COMMENTARY
INTERVIEWS
SPECIALS
CHAT
ARCHIVES

Rs 3,000 only for five-star comfort on wheels

Shobha Warrier in Madras

Countrywide Caravans on a roll

Subramanyam says unlike in the developed western countries, people in India do not go for long drives during the weekends. Fuel and hotel accommodation are expensive and roads are quite bad. Most Indians cannot afford long drives. Television remains a much cheaper means to leisure.

But the advent of satellite television, people get to watch western lifestyles. And people with money for leisure are open to new ideas like caravans. Countrywide Caravan will target this group, the young, adventurous, moneyed class.

Countrywide Caravan charges Rs 3,000 per day for the caravan. Two families can stay in the two separate rooms. Services of a driver, a cook and an attendant can be had for an additional Rs 2,000. The company believes that the Indian middle class and the upper class can afford these tariffs. "Remember we are offering five-star comfort in places where there are no hotels at all," says Subramanyam

He agrees that the Indian tourists are skeptical about towing caravans on narrow Indian roads. However, he says the company's members have travelled 10,000 kilometres in caravans and the rides through the worst roads were quite comfortable, though the mileage was a little less, which was quite understandable. They could travel at the same speed as that of a car on Indian roads. He says there are instances when the caravans moved at 100 km an hour!

The company is planning to hardsell the caravan concept to the Indian traveller. "We have direct marketing agents who market our business. We target high network individuals, adventure travel tourists, foreign tourists, travel companies, corporate sector.... You see, caravans need not necessarily be used by tourists alone, it can be used by people who are doing business in remote areas and film companies who shoot at far-off locations. So far the response has been encouraging," says Karti Chidambaram.

Subramanyam, however, feels the business will click only when tourists or business travellers think of caravans ahead of railway trains or aeroplaes and hotels. "People should think caravans as a necessity and not as an alternative. When that attitude comes, I will say our project is successful. But this is a new concept and it will take some time. Maybe by 2000, the concept will sink in among people."

Postscript: When Dr Kailasam went to drop Kaanchi at the swimming pool, all her friends surrounded him and asked: "Uncle, will you give us the same gift that you gave Kaanchi?" "'Which gift?" he asked them. "A caravan", all of them shouted in unison.

Business news