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
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
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