By Bikramjit Ray

TRIP FACTORY launched its BOGO card, a prepaid travel card aimed at the budget traveller in India. BW Hotelier spoke exclusively to Amit Aggarwal, Co-founder and CEO of TripFactory.com (see photo) about the card and what they were trying to achieve with the product offering.

’India is a very large holiday market and there is no platform which addresses all the consumers,’ he began.

’India has two types of holiday markets. There is the experiential, people who know exactly what they want and when they want it. They book holidays in advance on set dates. Then there is a huge population who are aspirational and budget driven,’ he said. The latter was the market, which the BOGO card primarily addresses.

’The BOGO card is meant for that aspirational market for those who do not have the luxury of holidaying when they want because of budgetary constraints,’ he explained.

Launched across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, BOGO Cards are prepaid cards that are-cost effective, offer convenience-and provide a hassle free.- he card offers-flexibility to travel 200 days in a year at a fixed price. BOGO Cards can be redeemed for travel 14 days prior to the date of departure for a date that extends up to 12 months from the date of purchase.

’We have partnered with airlines like Jet Airways, Go Air and Tiger Air and locked inventory during the high season periods of July to September and then January to March. We have about 4,000,000 seats behind this products,’ Aggarwal told BW Hotelier. Somebody who is really aspirational. Can buy card and go on a holiday.

Pricing begins at Rs 4,999 for a all inclusive airfare, 4 days 3 night stay with breakfast and taxes, for a Goa break for Mumbai to Rs 19,999 for a Dubai trip.

’For that audience who is only aspirational. We are really creating a new segment of holiday travellers,’ he said.

The card can be purchased online and holidays can be booked online. It has participation of good branded hotels to ensure a great travel experience, Aggarwal said.

’Once people use our cards and figure out the quality, there will be a huge surge in demand for them,’ he added. Marketing is focussed on the Indian market, but everyone can buy in, even those visiting the country, he said.

’We want to make sure that in the next two or three years we can start to sell billions of dollars worth of holidays,’ he says.

Currently the destinations covered are all airport cities in India and the most popular international destinations for Indian tourists in Asia & Middle East like Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ho Chi Minh City, Colombo and Kathmandu.

The author is Executive Editor of BW Hotelier.