Ms. Jaya Chandrahasan got her first taste of entrepreneurship when her husband Mr. K C Chandrahasan, then Managing Director and the backbone of Kerala Travels gave her immense support and brought his lady to forefront as the Executive Director of the firm.
The challenges according to Ms. Jaya can be evaded only if one shows the merit. She openly admits that it is harder being a woman to work in the hospitality sector and sternly puts that ‘We ourselves have to draw the line’ on where to stand, what to say and how to react. Being in the service sector, it is the positive attitude that counts the most and when it comes to progress and development the prime focus should be customer delight, asserts Ms. Jaya.
She welcomes young women to hospitality sector with open arms but warns them never try to be a man and never lose your grace and dignity. In India, due to our cultural background, it took a long time for women to come actively into this field. She cautions young ladies to never compromise on the self esteem and business ethics. On evaluating the position of women professionals and entrepreneurs in Kerala tourism Ms. Jaya claims that women can be of better understanding to customer needs and be more patient and loyal to the service sector. Kerala Travels, Kerala’s pioneering travel company, was founded by Col. G V Raja of the royal family of Travancore, Mr P G C Pillai and Mr S V Pandit. From his frequent voyages, Col. Raja felt the need for high-quality travel services that would make travelling comfortable, easy and stress-free. And that is how Kerala Travels was born in the year 1959. In 1997, Kerala Travels co-founded Interserve Ltd with an aim to serve as a consortium of travel and tourism agencies. It was formed with the motto “All for one & one for all”. Having witnessed the changes in travel itineraries and preferences, KT understood that every passenger would need multipoint servicing. This is where the Interserve alliance came into play, enabling Kerala Travels to offer one-of-a-kind travel experiences to its global patrons. Today, Interserve Ltd is present in 122 locations within India and in 85 locations worldwide. It is poised to be India’s largest travel brand! Kerala Travels came full circle in 2001, when it was registered as a public limited company with Princess Gowri Parvathy Bayi, daughter of Col GV Raja, as Chairperson. Having completed 50 years of serving travellers in India and abroad, Kerala Travels continues to be a trend-setter in travel innovation and service excellence
