Milestone Brandcom to launch new verticals; makes senior appointments

Milestone Brandcom has appointed Sheetal Jain as Associate Vice President- Strategy & Planning. The agency is planning major expansions in the coming two weeks with the launch of an event promotion division and a retail solution division in six major metros Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Chennai.

Commenting on Jain’s appointment, Nabendu Bhattacharyya, Managing Director, Milestone Brandcom, said, “Sheetal Jain makes a marvelous addition to the Milestone team. Having considerable experience on both sides of the fence – agency and client side - her experience and expertise in 360 degree marketing, media and communications, coupled with PR, will be a terrific asset as we build momentum for the group. In addition, she will also look after the corporate communication responsibilities for the Milestone Group.”

On her new role, Jain said, “I look forward to working as a part of the Milestone family and contributing to the many new initiatives and reaching new milestones in the organisation’s growth story. I aim to deliver the social creativity and strategic planning clients will come to expect from agencies when OOH goes really digital in the near future, making it the most exciting and interactive medium of all, only after digital media.”

Jain brings with her a rich experience of 11 years in marketing and advertising communication. She was most recently Senior Brand Manager at Reliance Globalcom, the international connectivity services division of RCOM. During her near five-year tenure with RCOM Group, she conceptualised go-to-market strategy for successful product launches and implemented brand campaigns across various consumer touchpoints and played key role in taking the subscriber base from 1.5 to almost 2 million customers within a year’s time.

Prior to joining RCOM, Jain was Account Director with Brand David Communications, where her key responsibility was to offer 360 degree communication solutions to the agency’s most important mainline brands – HPCL, Yatra.com, Mid Day, Singapore Tourism Board, winning remarkable awards.
Source: Exchange4media.com

Yatra.com celebrates completion of 5 years

Yatra.com, India’s leading online travel company, today, announced a ‘5 Years Celebration Offer’ for the customers to memorialize the completion of five years since its inception. This special offer provides the customers a chance to win a free holiday for two to Goa daily and a car worth Rs. 8 lakh as the grand prize during the 30 day promotion.

This offer is valid from 1st August 2011 till 30th August 2011. To avail the offer the customers will be asked to submit a slogan following a booking with Yatra.com. Every day, one lucky winner will be rewarded with a free holiday for two to Goa on the basis of the slogan entries received on www.yatra.com/5years. Towards the end of the 30-day promotion, one lucky winner with the best slogan will be chosen for the Grand Prize*- a brand new car.

Speaking on the offer, Pratik Mazumder, Head, Marketing and Strategic Alliance, said “We are ecstatic on the completion of five glorious years. This offer is our way of expressing appreciation to our customers for making Yatra.com the most preferred online travel company of the country. We will continue to bring forth an enthralling and happy travel experiences to our customers through our consistent endeavors.”

Yatra.com always strives to introduce innovative offers and schemes. It is this customer centric approach that has made it one of the leading travel companies in just a span of five years.

*Grand Prize winner to be announced on 10th September 2011.

Yatra.com Makes Your Dream Holiday a Reality

New Delhi: Yatra.com, India’s leading online Travel Company, today announced an exclusive partnership with Citibank, India’s largest foreign bank, to provide travel loans to customers, booking domestic as well as international holiday packages on the travel portal. The travel loan of not more than Rupees Five Hundred Thousand (Rs 500,000) per individual, attracts a preferential rate of interest and can be repaid in Equated Monthly Installments (EMI) over a period of two years. Basis the partnership, customers visiting Yatra.com and requesting for a holiday loan will be directed to Citibank. The Bank will connect with the customer and post the requisite due diligence, disburse the loan within seventy two hours, to enable the customer to complete his holiday plans on Yatra.com.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Pratik Mazumder, Head Marketing and Strategic Alliance, Yatra.com said, “We are delighted to provide our customers with travel loans, another customer centricity value offering, powered by Citibank. This service allows our customers to avail loans at special interest rates and the opportunity to pay back in easy installments over a period of time. We strive to deliver the best of services and deals at all times and with this new ‘travel loan’ option, our customers will not have to forgo their much desired holiday plans any longer. It gives us, at Yatra.com, immense satisfaction to help our customers travel without any hassles”.

