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COMPANY INTRODUCTION
Founded in 1758 250th Year Countdown Celebration Cox & Kings holds pride of place as the worlds longest established travel company. Our journey began when Cox & Kings was appointed as general agents to the regiment of Foot Guards in India. Today, more than 249 years later, Cox & Kings is the Destination Management Company of choice in India, a one-stop travel solutions provider. Cox & Kings offers a comprehensive range of conference arrangements in the subcontinent, pertaining to every aspect of travel, anywhere around the globe and to suit every budget. At your Service Cox & Kings are truly the subcontinent experts, organising travel to India since 1758. Our two hundred and forty nine years of grand history gives us an unrivalled experience at organising travels throughout the subcontinent. One-stop-shop Cox & Kings presents the answer to all your needs under one roof, right from Business and Corporate Travel to Destination Management for groups and individuals and Incentive holidays, from Charters and Cruises handling to Outbound and Domestic Tourism. We also have our inhouse foreign exchange division and a specialised cell for Conferences, Conventions and Exhibitions & Trade Fairs. Cox & Kings promises an enriching journey, familiarising the traveller with a wide diversity of exotic leisure options. Meticulous planning, emphasis on safety, efficient staff and state-of-theart equipment form the foundation of each of our programmes. Network Cox & Kings has a network of 14 offices and 44 associate offices offering round the clock quality service. We have a strong web of International and domestic marketing arms for effective and successful worldwide congress promotion. Cox & Kings, India has over 25 associated offices connecting the length and breadth of India.

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Cox & Kings International Offices And Representatives: Cox & Kings has international offices and representatives in UK, USA, Japan, Germany, Spain, South Africa, Russia, Italy, Sweden and Australia. Cox & Kings worldwide business associate is Radius, with a network of over 4,640 branches around the world. Worldwide Business Associates: RADIUS, with a network of over 4,640 branches around the world. A global service that has set benchmarking standards in the corporate travel community. Memberships that guarantee excellence Cox & Kings is members of some of the highest standards of excellence like TAAI, IATA, PATA, ASTA, IATO, ICCA and ICPB Charter, which guarantee the quality of services Cox & Kings offers. Hall of Fame Cox & Kings is undoubtedly the best destination manager in the country. It has won seven National Awards for being the Best Conference Agent, of the country of which seven were in a consecutive row. This prestigious award has been constituted by the Government of India, Department of Tourism to honour the best company in the field of conferences and incentives. Enjoy the Best of India & Beyond!Cox & Kings is constantly introducing innovative events and suggestions to make every conference and event a memorable one.Cox & Kings were first to develop a world-class cell for international conferences and conventions in India. Backed by over a decade of award winning performance and a team of industry experts who can efficiently fuse modern amenities with local, this division is powered by a high-end platform of Information Technology that offers super-fast error free processing. Cox & Kings caters for all aspects of Conference organising, Business Meetings, Event Management, Seminars, Exhibitions, Product Launches and Incentives. Every event is fashioned to suit the specific requirements of our client and every detail handled with care, right from the pre event preparations, during the event itself and through to post event settlements. Extensive planning and considerable research ensure the most comprehensive & memorable conference for all our clients.Cox & Kings unveils a refreshingly different travel experience, not only across India but also across Nepal and Sri Lanka. India is fast emerging as one of the favoured destination for meetings and conferences. It has a selection of world-class hotels and palace resorts with the latest state-of-art facilities. Efficiently connected to the globe via air and road, high speed broadband Internet and Support facilities like video conferencing, hi-tech projectors, language interpretation capacities. India makes for a very comfortable meeting space. To add to the efficiency are professional destination management services, strong infrastructure to conduct trainings, spacious venues offering a range of seating arrangements and a gamut of leisure activities.Cox & Kings has also introduced the concept of which are exclusive. These are small touches, which go a long way in giving a taste of the essence of India. These include theme dinners, theme nights and royal dinners, among others.India and Cox & Kings look forward to taking you through one of the most incredible conferencing experiences available!

