Chapter 65 What a coincidence!
Smith's students have already flown to Panaji, and Ron even arranged their air tickets.
He knew Singer and could get cheap "discount tickets", which he could make a profit by reselling.
At this moment, he was sitting in the office in the fortress area, checking the accounts, and the accountant Harus was standing beside him holding a thick stack of lists.
"The bill from Xiangtu totaled 152,000 rupees, including 90,000 rupees for accommodation and 11,000 rupees for meals. Other value-added services, including laundry, transportation, snacks, and luxury toiletries, totaled 51,000 rupees."
"We told him to cut the cost of the value-added services in half. He knew these students were a fat sheep, so he quoted us a much higher price than usual."
Ron knew immediately that the laundry fee on the list was inflated. 20 rupees per piece? This was the usual package price that included the entire body!
The room rate was 800 rupees per night. We booked 16 rooms for our 31-person tour group and stayed for 7 days. Breakfast was 50 rupees per person, which was about the same price per person.
They had already signed an agreement in advance on the prices of these two major expenses. Xiangtu was honest and didn't do anything tricky.
Ron roughly calculated that the hotel cost was about 130,000 rupees, which was considered business-level treatment in Mumbai.
After all, it is an air-conditioned room, and 800 rupees per night is already a friendly price offered by Xiangtu.
As far as Ron knew, a room like this would normally cost at least 900 rupees.
But one thing is for sure, he still has to lower the value-added service fee, after all, it is too outrageous.
"What about food expenses? I remember this group of students went to quite a few places, some of which were not our reserved restaurants."
"60,000 rupees, a little more than the estimated 43,000 rupees. But the extra amount has been settled on the spot by the guest."
As for the tour group, Ron had booked a restaurant at 100 rupees per person per meal. This was considered high-end treatment, as ordinary Indians only spend 20 to 30 rupees per meal.
However, the students were clearly restless and chose their own favorites instead of going to some restaurants. This had some impact, but not much, as Ron still got his commission.
"Tickets for other attractions, entertainment activities, and transportation costs. The total is 55,000 rupees." Having said this, Harus could no longer stop smiling.
The cost was about the same as the original budget, but the students still spent a lot of money. What does this mean? More profit, of course!
"So this tour cost us about 250,000 rupees?"
"That's right, Mr. Suer, you should see our total income." Harus handed over the account with a flattering smile.
In fact, Ron knew it without even looking at him, as a lot of the money came in from him.
A quick glance revealed 60,000 pounds. Yes, he accepted pounds, and don't forget that Mumbai Travel Information Company also provides foreign currency exchange services.
Of the 60,000 pounds, 45,000 pounds was spent on food and accommodation, and the rest was spent on attractions and entertainment.
The 7-day trip to Mumbai cost these London students about £2,000 per person. This is certainly not cheap, even in London, but don't forget that these students' families are middle class or above.
Their parents are all social elites, otherwise they would not let them study abroad, let alone as part of a private club group tour.
60,000 pounds, according to the current official exchange rate, is 2.8 million rupees. Of course, Ron is not that stupid, this money will definitely flow into the black market eventually.
Looking back at their cost of Rs 250,000, it's nothing. Tour groups are indeed very profitable, especially those for the wealthy, and the best part is that they come from referrals from acquaintances.
This was not all of Ron's income this time. During his stay in Mumbai, the students also went to the market and bought a lot of handicrafts. Of course, those shops were also introduced by him.
All the commissions added up to more than 100,000 rupees, and with the opportunity to play a minor role in Bollywood, Ron made more than 40,000 rupees.
This business was a win-win for both parties. Mina later gave them 40,000 rupees as a reward. Ron and Mary each split it in half, and he took 20,000 of it.
All the miscellaneous amounts added up to nearly 200,000 rupees. After reading these accounts, Ron couldn't help but sigh that there was still a lot to be explored in the tourism business.
The profit is clear, conservatively estimated at 2.75 million rupees. If you include the difference in the subsequent 60,000 pounds sold on the black market, it would easily exceed 3 million rupees.
Even after deducting labor, operating costs, bribes to officials and incentive bonuses, a net profit of 2.8 million should be guaranteed.
Ron had already saved 3.2 million rupees, so the total was exactly 6 million.
In addition, the second half of September ushered in the peak tourism season, and by mid-October, individual tourists had brought the company more than 800,000 rupees in revenue.
The amount of money Ron can use on paper is close to 7 million rupees, which does not seem far from the target of 10 million.
He didn't know when there would be any news from Kavya, but as long as he waited for another two months, he was confident that he could raise 10 million rupees.
"I'm going to give everyone an extra bonus this month. Make a budget. It's about 50,000 rupees."
"No problem, Sulbai!" Harus happily walked out of the office with the bill in his hand. He would definitely not make a mistake in calculating the salary increase for himself.
There are now less than ten formal contract workers in Ron's company, including a few key members like Anand.
Ever since the last meal at Sky Village, Ron simply made them regular employees.
His company no longer needs these few positions. After signing the contract, they can be considered as his real people.
It’s just that those college students don’t like dealing with Anand and his friends, and this problem is also a headache for Ron.
The workplace discrimination caused by the caste system is useless even with Ron as an example.
Fortunately, their positions are different. One is mostly in the office, while the other is out all day, so they don't interfere with each other.
Ron tapped his fingers on the table boredly and decided to go out for a walk. He had been very busy with the tour group recently.
The streets were still as dirty and messy as ever, and a noisy crowd was singing and dancing around a statue of Ganesha.
The Ganesha festival had long passed at the end of the month when the rainy season ended, but there were always fanatical religious elements who chanted scriptures in front of the idle Ganesha statues on the streets.
Word spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred, and just like a party, more and more people joined in.
Following the parade, Ron unknowingly walked to the door of Leopold Bar.
Just as he was hesitating whether to go in, a familiar figure ran out happily and grabbed his arm tightly.
"Ron! It really is you! God, I just got off the plane and was going to have a drink before calling you, but what a fucking coincidence!"
"Luca?"
The person holding his arm tightly was Luca, whom he hadn't seen for two or three months. He seemed a little darker, but there was a gleam in his eyes.
Ron was very familiar with this light; it was a mixture of excitement, anticipation, and fear.
He felt the same way every time he went to the black market or unofficial duty-free zone, but he hid it well.
"Dude, seeing your surprised expression, I have to say one more thing, what a coincidence! Come on, let's go in for a drink and introduce you to some new friends."
Ron was overjoyed by Luca's appearance. This guy came at the right time.
(End of this chapter)
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