Subodh Dhital

Founder & Managing Director

Tour Factory P. Ltd.

You have been in the travel sector for over a decade. Can you share your journey and how Tour Factory started?

I’ve been working in the travel sector for 16 years now, and I started Tour Factory in 2017. My experience in this field has allowed me to build a strong relationship with my clients, many of whom are repeat customers. I believe that good service and maintaining strong relationships are key to running a successful business. That’s always been our focus at Tour Factory providing excellent service to our clients.

Who is your target customer, and what areas does Tour Factory specialize in?

Our target customers have always been repeated clients. We believe in maintaining long-term relationships and ensuring our clients come back to us for their travel needs. We specialize in both inbound and outbound travel, but right now, we’re focusing on Indian tourists. We have a FIT/MICE group that attracts a lot of inbound business from India, and it’s become a significant part of our business.

How do you view the Nepali tourism market, and what potential do you see for growth?

The Nepali tourism market is vast, with great potential for growth. Travel Agencies earn a lot from ticketing, tour packages, and Travel Related services. In the future, we plan to provide comprehensive travel services to our clients. We also engage in business with friends and offer ticketing services. Our primary focus is on promoting Nepal as a tourist destination, especially among Indian travellers and foreigner.

How does outbound travel compare for your company, and how do you maintain quality?

Outbound travel constitutes a smaller portion of our overall business compared to inbound tours. However, we have established strong connections with various clubs and corporate organizations, which enables us to effectively serve outbound travelers. Quality remains our highest priority, and we determinedly believe that upholding high standards is essential for our long-term success. In addition, we plan to promote our outbound packages on social media in the near future.

You mentioned focusing on MICE tourism. Can you elaborate on this and why Nepal is an ideal destination for it?

MICE tourism meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions is a growing sector. While Nepal is well known as a tourist destination, it isn’t widely recognized as a MICE destination, but it should be. We’re working on promoting Nepal as a perfect MICE destination, particularly among Indian tourists. We manage a few MICE events right now, but there’s a lot of room for growth in this area. 

What challenges are you currently facing in the tourism sector, particularly regarding airfare?

One of the biggest challenges is the high airfare in Nepal. The taxes make it more expensive, and this is something the government should address. Another issue we face is the limited availability of group seats on flights, especially with Nepal Airlines. It’s difficult to secure enough seats for bigger groups. Therefore, airlines need to be more supportive in accommodating group bookings.

What are your future plans for Tour Factory, and how do you envision the company evolving?

Sustainable development is key to our long-term success in tourism. While staying updated on market trends is important, following the wrong trends can mislead our customers. That's why we focus on delivering quality service, which we believe is the cornerstone of sustainability. The Indian market is vast, and even tapping into a small portion of its volume (IATA/B2B) offers tremendous growth potential. Moving forward, our goal is to provide all travel-related services under one roof. We also plan to introduce a Europe fixed departure package by 2025.