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HISTORY OF COX & KINGS

2008 marked the 250th anniversary of the foundation of Cox & Kings, the longest established travel company in the world. The companys history stretches back to the summer of 1758 when Richard Cox was appointed as regimental agent to the Foot Guards by his mentor, Lord Ligonier, the Commanding Officer of His Majestys Armed Forces. The role of agent included the arrangement of payment of officers and men, the provision of clothing, serving as a go-between for the buying and selling of officers commissions, and acting upon any special requests from the regimental adjutant. Regimental agents did not have a very good reputation before Cox, but such was his honesty, reliability and organisational ability that he made it a respectable business and Cox & Co soon became the agent for the majority of British regiments. By the end of the 18th century the company served 14 cavalry, 64 infantry and 17 militia regiments. The companys business grew hand in hand with the British Empire, becoming involved in banking and shipping in addition to its other agency activities. In the late 19th century, Henry S. King & Co was a rival bank and shipping agency, started by Henry Samuel King and subsequently run for over 45 years by his son, Henry Seymour King, an MP and renowned mountaineer. The company had particularly strong links with India. After the First World War the two companies merged as Coxs & Kings and moved into grand premises on Pall Mall (now the site of the Sofitel St James Hotel). In 1923 the business was sold to Lloyds Bank and whilst the banking arm stayed with Lloyds (becoming the Cox & Kings branch, as it is still known), the shipping agency became a separate company, running tours and organising the passage of people and their belongings around the world, notably to Egypt, India and South Asia. In 1970, Cox & Kings Agency was bought by Grindlays Bank as part of a deal with the Indian Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, to develop tourism into the country, and so the modern history of the company began. Cox & Kings has built on the tradition of high quality service and attention to detail established by Richard Cox over 250 years ago and it now provides travel arrangements of the highest calibre in many of the most culturally and naturally fascinating parts of the world. The company is now privately owned and has extended its expertise to cover the Indian Subcontinent, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, the Far East, Europe and Australasia.

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MARKETING MIX OF COX & KINGS

PRODUCT
1. Destination Management 2.Outbound Tourism 3.Business Travel 4.Incentive & Conference Solutions 5.Domestic Holidays 6.NRI 7.Trade Fairs 8.Foreign Exchange 9.Insurance

Destination Management
COX & KINGS is India's market leader in destination management, with substantial competitive advantage in this business segment. Cox & Kings operates a range of group and individual tours to destinations throughout the Indian subcontinent for clients from all over the world. Cox & Kings overseas is a renowned travel brand and an Indian subcontinent tour specialist and been quoted as one of the top 5 premium tour operators by 'Conde' Nast Traveller'. This division also provides specialist services to foreign participants visiting India for international meetings, conferences, ad hoc incentives and exhibitions and also caters for domestic conferences and corporate incentives. Ground related services to international cruise companies touching Indian shore with a provision of shore excursions are other leading activities of this division. A destination management provides a ground service based on local knowledge of their given destinations. These services can be transportation, hotel accommodation, restaurants, activities, excursions, conference venues, themed events, gala dinners and logistics, as well as helping with overcoming language barriers. Destination management company (DMC) are able to provide preferential rates based on the buying power they have with their preferred suppliers. A DMC is an incoming tour operator catering for both corporate and leisure clients. DMCs differ from tour operators in that DMCs do usually not deal directly with end-clients, but trade through agents, which may be tour operators.
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Outbound Tourism Cox & Kings began a full-fledged in house tour operating activity by designing its own brochure product under exclusive arrangements with direct suppliers and local agents across the globe. Cox & Kings has been undertaking path-breaking initiatives to reach out to the travelers through innovative products. These include: 'Duniya Dekho' Holidays to Europe, USA, Far East, South Africa, Mauritius, Australia and New Zealand. For the "value for money" traveller. Charges Under the Duniya Dekho Scheme-:
Name of Tour
European Splendours Summer Glimpse of Europe - Winter American Splendours Summer Canadian Explorer Summer Malaysia & Singapore Summer Orient & Magical Far East Summer Amazing Australia Summer Kiwi Surprise Summer Magical China Summer Dubai Delight Summer South African Adventure Summer

