Enjoy sports, especially table tennis, tennis and cycling
Arzan Khambatta
Destination Marketing Specialist
Mumbai,MH
Summary
A highly skilled and experienced tourism professional seeking leadership role and a value creation opportunity in a dynamic organization. Demonstrated and proven abilities in destination marketing, operations and sales, managing 12 tourism boards across 15 markets globally.
A post graduate with a rich and varied experience in complex, multicultural and global roles, presently associated with VFS Global as Global Head - Tourism Services.
An established Industry Opinion Leader with participation in multiple events, industry interviews and panel discussions.
Overview
5
5
Languages
6
6
years of post-secondary education
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Global Head - Tourism Services & Travel Shops
VFS Global
01.2011 - Current
- Overall Business Management - Conceptualized, established and grown the Tourism vertical at VFS Global
- Headed multiple tourism boards with proven expertise at all aspects of destination marketing - Trade Promotions, Events, Consumer campaigns, Social Media management, Public Relations, etc.
- Official spokesperson and ‘Face’ of the destinations (Czech Republic and Macao) in India.
- Planned and successfully executed entry and growth strategies for multiple destinations over the years.
- Deep understanding of the tourism landscape with strong relationships with travel trade and media in India
- Accumulated wealth of tourism knowledge by closely working with 12 Tourism Boards over the years: Visit Britain, Czech Tourism, Italian State Tourism Office, Atout France, Swiss Tourism, Portugal Tourism Board, Saudi Tourism, Dubai Tourism, Yas Island – Abu Dhabi, Israel Tourism, Macao Government Tourism Office, Taiwan Tourism Bureau.
- Experienced at budgeting, forecasting and strategizing to achieve the targets.
- Managed to expand Tourism Services footprint to 15 countries across the globe.
- Built and managed a multicultural team of over 50 tourism professionals across the globe.
- Experienced with working in a diverse and a multicultural environment.
- Key relationship lead for the Saudi Tourism Authority, managing multiple projects including global B to B office selection, vendor and finance management, secondary markets management and many more being discussed and in pipeline.
- Introduced new process improvement measures in the tourism vertical
- Managed celebrities and influencers engagement to promote the destinations.
- Built and maintained strong relationships with both trade and consumer media to garner maximum media coverage for the destinations.
- An industry opinion leader, and have been part of various industry events, interviews and panel discussions.
- Brand positioning, segmentation and promotional marketing for client destinations represented.
- Worked on entry and growth strategy for client destinations.
- Ideating, planning and executing B2B and B2C marketing campaigns.
- Have strong relationships with trade partners and other key industry stakeholders.
Manager, Sr Manager - Special Projects
VFS Global
06.2007 - 12.2010
- Trained on all the aspects of visa process management.
- Set-up the retail sales Travel Shop function in VFS Global.
- Expanded the travel retail sales to 12 countries across the globe i.e. India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, South Africa, Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.
- Media and space selling in VFS Global centers to potential advertisers across markets.
- Strategic alliances with brands globally offering various value-added services opportunities.
Sales Officer
Kotak Mahindra Bank
01.2005 - 05.2005
- Relationship management with high net-worth customers.
- Enhanced sales management through development of new sales strategies, cold calling techniques and customer follow-up.
Sales Officer
Standard Chartered Finance Limited
01.2004 - 12.2004
- Corporate and retail credit card sales.
- Part of the core sales team that launched Manhattan card in India.
Education
Post Graduate Diploma in International Business - IMarketing
Symbiosis International University
06.2005 - 04.2007
Bachelor of Engineering (BE) - Electronics
Mumbai University
06.1999 - 05.2003
Skills
Tourism Management
Destination Marketing
Public Relations
Trade Relationship
Business Strategy
Team Management
Digital Marketing
Business Development
Relationship Management
Sales Management
Process Management
Interests
Conduct trainings and academic sessions on destination marketing for students
Timeline
Global Head - Tourism Services & Travel Shops
VFS Global
01.2011 - Current
Manager, Sr Manager - Special Projects
VFS Global
06.2007 - 12.2010
Post Graduate Diploma in International Business - IMarketing
Symbiosis International University
06.2005 - 04.2007
Sales Officer
Kotak Mahindra Bank
01.2005 - 05.2005
Sales Officer
Standard Chartered Finance Limited
01.2004 - 12.2004
Bachelor of Engineering (BE) - Electronics
Mumbai University
06.1999 - 05.2003