INSIGHT Vacations, The Travel Corporation's premier brand, has introduced its first-ever Asian programme, featuring India.

The new programme features six itineraries, including two Insight Gold tours with stays at Oberoi and Taj Hotels, and four Premium escorted tours. The Premium itineraries range from eight to 14 days, while the Insight Gold tours span from 10 to 11 days.

Travellers will have the opportunity to explore the Golden Triangle, as well as less-trekked regions such as Kerala. Trip extensions to Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan are available.

Rolled out in Australia and the US in January, Insight is now targeting affluent consumers in Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Hong Kong. A maximum of 35 tourists will embark on these tours, which are priced from US$2,365 per pax on a twin-sharing basis.

According to Sheryl Lim, regional director, Asia for Insight Vacations, customers will be able to snap up package deals tied with Jet Airways by the end of this month.

In terms of B2B marketing, Insight will focus on educating its existing travel trade partners on a group or one-to-one basis, said Lim.

"India is still a relatively new destination for most of the travel consultants we work with. Our goal is to work initially with agents who currently distribute our European and US products. We intend to target repeat customers first," she explained, adding that travel experts would earn a 12 per cent commission with each sale.

OP Meena, an assistant director for India Tourism in Singapore, said he was confident that Insight's new programme would do well. "Based on our research, we think that the products will resonate well with consumers in Asia," he said.

However, an executive with Pacific Arena Singapore was less resolute about the viability of the new programme. "India is not perceived in a positive light by Asian customers and it is simply too exotic for some. These negative associations, coupled with the relatively high prices, make this a tough product to sell,” she said.