Duration

Charges

Discount

19 D / 18 N

INR 181,713 INR 112,811 INR 247,450 INR 244,954 INR 107,950 INR 135,550 INR 264,156

INR 54,514

07 D / 06 N

INR 56,406

20 D / 19 N

------------INR 53,975

13 D / 12 N

08 D / 07 N

13 D / 12 N

INR 67,775

13 D / 12 N

INR 132,078

09 D / 08 N

INR 139,214

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11 D / 10 N

INR 100,650

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04 D / 03 N

INR 17,750

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09 D / 08 N

INR 105,000

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'FlexiHols' is a concept in holidaying where the traveller enjoys all the comforts and convenience of a planned holiday but at a pace & price that is set by him. This is targeted at the more discerning Free Individual Traveller. Luxury Escapes - It takes a travel company that has been round for two hundred years, to know everything about royal treatment. Cox & Kings rolls out a whole new concept in Holidays - Luxury Escapes. Spoil yourself. Get pampered rotten. Holiday like a king. Join us as we unveil country after country laced with sinful indulgence and fine living. The finest luxury hotels in the world to the most exclusive entertainment experiences await you. Cox & Kings also represents and retails many international third party products including Cosmos, Rail Europe, Silver sea Cruises, Star Cruise, and Escorted Tours to USA etc. NRI - The NRI Division of Cox & Kings caters to the Non Resident Indians who would like to travel around the world with Indian families. Cox & Kings organizes special tours for these families where the NRI community would like to travel with like-minded families across the world. Duniya Dekho & FIT Packages are specifically designed for this Market Segment by this division

Business Travel
Cox & Kings are one of the market leaders in business travel services in India, offering a full range of business travel services to over 200 corporate clients, including major multinational companies. C&K's strength in this business area is evident when one of the world's largest conglomerate in business travel - Radius the First truly global travel management partnership/consortium with merger of Travel Trust International and Woodside Travel Management Corporation in 1992 selected Cox & Kings as their Indian partner. C&K - Radius Overseas Travel Fulfillment Solutions through the Radius Brand Leveraging the partnership with Radius, Cox and Kings can offer Travel Fulfillment Services to Corporate Clients who are having offices overseas or project teams working on site at their customers site, through its Radius Shareholders in the respective overseas regions. All travel requirements will be controlled through the off shore 24 x 7 Travel Center based in Mumbai.

Incentive & conference solutions

Over 7000 incentives in the last 4 years make Cox and Kings the biggest player in Incentives. The Incentive Solutions Division of Cox & Kings provides cost effective travel incentive schemes for clients that recognize and reward exceptional effort of its employees, customers, suppliers or dealers. A team of handpicked industry specialists committed to handling every aspect of an incentive / conference event are a part of this team. Cox & Kings is a ONE STOP SHOP. They offer the following services all under one roof 6|Page

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Business Travel (Air tickets Domestic & International) Visas/Passport/Medical Insurance assistance Hotel bookings Car/Coach/Railway bookings Foreign Exchange Leisure Travel (Overseas holidays land & cruise bookings) Destination Management(Domestic holidays & conference management)

Domestic Holidays
India with its large domestic consumer offers Cox & Kings a unique opportunity to launch its portfolio of 'domestic holidays' for people resident in India. Launched in 2000, 'Bharat Dekho' (see India) is today's leading 'branded' product in the country with a wide range of 'Indian Holidays' from cultural holidays, pilgrim holidays, wildlife holidays, honeymoon tours, weekend getaways, customized FIT Tours to nature trails, Bharat Dekho has captured over 50% of the domestic market. Some of the Tours offers under Bharat Dekho are-:
Name of Tour
Nainital, Mukteshwar , Binsar & Corbett Delhi, Agra & Jaipur Srinagar, Sonamarg & Gulmarg Kathmandu & Pokhara Srinagar, Sonamarg, Gulmarg & Pahalgam Chandigarh, Panchkula, Manali, Shimla & Kullu Srinagar, Sonamarg, Gulmarg & Pahalgam Delhi, Jaipur, Agra & Gwalior

Duration
08D / 07N 05D / 04N 05D / 04N 06D / 05N 06D / 05N 08D / 07N 07D / 06N 07D / 06N

Charges (Per Person) INR 22627 INR 13068 INR 11041 INR 16800 INR 13401 INR 17046 INR 15851 INR 17848

Foreign Exchange
Cox & Kings has a full-fledged money changing division in Cox & Kings Offices servicing the needs of the corporate traveller and the leisure travel clients. A strong distributor of American Express Travellers' Cheques, Cox & Kings has been awarded 'Top Performer' for several years.

