Select your tour carefully

Pushpa Girimaji

THIS is that time of the year when you find it extremely difficult to resist the temptation to go on a holiday. People you know are either planning a holiday or already packing their bags. To make matters worse, travel agencies and tour operators bombard you with advertisements of dream destinations. You can opt for the snow-clad mountains, or the sandy beaches, or choose an adventure-filled holiday. You can avail of the innumerable choices within India or abroad—the options are unlimited and the package offers, alluring.

However, before you give in to that wander lust and write out that cheque to the tour operator, I would suggest certain mandatory steps. First and foremost, visit the Tourism Ministry’s website (http://tourism.nic.in), and click on the icon that says "approved list". It opens up a list of travel agents, tour operators and even adventure tour operators approved by the ministry. You get their telephone numbers, their addresses and their e-mail IDs. So choose those in your city from the list and begin from there.

The next step is to compare package tours, including prices for the destinations that you have chosen. You can do that on the telephone or on e-mail. However, always note the name and designation of the person that you have spoken to. This is important because many times, there is a wide gap between what is promised and what is delivered. In fact, when you finally opt for a package tour, you must make sure that the promises made verbally are actually in the written contract.

I say this because in a case pertaining to a time-share resort decided by the national consumer disputes redressal commission recently, the company argued that the promises made by an employee, who was their sales manager, were not binding on it because it was not in the written contract entered into between the parties. Once you have zeroed in on an agency—be it for a package tour abroad or within India—be sure to work out every detail.

Let there not be any ambiguity — either in the tour programme or in working out the cost. Foreign trips, tickets for boat rides, art galleries and museums are all expensive. Does the package include those costs too, or do you have to pay for them? Do not go by verbal assurances and work out the total cost, including the service tax. Let there not be any surprises at a later stage. Do not be in a hurry to sign on the terms and conditions.

Read them carefully and ensure that all travel details are put in writing. If in case of an unforeseen circumstance you are forced to cancel or postpone the trip, make sure that you are entitled to a refund. So check the refund policy of the company. These precautions are absolutely necessary to ensure that you are not taken for a ride by the tour operator /travel agent.

Unfortunately, there is no Ombudsman for the travel industry. If tourism is to flourish as an industry, there should not only be stringent quality standards for all service providers in the sector, but also a system of Ombudsman to resolve disputes between clients and service providers. Customers, in fact, should demand this. But don’t lose heart. If your holiday is ruined because of the negligence of the tour operator, or if the package tour is not of the standard or quality promised or advertised, you can always seek redress through courts.

These forums may not be as quick as they were meant to be, but they have come to the aid of tourists who have had a raw deal, and sent out a clear message to the tourism industry that they cannot take consumers for granted.

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