J''Info Tours gains from business packages

J”Info Tours, one of the main tour operators on the domestic market, estimates to see turnover of some 15 million euros this year, an increase of 25% on 2004.

From this figure, some 6 million euros will account for ticketing revenues, while another 7.5 million euros will come from the sale of travel packages in Romania and abroad.

“The most dynamic segment of our ticketing business was business travel, which has generated more than 2.2 million euros so far. There is a very large potential on this market because it is moving from simple to more complex packages that include all the elements of a business trip,” Cristina Irimia, J”Info Tours marketing manager, told ZF Transilvania.

The development of this sector of the market led the company”s management to develop a Corporate/Business Travel department, with the agency”s clients including Pricewaterhouse Coopers, KPMG, Delloite & Touche, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline and Michelin.

Another part of the revenues will come from hotel operations. The tour-operator entered the hotel market in 2003 when it opened an ”aparthotel” in Bucharest. In addition, J”Info Tours invested 700,000 euros in a conference centre by Lake Snagov last year.

“This new division is currently generating revenues of approximately 1.5 million euros, and we intend to develop on this segment in the future,” Irimia said.

Other important players on the Romanian tourism industry that have announced plans to invest in the hotel market are Marshal, Atlantic Tours and RR Tourism.

transilvania@zf.ro