers a wide range of topics but innovations in this space can have huge impact on travel industry in future. Smart and better connected devices will offer a better experience for the travellers. Airports, hotels and tourist attractions can all leverage IoT applications to offer more personalised and relevant information to different travellers. Going forward, new technology startups will come up in this space and the industry can reap the benefits.

#4 Connectivity can be a major speedbump

With the increasing dependence of travellers on mobile devices, ensuring good connectivity is very important. Mr. Vaishnav brought up this topic on how the poor state of mobile networks and Wi-Fi infrastructure in India can be a bottleneck. We need to improve the mobile connectivity and offer better internet services so that the tourists can have seamless access to information, while on the go.

(Read: Harsh reality of Government’s Wi-Fi projects & what India can learn from HongKong)

#5 Big data & Analytics will help in getting people online

Big data is a term used very often in our industry because of the endless possibilities. Using analytics and data mining techniques, travel businesses can simplify the user experience. Reducing complexity helps increase conversions. For many people who aren’t very comfortable with the use of internet and technology, simplified experiences could serve as a driving factor.

#6. DMOs will play a pivotal role in the coming time

Our Founding Partner, Daksh Sharma emphasised that DMOs have to lead by thought, action and create engagement measures for awareness of the Indian traveller. Destinations in India should look to collaborate and cross-share their learnings on successful use-cases of social media. Focus should be on building long-term sustainable relationships with travel influencers instead of one-off familiarization trips.

With an inflow of over 32million tourists last year, Gujarat Tourism’s Khushboo Gujarat Ki campaign and their active social media efforts are certainly creating a strong impact among domestic & international tourists. To provide better tourism infrastructure, the government has also unveiled a new tourism policy for 2015-2020 awarding an industry status to this sector for the first time. 

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As everyone celebrated World Tourism Day on 27th September, we made an attempt to appreciate the efforts of tour guides in our travel experience with #MyTravelFable. We invited travellers to share their stories where a guide helped them build best travel memories.

Popular travellers appreciated the idea on social media and made their contribution by sharing some really interesting stories. Here is our compilation of #MyTravelFable.

#1. Everest base camp with Tiger Sherpa: Rutavi Mehta

Trekking at an altitude of 12,000 ft for ‘Kingfisher Blue Mile’, Tiger Sherpa proved to be a perfect companion for Rutavi. On the journey, he acted not only as a motivator and an entertainer but also as a life saver.

“With more than 10km of trek at 12000 ft or above I had given up in end with weak knees and troubled body. Tiger Sherpa, my guide kept me entertained throughout the journey with his dancing skill to Bollywood songs, climbed a boulder like spider man, etc. One instance where my knees got hurt & I strained myself to walk. This lead to damage of tissues in my knees and I couldn’t reach the base. My Sherpa couldn’t see my pain and picked me up on his back for 20mins and got me to hotel to get treated. That’s when I told him that today I am alive only because of him.”

You can read about more of Rutavi’s adventures on her blog http://www.photokatha.in/. If you are planning some crazy adventure, tweet to her at @rutaagayire. She will surely have a tip or two for you.

#2. Trekking in Myanmar with Joweh: Hendric Tay

Some guides do the job to make a living, others do it out of their love for the destination. Hendric shares the experience of trekking with one such guide in Myanmar who hosted them with love equivalent to a family member.

“One of the best guides I’ve come across was from our trip in Hsipaw, Myanmar. We signed up for a 2D1N trek up to a local village but it was truly more than we expected. Being in his presence, you could easy see the passion in his eyes when talking about the village like it was his own. He started out a little shy but you could tell soon enough that he was really proud of sharing this local experience with travellers.

Despite the language barriers, Joweh (our lovely guide) did a great job connecting us over drinks and lots of laughter. It was just one night but we very quickly felt like we just met our long lost family.”

Hendric shares his experiences through a very interesting blog by the name of Pohtecktoes. He is also very good with the camera and you can find some really amazing photos on his Instagram @Pohtecktoes.

#3. David, the companion in Mulanje Massif: Siddhartha Joshi

While trekking through the never ending mountain trail in Mulanje Mountains, Siddhartha found a new friend in his guide ‘David’.

“I met David just before I started the climb to Mulanje Massif in Malawi and for the next three days he was only companion in that difficult trek. He motivated me when I thought I would fail, but most importantly he told me about life in Malawi that I was not yet exposed to. We climbed rocks, shared meals, dived in obscure lake in the forest and became fantastic friends during the short time we spent together.”

