COVER STORY

TRAVEL SMART, TRAVEL HAPPY

Travel the world with best deals from Kovai’s leading travel agency Jai Sun Tourism

BY SMITI JAIN NARAYAN

Starting out in June 2010, Jai Sun Tourism Private Limited is today Coimbatore’s leading travel agency with all services related to travel and tourism across the spectrum, with a 1500 sq ft office located in the prime area of RS Puram. The man behind the success story of Jai Sun Tourism is none other than the dynamic and passionate Mr K. Bharathi who has been a powerhouse of energy and foresight as a businessman par excellence.

Always being fascinated with the world of travel, Mr Bharathi decided to use his natural love of the subject into a matching professional line. First he qualified himself by doing a Graduation in Geography, Post-graduation Diploma in Tourism Management, followed by a Masters Degree in Tourism Management, then in 1997, he obtained an International Diploma – IATA (International Air Transport Association), which is the trade association for the world’s airlines, representing some 290 airlines across countries. Getting an IATA certificate was a challenging affair but not one to give up, he followed through with his dreams and emerged successful. After 12 years of working in the travel industry and gaining enough experience to give wings to his dreams, Mr Bharathi took the bold step of setting up his own Travel Agency. Working hard to break through in the market as an unknown entity, he slowly and steadily built up the business, hiring staff, gathering loyal clientele along the way who even today swear only by Jai Sun. Today Jai Sun Tourism is a leading name not only in Coimbatore but also has regular clients from neighbouring cities and states as well as abroad. Jai Sun Tourism offers endto-end travel solutions from visas, to air-tickets, to domestic and international tour packages, and all travel related arrangements. The Company has also got a license from the Government of India, Department of Tourism, after meeting all eligibility criteria, as a government approved travel K. Bharathi, the dynamic Managing Director agency to promote Incredible India! This is especially aimed

Leading from the front: K. Bharathi with his team.

at in-bound tourism for people coming from different countries abroad, looking for travelling in India to discover unique places to visit, as well as to experience the various cultural events of India and local customs which are exotic and fascinating for foreigners. For in-bound tourism, the most popular places to visit include the Golden Triangle of Delhi-Agra-Jaipur, followed by Goa or Kovalam for its beaches and chilled vacation, Kerala for its backwaters and the beautiful natural scenery, and many others.

Sculpture tourism is another type of travel that is popular, where tourists want to visit specific places known for its architectural beauty of temples and monuments, such as Madurai Meenakshi Temple, Rameswaram and other South Indian temples featuring monolithic carvings, ancient pillars and other designs which are unbelievable marvels of science and architecture.

Leisure tourism is very popular especially among foreigners who go in for 5-days or 10-days packages for complete relaxation, good food, chilling by the poolside, basking in the tropical sunshine, and checking out the local cottage industries and artisans making local handicrafts. Kancheepuram is a favourite destination for firsthand experience of seeing silk weaving by weavers, Madurai and Erode for textiles and handlooms, and other local arts. Village tourism to experience local customs is also in demand with activities like tractor riding, bullock cart rides, ploughing the village fields even, eating rustic food, and also cultural tourism including attending a marriage ceremony and sometimes even a funeral function to understand the local customs and rituals.

Among the Indian clients, foreign trips are always on their agenda, from countries like Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Maldives, Thailand, Philippines, China, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and others; to tours to Russia, Turkey and CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan; to UAE countries of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia; Eastern Europe package tours; Mediterranean and mainstream European countries like Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany; UK tours; and finally USA and Canada packages. South America and Africa are also increasingly in demand for travelling. In India, pilgrimage tours to places like Shirdi, Varanasi, Char Dham Yatra to Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri, or to Amarnath Yatra, Kailash and Manasarovar Yatra, and other places of religious significance are also sought-after packages.

What distinguishes Mr Bharathi’s travel planning and advisory offering is that he recommends travel itineraries and packages looking at personal specifications of his customers. So depending on their age groups, lifestyle factors, their earlier travel history and group profile, he advises the destinations. Sometimes if first time travellers are going abroad, then he recommends them to visit the nearby Asian countries first.

