Mumbai: Ark Travels, one of India’s reputed and leading B2B company specialising in the Cruise representation business penetrates further into the non-cruising representation space, with acquisition of Outbound Konnections. This business move will further expand Ark Travels tourism portfolio as it enters into a space, which is one of the most dynamic and volatile in the travel industry.
Outbound Konnections, spearheaded by Anjum Lokhandwala, is a boutique representation company offering premium services to a wide range of global brands in the travel and tourism sector since the past eight years. Lokhandwala, the primary curator of Outbound Konnections, was already in the initial stage of discussion with an international investor, when she was approached by her industry trade colleague, Kishan Biyani of Ark Travels to consider a 100% buyout deal with Ark Travels. Biyani, who is known for his astute business foresight expressed his keen interest to foray into the representation space, which led to the final buyout of the Outbound Konnections by Ark Travels.
With head office based in Mumbai and branch office in Bangalore and satellite offices in 15 major cities PAN India, Ark Travels is confident to expand the newly acquired business through its widespread network and agent base. Biyani expressed confidence to grow the newly acquired company like the way the cruise business expanded from 1,500 passengers in 2008 to 60,000 passengers in 2018. Then, he closely watched the movements in the cruise tourism business, when Star Cruises made an entry into the Indian space in 2007. A visionary and an astute businessman, Biyani, takes pride in mentioning that Ark Travels holds the record of being the top seller of Dream cruises globally for 2 consecutive years 2017 – 2018.
Says Biyani, “I was observing the representation business with a keen lens and I felt this is the right time to enter into this space. I found the right partner, with Outbound Konnections to accelerate my growth plans and vision, related to this niche. Anjum and I have known each other for a few years now and she has earned her strong goodwill in the industry. I found the team at Outbound Konnections highly professional, with an eye for detail. Both companies share common synergies in terms of ethics and vision. I feel with the existing workforce Ark Travels, we can have a varied bouquet of products besides Cruises, Club Med Resorts and Europamundo Vacations to offer to their B2B network without increasing overheads.”
Speaking about the development, Lokhandwala says, “With Ark Travels now taking over Outbound Konnections, will lead to a wider reach with their online platform DECK PRO, which has an active database of over 15000 agents PAN India, will give the products good visibility and strong brand presence. Kishan is a focused and meticulous businessman and I am confident the brand will grow well under his leadership. I will continue my role as Director of the company.”
