Skål is a professional organisation of tourism leaders around the world, headquartered in Spain that started in 1934, promoting global tourism and friendship. It is the only international group uniting all branches of the travel and tourism industry. Its members, the industry’s managers and executives, meet at local, national, regional and international levels to Do Business Among Friends. Ms Ranjini Nambiar, CEO of Footloose Yatra Consultants, Bengaluru joined Skål International Bangalore in 2007 as a member and within a few years, she joined the management committee to become President of Skål International Bangalore 2012-14. In 2018, she was elected as the president of Skål, International India. We got an opportunity to speak with her and get to know about her journey with Skål and what is in store for the travellers in future.
Changing Trends In The Travel Industry
It is not an unknown fact that the travel industry is changing from what it was in the past. But every trend is not bad according to the lady who has so much experience in travel. Ranjini believes in conventional travelling methods but also appreciates the fact that travellers these days like to explore places independently.
She says, “Holidays are totally different for travellers these days. They like to self-drive to places and not depend on rental taxis. I am a frequent traveller and I too like to drive. Now that the Indian driving licence is valid for you to drive in abroad, it has become easy for travellers to explore places on their own.”
Women Travelling Solo
Ranjini appreciates the fact that women have started travelling alone and moving out of their comfort zones to explore the unexplored.
We asked her about a few tips that they should follow while travelling as safety for a woman is the biggest concern these days. According to her, not only women are unsafe these days, everyone needs to be safe while travelling. One point that she stressed on was that even if many hotels keep safety as their biggest focus, many travellers opt for cheaper options. Looking for a budget-friendly accommodation is fine but do not compromise with the safety aspect.
“Even if you are booking an Airbnb, instead of looking for just cheap accommodations, look for highly recommended places to stay. Read the ratings before making all the bookings” She added, ” Safety is something that should not be compromised on, not only for women but for everyone.”
Challenges Faced As A woman In The Travel Industry
As optimistic Ranjini is, we wanted to know the challenges she has faced to reach where she is today in the travel industry as a woman. To this, she replied saying, “I think challenges these days are for both men and women. Gone are the days when women used to get suppressed. Today challenges for men and women are the same”
