Your Wish is My Command

Rohit Panchal is a Sales and Marketing executive for Panasonic in Dubai, a company he swears by and promises to be loyal to ‘till there is a disagreement on monetary issues." He first broke into the job scene five years ago where he looked to pursue a career in Film Marketing. A couple of stints with companies in different areas proved to be unsuccessful and his search for the perfect job ultimately landed him at Panasonic.

“I believe if there was any brand that could make a great airline it would have to be PANASONIC! My company not only makes LCDs, Mobile phones and air conditioners, it also produces products as diverse as toilet seats and cushions!” How ever much the truth there is to that statement is hardly relevant, I thought. But consider this, Rohit argues, most of the material provided to Emirates i.e TV screens and Air conditioners are provided by Panasonic. Imagine the amount of budget they would be covering up. Now that’s a thought.

Rohit is an avid fan of gadgets and holds a weird connection to everything futuristic, the reason he cites are Sci-Fi movies and his geeky elder brother, who by the way is a successful ad practioner in one of America’s top advertising agencies. Discussing the future of travel with him was a pleasure, he gave some wonderful insights on the role of customization in the airline industry.
He stated that industry today, be it airline or tourism is growing at a humongous rate. Even though there is some stability in tourism, (not counting for rising rates ) the airline fares seem to have fallen steeply. And the more competition there is, the more Customer Centric it will be. Your seat, your food, your time, you convenience, your wish! He quickly pointed out that in the near future, something to look forward to would be the Aerocraft, a huge airplane that would house all facilities like a cruise liner ship - but how many people would rather be on the air than on water?

Talking about travelling, we discussed how the global recession has hit the industry so bad, that most people across the world are purchasing an XBOX or a PS3 to cut back on holidaying money. There are games being developed in the process that are based on family holidays and experiences!

Rohit stated that in a couple of years, tourism and travelling will be one entire package divided into 3 stages - Getting there, Holidaying, and Going back. Another point he made was how important the getting there and going back aspect will be.

“Most vacations start on the plane and end on the plane. So that's the first and last thing you remember about your trip.”, he said. We broadly discussed Airline categories and how he loved traveling by Singapore airlines. He says if humble existed in the world it would be on Singapore airlines. He also loves how this particular airlines take care of everything ranging directly from ground, to service to food, to check out.
He also pointed out as to how he felt tied up with Emirates, that his company forced him to travel with them due to a tie up.

“The thing about Emirates is they believe they are the best and there seems to be no scope of improvement on the same. A sense of arrogance has crept up on them, which is hardly a good thing. But one thing that does get me going with them is their Skywards Miles Loyalty program.”

We touched up on holidaying and the trends that are being witnessed today. He said that there is an urgency amongst people today to hide from the increasingly bustling population of the world. Most people today are travelling to the Far East, looking for cheaper and hatke locales.