Hot Seat

Man of steel

Ex-president TAAI, ex-chairman Thomas Cook India and present honorary consul for New Zealand, Pradip Madhavji is still passionate about the things he set out doing nearly thirty years ago. By Andrea Lopez

Few people have the distinction of occupying more than one position of leadership during their tenure in a particular industry. Even fewer have the motivation and dedication to drive themselves to attain their highest goals. Pradip Madhavji clearly belongs to this cadre. Being the honorary consul for New Zealand in India brings with it a string of responsibilities, but for Madhavji, it seems like it's all in a day's work. He also serves as chairman of the Tourism Committee of SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the chairman of the tourism committee at the Indian Merchants Chamber and also occupies a position in the India Beachheads Advisory Board, apart from being the ex-president of TAAI in 2000. That's a lot to have on one's platter, but Madhavji seems extremely content slipping into his many roles and performing each one to the best of his ability.

Reminicising about the yester years

Madhavji's tryst with the travel industry began in his hey day when he served as a tourist guide for the Government of India tourist office. "This was my first exposure to the travel and tourism industry," he opines. "I conducted city tours to Elephanta Caves then. We used to be paid Rs 15 but the pay even then made us feel like we were earning big money. Back then also, the quality of trained city guides was very good. We had to undergo serious training to qualify as tour guides." Madhavji undertook this stint during his student days at Wilson College. After his graduation however, he became a bank employee, followed by a brief period in law.

Odd the way things turn out in the end. Madhavji's interest in the travel industry was rekindled when he espied an advertisement in the newspaper offering a managerial position in Thomas Cook. This was way back in 1977, when the company still had a very strong British flavour to it. Madhavji's application for the position was accepted. He was in fact one of the first people to be associated with Thomas Cook in India, soon after the company decided to Indianise itself. "This was when the last British national from the company in India left and Thomas Cook decided that it needed to be more Indian. The company therefore was on the lookout for someone to manage it." Madhavji joined the company as the commercial manager and gradually moved on to become the general manager, managing director and eventually, the chairman. The journey has undoubtedly been a long and fortuitous one. Madhavji spent 25 years in the company, between 1977 and 2002, and can confidently say that he's been through its many crucial and landmark years.

He chronologically tracks bits and pieces of that journey. "The company has come a long way since its early beginnings. Apart from expanding the workforce, Thomas Cook, from a sleeping company, grew to become very powerful with its core focus on foreign exchange, both in the retail and wholesale business." Madhavji speaks fondly of two major innovations then that worked greatly to the company's advantage. One was the introduction of mobile forex vans, making it extremely convenient to exchange currency. The second was the tie-up with State Bank of India. "This permitted the company to have a counter at the bank and in turn was beneficial since service could be provided for longer hours. Of course, both no longer exist, but they were good ventures," he says.

He also sheds some light on the other organisations he looks into and their current agenda. As the chairman of the Tourism Committee of SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, an association that tries to promote inter and intra region tourism, Madhavji is clear about the focus areas and the targets to be achieved. These include more joint promotions between the SAARC regions, the implementing of a SAARC visa and developing separate immigration counters for SAARC members at international airports. "We have been actively pushing for the SAARC visa. Unfortunately, we haven't succeeded, but we hope that it will happen some day," he says. Travel and tourism seems to be an intimate part of him and his passion for it is evident as he speaks. As the former president of TAAI, he also has some food for thought for the industry. "Everyone has their view on the zero commission issue, but I am of the opinion that the survival of the travel agent is a surety, for the simple reason that an agent is required for hand-holding in India. People will continue to seek the services of a travel agent."

The industry in perspective

Being associated with the industry for years now, Madhavji is in a suitable position to judge the direction in which the industry is headed and point out what could be the possible speedbreakers. "Tourism has undergone a sea change and at the same time continues to mean different things to different people. The earlier trend of associating anything to do with tourism as inbound has changed. Today, the volume of outbound and domestic travellers has grown markedly. The movement for pilgrimage tours too, is substantially high. On the inbound front, we have five million visitors coming to India, spending an excess of US$ 12 billion. This means that on an average, a visitor spends US$ 1,400, much higher than the world average of US$ 800. To us, that is far more important than the numbers," he says, adding that this is one area that needs to be fully cashed in on, the spending power of the inbound traveller.

As far as the modern Indian traveller is concerned, Madhavji says that patterns and mindsets have evolved a great deal. "Take New Zealand for instance. It is now being sold and accepted as a standalone destination," he says, adding that the mental block of the destination being too far away has gradually ebbed away.

Madhavji seems content discussing the industry and its many aspects, but when asked about his interests other than his very evident passion to travel, he promptly replies that he is quite a cricket fanatic. "I am a cricket maniac, not just a fan," he says, adding that he is caught in a very difficult position when India plays New Zealand. "I am a family man and when I am not busy, I like to spend time with my grandchildren," he says. Well, here is one person who clearly knows how to juggle professional and social responsibilities with remarkable calibre.