Travel Insurance
Policies for Leisure Domestic as well as International Travel and special Corporate Deals on Insurance covering an array of specialized travel areas, some of which are:

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Loss of baggage (checked) Bounced Hotel / Airline Bookings Missed connections Personal Accident Trip Cancellation due to hospitalisation, death or curfew. Emergency Hospitalisation Death

Trade fairs
Cox & Kings Trade Fairs ensures that you make the most of your business trip and that the smallest of details are taken care of, right from confirmed accommodation, city center hotels during the fair period, and city tours to technical add-ons such as factory visits, buyer-seller meets and much more, all at the most attractive prices. Backed by a phenomenal trail of awards and expertise, Cox & Kings offers outbound tour management facilities and an array of value-added services that can arrange and handle the most complex and exacting business trips anywhere in the world. Cox & Kings a unique opportunity to launch its portfolio of 'Trade fairs' for people who take part in the different trade fairs . Some of the Tours offers under Trade Fairs are-:
Name of Tour
CeBIT 2010 Exhibitor's Group Package 1 Hannover 2010 Visitor's Group Package Heimtextil 2010 Exhibitor's Group Package Wire & Tube 2010 Exhibitor's Group Package 07 Nts

Duration
07 D / 06 N 05D / 04N 07 D / 06 N 06D / 05N

Charges (Per Person)

INR 49990 + EUR 750 INR 49990 + EUR 650 INR 49990 + EUR 750 INR 49900 + EUR 650

PRICE:
Pricing in tourism is a complex process. Pricing includes the prices of other services like Air travel, Bus, Railways, Hotels, etc. All are included in tourism package. Pricing also depends on the Geographic location of the destination. Pricing also depends on Seasonality. Seasonality is the most important factor in pricing. To match demand and supply tourist managers try to get either discount. COX AND KINGS does not believe that the customer should pay a premium for excellent service and outstanding holidays. It is their policy to keep the prices as low as possible that is they follow a Low Price Policy
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PLACE

Different distribution strategies are selected to reflect the company overall objectives. Tours as a product is distributed as a travel. Internet is also used widely. The middleman may be tour operators, who buy tours in bulk and make them available to travel agents who are retailers. Different distribution strategies are selected for Tours marketing by C&K. There are also small agent spread all over the town/country who also play a role of place. C &K act as wholesalers and also act as a retailer. The latest mode of reaching the customers is through Internet that is C&K has its own website from where information on the tours can be procured, direct booking can be done for which the payment can be made through the credit card. C&K also has its own offices from where booking can be done.

PROMOTION
Advertising and sales promotion in Tourism is very effective when supplemented by publicity and personal selling. Public or PR (Public Relation) plays an important role in tourism. It is also through recommendation of friends and relatives which is itself a biggest promotion. Word-of-mouth is a very important tool of promotion in tourism. Research shows that about 80% of the tourist visited different places on the persuasion of their friends and relatives and also their own judgments. C&K uses electronic, print and all sorts of media as tourism is a highly promoted industry. C&K gives printed ads in The Times of India mentioning the special tours in it with the special prices offered by them. Brochures are another form of communication provided by C&K to stimulate customers and motivate them to buy. They are used to demonstrate in pictures and words the images and positioning of the product and the organizations. COX AND KINGS also advertises in newspapers. It also has a tie up with leading publications for features on travel, which appear once a week.

PEOPLE
It plays a most important part in tourism. In people, local people are very important, that how they treat tourist. The travel agents, guides, staff, sales staff, etc of company they are the people. Travel Company also like Railways, Air, etc. is included in people.
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COX AND KINGS employs 2600 employees it has 13 offices in India and a network of over 500 GSAs across the country (general sales agent).

