Raj Travels ties up with Gray Line, to change logo too

Mumbai, Jan 12 (UNI) Raj Travels and Tours Ltd has forged an alliance with Gray Line Worldwide and will soon change its name in keeping with its international foray.

Raj Travels, which is one of India's leading outbound tour operators, will henceforth be known as Raj International Travels and Tours Ltd.

Briefing mediapersons about the tie-up here today, Company Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) Lalit Sheth said that the change was meant for inbound foreign tourists and that his company would become the master franchisee of Gray Line's India operations from now on.

He informed that his Company had received an invitation from the Governments of Malaysia and Mauritius to open its offices there.

''It is why we are planning to change the name of our company,'' he said.

Along with Raj National Express, its point-to-point bus service, Raj Travels, will operate a series of Gray Line tours in several cities across the country, he informed.

The tourism products of the Company for 'Mumbai Darshan' will range between USD 10 and 80 depending on the time involved and the distance covered.

Company CEO Akash Sheth said the turnover of his company was all set to cross the Rs 250 crore mark from a modest sum of Rs 195 crore during the previous year and he hoped that the tie-up would help his company to earn revenues worth Rs 40 crore within first six months.

Gray Line Worldwide President and CEO Brad Weber said ''We have already got 25 million loyal customers worldwide with us and this tie-up will give a further boost to our business.'' Initially this tie-up is meant for 16 cities of the country. But soon, the network will be extended to more than 30 cities.

US Consulate General Michael Oven, who was also present on the occasion, said the process of issuing visas to aspiring US travellers had been increased in recent past. He said that nearly 2,000 visas were being issued on an average per day by his office.

He, therefore, hoped that US would witness a remarkable increase in outbound Indian tourists.

UNI