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Instant Gangtok - Family 3 days / 2 nightsVisit : Bagdogra, Gangtok
Gangtok is the capital city of Sikkim and also the largest in terms of area. The mighty Himalayas paint the most dazzling scene of nature with shades of white, blue, green and yellow. Gangtok is also blessed with innumerable tourist attractions and an authentic folk culture.
- Itinerary
- Inclusions
- Price
- Dates
- Hotels
- Terms & Conditions
- Accommodation in the hotels listed or similar.
- Transportation by an air-conditioned Innova /Xylo or similar for all categories as per the itinerary. The vehicle is not at disposal and air-conditioner will work only in the plains and will be switched off during hill drives.
- Meals as mentioned in the itinerary.
- Sightseeing as mentioned in the itinerary.
- Travel insurance.
- Free installation of AudioCompass app on your smartphone.
- All currently applicable taxes i.e. Hotel tax and Transportation tax.
- Any transport to and from airport in Bagdogra / railway station in New Jalpaiguri. Your tour price starts ex Bagdogra / New Jalpaiguri.
- Air, train or bus fare from / to your originating city of stay, unless specified.
- Items of personal nature viz, tips, porterage, room service, laundry, mineral water, alcoholic or non alcoholic beverages, phone calls, additional sightseeing tours and excursions not included in the itinerary, still or video camera fees etc.
- Any increase in fuel cost, government taxes, entrance fees, intra and interstate taxes etc, the tour price will be amended in accordance.
- Entrance fees and guide charges, unless specified under inclusions.
- Any items / services not specifically mentioned in the 'Tour Price Includes' column.
- Supplement charges applicable for long weekends and festivals.
- Goods and Services Tax of 5%.
- Cox & Kings Terms and Conditions apply.
- Please contact our sales staff to give you best flight deals.
- All the prices are for Indian nationals only, unless specified.
- Arrival into and departure from airport in Bagdogra / railway station in New Jalpaiguri would be on your own arrangements.
- Travel insurance, included in our package cost is valid for age group up to 80 years only. For age group beyond 80 years, rules, terms and conditions of the insurance company will apply. The same needs to be checked on case to case basis with the insurance company.
- All sightseeing are subject to weather and political conditions at the destination.
- Package rates are not valid during long weekends, festive period, public holidays and peak period.
- Do carry comfortable walking shoes.
- The hotel confirmed will be as per the brochure or an alternate hotel of similar category will be provided.
- It is mandatory to carry a valid photo identity card (Passport / Driving License / Voter ID card / Aadhaar card).
|On Twin Sharing Basis
|On Triple Sharing
|Child Between (5 - 12 Yrs) With Extra Bed (or Mattress)
|Child Between (5 - 12 Yrs) With No Bed (or Mattress)
|On Single Occupancy
- Cox & Kings Terms and Conditions apply.
- Please contact our sales staff to give you best flight deals.
- All the prices are for Indian nationals only, unless specified.
- Arrival into and departure from airport in Bagdogra / railway station in New Jalpaiguri would be on your own arrangements.
- Travel insurance, included in our package cost is valid for age group up to 80 years only. For age group beyond 80 years, rules, terms and conditions of the insurance company will apply. The same needs to be checked on case to case basis with the insurance company.
- All sightseeing are subject to weather and political conditions at the destination.
- Package rates are not valid during long weekends, festive period, public holidays and peak period.
- Do carry comfortable walking shoes.
- The hotel confirmed will be as per the brochure or an alternate hotel of similar category will be provided.
- It is mandatory to carry a valid photo identity card (Passport / Driving License / Voter ID card / Aadhaar card).
- Bar
- Air Conditioner
- Restaurant
- Room service
- Internet
Setting a new standard for style, Tara Palace unleashes an ultra-modern hotel experience in Gangtok. Newly built and located next to top tourist, entertainment and business attractions, Tara Palace offers modern amenities and convenient services. Located just one block from M.G. Marg, this hotel is walking distance to all this wonderful city has to offer. Whether traveling for pleasure or business, everyone can have fun while staying with us.
PRE / POST TOUR / ADD ON EXTENSION PACKAGES Pre / post tour accommodation / add on packages or extensions etc. are available to you at special rates. You must ensure that you request your Travel Agent or your sales officer for the same at the time of booking your tour.
COACH AND SEATING We generally engage air-conditioned / non-air-conditioned luxury coaches / cars, but we are not responsible / liable if the air-conditioning equipment malfunctions for any reason. Normally, the air conditioning will not function during hill drives for coaches and cars. On group tours, you are not allotted seat numbers as a seat rotation system is followed. You must follow the instructions of the Tour Manager in this regard. The coach / car drivers are bound by restrictions concerning maximum driving hours per day and per week and the itineraries are planned having regard to the same. It is therefore essential that the itineraries, schedules and timings are strictly adhered to by you so as to ensure that all the services can be duly provided. If you or any of your co-passengers miss any service due to unpunctuality, we shall not be responsible / liable to refund any amount. Further, we shall not be responsible / liable to refund any amount or pay any compensation for any change in itinerary or for missing any service due to the unpunctuality or actions of your co-passengers or for any delays due to any reasons. Please note that smoking, consumption of alcoholic beverages and snacks is strictly prohibited on coaches/ cars. Please keep the coaches / cars clean to avoid discomfort to yourself and other tour participants. Please take care not to leave behind any property in the coach / car while disembarking. The Company would not be responsible or liable in case of theft / loss of such property under any circumstances.
PORTERAGE Please note that porterage is not included in the tour price.
BAGGAGE ON COACH It is often difficult to get porters to assist as hotels may or may not provide this service and it is therefore advisable to use bags with wheels. Coaches / cars have limited space for luggage and hence we permit only one suitcase and one handbag per person in the coach for group tours. The suitcase should be of a size of 158 cms. (width + length + height).
BAGGAGE ON AIRLINE If you carry more than the permitted luggage weight then, in such case you may have to pay extra charges for luggage to the airline directly and the Company shall not be responsible / liable in this regard. You are requested to please refer to the baggage rules of the individual airlines as the same gets updated from time to time. Also, we are not responsible / liable for any loss or damage to baggage while it is in the custody of the airline.Please note that every airline has a different set of rules and regulations regarding the weight restrictions, the kind of luggage and the number of baggage and furthermore, airlines keep changing the rules quite frequently. Hence, you are requested to please check the updated baggage rules of the individual airlines, with whom the ticket is booked. We are not responsible / liable, in any manner, if you are unable to carry any baggage or if you have to pay any extra - charges due to restrictions imposed by the airline. You shall be responsible / liable to pay all such charges directly to the airline. Also, we are not responsible / liable for any loss or damage to baggage while it is in the custody of the airline.
AIRLINES We shall in no circumstances whatsoever be responsible / liable to you or any person travelling with you, for loss of baggage by the airline, failure to provide meal of your choice by the airline, denied boarding or down-gradation due to overbooking or any other reason, failure on the part of the airline to accommodate you despite having confirmed tickets, quality or quantity of meals offered by the airlines, flight delay or rescheduling, flight cancellation, changes of flight schedule or routing, change of airline mentioned at the time of booking. In these circumstances, we will not be responsible / liable for the injury, loss or inconvenience suffered by you but you will be free to pursue your remedies against the concerned airline. If you are travelling to a SAARC country, it is absolutely necessary to have your return air seats to India confirmed prior to your departure from India
AIRLINE, AIRPORT OR WEATHER DELAYS The Company is not liable / responsible for any additional expenses or loss that may arise from government regulation or order affecting the aircraft, strikes and labour disputes causing cessation, slowdown or interruption of work, meteorological conditions, security risks, or any other causes that are beyond the Company's control but which may affect concerned airline's ability to operate flights on schedule. The Company will not reimburse any additional expenses incurred by you as a result of such events or delays. The Company will not refund any unused portion of air tickets purchased or unused services in the event of such delays or due to any reasons beyond its direct control.
AIRLINE DATE CHANGE BEFORE DEPARTURE If are you travelling on an air ticket for a group tour issued by Cox & Kings and wish to travel in advance or return at a later date after the tour ends, then you must pay the applicable difference between the group airfare within the package holiday tour cost and the individual market airfare for the changed sector. The same will be quoted by us to you on your request. Over and above this you will also be required to pay an 'Airline Seat Rebooking and Reservation Fee' of INR 2,750/- or as applicable per person per sector, per change depending on the airline (subject to availability of seats and ticket validity). Please note that you will not be able to avail of the group transfers and accordingly you will have to make your own way to meet up with the group on arrival and / or to your next destination when your tour ends. We shall not be responsible / liable to refund any amount to you in this regard. Terms & Conditions shall apply.
AIRLINE CONFIRMATION AND RECONFIRMATION Though you may receive a confirmed air ticket for a particular sector, airlines often overbook seats, due to which the airline may offload even confirmed passengers and may accommodate them on a subsequent flight. We will not be responsible / liable for any such offloading nor for any consequence of such offloading including delay, inconvenience or loss of tour services. As you are booked on a group fare ticket, please note that seat allotment will be made only when you physically report at the airport check in counter. You are advised to report at the airport check in counter at least 3 to 4 hours for international flight and 2 to 3 for domestic flight prior to the departure time. Seat allocation is a matter of airlines discretion and availability of seats is not in the control of the Company. Hence the Company shall not be held responsible / liable if you do not get seats together or do not get your preferred seats. Please note that in case you are returning on a later date after the tour ends, the responsibility / liability to re- confirm air tickets 72 hours prior to the departure would be solely yours.
YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR DOCUMENTS AND POSSESSIONS You will have to take the risk and responsibility / liability of all your baggage, belongings, currency, valuables, documents and personal effects (collectively 'baggage') at all times during the tour, whether during travel on the airline or during your stay in hotel or during your travel in coaches, while on excursions or otherwise. If you forget to carry or if you lose essential travel documents such as permits, passport, ID, visa, tickets etc., you may be compelled to curtail the tour and you may have to incur extra expenses, for which you alone shall be responsible / liable. In view of what is stated above, please carefully note that: 1) We shall not be responsible or liable for any loss or damage in respect of your baggage etc. or their contents whether due to theft, accident, negligence or otherwise; 2) We shall not be responsible / liable for any cancellation or curtailment of your tour compelled by any such loss of baggage etc. and we shall pay no compensation or refund to you; It is advisable that you do not carry valuables on the tour. However, if you carry any valuables, we recommend that you use all available facilities to keep them secure during your tour. In this regard, some hotels provide Safe Deposit Lockers (which may be charged separately). In case of airlines, we recommend that you declare your valuables to the airline at the time of check-in and pay an additional charge, as may be stipulated by the airline, to make the airline responsible for valuables. Without such declaration, airlines can invoke limitation of liability protections provided under international conventions and laws. If your baggage is lost or misplaced at any time during the course of your tour, it is your responsibility / liability to take all appropriate actions to file complaints with the concerned authorities, including police, airline office etc. In the case of group travel, the tour manager is responsible for the whole group of tour participants, he may not be in a position to escort you to lodge a complaint with the authorities, as it could compromise the convenience and time of the group. Furthermore, tour managers / assistants / escorts are assisting the tourists throughout the tour and are not responsible for tourists' baggage or any kind of personal belongings. On the entire tour, the tourists have to be responsible / liable and carry the baggage on their own. Instructions as well as information of the tour are to be followed in the group tours and the tour manager / Company is not responsible / liable for any instructions overruled by the tourists and / or its consequences.
TRAVEL DOCUMENTS, VISA AND CLEARANCES It shall be solely your responsibility / liability to hold valid and genuine travel documents and statutory clearances, to enable you to travel on the tour such as passports / ID / permits / visa / cruise / train / bus / confirmed tickets / insurance or any other statutory certificates including immigration clearances, etc. In any case, your Passport must be valid for at least six months or as applicable subsequent to the scheduled date of return of the Holiday. It is the responsibility / liability of the Clients to furnish all documents required by the Company for application of visa etc. The Client acknowledges that the Company is merely a facilitator for providing visa guidance services. In the event the application for the visa made by any Client or the Company on behalf of the Client is rejected by the concerned Embassy or Authorities due to inadequate documents furnished by the applicant or due to any other reason whatsoever, the Company shall not be responsible / liable for the same. The visa fee includes the actual visa charge, cost of processing fees, professional charges, and overheads. All costs, charges in respect of the said application for the visa shall be borne by the Client and the non-refundable amount paid by the Client shall be forfeited and no claim whatsoever shall be made for the same. Granting or rejecting visa and immigration clearance is the sole prerogative of the concerned sovereign governments and the Company is only a facilitator, the Company shall neither be responsible in case of non- granting of such documents nor liable for any delay, denial or other related act / omission or for any loss, expense, damage or cost resulting there from. In case of cancellation of the tour by the Client due to non-availability of travel documents, the situation would not change only by virtue of the Client having applied for such documents through the Company. Even if the visa is rejected, the stipulated fees of the Company shall be payable by the Client. There will be no refund, if the Client, or any member of his party, is unable to travel due to the said reasons. In such cases, Cancellation Charges as applicable by the Company will apply and the decision of the Company will be final and binding upon you. In the event that a Client is unable to travel on the Holiday date originally booked by him / her, due to rejection of visa by the concerned Embassy, the said Client shall have the option to postpone his / her -tour to any other future date or choose any other holiday destination subject to Cancellation Charges of the previous tour. However, if the Client books and pays within the cancellation period and is unable to travel due to any reason whatsoever including non-availability of visa or any travel documents, the Cancellation Policy will apply. The Company would not be responsible / liable in any manner whatsoever for any clerical error made by the concerned Embassy / Consulate regarding name, attachment of wrong photograph, duration and type of visa (single / multiple entry) or passport number. We always use services of reputed courier companies for the purpose of transmission of passports to the Embassies / Consulates and to our Clients in various cities. We would not be responsible for any loss or damage whether direct, incidental or consequential caused due to transmission delays or loss of passport. The documents forwarded by you for visa purpose are sent by us to the concerned Embassy / Consulate by third parties and hence we would not be responsible / liable for loss of your documents. We would however, make best attempts to trace your documents or assist you in obtaining alternative / certified copies of the lost documents.
HEALTH Please note that your health is entirely your risk and responsibility. Our tours are suitable for persons of reasonable fitness. They may not suit persons who are medically infirm or who have special needs or requirements whether due to age, medical conditions or otherwise. It shall be your duty to inform us in writing in case you have any medical condition that may affect your ability to fully enjoy our tour arrangements or where the interests of other tour participants may be adversely affected by such condition. Under such conditions we may decline to accept you or continue you on that tour. We reserve the right (without obligation) to ask you to undergo medical tests and to provide written certification of your medical fitness before departure or at any time during the tour and if you fail to undergo such tests or fail to provide such certificates, we may decline to accept you or to continue you on the tour. Our actions in this regard may be guided not only by concerns for your health but also the convenience and health of the other tour participants. However, it is not our obligation to check your medical condition and if you suffer any injury or aggravation on the tour or if you are unable to enjoy / complete the whole or any part of the tour due to your medical conditions, we shall not be responsible / liable to compensate you nor to refund any amount to you nor to pay your medical expenses. If any adventure sports are included in the tour package, you shall avail of the same at your own risk having regard to your medical condition. We shall not be liable for any death, injury or other loss due to your participation in such adventure sports and any release form that you may be required to sign for such person / service provider / club / association / organization / hobbyist / institution will be binding. In this regard, please note that service providers such as airlines may decline to accept you on medical grounds. Please carefully read and understand the rules and regulations of the service providers, because we shall not be responsible / liable for the consequences that you may suffer. To some extent, your losses on account of cancellation or curtailment attributable to hospitalization as also your expenses of hospitalization may be covered by insurance.
TRAWELLTAG COVER-MORE ASSISTANCE AND INSURANCE Your Travel insurance which is underwritten by United India Insurance Co. Ltd. is an add-on benefit provided by TrawellTag Cover-More along with its assistance services and ancillary products, which is included in our tour package (excluding group tours, third party products and SAARC Countries) that entitles you to travel insurance cover during the duration of the tour. An additional charge is payable in case you wish to extend the duration of your tour. The cover is provided for all the passengers only up to 80 years of age in case of domestic travel. All passengers travelling overseas and above the age of 80 years should undergo the required medical tests post which the insurance company will issue travel insurance at an extra premium paid by the passenger. We shall not be liable for any consequences arising due to a pre-existing medical condition on participation in adventure sports even if you have opted for an additional adventure sports cover. It must be noted that pre-existing diseases are not covered under this insurance policy. Please take note that, in case of death of the tourist(s) all the arrangements for transportation of the dead body including procuring the death certificate, post - mortem, re - patriation of dead body and all personal effects / property and insurance claims etc. shall be made by accompanying relative and / or accompanying known acquaintances of the deceased. Company shall not be responsible for extending any help for the same. The entire expenses shall be borne by the accompanying relative / or accompanying known acquaintances of the tourist. The Company or any tour leader shall not be responsible for the same. In case any of the relatives wants to visit the country where the tourist has expired, all the necessary arrangements shall be made by the said relative only at his / her cost. Please note that you would have a direct contractual relation with the insurance company and we are not in any manner responsible for the decisions taken by the insurance company. You shall directly submit claims to your insurance company. The insurance company shall directly pay the settlement amounts to you and any dispute in regard to rejection of claim or adequacy of settlement amount shall be settled by you directly with the insurance company. For details on risk factors, terms and conditions, please read the policy terms and conditions carefully. NOTES Cox & Kings will provide Travel Insurance for passengers travelling to Kailash Mansarovar Yatra subject to approval by the insurance company and for an additional cost. For group tours and all third party products, insurance cost is not included in the tour cost. It must be noted that all Non - Resident Indians / Foreign Nationals need to buy insurance on their own for the specified tour and time period as per the regulatory guidelines. Cox & Kings will not be liable for purchasing insurance for Non - Resident Indians / Foreign Nationals.
NRIS & FOREIGN NATIONALS Non-resident Indians / foreigners can pay the Tour Cost in any convertible foreign currency received through normal banking channels or by debiting their NRE / FCNR accounts or against INR payment representing proceeds of foreign currency surrendered by them during their visit to India, duly supported by encashment certificates as per RBI rules. Foreign nationals residing in India can make payment in Indian Rupees against proof of residency and a photocopy of the same.