“This unique collaboration with Yatra.com reflects our commitment to constantly provide winning propositions to our valued customers, allowing them to manage their finances efficiently. We remain committed to nurturing the core values of responsible finance as we provide innovative financing solutions to our clients along with our esteemed partners like Yatra.com”, said Sandeep Bhalla, Business Head, Credit Payment Products at Citibank India.

Yatra.com will counsel customers as well as inform Citibank about the cost of a preferred holiday, while the loan approval will follow due prudential processes and KYC norms as laid down by the Bank from time to time.

Amarnath Yatra Resumes

Amarnath yatra on Monday resumed from both Baltal and Pahalgam routes after remaining suspended for your day due to landslides and inclement weather, officials said.

“Both Baltal and Pahalgam routes had been re-opened for the pilgrims after improvement in weather problems and clearance on the track,” an official on the yatra control room said.

A massive landslide had blocked the track among Railpathri and Baltal on the shorter 13-km route, preferred by large number of pilgrims compared towards traditional 46-km Pahalgam route.

So far, 91,504 pilgrims have visited the 3,880 metre high cave shrine to pay obeisance towards naturally formed ice lingam, considered being the edifice of lord Shiva.

The Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) has decided not to enable any unregistered pilgrims from today due to unprecedented rush.

Rath Yatra: Patnayaks carry forward 20-year tradition

Persons belonging on the Oriya community participated inside Jagannath Rath Yatra ' that may be planned over a pattern of Puri ' with a lot fervour on Sunday. It was a special moment for your family members of Pran Patnayak, who have been preparing for your yatra for your past a single month. The Patnayak family members has been producing all of the preparations related on the Rath Yatra inside city for your past 20 years.

While describing the value with the day, Pran Patnayak said, 'Our ancestors have been serving Lord Jagannath for your past years and we make the preparations related to this festival.'

He additional said that priests perform rituals for 11 months and in this month their family members perform all of the rituals.

Patnayak said that he along with his 2 sons have been performing this employment simply because the Jagannath temple was constructed inside city.

Ramanan, an additional devotee, who is a businessman said, "Devotees occur to Jagannath temple for paying their respects but on this specific day, the Lord comes out with the temple to meet his devotees." He additional said that the Lord goes to spend his vacations at his aunt's location for nine days and would be at the nearby Gundicha temple for this time period.

Not only people belonging on the Oriya community but Punjabis as well participated inside yatra with fervour. Rajinder Verma, a shopkeeper, who is a resident of Civil Lines, said that it is a soothing, peaceful experience to see Lord Jagannath over a decorated chariot.

The Rath Yatra began inside Jagannath temple at 1.30 pm and passed through many roads with the city wherever devotees got an opportunity to catch a appear with the Lord. The chariot with the lord passed through Chander Nagar, Deep Nagar, Jandhu Chowk, Vrindavan Road, Kailash cinema chowk, Dandi Swami, Haibowal after which reached Gundicha temple that may be located in Chander Nagar near Jagannath temple wherever the lord would stay for nine days. The lord would return on the Jagannath temple on July 14.
Source: India Times

Amarnath yatra crisis over, pooja held near the cave

The Amarnath Yatra crisis seem to have blown over after Hindu rights activists offered the first prayers near Panjtarni, six kilometres from the cave shrine.

Surinder Mohan Aggarwal and Karan Singh Charak, president and general secretary, Baba Amarnath and Buda Amarnath Yatra Niyas, which had threatened to start the yatra 15 days before the official date, accompanied by RK Goyal, chief executive officer of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) flew from Srinagar to offer prayers at Panjtarni along the Chandanwari-Holy Cave track.

