INTRODUCTION

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC), is a public sector enterprise under the Government of India - Ministry of Railways and is the single window interface for providing complete travel & tourism solutions for the various customer segments and is also taking over catering on trains and at stations over the Indian Railway network.

VISION

IRCTC’s vision for the tourism business is “To be the leading provider of a complete spectrum of consistently high quality tourism products”.

IRCTC’S RANGE OF PRODUCTS & SERVICES

· Luxury Tourist Trains
· Exclusive Steam & Hill Charters
· Chartering of special trains & coaches over the IR network
· Tour Packages
· Bharat Darshan –Special tourist trains for the budget travel segment
· Budget Hotels – near important railway stations all over India
· Car rentals
· E-ticketing for travel over Indian Railways
· Call Centers – for rail & tourism related information
· On-board catering on trains all over the IR network
· Multi-cuisine food plazas at important railway stations
· Rail Neer – packaged drinking water

Availability of this wide range of services under its own umbrella puts IRCTC in the unique position of being able to offer readymade as well as customised packages to meet the requirements of all segments of the travel & tourism industry.

LUXURY TOURIST TRAINS

IRCTC works with IR & other public & private organizations, in the tourism sector, for running of luxury trains over the Indian Railway network. Besides the existing trains, a number of new trains are planned to be launched in the coming year.

These include – Existing Trains:-
· Palace on Wheels
· Deccan Odyssey
· Heritage on Wheels
· Fairy Queen

Forthcoming Trains:-
· Splendour of Punjab (Covering major tourist attractions in North India including Delhi, Amritsar, Dharamshala/ McleodGanj, Patiala, Kurukshetra, Agra, Jaipur)
· Karnataka Circuit (Covering Bangalore, Mysore, Hampi, Bellary/Hospet, Pattadal, Thekkady Animal Sanctuary, Kerala Backwaters, Goa Beaches)
· Southern Splendour (Covering tourist attractions in Southern India including Chennai/ Mahabalipuram, Pondicherry, Kanyakumari, Tirupati, Thanjavur, Nilgiri Hill Railway, Kerala Backwaters, Bangalore)

MOUNTAIN RAILWAY STEAM/DIESEL CHARTERS

IRCTC offers charters on a number of scenic mountain railway sections including:-
· DHR - Darjeeling Hill Railway – UNESCO world heritage railway (Steam/ Diesel)
· NMR - Nilgiri Mountain Railway (Steam/ Diesel)
· KS - Kalka – Simla Railway (Steam/ Diesel)
· KV - Kangra Valley Railway (Diesel)
· The Neral – Matheran Railway (Diesel)

TOURIST CARS

IRCTC offers luxury tourist cars for smaller groups. These are air conditioned cars with kitchenettes and modern comforts providing the luxury of a hotel on wheels.

TRAIN & COACH CHARTERS

IRCTC organises train & rail coach charters over Indian Railway for the convenience of tourists travelling in large groups.

TOUR PACKAGES

IRCTC runs tour packages all over India, covering a variety of tourist interests & requirements. These packages are primarily run on an all inclusive basis, including rail travel, road travel, hotel accommodation, sightseeing as well as onboard & offboard hospitality.

Budget Hotels

IRCTC is setting up 100 budget hotels at important railway stations all over India on a Private – Public Partnership basis. These will be built & operated by reputed hotel groups and will provide quality accommodation with modern facilities for the budget traveller. IRCTC welcomes domestic/international investments in this area from established hotel operators.

BHARAT DARSHAN (Special Tourist Trains for the economy Traveller)

These trains cater to economy traveller and run to customised itineraries covering places of cultural, historical & religious interest. The package includes rail travel, road transport, boarding & lodging arrangements, local sightseeing.

CALL CENTER

IRCTC is in the process of setting up an all India call center for providing train & tourism service related information & bookings.