FIT Ruums, Webjet’s Asian B2B travel brand, has arrived in India and is already ramping up its operations in the country.

The company, which first launched in November 2016, recently appointed Ashutosh Dogra to head up FIT Ruums India from New Delhi. The company revealed that its Indian strategy involves “leveraging XML technology and partnering with key stakeholders in the wholesale B2B market”. Its aim is to become a major player in the Indian and sub-continental travel market, in both the inbound and outbound sectors.

“I am very excited to join FIT Ruums at such an exciting time – both for the company and the Indian travel industry,” said Dogra. “We aspire to be a strong partner to the travel trade, leading the industry in terms of customer service, product supply and technological innovation.

“We will also go the extra mile in support of our industry partners, providing not only sales and distribution, but also market intelligence and other relevant business data. This demonstrates the FIT Ruums ethos around striving to support our partners and improve the performance of the larger market,” he added.

The arrival of FIT Ruums in India provides an additional distribution channel for the country’s hotel suppliers. Previously, Indian hotels could target the fast-growing inbound market via Webjet’s other global platforms, Sunhotels and Lots of Hotels, which have strong coverage in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Africa. The addition of FIT Ruums will enable hotel suppliers to capitalise on the large Indian domestic sector and Asian inbound market.

FIT Ruums also said it would allow hotels and travel suppliers to harness the growing trend for last-minute bookings in India.

“At least 30% of our business is booked within 72 hours and we are seeing a massive surge of same-day and next-day bookings in many Asian countries, including India. To address this growing last-minute trend, we are putting significant emphasis on resourcing right and resourcing well. It is a key booking trend and we want to ensure our suppliers and clients are able to capitalise on it,” said Daryl Lee, director of FIT Ruums’ parent company, WebBeds FZ.

“When we launched FIT Ruums in November 2016, India was immediately identified as a key market for the company. With a huge population, increasing levels of affluence, a buoyant economy and a government that is putting tourism at the top of its agenda, India has the potential to be amongst the strongest tourism markets in the world.

“I encourage Indian travel companies who have not yet connected with us to do so as soon as possible, and see how FIT Ruums can help drive greater returns for their business,” Lee added.

In line with FIT Ruums’ arrival in India, the company has also launched its industry incentive programme, FIT Rewards, in the country.