LIABILITIES Please go through the Terms and Conditions carefully to understand your rights, responsibilities, risks and the extent of our liabilities. As earlier stated, being tour organizers, we will not be responsible / liable to you for any loss, injury or damage in respect of life, limb or property, sickness, delay, discomfort, anxiety, service denial, service deficiency, additional expenses incurred by you or for any direct, indirect, consequential loss and / or damage of any kind suffered by you howsoever caused arising out of any act, omission, default of any contractor / supplier or of any servant or agent employed by the contractor / supplier or of any third person who may be engaged or concerned in the provision of accommodation, meals, transportation, entertainment, refreshment or any other service etc. comprising the tour package. In view of this, please note that we shall have no liability in the following circumstances (amongst others): Failure on the part of airline / bus/ cruise/ train to accommodate passengers (despite having confirmed tickets) or cancellation, change of route, delay of flights / bus/ cruise/ train. Overbooking of seats / rooms by the airline / hotel. Loss of / delay of baggage by airline / coach / cruise/ train / hotel. Any death, personal injury, sickness, accident, loss, delay, discomfort, increased expenses, consequential loss and / or damage or any kind of theft howsoever / wherever / whenever caused; Rudeness or unprofessional behaviour of staff of airline/ bus / cruise / train / hotel etc., quality of meals, facilities given etc. Any kind of service denial or deficiency by any contractor / supplier. Further, please note that in any case, our liability arising from this contract shall not exceed the total amount paid for the tour holiday. Further, under no circumstances shall we have any liability in respect of any indirect, special or consequential losses / damages whatsoever. As earlier stated, any loss or damage to your baggage will be borne entirely by you and we shall not be responsible / liable for the same in any manner. You may recover such damages by purchasing an appropriate insurance policy. We shall not be responsible and / or liable for any damages caused to you due to reasons beyond the control of the Company (Force Majeure / Vis Majeure). Any overstay expenses due to delay or changes in bus / flights / ships / trains or cancellation of special bogie or other services due to sickness, weather conditions, war, threat of war, strikes, rebellions, disturbances, unrest, curfew etc. or any other cause whatsoever, shall be borne entirely by you and we shall not be responsible / liable for the same. We are not responsible / liable for any acts, omissions or defaults of other tour participants which may result in injury, damage to your life / limb or property or interfere with enjoying any services to be provided on the tour. The immunities provided under this contract to the Company shall be available to the Company's managers, including tour managers, employees, servants and agents but not to the contractors / suppliers selected by the Company. Please note that we will be entitled to retain custody of your documents or properties entrusted to us till we receive payment of all amounts that are due to us in relation to your booking / travel.
YOU WILL NEED TO COMPLY WITH TOUR CONDITIONS You will have to strictly follow the tour program and comply with the terms and conditions of the various contractors / service providers such as hotels, airlines etc. You are responsible to register with the representative of the Company at the appointed date, place and time for departure and you would be treated as a no-show if you fail to do so and the consequences shall be yours entirely. You are required to be punctual and adhere to the time- lines of the tour and of the contractors / service providers. If you are not punctual, you could miss your flight, your coach, your meals etc. We will not be responsible / liable in any way in such situations. You shall not behave in a manner which may cause distress or annoyance to other tour participants or to any other person or which may create the risk of danger or damage to property belonging to us or other tour participants, service providers or any other persons. If you misbehave or disturb the decorum of the tour, we may have to terminate your tour. In such an event, no refund or compensation will be paid to you and you will have to bear and pay the expenses for your return travel at your risk and consequences. You shall not carry any item or object, the possession of which is forbidden by any laws, rules or regulations. Nor shall you violate any other laws, rules or regulations. Should any tour participant misbehave or violate any laws, rules or regulations, we shall have the right to discontinue his / her participation and exclude him / her from the tour at his / her risk, cost and expense. Should we suffer any damage or liability on account of a tour participant's misbehaviour, we shall be free to separately charge and recover our losses and expenses from him / her. For any visit which has religious significance (example: cathedrals / temples / mosques etc.) you will need to follow the rules and regulations set by them. Examples could be: (i) Clothes not meeting with the required standards. Wherever required, you should cover your head with scarf; sleeveless clothes / shorts should not be worn. (ii) You must respect the place of worship. (iii) Photography which may be forbidden. (iv) Prohibition on eating or consumption of beverages. (v) Maintaining silence during religious ceremony etc. (vi) Obscene CDs, DVDs, books or such other media that may not be permitted in keeping with the spirit of the place;
PRICES, SURCHARGES AND TAXES The Company reserves the right to impose surcharges on any tour(s), but only for reasons arising from increases in transportation costs, fuel costs, dues, taxes or fees chargeable for services such as landing taxes or embarkation or disembarkation fees at ports and airport charges, local operator costs, currency and exchange fluctuations, increases in taxes, or government action etc., which impacts the price of the applicable tour(s). Tours are priced and advertised exclusive of applicable taxes and such taxes will be advised to you at the time of booking and itemized on subsequent invoicing.
VALIDITY The prices of tour / s advertised in the brochures and on the Company's Website are based on costs in effect at the time of printing the brochure or hosting on the Website. The Company reserves the right to alter prices of any tour at any time prior and / or post receipt of payment in full for such tour. All dates, itineraries and prices are indicative only and the price quoted at the time of booking shall be the applicable price, subject to the surcharges that may be levied. Rate of exchange will be as per the day of payment.
NO REFUND FOR UNUTILIZED SERVICES It is clearly understood that there shall be no refund or compensation whatsoever for unutilized services. This general rule applies to all kinds of non-utilization or under- utilization of tour services, whether of the whole or part of the tour and whether as a matter of your choice, or caused by your fault or compelled by circumstances such as ill- health, weather, external factors etc. As a consequence of the above rule, please note that no refund will be admissible in the following circumstances (amongst others). There would be no refund if you fail to join the group at the commencement of the tour or join the group later or leave the group before culmination of the tour for any reasons whatsoever. There will be no refund if you fail to or are unable to utilize any of the services on the tour like airline / bus / train / cruise travel, hotels, sightseeing, rides, meals, entrance fees, optional tours etc due to any reason whatsoever such as late reporting, ill-health etc. There would be no refund if you terminate your participation in the tour due to your own fault, negligence or breach of these terms.
EMPLOYEES / AGENTS NOT AUTHORIZED TO CHANGE TERMS No person including any of our employees, Agents or Franchisees has the authority to alter, amend, or waive any stipulation, representation, term or condition set forth in this document. Assurance if any, given by any of our employees, Agents, Franchisees or any other person, whether given verbally / in writing / by email / by sms or otherwise, which is contrary to the Terms and Conditions shall not bind us, in any manner.
PLEASE CAREFULLY CHECK WHAT THE TOUR COST INCLUDES AND EXCLUDES Please refer to the relevant section of the Price Grid / Price Column for the tour cost. All services to be provided to you will be as per those specified / confirmed and paid for as per the Invoices. If you avail any service such as porterage, room service, laundry, excess baggage charge, a la carte meals, alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, paid toilets or anything that is not specifically shown as included in the Tour Cost, then the payment for the same will have to be cleared by you.
TIPPING Tipping is customary (unless otherwise stated in the brochure) in all parts of the world for services rendered (e.g. porters, coach drivers, tour leaders, guides etc)
CURRENCY AND TRAVELLERS CHEQUES We recommend that you hold your Foreign Exchange partly in Cash and partly in Travelers Cheque. You can also opt to take a Foreign Currency Debit Card which is another safe mode of carrying exchange. Travelers Cheque can be encashed overseas for foreign exchange, for a nominal fee.
MINIMUM PARTICIPATION Tours specified in the Group Tours Brochure are operated subject to a minimum participation of paying adult participants. If the participation is less than the minimum prescribed, we reserve the right to amend, amalgamate, alter, vary, or cancel a tour without incurring any liability to pay any compensation. If we decide to operate the tour with participation below the minimum stipulated or if you are required to travel as individual travelers (not as a group) we reserve the right to collect an additional pro-rata amount. In such cases you may not be provided certain services, which would have been provided in the group tour including the service of a tour manager and you may need to travel on an amended itinerary and services, such as transportation on a 'seat in coach' basis, where the coach departures are at fixed times and routes etc. Minimum Operating Strength (MOS) would be case to case and as per seasonality of the tour.
FORCE MAJEURE The Company shall not be liable / responsible in any way to you for death, bodily injury, illness, damage, deficiency, delay or other loss or detriment to person or property, or financial costs both direct and indirect incurred, or for our failure to commence, perform and / or complete any duty owed to you if such death, delay, bodily injury (including emotional distress or injury), illness, damage or other loss or detriment to person or property is caused by act of god, war or threat of war, declared war, war riots, mechanical breakdowns, acts of the public enemy, actual or threatened terrorist activity, acts of terrorism, terrorism, hostilities civil disturbances, insurrections, industrial dispute, strikes, financial/economic slowdown and / or meltdown, accidents, explosions, implosions, fires, earthquakes, volcanic ashes, floods, transportation embargoes, epidemics, interference by authorities, political disturbance, howsoever and where so ever any of the same may arise or be caused, riot, insurrection and government restraint, extreme weather or any other cause whatsoever beyond the reasonable control of the Company; or an event in which the supplier of services, even with all due care, could not foresee.
PRIVACY OF INFORMATION We try to maintain the privacy of the personal information provided by you. However, it would be necessary for us to share this information with cruise companies, airlines, hotels and other service providers who would be providing you service during the tour. We would also be constrained to disclose such information if we receive an order of the court, a requisition from any government or statutory authority, subpoena, or where under any laws, rules or regulations, such disclosure becomes necessary. You agree to let us photograph and / or videograph the tour and specifically you agree to let us photograph and / or videograph you in the course of the tour. You agree to let us publish such photographs / videographs through all media including print media, websites, letters, emails etc. You also agree to let us track usage statistics. You agree and accept that all such photographs and / or videographs and statistics are our absolute property and we have the unrestricted right to use them for any legitimate purposes including advertisement and commercial purposes. Further, you agree that if you share with us any photographs and / or videographs taken by you during the tour, we would be free to publish such photographs and / or videographs through all media including print media, Websites, letters, emails etc. We recommend that you register online so that we can send you updates and information on travel destinations.