It was for the first time that the Pratham Pooja was not held at the cave shrine. Aggarwal however played down the matter saying that Pooja was held at Panjtarni because the chopper could not land at the cave shrine.

"The chopper could not land at the cave shrine and therefore the pooja was held at Panjtarni. The authorities have assured us that yatra would start soon after the trek is cleared of snow and made operational for pilgrims," said Aggarwal

A major row had erupted over the decision of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board to curtail the duration of this year’s pilgrimage to holy cave shrine by 15 days. Niyas had threatened to take out yatra on their own from June 14. After hectic negotiations, the Niyas watered down their stand and agreed to hold the pooja before the official yatra starts on June 29.

Situated in a narrow gorge at the altitude of 3,888 metres, the holy Amarnath cave is 44.8 kilometres from Pahalgam. The Pahalgam – Holy cave trek is an ancient pilgrimage route which is covered in four days and there lies the ice lingam of Lord Shiva that is formed naturally, which waxes and wanes with the moon.

The new Baltal route is now preferred by the pilgrims since it is shorter (though steeper) than the ancient route. The private helicopter services operating there also makes the route a favourite among the pilgrims.

Meanwhile, an official spokesperson said Goyal also reviewed the ongoing Yatra-related works at the Panjtarni Camp which are progressing satisfactorily. He issued instructions to all concerned to ensure that all the arrangements need to be positioned on ground as per the envisaged time lines.
Source:DNA India

Amarnath Yatra 2011- The Countdown Begins

This year’s pilgrimage to the holy cave of Amarnath in Kashmir is to begin from the 29th of this month. It will continue till August 13, the Shravana Poornima day, which coincides with Raksha Bandan. The countdown has begun with the State Government finalising all arrangements for the pilgrims.

The 5000-year old Yatra, which used to be a pilgrimage for only a few days, has grown tremendously in size over the years. It is now being conducted for more than one and a half months with over 4 lakh people taking part in the Yatra each year. Registration for the Yatra has already begun on first come first served basis. On line registration has also been introduced this year. Over 2 lakh pilgrims have already registered in the first few days only.

The holy cave of Amarnath is situated in the Himalyan range surrounded by snow capped mountains, about 96 kilometres from Srinagar with the base camp at the picturesque tourist resort of Pahalgam. A huge tented township comes up here during the Yatra to accommodate the pilgrims. From Pahalgam to the cave it is a distance of 46 kilometres. The pilgrimage from this traditional route takes four days with overnight stops at Chandanwari, Sheshnag and Panchtarni. Beyond Chandanwari,- 3 kilometres from Pahalgam- it is a foot-march, with the elderly persons moving on horsebacks and the sick and disabled being carried on palanquins by four persons on their shoulders, chanting ‘Baba Amarnath ki Jai’. The highest point touched en-route is the Mahaguns which is about 14500 feet above the sea level. The cave itself is at a lower elevation of about 1300 feet.
Read More on NVOnews

Inside Europe

Most armchair travelers have heard and read a lot about Western Europe and the kind of fascination it has for tourists all around the globe. With countries like France, Italy, Germany, Spain and Greece in its fold, WesternGondolas at Venice Europe definitely holds a lot of appeal and offers immense value for money to backpackers and round-the-world travelers. Anyone who has toured Europe widely will tell you that the continent offers some bewildering contrasts and diverse natural landscapes that are just waiting to be explored. Being the seat of power in the medieval ages, Western Europe holds a lot of appeal amongst tourists who are interested in exploring Europe’s rich natural history visible in its churches, mosques, museums and synagogues.

