Kuoni India and Zubin Karkaria win prestigious PATWA awards at ITB Berlin

Kuoni India won double honours at the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) Awards 2009 at ITB Berlin.  The company was awarded the Best Travel Company in India award, and Zubin Karkaria, CEO and Managing Director of Kuoni India & South Asia bagged the Best Travel Professional in India award.

The awards were presented by Ray Bloom (Chairman, IMEX) at a ceremony attended by several dignitaries and top professionals from the global travel industry at the ITB in Berlin on Mar13.  The ITB is the world’s biggest and most important travel fair, and is attended by exhibitors from 180 countries and over 7,000 journalists.

Kuoni India, a 100% subsidiary of the Switzerland-based Kuoni Group, is India’s largest travel company with an annual turnover of INR 2,300 crores, employing 3,200 travel professionals and having operations in 42 countries world-wide.   The company has been growing at a blistering pace of 40% per annum (compounded average growth rate) since it was set-up in 1997.  This award comes close on the heels of the company being presented a special one-time award by the Ministry of Tourism in February 2009 in recognition of its outstanding contribution to the growth of tourism in India.

“It is indeed a great honour for me to receive the Best Travel Company award on behalf of the company.  I am also honoured to receive the Best Travel Professional award.  I wish to thank the people of Kuoni India, and all our industry partners for their role in the success of Kuoni India” said Zubin Karkaria.   

PATWA organizes International Awards every year at the ITB Berlin in co-operation with Messe Berlin to recognize individuals, organizations involved in the promotion of tourism – from sectors such as aviation, hotels, travel agents, tour operators and govt. agencies.
Kuoni is India’s largest travel company, being No.1 in Outbound leisure travel under its brands Kuoni and SOTC, No.1 in Domestic leisure travel under the SOTC brand.  HRG-Sita India, it’s Business Travel brand is india’s No.2 Business Travel brand, and VFS Global – the consular/visa services subsidiary – is today a global leader in its space.  Kuoni Destination Management is also India’s No.1 Destination Management (Inbound tourism) brand.