COMMUNICATION Communications transmitted to your mailing address / email address on record shall be deemed to have been communicated to you even if returned undeliverable for any reason. All communication from you to the Company has to be in writing, not orally. Where you book directly with us, we will address communications to you at your mailing address and / or e-mail address given in the Booking Form. Where you have booked through a Travel Agent, we will address communications to your Travel Agent, who made the booking on your behalf and the agent would be responsible for transmitting such communication to you. All monies paid to the Travel Agent shall not constitute payment to us unless deposited by your Agent with the Company. We shall not be liable / responsible for any miscommunication, non communication or delayed communication.
BALANCE PAYMENT Please check your Invoice for the due date of your balance payments of the tour cost. This balance payment has to be made within 20 days from the booking date. If the booking is accepted within 30 days of the date of departure of the tour, the entire tour cost has to be paid upfront. A delay in payment of your tour cost (part payment or full payment) can result in a delay in processing your documentation, booking and issue of tickets (if applicable) and we may treat it as a cancellation of booking by you, which will be subject to the applicable Cancellation Charges as per the cancellation schedule. We reserve the right to amend the prices published in this brochure and on the website and to adjust our charges based on various factors including but not limited to currency fluctuations, fuel price rise, travel arrangements, special / high season charge levied by the suppliers, hike in any government taxes or any taxes or visa amounts and / or for any reason before the date of departure. All such increases in price must be paid for in full before your departure. Exceptionally if the booking is accepted by us less than 3 days prior departure date of such tour, then you will have to pay the entire tour cost only by DD / cash / pay order / RTGS on the day of booking.
ON TOUR ASSISTANCE Please promptly inform your tour manager of any grievances that you may have and immediately follow this up by writing to us. This will enable us to promptly rectify all genuine grievances in real time. If you fail to do this, you will be deemed to have acknowledged and accepted the services of the Company in full satisfaction and you shall be deemed to have no grievance or complaint in that regard. You should communicate the grievance to the Contractor on the emergency telephone number and adopt any of the following procedures provided that such communication should be made on a working day within working hours: 1. By fax at 91 22 2270 9161 followed by a written communication to our Registered Office listed below with a copy marked to the independent contractor,OR 2. By email to firstname.lastname@example.com followed by a written communication to our Registered Office listed below with a copy marked to the independent contractor, OR 3. In writing with a copy marked to the independent contractor, at the Registered Office of the Company: Cox & Kings Limited, Customer Service, Bharat Deko, Turner Morrison Building, 16, Bank Street, Fort, Mumbai - 400 001, India Any complaint made by you must be notified to the Company in writing within 28 days of the end of the tour. No claim notified to the Company outside this period will be entertained and the Company shall incur no liability whatsoever in respect thereof.
AMENDMENTS AND SEVERABILITY The latest Terms, as amended, may be accessed any time on the Company's Website at http://www. coxandkings.com or will be sent to you upon your written request to the Company. If any provision of these Terms is found to be so broad as to be unenforceable, such provision shall be interpreted to be only so broad as is enforceable. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision hereof shall in no way affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision.
We may assist you in obtaining bank finance to enable you to pay in easy instalments. However, please note that the loan relationship is entirely between you and the bank and you will submit the finance application to the bank entirely at your own risk. If you fail to provide the required documentation to the bank so that loan cannot be availed of in time or if the bank in its sole discretion rejects your loan application, you shall be liable to pay the entire price to us upfront, failing which your booking shall stand cancelled and cancellation charges shall apply. We may assist you in the "SNTL" scheme which is governed by Special Terms. Please liaise with our executive to obtain these Special Terms.
LAW AND JURISDICTION In the event of a dispute arising out of or relating to this contract, including any question regarding its existence, validity or termination, the parties shall first seek settlement of that dispute by mediation in accordance with the applicable rules. The Mediator shall be appointed by the Company. If the dispute is not settled by mediation within thirty days of the appointment of the mediator, or such further period as the parties shall agree in writing, then the dispute shall be settled in accordance with the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 by a sole Arbitrator to be appointed by the Company. The arbitration proceedings will be in Mumbai. The Arbitrator's decision shall be final and binding on both parties. In case of any dispute concerning the award the courts in Mumbai alone shall have exclusive jurisdiction. This contract will be governed by Indian laws. You agree that in the event of a dispute or difference between the parties the exclusive jurisdiction shall vest in the competent court / forum / tribunal in Mumbai only. As to the interpretation of the aforesaid terms and conditions, the decision of Cox & Kings shall be final and binding upon you. The Company reserves its right to change the Terms & Conditions without assigning any reasons, any time without any prior notice.
YOUR SUGGESTIONS: If you have any tips, which you might want to share with us, do write in to us at our Registered Office as listed above or email us at bdfeedback@ coxandkings.com or fax to us at 91 22 2270 9161. On behalf of the persons booked, I / We have read, understood and accepted the Terms and Conditions, How to Book Rules, Brochure, Price Grid / Price Column, Itinerary, Promotions / Promotion Booklet (if applicable), Cancellation Policy and Web pages, a copy of each of which has been furnished to me / us. I / We being duly authorized by the said persons do hereby agree and accept the same for self and on behalf of the said persons assuming full responsibility. Name ________________________________ Signature _____________________________
CHILDREN ACCOMMODATION A child travelling for whom 'without a bed' charge has been paid would not be entitled to a separate bed in the hotel. In case 'with bed' charge has been paid for the child and you decide not to avail such facility whilst on the tour, you would not be entitled to any refund. In case you decide to seek an extra bed for the child booked on 'without bed' basis on the tour, this will be provided subject to availability and you shall be bound to pay any additional amount charged by the concerned hotel directly.
TRIPLE ACCOMMODATION We recommend a maximum of only (3) three persons in one room. Triple rooms are usually no larger than twin rooms and the third bed is often a rollaway bed or cot placed in a twin room. Some hotels do not allow a third occupant. This however is subject to the concerned hotel policy.
SINGLE ACCOMMODATION In case you book on a single occupancy basis, you will have to pay a single room supplement unless another tour participant is willing to share your room. You shall also be responsible / liable to pay the single room supplement if earlier having booked on a shared room basis, you later have to take the room on single occupancy basis since your intended room partner has either dropped out of the tour for any reason or since you and / or your room partner are no longer willing to share a room. Note that the single room supplement will be charged in all cases where a booking on a shared room basis has to be changed to single room basis including the following: Intended room partner was arranged by you. Intended room partner was arranged by us for you. No room partner was found available for you.
HOTEL STANDARDS Hotel standards vary throughout India. Hotels in India continually try to upgrade their services and there can be ongoing renovation works throughout the year. We will endeavour to obtain rooms as far away from such activity as possible but please bear in mind that hotels run on full capacity during peak season and specific rooms can rarely be pre-booked. Hotels may be booked far off from central place. Please note that basic amenities will depend on the destination and local infrastructure available. Economy hotels are budget hotels and they may not have any star category classification obtained from the relevant authorities of Government of India. Even 2 star properties approved by the India Tourism, Government of India, can be considered as economy hotels. These hotels may provide very bare basic amenities. Standard hotels are mainly 3 star category hotels approved by the India Tourism, Government of India. They may also include Heritage hotels, Lodges and Resorts. Deluxe hotels can be categorized with ratings of 4 star or 5 star approved by the HRACC, India Tourism, Government of India. They may also include Heritage hotels, lodges and resorts. Heritage hotels are set in old or historic style buildings and are categorized into grand, classic and heritage. If you would like to stay in any of hotels other than those featured in the tour itinerary, or you would like to upgrade the standard of your room, this can be arranged and you will be informed of the difference in price and this would be subject to availability. Hotels can be booked on the following occupancy basis:
HOTELS The Company selects hotels for your stay at locations, which give comfort and value for money. For various reasons, such as reducing the overall travelling time on the coach for the following day, the hotels may be chosen away from the city centre. Modern facilities such as attached toilets with showers / bathtubs are provided. We cannot guarantee the availability of adjoining rooms / interconnecting rooms / non-smoking room / rooms on the same floor etc. and are subject to availability. If you seek a change in rooming while on a tour, the same will be subject to availability and you will need to pay any additional charges as may be applicable. The check in and check out times may vary from city to city. Usually, the check-in time is 12:00 noon and check- out by 11:00 a.m. You may have to wait for some time till the rooms are cleared. However, in case the room is required on immediate occupancy / late check out, kindly inform our sales executive to assist on the same at an additional cost. During trade fairs, sometimes last minute hotel tariffs may vary from their normal / displayed rates for which we shall not be responsible / liable for any variation in the rate displayed by the hotel. We shall not be held liable / responsible in case the hotel provided is not the same as mentioned on the Website at the time of booking. We reserve the right to change the hotel any time due to any reasons. No refunds or compensation will be provided in case we are not able to provide confirmation of the hotel mentioned on the Website. Any damage caused to the hotel property by you will have to be paid directly and we would not be liable / responsible for the same.
MEALS Please refer to the itinerary in the Brochure / Website for details of the meals which would be served to you on the tour. Unlike an airline, we cannot process a special meal, nor can we guarantee a special diet, nor can we guarantee the seating arrangement in a particular section of the restaurant. We do not assure special meals, or special timings or extra halts for infants, children, or passengers with diabetes, cholesterol, high blood pressure or any other condition. We cannot guarantee quantity of the food as may be provided by the service provider. If you have any such special requirements arising from medical conditions, customs and practices or from the needs of your children or otherwise, it would be advisable to travel on a customized tour and coach tours are not recommended. We, however, reserve the right to change the meal arrangement, where circumstances compel us to do so. At some places a meal allowance may be paid at our discretion to you to enable you to have a meal of your own choice.