Planning an itinerary for Europe is no easy task but for the benefit of those who are visiting the continent for the first time, I have a few handy tips. First and foremost thing that you should do is to purchase a EURAIL pass that will help you get train rides throughout the continent at very affordable rates. It helps if you a Schengen Visa as it will help you to easily tour countries in the whole of Europe like Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemborg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Once you have a EURAIL pass in your hand, your next task should be to decide the places you intend to visit and the time you are going to spend depending on your budget.
Read full on : http://www.yatra.com/blogs/?p=50

Yatra.com launches Cash on Delivery service

Customers can now make travel bookings and pay by cash against travel bookings

Yatra.com, India’s leading online travel company, today announced the launch of its much awaited ‘Cash on Delivery’ (COD) service. This facility will now enable the customers to make travel bookings with Yatra.com and pay cash against the travel bookings. The COD payment option is available for International Air, Domestic and International holiday bookings with Yatra.com. This service is currently available for all customers in Delhi / NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Pune and Chennai with an endeavour to soon extend this facility to other cities as well.

Enhancing the convenience quotient for the customers, Yatra.com representative will visit the customer to collect the cash against the travel bookings made with Yatra.com. E-Tickets / package vouchers will be sent to the customer, once the cash has been collected from the customer. The COD service will add a new stream of offline customers to Yatra.com’s customer base, particularly the one’s who are reluctant in using the electronic payment mechanism.

Understanding the need for such a service in India where a majority of customers are still hesitant in making use of credit or debit cards, Mr. Pratik Mazumder, Head of Marketing and Strategic Relations, Yatra.com said, “In our effort to reach out to a larger set of customers, we are extremely delighted to launch the COD facility. We are positive that this initiative will help us to gain popularity with the customers who have limited access to credit or debit cards or are reluctant in making use of them. We expect a significant rise in the number of transactions through this service in the coming months”.

One of the key reasons for lower penetration of travel bookings in India is attributed to the under penetration of electronic payment methods. Through COD payment option, Yatra.com intends to make online travel booking accessible to a segment of customers such as small businessmen, housewives and students who do not have access to credit & debit cards. Cash on delivery also opens up online travel bookings to customers who are reluctant to use their cards online due to security concerns.

Yatra.com is a brand which is always on the lookout for adopting newer ways and means to reach out to its customers. The travel portal is on a constant mission to make sure its customers obtain the best possible products and services.

About Yatra.com
Yatra.com is India’s leading online travel company. We provide information, pricing, availability, and booking facility for domestic and international air travel, railway reservation, hotel bookings, holiday packages, buses, and car rentals. We offer a host of travel services designed to make business and leisure travel easier.

Based in Gurgaon, India, Yatra is a one-stop-shop for all travel-related services. A leading consolidator of travel products, Yatra.com provides reservation facility for more than 3,800 hotels across 336 cities in India and over 90,000 hotels around the world. We partner with domestic and international airlines to offer flight-booking services at the best rates. Through a close working alliance with all leading airlines, we are able to offer negotiated rates for flight bookings for travel from and into and within India. All products at Yatra.com come with a best price guarantee and an assurance of instant booking.

Customers can access Yatra.com through multiple ways: through our user-friendly website, 24x7 multi-lingual call center, a countrywide network of Holiday Lounges and Yatra Travel Express stores or through their mobile phones. Yatra.com provides booking facility for all the popular as well as exotic national and international destinations.

Launched in August 2006, Yatra is today ranked as the leading provider of consumer-direct travel services in India. Yatra.com has emerged as the most trusted travel brand in India and we were recently voted ‘Most Trusted Branded of India’ in the online travel category by Brand Equity, and also received the coveted most preferred online travel company award at the CNBC/Awaaz Consumer Travel Awards from the Hon Tourism Minister of IndiaSmt Kumari Shailja . Within this short span of time, Yatra has shown an impressive growth by posting average revenue of $30 million a month with a volume of 10,000 tickets and 350 rooms a day. The company achieved a gross turnover of $250 million for FY 2010.

Source: http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/yatracom-launches-cashdelivery-service/427577/

Yatra.com Launches Yatra.com Cricket Manager

Yatra.com, India’s leading on-line travel business these days announced the launch of Yatra.com Cricket Manager, the distinct and digital strategy game. This game has been made by Yatra.com in association with OMLogic, its strategic social media partner. With only several days to go before the Cricket World Cup kicks off, the travel portal Yatra.com, intends to generate a lot of excitement in between the cricket-crazy community in India, giving them the distinct experience of managing Team India XI via this game. The player in the game dons the mantle in the Cricket Manager.

