How to Make Your Next Business Trip to India a Success


How to Make Your Next Business Trip to India a Success

India is the land of opportunity for entrepreneurs and executives in many ways. However, to make your next business trip to India a success, it’s essential to do a little forward planning.

To help you get prepared to do the business on your visit to India, this article explains a few crucial things travelers should know before arriving. It covers the essentials to bring as well as a few handy tips to make sure your journey and interactions with local commerce get off on the right foot.

Before Getting to India

Before packing your bags and going to the airport, it’s necessary to have a few things arranged before you land.

The most important of these is a valid e business visa India. This is a simple document that can be obtained online for 169 nationalities and can be used multiple times for a duration of 180 days in total.

It is also sensible to have your accommodation arranged before arrival. This ideally should be a commutable distance from where you will be visiting for work or a business meeting and have suitable facilities to offer enough rest and relaxation for the duration. Sometimes the company you’re visiting will help organize this for you.

Even if you’re traveling for only a short period of time, it’s also worth having the right vaccinations before you set off. If you’re spending most of the trip in the urban centers of the country you won’t be at much risk of catching anything nasty.

Nevertheless, the WHO recommends visitors should ideally have the following inoculations in addition to their normal routine vaccinations:

  • Typhoid
  • Hepatitis A
  • Polio

In addition to the above, you may also be required to have had an injection protecting against Yellow Fever if you are traveling from a country that is affected by the illness. If this is the case, you will be required to hold an appropriate vaccination certificate.

Business Travel to India Checklist

You can travel to India with a relatively light suitcase. However, you mustn’t forget to make your journey without these following essentials:

  • Return flight tickets
  • Passport
  • Approved business eVisa
  • Accommodation booking
  • Travel insurance
  • Formal business attire and business casual clothing

When You Arrive Acclimatize to the Pace of Indian Life

When experiencing India for the first time, it’s wise to give yourself a gradual introduction to the country. The pace of Indian life can be a shock to some at first. Therefore it’s sensible to allow yourself time to settle after your long journey.

You should aim to arrive at least a day before your first major meeting. This will give you plenty of time to get to know the local area and to be rested and relaxed for your first appointment.

The Indian climate is often the first difference travelers will notice which of course, can take its toll on the body. Therefore, don’t forget to follow a few important tips for staying healthy.

First of all, stay hydrated at all times. The weather is often very hot in India, which can be exacerbated by the concentration of people in the cities. Travelers should only drink bottled water or mineral water as tap water is usually not safe for consumption, even in upscale hotels.

It’s also important to be cautious when choosing places to eat on the street. If you do opt to try a local restaurant or eatery, always pick locations with a high turnover of locals. These are more likely to be serving food of good quality and made from fresher ingredients.

Finally, take this time to become a bit more used to the way the diverse people of the country go about their daily lives. In Indian cities, you’ll see people of all different social and economic levels all living together in the same area.

How you interact with these some of the people you’ll meet on the street could significantly affect how a prospective client or business partner in the country perceives you.

Get Familiar With Indian Business Formalities

As with any business trip where you’re interacting with a foreign culture, you should be very mindful of the established etiquette for business interactions.

In India, this is not drastically different from other mainstream commercial hubs. Nevertheless, there are a few key tips to remember.

Generally, it’s better to stick to a formal approach initially. Call men “Mr” and women “Ms.” followed by their last names unless indicated otherwise.

This conservative approach also goes for attire. In the case of men, it’s best to wear a suit or business casual when arriving for a serious discussion with a potential partner or a colleague. For women, it’s also important to wear clothing that covers the legs and shoulders appropriately.

With all your interactions, make sure you focus on using your right hand, especially if handing something to an important client or contact. The left hand in Indian culture is often considered unclean and interacting with it could cause serious offense.

Also, be aware that business relationships in the country often take an indirect approach to the matter at hand. When having a meeting it is common and polite to discuss pleasantries such as questions about your family member’s health and wellbeing before getting down to real business.

Embrace the Many Opportunities India Has to Offer

India is a country that is expanding in many different industrial sectors and is becoming ever more exciting to do trade with. It presents intrepid entrepreneurs and business people with many interesting opportunities.

The country is quite rightly celebrated for its many tech startups, service industry, and IT solution organization, and potential investors can reap huge rewards if they approach a visit in the right way.