OUR SCOPE OF SERVICES We are travel and holiday organizers only. We inspect and select the services to be provided to you. However, we do not own, operate or control any airline, shipping company, coach or coach company, hotel, transport, restaurant, kitchen caravan or any other facility or provider that is engaged to provide you services during the course of your tour. Therefore, please carefully note that: 1. You will need to adhere to the conditions, rules and regulations of each service provider. For instance, you will need to check the baggage rules of the airline to understand what kind of baggage and how much baggage you can carry. You will need to check the hotel rules to check the timings when meal is served, to ensure that you are available at that time. The Company is not responsible / liable for the consequences if you breach such rules and regulations; 2. If you cause any injury or damage affecting the service provider, then you may be responsible / liable to the service provider and if the service provider recovers any monies from us for such injury or damages, we shall separately charge you for the same; 3. We cannot be held responsible / liable for any delay, deficiency, injury, death, loss or damage etc. occasioned due to act or default of such service providers, their employees or agents.
RATE OF EXCHANGE APPLICABLE TO REFUNDS Please note that refunds of foreign exchange component of the tour cost will be based on our buying rate of that date. Every day we i.e. Cox & Kings Limited publish on our web page (http://www.coxandkings.com/live/products/forex/index.php) and through our sales network, our buying and selling rate for foreign currency applicable for that day. When we receive Indian Rupees from you in relation to a booking, we convert them into the foreign exchange component of the tour cost at our selling rate, then applicable. However, when we refund the foreign exchange component to you in Indian Rupees, we do so at our buying rate applicable on the date of refund and after deductions of bank charges as applicable in cases of bank remittance / telegraphic transfer.
TRANSFER FROM ONE TOUR TO ANOTHER A request in writing for transfer from one tour to another 30 days prior to the departure will be treated as cancellation on that tour and a fresh booking on another. In these cases, a transfer fee of Rs.750/- per person + service tax as applicable will be applicable in addition to the costs for re-processing your documentation including permits / visa / cruise / airlines / bus bookings / insurance, etc. due to the transfer to another tour. In case you transfer within the cancellation period, then the Cancellation Policy will also apply. Terms & Conditions shall apply.
AMENDMENT OF BOOKING BY YOU If you wish to amend or change your booking, you have to communicate your request to us in writing and / or email. Such requests for change or amendment will be accepted subject to availability. Please note that: 1) The amended or changed booking will be regarded as a new booking; 2) An amendment fee of INR 750/- + service tax as applicable is payable in case of every amendment or change; 3) In case the amendment is carried out within the cancellation period, then a Cancellation Charge shall apply as if a cancellation was made on the date the request for amendment or change is made. Please note the Cancellation Charges specified in the preceding section. Terms and Conditions shall also apply.
CANCELLATION OF BOOKING BY YOU Should you wish to cancel your booking, you must notify us in writing. Such notification shall be deemed to have been given to us only on the date of the receipt of your letter, since we can act only on receipt. Please state the reason for your cancellation as it may be covered by your insurance policy. Claims must however be made direct to your insurance company. The following Cancellation Charges for the land and airfare packages shall apply irrespective of the reason for cancellation. You understand and acknowledge that these charges are a genuine pre-estimate of the damages that we will suffer on account of cancellation. You understand that these damages are called liquidated damages in legal language, which are payable without proof of actual damages. You agree not to dispute such deductions or to demand proof of actual damages. In case of cancellation, the following Cancellation Charges would apply. When a cancellation is made Cancellation charges per person Clear 30 working days or more prior to the tour departure date or for non-payment of the balance Tour Cost within the stipulated time frame Booking Amount Clear 29 to 16 working days prior to the tour departure date. 25% of the Tour Cost Clear 15 to 08 working days prior to the tour departure date 50% of the Tour Cost Less than 07 clear working days prior to the tour departure date. 100% of the Tour Cost For Tours with Cruise Less than clear 80 - 50 working days (depending on the Cancellation Policy of the particular cruise liner) prior to the tour departure date for the Cruise portion. 100% NOTE: In case of third party products, such as cruise holiday, bus and train tickets, 5 Star hotels, services during the trade fair period, festival periods, the rules relating to payment terms, cancellation and the cancellation schedule prescribed by the concerned third party service provider would be applicable and in addition the Company shall have the right to claim service and communication charges of INR 2,000/- per person. There will be a service tax of 15% presently applicable over and above all mentioned charges. Hence, post deduction of cancellation charges with service tax, balance amount will be refunded. For Land or Airfare Packages (Individual Holidays - FIT): When a cancellation is made Cancellation charges per person Clear 40 working days or more prior to the tour departure date or for non-payment of the balance Tour Cost within the stipulated time frame Booking Amount Clear 39 to 25 working days prior to the tour departure date. 50% of the Tour Cost Clear 24 to 10 working days prior to the tour departure date. 75% of the Tour Cost Less than 09 clear working days prior to the tour departure date. 100% of Tour Cost Less than clear 80 - 50 working days (depending on the cancellation policy of the particular cruise liner) prior to the date of the departure of the tour for the Cruise portion. 100% It is a clear understanding between the parties that for the purpose of this clause, cancellation can be due to any reason whatsoever including the reason of inability to participate due to, illness, death, court orders, non-availability of travel documents etc. Regardless of the reason for cancellation the Company shall not be liable / responsible to pay any compensation, interest or damages to you. As per the booking conditions, we are constrained to levy the aforesaid Cancellation Charges in addition to the actual administrative / service expenditure incurred towards travel insurance, retention charges by supplier, permits / visa, if any, etc. If you wish to cancel your booking, you need to inform us by any of the following methods, provided that such information should be given on a working day within working hours: 1. By fax at 91 22 2270 9161 followed by a written communication to our registered office listed below OR 2. By email to email@example.com followed by a written communication to our Registered Office listed below OR 3. In writing on at the Registered Office of the Company: Cox & Kings Limited, Customer Service, Bharat Deko, Turner Morrison Building, 16, Bank Street, Fort, Mumbai - 400 001, India If the Booking Documents have been signed by one or more persons for themselves and for others mentioned in the Booking Form, then the communication signed by such signatory / s would be treated as a valid communication with full responsibility / liability for cancellation for all such persons mentioned in the form. Similarly if your Agent seeks cancellation, we will act on the basis that he has been authorized or instructed by you to cancel assuming full responsibility and shall accordingly effect cancellation. Cancellation shall take effect only from the time the written request reaches the Company at its office on working days within office time at the details listed above. However, in the following cases you shall be deemed to have cancelled the tour even if no cancellation notice is issued by you: i) In case of visa rejection, you would be deemed to have cancelled on the date of intimation of such rejection. ii) In case of Visa Rejection on the date of departure and / or post departure, you would be deemed to have cancelled on the date of departure or post departure. iii) If you fail to pay the tour costs in time or if you commit any other default in relation to your booking, we may treat such failure or default as a cancellation of the booking by you. In such case, the Cancellation Charges shall be computed with reference to the date on which we issue you a notice of cancellation; iv) If on your failure of payment or other default, no notice of cancellation is issued by us but your payment or default remains outstanding on the date of departure, the booking shall be deemed to have been cancelled by you without any advance notice, inviting the applicable Cancellation Charge. You expressly agree to abide by the foregoing terms and conditions
CANCELLATION / AMENDMENT BY COMPANY We reserve our right to amend or cancel the tour booked by you, without assigning any reason. Such amendment or cancellation may be due to circumstances beyond our control. In such cases, we will offer you alternative tour dates / tours or you would have the option of travelling as individual travellers, not as part of the original tours. If the alternative date / tour is not acceptable or you do not wish to travel as individual travellers, we would refund the money paid by you after deducting any costs incurred by us on your behalf including cruise cost, airlines, transport, permits / visa, insurance, etc. within a period of thirty days from the date of amendment or cancellation. However, we would not be responsible or liable to pay any compensation or damages or consequential loss or interest or to refund any other expense incurred by you.
CONTRACT SUBJECT TO SIGNATURE AND PAYMENTS Please note that there is no contract between the Company and the tour participants until the Booking Documents are signed and received by the Company and the Company has also received the specified non-refundable interest free booking amount. The full payment must be received in accordance with prescribed payment schedule. If not paid in accordance with the payment schedule, the Company reserves the right to cancel the booking with consequent forfeiture of booking amount and apply scale of Cancellation Charges as mentioned in the brochure. Any payment that you make to your Travel Agent would not constitute payment to the Company until the same is remitted to the account of the Company.
YOUR TRAVEL AGENT CAN SIGN THE BOOKING DOCUMENTS ON YOUR BEHALF Where tour participants are booking through a Travel Agent, if such Travel Agent signs the Booking Documents, it shall be deemed that such signature is for and on behalf of all the tour participants named in the Booking Form assuming full responsibility. It shall be deemed and construed that all such tour participants have duly authorized the said Travel Agent to sign the Booking Documents on their behalf.
ONE / SOME MEMBER(S) MAY SIGN BOOKING DOCUMENTS ON YOUR BEHALF In case of one or more but not all tour participants named in the Booking Form sign the Booking Documents, it shall be deemed that the signatories have been duly authorized by all such tour participants to sign on their behalf assuming full responsibility and accordingly it shall be deemed that all such tour participants have signed the booking documents.