PROCESS

The operation process of the COX AND KINGS is given in the form of sequential steps involved in the delivery of the tours as a product.Provision of travel information The information regarding the travel is provided at a convenient location where the potential tourist seeks clarification about their proposed tour. COX AND KINGS also provides information through its website, newspaper ads and in SOTC branches in the form of pamphlets. Preparation of itineraries It is a composition of series of operations that are required to plan a tour. COX AND KINGS has fixed itineraries the customer can cancel the visit but it will not be replaced by any other place. Liaison with providers of services Before any form of travel is sold over the counter to a customer; contracts have to be entered with the providers of various services including transportation companies, hotel accommodation, coaches for local sightseeing etc. COX AND KINGS also has tie-ups with various 5-star hotels across the country. Planning and costing tours Once the contracts and arrangements are entered into, then the task of planning and costing the tour, this will depend on the tour selected as well as individual requirements. COX AND KINGS follows a low price policy that is they fix the tour price as low as possible. Ticketing The computerized reservation system has in recent years revolutionized the reservation system for both rail and air travel. COX AND KINGS also book tours, air and rail tickets through their online access system.

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Provision of foreign currency and insuranceIn case of foreign travel the final task provide foreign currency as well as insurance. COX AND KINGS provides its customers with foreign currency and travel insurance.

PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
The tourist attraction, which is an expensive for the customer must be tangibilized with the help of tangible items like, comfortable seats while traveling, layout, and design of the resort, natural service, etc. the sign posts that indicate directions, route maps, information regarding rules and regulations of the tourist spot and the sign regarding the public utilities like toilets, telephone booth also form a part of the physical evidence. Printed matters such as brochures also play an important role in the development of tourism. As the product, in tourism is intangible. C&K provides its customers with a detailed brochure of the tour they have selected, a list of things to be done before going for a holiday e.g. cooking gas switch to be turned off etc and if the customer is going for foreign tour then a list of basic words like hello, water etc in the foreign country language which will make it easy for the customer, this establishes value for money, product image and status, which must be matched when the product is delivered. COX AND KINGS also provides its customers with a detailed brochure of the tour.

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SERVICE MARKETING TRIANGLE IN RELATION TO cox & kings

External Marketing: Setting the promise It involves marketing to the end users and is performed to capture the attention of the market and arouse intrest in the service. Cox & Kingss External marketing: 250 years of service in the tourism industry. Presence in every mode of media to customers. 24 hours assistance service through call centres. Always out with attractive innovative ideas for planning the trips in favour of the customers. Excellent Customer Relatonship Management services. Offers available for customers of all economic classes.

Internal Marketing: Enabiling the promise Its all about marketing to internal employess of the company. It is carried out to enable employees to perform the service effectively and keep up the promise made to the customers.

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Cox & Kingss Internal marketing: Updated technology processes to make work simpler for the employess. Effective internet and telecommunication techonologies installed for effective functioning of and among all the offices. Training, assistance and guidance provided to the employess to effectively fullfill customers requirements. Intractive Marketing: Delivering thr promise This refers to the decisive moment of interaction between the front-office employees and customers, i.e. delivery service. This step is of utmost importance, because if the employee falters at this level, all prior efforts made toward establishing a relationship with the customer, would be wasted. Cox & Kingss Interactive marketing: Providing travel services like FOREX and VISA. Updated status of the bookings to the customers. After tour services, like sharing of their experience. Fully trained front desk employees, with the lesson of customer is the king.

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GAP ANALYSIS OF cox & kings

A service firm may win by delivering consistently higher quality service than competitors and exceeding customers experience. These expectations are formed by their past experiences, word of mouth and advertising. After receiving the service, customers compare the perceived service with the expected service. If the perceived service falls below the expected service, customers lose interest in the provider and vice versa. Thus Exceeding Customers Highest Hopes is what a firm should constantly focus on to achieve success.

Gaps of Cox and Kings: The service provided though were excellent but customers expect a local and very friendly approach and experience, whereas C&K are having very professional attitude and approach. The tours plannned were sometimes not accceptable with all the customers in the batch, customers like to have customised tours. Customers look for easy to use one window booking and not a complicated one for online booking. Not favorable as compared to local tour and travel company for customers because the local ones treat customers as family and friends and not just customers. Needs to advertise through regional media to tap the regional market.

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