He has narrated his experience with great detail on his blog Sid-The Wanderer. He is running a 365 day long project called Tell Me You Dream that you should check out on his Instagram @siddharthajoshi.

#4. Exploring the lost city of Petra with Adnan: Prasad

Prasad has always been intrigued by the fascinating stories of Middle East. When he visited Jordan, his guide Adnan added many more interesting stories to his memory.

“My guide Adnan in Wadi Rum, Jordan, not only shared many wonderful stories from desert, also showed me how to make a real bonfire by just collecting dry bushes and keep warm in a cold evening.”

Prasad has shared his experience of travelling to Jordan on his blog including a conversation with Adnan.

“A God was worshiped here; a Frankincense shop sold aromatic incense, essential oils and myrrh there.

And that altar over there?

Well that was for performing marriage ceremonies, though some archaeologist think it was for sacrifices, my take is marriage, sacrifice what is the difference?”

You can read his experiences in detail on his blog Desi Traveler. We would specially recommend the Petra by Night story. You can reach him on his Twitter @desitraveler.

#5. And here is one from our teammate Tanu

Sometimes an acquaintance might turn into an inspiration. While trekking to Triund where she came across her guide Shyam, a passionate traveller with 14 years of trekking experience, who along the way shared his long list of destinations worth exploring. He kept the whole group motivated when they were exhausted and narrated interesting stories whenever they took a break.

While she left for the trip just to take a break from the life of a metro city, she came back inspired to travel into the mountains more often.

We would like to thank the travellers for the interesting stories they shared for #MyTravelFable.

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I remember someone saying that in our industry, the smallest players play the biggest role. That tour guide who took you off the beaten route, the hotel guard who told you about the unknown beaches, the auto driver who knew the best food spots, these people have a major role in enhancing our travel experience and yet are the ones who don’t get the credit they deserve. Many of them largely rely on tourists for their livelihood. We are trying to make people go back into time and think of how these people have contributed in making their best travel memories.

With the increasing dependence on technology, we have started to lose the human connect.On this World Tourism Day, September 27, with your support we want to put light on the social and cultural value they add to the industry.

We want you to share a story of that one amazing travel experience for which you would give credit to your guide, that one person who has been the reason for your rich experience at a destination. Browse through your photo albums, recollect the story and share it with us @travHQ using #MyTravelFable. We will share as many stories as we can with all our readers to highlight their importance.

Browse through your photo albums, recollect the story and share it with us @travHQ using #MyTravelFable. We will share as many stories as we can with all our readers to highlight their importance.

While we are inviting our readers to share their experiences on our Twitter handle @TravHQ, you can also choose to use any other platform that suits you. You can also drop us a mail at info@travhq.com. It is a trivial effort to highlight and appreciate the work of these people who drive the travel industry. 

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Many people across the globe will celebrate this Sunday as ‘World Tourism Day’ with great enthusiasm and excitement. The purpose of this day is to make people aware globally about the relevance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic worthiness.

Keeping this in mind, on this World Tourism Day, Gujarat Tourism is collaborating with FICCI in organizing a ‘Conference on Role of ICT in Tourism Promotion.’ The details of the conclave are below:

Date: 27^th September, 2015 (Sunday) i.e. World Tourism Day

Registration timings: 10:00 AM to 10:30 AM

Time: 10:30 am to 1:30 PM (followed by lunch)

Venue: Courtyard by Marriott, Satellite Rd, Satellite, Ahmedabad, Gujrat 380015

The rationale behind holding this conference is to attract more and more tourists from every corner of the societies to the state. This can only be achieved only when well designed communication strategies are designed and implemented. The Tourism industry and ICTs (information and communication technologies) have to mutually assist each other to attain maximum benefits. To further the cause, the Government of India has already initiated the Digital India programme for transforming the country into a more a tech-savvy nation.

In the conference there will be discussions about the best practices and steps that can be executed by ICTs and the Tourism Industry to obtain the maximum monetization potential from both the key players.

Our founding partner, Daksh Sharma will be addressing the delegates at the conference with successful case-studies from Destination marketing organisations.

The programme will have the following particulars: Film on Gujarat Tourism, Launch of Application on Heritage Monument of Gujarat, Launch of Gujarat Travel Mart 2016 with the address by Chief Guest and the formal keynote addresses.

There will be technical sessions on the following topics:

• Mobile Technology Solutions for Tourism sector
• Scope of Big Data Analytics in Tourism sector
• Leveraging Social media for Tourism Business
• Securing and Scaling your business
• The Changing Face of Social Media for Tourism sector
• The Evolution of Travel and impact on destinations

To become a part of this conference and learn from the technical sessions, register here.

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