DOCUMENTATION A. For buying foreign exchange component of tour cost for International Travel other than travel to Nepal and Bhutan, following documentation is required: a. Copy of PAN card, which is mandatorily required. b. In case of minor where PAN Card is not available, the PAN Card details of parent / guardian are required. c. You will have to provide a declaration in Form 60 in case you do not have PAN Card. d. Cheque / Demand draft to be in the name of "Cox & Kings Ltd." e. Physically signed booking form by the traveller. f. Physically signed terms and conditions form by the traveller. B. We would also require the following documents from you, under the Reserve Bank of India KYC Guidelines: a. Physically signed LRS cum Form A2 by the traveller [Only for international travel] b. Signed photocopy of the first 2 pages and last 2 pages of your passport. c. Valid Visa issued by the country of visit. d. Air tickets. e. Address Proof: FEATURES TRANSACTIONS WITH INDIVIDUALS (Address proof) DOCUMENTS (i) Passport, (ii) PAN Card, (iii) Voter's Identity Card, (iv) Driving License, (v) Job Card issued by NREGA(vi) Aadhar Card In case of LOW risk customers, "simplified measures" can be applied which shall be deemed to be "officially valid documents": Identity card with applicant's photograph issued by central / state government departments, statutory / regulatory authorities, public sector undertakings, scheduled commercial banks and public financial institutions Letter issued by a gazette officer with a duly attested photograph of the person Where "simplified measures" are applied for verifying for the limited purpose of proof of address, the following additional documents are deemed to be Officially Valid Documents (OVD): vii) Utility bill which is not more than two months old of any service providers (electricity, telephone, post paid mobile phone, piped gas, water bill) viii) Property or municipal tax receipt ix) Bank account or Post office savings bank account statement x) Pension or family pension payment orders, only if they contain address xi) Letter of allotment of accommodation If the proof of address you are providing is in the name of some other member of your family with whom you are living and are closely related, then you would need to provide us such proof of address as mentioned above along with a declaration from the person named in such proof of address stating that you are a relative and are staying with him / her. If the document of identity produced has an address which is the same as that declared by the prospective Client, the said document may be accepted as valid proof of both identity and address. If different or if a valid photo ID does not have address, then a separate address proof should be obtained
ONLINE BOOKING You can purchase our services from our sales outlets, Agents or Franchises. In the alternative, you can register and book your tour / services online through our Website. Our Website provides the facility of making online booking of tours and services. However, we cannot give any guarantee or warranty with respect to the Website booking engine which could malfunction due to various reasons including software or network errors. We have incorporated all modern protection technologies to ensure that information concerning you or your payments is kept secure and confidential. It is made clear that the online booking shall be effective once you confirm the terms and conditions, as follows. During the course of online booking on our Website, you will have the opportunity to go through our terms and conditions and privacy policy, which are displayed on our Website and which you will need to confirm and accept in the course of booking online. Further, you will also need to send us a hard copy of the said Booking Documents confirming that you have read, understood and accepted the Terms and Conditions and other applicable documents including Brochure and / or, Itinerary and / or Price Grid / Price Column and / or Promotion Booklet. We would also require a copy of the first two pages and last two pages of your passport which show the date of your passport, place and date of issue and expiry. The Company reserves the right to decline to register any person / s for any tour or to cancel their registration without assigning any reason and without any compensation
HELICOPTER PACKAGES In the event that you are booking any product which includes helicopter services such as in case of Amarnath Yatra, Mata Vaishnodevi, Kailash Mansarovar tour etc. the same would be subject to the weather conditions / permissions of the shrine boards/ availability at the time of booking and / or any other statutory requirements. The Client cannot hold the Company responsible / liable for any such happening or non happening of any event which is beyond the control of the Company. If the helicopter service remains unutilized for any reasons whatsoever, including the aforesaid reasons then the Company shall not be responsible / liable for any refunds whatsoever.
CONDITIONS OF OTHER THIRD PARTY OPERATORS In the event you are booking through us a tour / travel service of any third party operators, the terms and conditions of such third party operators, including their payment schedule, cancellation, refund etc. shall be applicable to you in addition to these Terms and Conditions.
GENERAL NOTICE REGARDING BOOKING Please read carefully and understand the 'Terms and Conditions' of the Booking Documents , as all these will form part of your contract with us once you effect the booking. To effect the booking, we may require you to sign the Booking Documents. We advise you to ensure before making a booking that you have and / or you will be able to provide all the required documents to enable you to travel. Please go through our web site and / or check with our staff to ascertain the required documentation.
PROMOTIONS / OFFERS / SCHEMES Please note that promotional offers may have different terms and conditions which will be in addition to these terms and conditions and the requirements of the booking amounts, payments, deadlines and mode of payment may be defined in such promotions which will be over and above these terms and conditions. You will have to adhere to the payment schedule prescribed under such offers, promotions or schemes in order to be eligible to avail benefits under such offers, promotions or schemes. If you fail to make the payment by the due date and / or do not comply with all the terms and conditions of the offer, promotion or scheme, you would not be entitled to receive the benefit under such offer, promotion or scheme. We shall have the absolute right to withdraw any scheme or discount at any time after such scheme or discount is published without prior intimation.
ITINERARY MAY CHANGE AT ANY TIME We reserve the right to alter, amend, change or modify the tour package and itineraries before or during the tour. We will make reasonable efforts to notify you promptly of such changes / events sufficiently in advance during booking or prior to departure of the tour. If such changes / events occur during the tour, our tour manager or local representative will inform you of the changes on the spot and we solicit your full co-operation in accepting such circumstantial changes. Therefore, no grievance regarding any itinerary / service change which we are constrained to make, will be entertained from the tour participants during or after the tour. Such changes may be necessitated due to factors beyond our control such as Force Majeure events, strikes, fairs, festivals, sport events, weather conditions, traffic problems, overbooking of hotels / flights, cancellation / re-routing of flights or railways, closure of / restricted entry at a place of sightseeing. Generally, we try to avoid dates when big Fairs, Exhibitions, Olympics etc. And other events are held in certain cities as hotels are fully booked several years ahead. If you have to travel on such dates, you may have to stay in alternate hotels or hotels in other cities. Due to airline's requirements the points of entry and exit in a city / country may change. We may operate more than one coach per departure date and may for convenience reverse the direction or amend the itinerary. Change in itinerary may also be required or necessitated on account of actions, inactions, defaults or condition of tour participants. We will make reasonable efforts to keep the overall package of services unchanged. However, we shall not be responsible / liable to refund any amount or pay any compensation on account of any change in itinerary. In case the alternate arrangements made are materially superior as compared to the ones described in the Brochure, we may charge extra for the same at the time of booking or in the course of the tour.
BROCHURE / WEBSITE INFORMATION DISCLAIMERS We take reasonable care in preparing the brochure, Price Grid / Price Column, web pages and other documents and in describing the services therein. However, we are not responsible / liable for any typographical / printing errors. Furthermore, brochures may be printed several months in advance and the content may not always be fully updated. We therefore ask you to confirm the current information by contacting us. Please note that the itinerary may have changed. The products and services displayed may have changed. The photos of meals / sightseeing are for reference only and may differ from the actual meals / sights. Distance between places and temperatures are approximate and can change depending on travel, road conditions and climatic changes. We hereby disclaim all warranties and conditions with regard to this information, software, products, services and related graphics, including all implied warranties and fitness for a particular purpose, title and non- infringement.
DEFINITIONS In the terms and conditions set out in this document, the following terms shall, unless contrary to the context, have the meaning specified. "You" means the person / s in whose name and / or whose behalf the Booking is made. Alternatively, the reference may be made in the third person as "Tour Participant"/ "They" / "Client" / "Them" / "His" / "Her". "We"/ "Us"/ "Company" means Cox & Kings Limited. "Infant" / "Child" mean respectively a person below the age of two years and a person more than the age of two and below the age of twelve years. "Contractor" / "Supplier" means supplier of any infrastructural facility and shall include hotel managements, airlines, caterers, restaurants, places of entertainment like theme parks, museums, art galleries etc shipping company, railway, ferry, cruise, coach who are to provide the services to the Client. "Tour Cost" means the tour cost mentioned in the Price Grid / Price Column / brochures / online and other payments such as taxes, surcharges etc payable by the Client to the Company "Brochure" means printed brochure, Website, itinerary, leaflets, booklet, Price Grid / Price Column. "Website" means www.coxandkings.com "Web pages" means pages on the Website www. coxandkings.com "Cancellation Policy" means and includes all the Cancellation Charges levied by the company from time to time, third party Cancellation Charges etc. as more particularly described hereinbelow or any other documents. "VISA" means a Certificate issued or a stamp marked (on the applicant's passport) by the immigration authorities of a country to indicate that the applicant's credentials have been verified and he or she has been granted permission to enter the country for a temporary stay within a specified period. (Note: The Company does not have any role to play for issuance / rejection of Visa other than being a facilitator). "Permit" means an official document given by authorized department for entry into any place or destination. (Note: The Company does not have any role to play for issuance / denial of Permit other than being a facilitator). "Permit / Visa Cancellation Policy" means and includes all the cancellation charges levied by Consulate / statutory authorities and which interalia includes permit / visa fees and any supplementary charges such as permit / visa facilitation charges, courier fees, SMS charges, urgent fees charged by the Consulate / statutory authorities in addition to the administrative fees charged by the Company. "Jurisdiction" means the geographical area over which a court or government body has the power and right to exercise authority. Parties hereto agree to confer exclusive Jurisdiction to Mumbai Courts / Forums. "Booking Documents" shall mean Booking Form and such other documents as we may deem fit including (without limitation) THE 'TERMS & CONDITIONS', 'HOW TO BOOK' RULES AND 'PRICE GRID' "Terms and Conditions" means these terms and conditions and includes the How to Book Rules, Booking Form, Web Pages, Brochure, Price Grid, Itinerary, Promotion Booklet and other documents as may be notified from time to time" Payment Schedule For Land Package Only Sr.No. Payment Item Amount in INR per person Date of payment 1 Interest free non-refundable booking amount Rs. 3000 Immediately upon booking 2 Balance Payments As per the selected tour Within 20 days from the booking date or 30 days before departure date whichever is earlier Payment Schedule for Airfare Packages (Air Ticket and Land Arrangements):- Sr.No. Payment Item Amount in INR per person Date of payment Interest free non-refundable booking amount (for direct flights) Rs. 15000 Immediately upon booking Interest free non-refundable booking amount (for via flights) Rs. 20000 Immediately upon booking Balance Payments As per the selected tour Within 20 days from the booking date or 30 days before departure date whichever is earlier Service Tax of 9% on total package cost inclusive of Swachh Bharat Cess & Krishi Kalyan Cess applicable as on date, for the Tour cost of the Package, service tax rate are subject to change. The GST (Goods and Services Tax) is under consideration by the Government of India and as and when the same is enacted the same shall be applicable to you without any intimation. NOTE: If you are booking your tour within 30 days of the departure date, then 100% of the tour payment must be made immediately, before any service can be provided. This booking will be subject to availability. Booking amount for any add-on packages or extension taken with the main tour or separately will be Rs.10,000/- per person. In cases where the tour price, as mentioned in the Price Grid / Price Column, quoted to you comprises of foreign currency (i.e. Euro, Sterling Pounds, US Dollar etc) and INR component, then payment made by you in INR for the foreign currency component of the Price Grid / Price Column shall be subject to the rate of exchange ("ROE") prevailing at the date / time of making such payments. Hence please note that your total tour cost may change in view of the fluctuations in the INR value of such foreign currency component. Therefore, please be informed that the total price quote stated at the date of booking may vary due to market led currency fluctuations and that such fluctuations are not within the control of the company. The company shall not be held responsible for any variance in the price quoted at the time of booking and the total amount required to be paid as per the payment schedule.