This strategy game promises being the biggest cricketing extravaganza outside in the World Cup itself, offering participants the opportunity to manage the travel and stay of Team India XI in a hassle free manner even though they strive for the Cup. As the Yatra.com Cricket Manager, the participants must manage the travel and stay needs of Team India XI, all the even though ensuring the team is high on morale and fitness levels. One needs to manage these travel and accommodation needs within the most price potent manner to stay ahead within the game.

All the achievements made by the participants during the game will be converted into points. From the end, the winner of Yatra.com Cricket Manager would be evaluated on a smart and optimal travel and stay bookings, all the even though ensuring Team India XI’s level of morale and fitness and smartest travelling. The winner gets a chance to travel in the Indian Cricket Team in your season. Others stand to win Match Passes, Cellular Phones, Weekly Prizes, Free Holidays.

Speaking on a occasion, Pratik Mazumder, Head of Promoting and Strategic Relations, Yatra.com said “Yatra.com is thrilled to launch this mega gaming experience for the cricket loving nation. With Yatra.com Cricket Manager, we want to engage our customers to experience the simplicity of booking flights and hotels on Yatra.com. There is nothing bigger than cricket in this nation and we are leveraging it on the maximum via this distinct strategy game that I am sure all cricket lovers will enjoy”.

Kapil Gupta, CEO of OMLogic, the business that has developed the game for Yatra.com said, “Cricket, Travel and Gaming. What else can you ask for in a package? This game will come to be probably the most intriguing game around the World Cup, second perhaps only on the action on a cricket pitch itself. It’s been a intriguing journey working on this game”.

Yatra.com has been a pioneer in introducing customer centric innovative strategies. Simply because its inception in 2006, Yatra.com has been a company, which not only adapts the latest technology, but also focuses on product or service and program innovation. With this new initiative Yatra.com reinforces its customer centric technique thereby aiming to expand its customer base by reaching out to prospective travellers.

BJP youth upset over scuttling of yatra

Train traffic on the Mumbai-Chennai route went haywire on Sunday, with eight trains running late after a violent protest by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha members.

The protest was against the scuttling, by the Railway authorities, of their journey to Srinagar in a special train to take part in the national flag hoisting at Lal Chowk in Srinagar.

More than 1,800 Yuva Morcha members from different districts of Karnataka boarded a special train in Bangalore the party had chartered for a “pilgrimage.” In the early hours of Sunday, the authorities stopped the train somewhere near Daund Junction in Maharashtra and re-routed it to Bangalore. (The train is expected to reach Bangalore on Monday morning).

At Solapur Junction in Maharashtra, the Yuva Morcha members travelling in the 23-bogie train were surprised to find that they were being returned to Bangalore. They staged an angry protest at Solapur Junction for more than an hour before they were persuaded to board their train.

The irate members pulled the emergency chain of the train in between Akkalkot and Naganasur stations and squatted before the train, demanding that the train be allowed to travel to Jammu as scheduled. They shouted slogans against the UPA government, terming Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi agents of Pakistan and alleging that they were trying to prevent “patriotic” BJP workers from hoisting the national flag.

The train, which entered Karnataka through the Dudhini station, took more than six hours to pass through major stations in Gulbarga district, including Station Gangapur, Gulbarga, Wadi junction and Yadgir.

At Station Gangapur, the Yuva Morcha workers were involved in a fracas with police personnel after they stoned the station manager's office and damaged the windowpanes. The police used mild force to bring the situation under control. Later, they were persuaded to proceed further. Though the train did not stop at the Gulbarga station, the BJP workers stopped the train outside the station by pulling emergency chain. For two hours, they did not allow the train to move further by demanding that they be given drinking water. Read more on The Hindu