PREFERENCE IN BOOKING GROUP TRAVEL Some advisors said that wedding groups take the longest amount of time in making decisions. But an agency specializing in weddings said they have been able to close deals within a fortnight of getting the quotations from suppliers. Even though the entire process of booking group travel might sound cumbersome, one needs to remember that such trips are usually booked a year or two in advance, informed one of the respondents. Another broke down the timeline for the payments to come through. Usually, an initial deposit is paid by the group within 30 days to block their bookings. Depending on the travel window, the customers either pay an interim payment or the final payment is made a month or two before the actual travel date. Advisors also say that the quotations came in much faster before the pandemic. The process then took 2-3 days but can extend to a couple of months now. Some- times clients approach multiple advisors to check all the quotations they can get before making a decision. This also adds up to the time taken to close the deal, said one advisor. While some advisors spent a lot of time on writing, re-writing and negotiating contracts at every stage of the deal, others say they make use of online forms to automate the process. Despite their desire for bigger group sizes, 69% of the advisors surveyed said they preferred having flexi- bility with regards to building the group. More than one-fourth (27%) of the advisors preferred clients sign contracts. 32 | CHART 21 69% 27% 4% Having flexibility with building the group Signing a contract with guarantees Don’t know/Not sure GROUP TRAVEL TRENDS