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Office hours and appointments for students
I do not schedule fixed office hours. If you need an appointment, please check my calendar and follow the suggestions on that page.
I'm currently involved in investigating high-speed packet processing (i.e., 10Gbps and beyond), while maintaining flexibility. We designed several components that can be used to achieve this vision, from the highly successful NetPDL language, the NetVM virtual machine, and their integration in the NetBee library. I also tried to apply these technologies to the problem of Traffic Classification, hence I spent some time on that topic too. With some very smart PhD student we had a look at the word of network processors and multicore/graphical CPU for networking; the first result is the iNFAnt pattern matching engine on nVidia graphics cards.
For several years I've explored the world of network processing, a.k.a. how to make the network programmable. This concept is now the "Software Defined Networks" buzzword, although it is so vague that you can do almost everything under that umbrella. In any case, over the year, I moved away from simple network programmability and I started thinking about moving services (whatever services, starting with NFV) into the network. This is currently my main research activity, which oeriginated the FROG (Flexible and pROGrammable network device) open source project. Starting from 2017, we began to have fun with the eBPF technology, which enables lightweight network services that are executed directly in the LInux kernel. The (ongoing) result can be seen in the Polycube software framework.
My past research activities included Quality of Service in Packet Switched Networks, Scheduling Algorithms (particularly Class Based Queuing), Scheduling, Voice over IP, management of resources in peer-to-peer networks.
Some more pointers
Recent work
This is a list of drafts I am currently working on. I hope to see these documents to become papers soon.
Here there is the list of papers that have been published recently.
Here there is a list of drafts that very likely will never be published:
Some open source software projects I'm currently involved in:
Some open source software project I was involved in:
Something about me
Born in Saluzzo (Cuneo, Italy), 15 november 1971. The same day Intel announced the 4004 chip.

subset: commoncrawl


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Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett has introduced the Smuggled Tobacco Prevention (STOP) Act to stop trafficking of illegal tobacco into and out of the United States. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, D-NJ, and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate.
The STOP Act, or similar versions of it, has been introduced by Doggett, D-Austin, Lautenberg and Durbin on earlier occasions, but the bills have never become law.
"Smuggling tobacco is one of the most world's profitable criminal enterprises. It funnels billions of dollars out of public coffers and into the pockets of organized crime lords and terrorist groups. Cracking down on this illicit trade will make Texans safer from violent groups, keep cheap cigarettes out of the hands of children, and provide a much needed infusion of funds into our cash strapped state and federal budgets," Doggett told Texas on the Potomac.
The three lawmakers say that the STOP Act would "collect hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, decrease the consumption of tobacco and combat criminals and terrorists who profit from the illegal trade of tobacco."
The act requires that packages of tobacco products shall be uniquely marked in order to aid law enforcement efforts to track and trace tax payments on tobacco products.
The Act will also ban the sale, lease and importation of tobacco product manufacturing equipment to unlicensed persons, as well as it requires export warehouse proprietors to file reports with the Treasury Department so that illegal re-entry of tobacco products intended for export is prevented.
Doggett's office says that these requirements will help states and the federal government increase their tobacco tax receipts without raising taxes. The state of California is already using a similar identification marking system, and Tax revenues on cigarettes have there supposedly increased by an estimated $152 million a year.
"Black market cigarettes are robbing our coffers of a critical revenue source that we need to pay for vital domestic programs like health insurance for children," says Lautenberg. "By stopping the sale of illegal cigarettes at below-market prices, we can reduce smoking and fight tobacco-related diseases."


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Does A Chocolate A Day Keep the Doctor Away?
Ryan Bradley, ND, MPH May, 2007
With rare exception, we love chocolate. For those that don't love chocolate, this is usually due to lack of practice than true distaste. Recent studies have suggested chocolate may actually have health benefits, which is difficult to believe for some of us and certainly convenient for others who just need the slightest excuse. However, what is "chocolate" and what are the health properties attributed to it? Why is chocolate so appealing? Why do I crave it? And is there a balance between the reported health benefits and the health risks it may cause in some populations such as people with diabetes who carefully watch their sugar and fat intake? I hope this article helps to illuminate some of what we know about chocolate, its health benefits and gives some special recommendations for those with diabetes.
What is Chocolate?
Chocolate is derived from the fermented and cooked beans of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao) and was originally produced in Central America and Mexico. In the United States, chocolate varieties include dark, milk, and white chocolate. All varieties contain cacao butter, the fat derived from the cacao bean, then added sugar, and often vanilla. Milk chocolate contains dairy and often pure milk fat plus cacao solids or liquor. Dark chocolate contains less or no dairy and a higher cacao concentration. White chocolate contains no cacao solids or liquor and only cacao butter.
The description above is really only the beginning of the complex and majestic food we call chocolate! The main ingredients of chocolate tell us very little about the reactions - and health benefits - stored inside this mysterious and treasured food. Inside the cacao solids are the following complex molecules that are highly active in our bodies:
- Several major bioactive amines, including the now well-known neurotransmitter serotonin, but also dopamine, phenylethylamine, tyramine, and histamine.
- Serotonin and dopamine are potent antidepressant compounds and are also involved with reward pathways in the brain. Chocolate appears to be a stimulant of reward pathways similar to cigarettes or other drugs, leading to our cravings.
- Phenyethylamine (PEA) is also involved in pleasure pathways in the brain and creates a sense of bliss and may reduce pain. PEA is released when two people fall in love, thus reinforcing the appropriateness of chocolate on Valentine's Day!
- Tyramine and histamine are two amino acids that act on blood vessels and the heart. Histamine causes dilation, or opening, of vessels, while . Many people are very responsive to these compounds leading to headaches and allergy symptoms.
- Compounds in a class called methylxanthines, including caffeine and theobromine[1, 2] which are both stimulants. Caffeine is well known, but theobromine is an interesting compound because it stimulates airway opening and also stimulates the heart.
- Interestingly chocolate also contains fatty compounds similar to THC, the potent, intoxicating ingredient in the herb marijuana (chocolate does not contain THC, but may make the receptors in our brains more responsive to the THC-like compounds we produce on our own!)[1].
- Last, but not least, chocolate contains potent antioxidant compounds called polyphenols, a class of compounds also found in other protective foods like red wine and green tea. It appears that the polyphenols are responsible for many of the cardiovascular and metabolic health benefits of chocolate. You have heard great things reported about other foods rich in polyphenols - namely red wine, dark colored berries, cinnamon and green tea - and chocolate (or technically cacao) is no exception.
Chocolate Research
Several studies now suggest cacao-derived polyphenols reduce blood pressure, improve insulin sensitivity, increase total antioxidant capacity, protect LDL cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol) from oxidation and raise HDL cholesterol.
Among the earliest published clinical studies of chocolate was a brief report by Taubert et al. in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2003[3]. Taubert and colleagues gave 100g dark chocolate or 90g white chocolate to 13 elderly volunteers with isolated hypertension for 14 days. Significant results included reductions in both systolic (the top number) and diastolic (the bottom number) blood pressures by 5.1 and 1.8 points respectively. The study by Taubert et al. did not observe changes to LDL or HDL cholesterol.
Further studies in high blood pressure were conducted by Grassi et al. who administered 100g dark chocolate (containing 88mg polyphenols) or 90 g of white chocolate to 20 people with essential hypertension[4]. After 15 days he observed an 8.5 point reduction in systolic blood pressure (the top number) and an improvement in insulin sensitivity. Interestingly, only dark chocolate produced these effects suggesting the polyphenols were responsible.
In a second study performed in healthy humans in 2005, Grassi et al. found a similar improvement in insulin sensitivity, and also found an increase in total antioxidant capacity, a reduction in LDL cholesterol oxidation and a minor increase in HDL cholesterol[5].
Results suggesting chocolate increases HDL cholesterol are further corroborated by the findings of Murso et al. in 2004 where they administered 75g of dark chocolate, polyphenol-enriched dark chocolate or white chocolate to 45 healthy volunteers for 3 weeks. Positive findings include an increase in HDL cholesterol and a reduction in a marker of LDL oxidation[6].