As he says, “If you think of travel as a movie, then you have to have an interesting opening, the plot has to slowly develop, then it has to build up to the climax for an enjoyable experience!” So similarly he does not recommend his clients to go to USA the first time if they haven’t seen other countries. In his words, “you cannot experience the climax in the beginning of the story itself! The story has to build up to the climax, otherwise we will not enjoy the whole story.” For first timers, he advises Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand. After that it should be Dubai. Next should come China, Australia. This should be followed by European countries, after which they can travel to USA and Canada, and finally he suggests North Pole tourism which is something new and exotic.

This the sort of personal interest he takes and the time he spends to advise each client as per their unique situation that has made Jai Sun Tourism the most trusted and reliable travel agency with such individual attention. Mr Bharathi takes extraordinary pride in the fact that he knows each and every customer of his personally from Day 1, what their requirements are, their individual specifications like a relaxed tour for 55plus and 60s age groups with slow itineraries, need for Indian food, and other minute details to create a customised travel package to ensure their complete satisfaction. For different profile of travellers, different itineraries are planned.

All the package tours are tailor-made with tie-ups in all leading countries with local tour operators for seamless and smooth travel experience including ticketing, hotel accommodation, transits, airport pick-ups and drops, local transport, food specifications, local sightseeing, adventure or leisure activities, shopping, even

emergency assistance – all aspects are properly arranged for a most comfortable and enjoyable trip. The package tour groups can range from minimum 15 people to a maximum of any number of people with no upper limit. For more than 20 people, a staff member of Jai Sun will accompany the group as a Tour Manager. Qualified local guides at the destination sites are engaged for sightseeing purposes.

Hotel categories are selected and classified from before itself in each country, and they are suggested according to the customers like families, honeymooners, youngsters, business travellers and other categories.

Thanks to his persistent efforts and personalised service at every step, today Jai Sun Tourism has over a thousand regular customers who come back again and again for all their varying travel needs, whether they are individuals or families or companies. Already Jai Sun is a top-rated travel agency of Coimbatore, and Mr Bharathi’s aim is to take it to No. 1 position in Tamil Nadu, and thereafter be among the top 5 travel agencies of India. In fact in Google review, customers have ranked Jai Sun Tourism 4.8 out of 5, the highest such ranking in this region. He is assisted in his vision and goals by his well-trained, competent and loyal staff, as well as by his wife Mrs B. Kanimozhi as one of the Directors and backbone of the Company, and 20-year old son Praneeth who is being groomed to follow in his father’s footsteps. Already the son is helping in social media designs and postings for the company. The Manager Mr Mathan Prasad is at the forefront along with the rest of the staff of 10 colleagues who all together work hard to take Jai Sun to greater heights. The dynamic Mr Bharathi has always believed in the philosophy of hard work, sincerity and dedication towards his work, confidence to move ahead, and a neversay-no spirit when it comes to satisfying his clients requirements. “Everything is possible,” he believes and takes every

Praneeth Bharathi obstacle as a challenge. His winning attitude is full of positivity and it is this

Mr & Mrs Bharathi

quality that has made him a leader and a tall personality. Apart from running Jai Sun Tourism, Mr Bharathi wears many hats: he is a member of Rotary International, BNI, Grand Lodge, TAAI (Travel Agents Association of India), Tamil Nadu Travel Mart Society, SKAL International, and TAAC (Travel Agents Association of Coimbatore). He was President of Rotary Coimbatore Gaalaxy from 2015 to 2016, with a lot of social activities undertaken during pandemic times and even otherwise, and a past Secretary of TAAC.

As they say, you cannot keep a strong man down, and Mr Bharathi is living example of what someone can achieve with vision, dedication, hard work and a persistently positive attitude, which is well reflected in Jai Sun Tourism as it continues to climb the ladder of success.

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New No. 8, Old No. 47 Father Rhondy Street, R.S.Puram, Coimbatore - 641002 Tamil Nadu, India Tel: +91 9843241674, 0422 422 1001 www.jaisuntourism.com