Earlier studies also support the notion that chocolate reduces LDL oxidation. Wang et al. administered increasing doses (27, 53, and 80 g) of chocolate to humans and observed dose-dependent reductions in lipid oxidation markers and dose-dependent increases in antioxidant polyphenols[7]. Similarly, in 2001, when the research team of Wan et al. added 22g cacao powder plus 16g dark chocolate to the average American diet, they found reductions in LDL oxidation and increases in total antioxidant capacity measured by ORAC[8].
Milk Chocolate vs. Dark Chocolate
So far, all of the studies described have investigated dark chocolate and compared it to white chocolate, so what about milk chocolate? Well, so far most signs suggest milk chocolate just does not have all the same benefits. For example, Serafini et al. administered 100g dark chocolate, 100g dark chocolate with added milk, or 100g of milk chocolate to 12 healthy adults [9]. Milk added to the dark chocolate and the milk chocolate produced significantly lower absorption of the polyphenols and therefore did not increase total antioxidant capacity in the blood to the same degree as the dark chocolate alone.
Additional Benefits
An additional cardiometabolic health benefit of dark chocolate appears to be a reduction platelet aggregation, or clotting tendency, of the blood. When blood clots, or thrombi, form prematurely they can become dislodged causing a stroke or heart attack. Typically aspirin or other anticoagulant medications, like warfarin, are taken to "thin the blood" or reduce this stickiness.
However, according to the results of a randomized trial by Innes et al. in 2003, dark chocolate polyphenols may also reduce platelet aggregation[10]. The beneficial effects of dark chocolate were not seen with milk or white chocolate, once again suggesting the dark polyphenols are critically important to this action. The anticoagulant effects of chocolate received additional support by the findings of the GeneSTAR trial[11]. GeneSTAR is intended to study genetic differences in the cardioprotective effects of aspirin, however the study also stumbled onto a protective effect of chocolate. About 140 people refused to eliminate chocolate from their diets while participating in the study and so the investigators followed this group separately. They discovered chocolate eaters had slowed blood clotting compared to others. Although the protective effect of chocolate was approximately 1/10th of aspirin, the main action appears to be the same.
Not all studies of chocolate have shown positive changes in markers of cardiovascular or metabolic health. Farouque et al. administered a chocolate polyphenol-rich beverage or placebo to 40 people with known heart disease in a randomized fashion for six weeks[12]. No changes in vascular function were observed, nor were any differences in cellular adhesion molecules (a strong marker of atherosclerosis).
Reported cardiometabolic benefits of dark chocolate:
- Improves blood pressure
- Improves insulin sensitivity
- Increases HDL ("good") cholesterol
- Reduces oxidation of LDL ("bad") cholesterol
- Increases total antioxidant capacity
- Reduces coagulation of the blood
Chocolate as Treatment?
Although dark chocolate appears to have consistent benefits for cardiometabolic risk factors it is premature to consider it a "treatment" but rather as a part of a heart healthy diet rich in vegetables, whole foods and other polyphenol-rich ingredients. That said, it appears that even small quantities of dark chocolate have health benefits and should be consumed without guilt. There are a few important caveats to consider:
Only eat dark chocolate. So far, the vast majority of the health effects of chocolate are only found in dark chocolate. Milk and white chocolates retain all the sugar and fat, but without the healthful polyphenols.
Be careful with high doses of chocolate if you take anticoagulant medications like warfarin, Plavix, or high-dose aspirin (especially if you bruise easily on aspirin). Although poorly studied, there is evidence of a possible interaction between dark chocolate and these medications and laboratory monitoring should occur if you start eating dark chocolate or cacao regularly.
If you have diabetes, the sugar in chocolate still counts towards your total carbohydrate intake. However, very low sugar chocolates are available, and although bitter at first it is an acquired taste.
Few studies have been performed on people with diabetes, and therefore little is known about health benefits of chocolate in this population. In fact, insulin sensitivity has only been studied in people without diabetes.
Hopefully in the future, larger studies will test whether chocolate really is beneficial to long-term cardiovascular health. As if we needed more reasons to enjoy dark chocolate…
1. Bruinsma, K. and D.L. Taren, Chocolate: food or drug? J Am Diet Assoc, 1999. 99(10): p. 1249-56.
2. Pastore, P., et al., Determination of biogenic amines in chocolate by ion chromatographic separation and pulsed integrated amperometric detection with implemented wave-form at Au disposable electrode. J Chromatogr A, 2005. 1098(1-2): p. 111-5.
3. Taubert, D., et al., Chocolate and blood pressure in elderly individuals with isolated systolic hypertension. Jama, 2003. 290(8): p. 1029-30.
4. Grassi, D., et al., Cocoa reduces blood pressure and insulin resistance and improves endothelium-dependent vasodilation in hypertensives. Hypertension, 2005. 46(2): p. 398-405.
5. Grassi, D., et al., Short-term administration of dark chocolate is followed by a significant increase in insulin sensitivity and a decrease in blood pressure in healthy persons. Am J Clin Nutr, 2005. 81(3): p. 611-4.
6. Mursu, J., et al., Dark chocolate consumption increases HDL cholesterol concentration and chocolate fatty acids may inhibit lipid peroxidation in healthy humans. Free Radic Biol Med, 2004. 37(9): p. 1351-9.
7. Wang, J.F., et al., A dose-response effect from chocolate consumption on plasma epicatechin and oxidative damage. J Nutr, 2000. 130(8S Suppl): p. 2115S-9S.
8. Wan, Y., et al., Effects of cocoa powder and dark chocolate on LDL oxidative susceptibility and prostaglandin concentrations in humans. Am J Clin Nutr, 2001. 74(5): p. 596-602.
9. Serafini, M., et al., Plasma antioxidants from chocolate. Nature, 2003. 424(6952): p. 1013.
10. Innes, A.J., et al., Dark chocolate inhibits platelet aggregation in healthy volunteers. Platelets, 2003. 14(5): p. 325-7.
11. Unknown. Abstract 4101. American Heart Association Scientific Sessions. 2006.
12. Farouque, H.M., et al., Acute and chronic effects of flavanol-rich cocoa on vascular function in subjects with coronary artery disease: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study. Clin Sci (Lond), 2006. 111(1): p. 71-80.


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Sunday Sweets: More Threadcakes
The Threadcakes competition ends tomorrow, so if you're planning on entering you'd best get a move on. Oh, but first, allow me to demoralize you a bit with some more of the amazing entries:
(Same deal as last week: Threadless design first, followed by the Threadcake entry. Click on the names for more photos & info.)
By Leslie Evans
And finally, I have to give a shout-out to my fellow cake lovers at the national ICES convention in Illinois, which is ending today. I especially appreciate y'all spreading the Wrecky joy amongst the as-yet-uninitiated at the con. Case in point: Kathy (of Kathy's Kakes), taught a class on "unusual tier styles" Friday, and this was her demo cake:
See anything familiar? Here, let me zoom in:
Yep, those are the Carrot Jockeys - although they've traded in their carrots for little orange candies to fit the ICES "Sweet Time in '09" theme. Kathy reports that roughly half of the class "got it." (The other half was quickly indoctrinated). Excellent work, Kathy! And to you new ICES readers, welcome!


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Vodafone Group has announced new deals with digital security firm Gemalto and m-commerce company CorFire to help develop its mobile wallet offering.
Gemalto announced today that it will operate Vodafone Group's global Trusted Service Management (TSM) platform and deploy Near Field Communication (NFC) services solutions.
Meanwhile, CorFire will provide its CorPay mobile wallet software, which works in NFC and non-NFC environments, and can leverage the phone's secure element to encrypt and store personal account information.
These two deals will pave the way for secure "wave and pay" contactless transactions via mobile phone, as well as for related services that demand high levels of security, according to Vodafone. They build on the NFC trials the that Vodafone has been carrying out with Visa since February 2012.
Key elements of Gemalto's solution include its Allynis TSM service platform (which ensures end-to-end security encryption between financial institutions and mobile operators) and the company's UpTeq NFC high-end card product.
Gemalto's solution will also allow both Vodafone subsidiaries and third party service providers such as banks, transport operators and retailers to plug into the NFC ecosystem.
CorFire's platform relies on a full client/server architecture that allows the support of scenarios such as phone change and SIM switching. Dr. Jae Chung, CorFire's president and CEO, said the collaboration will enable financial institutions, transit authorities, merchants, and enterprises to leverage the mobile channel to expand their customer reach.
"We are committed to partnering with the best suppliers to offer customers the speed, simplicity and convenience of managing everyday transactions with a single wave or tap of their smartphones" said Christian Wirtz, Vodafone Group's mCommerce Director.
"The consumer benefits of contactless payments are obvious and the industry in Europe is now at the beginning of rolling out a contactless infrastructure. The potential of mobile to transform existing industries – such as financial services, retail and transport – is enormous."
A Vodafone spokesperson told Techworld that the company is looking to launch the mobile wallet service next year. This service will comply with the Project Oscar standards, which aim to ensure interoperability between different operators' mobile wallet offerings.
This means that, much in the way you can send a text to someone on another network, you will be able transfer money or receive money, the spokesperson said.
Earlier this month, ABI Research forecast that the total value spend of NFC mobile payments will rise from $4 billion in 2012 to $191 billion (£119 billion) in 2017, breaking the $100 billion (£624 billion) mark in 2016.
Mobile payments and, more importantly, the convergence between payment types – proximity, P2P and online – stored on a single NFC handset will be the initial trigger, driving market convergence across a host of other markets, including ticketing, retail, loyalty, and access control.