DRKolkata: The 35th annual convention of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) was inaugurated at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in Kolkata on September 12, 2019. Gautam Deb, Minister for Tourism, West Bengal, Jyoti Prakash Panigrahi, Minister for Tourism and Culture, Odisha, Debashis Sen, Chairman, HIDCO & Additional Chief Secretary, Government of West Bengal and Atri Bhattacharya, Principal Secretary Tourism, Government of West Bengal along with the IATO leadership and many other stalwarts of the travel trade attended the inaugural ceremony. The IATO Convention returned to Kolkata after 17 years and the theme this year was, ‘Is Tourism Thriving? Challenges and Opportunities.’
Apart from showcasing the Host State, West Bengal, the IATO Convention played host to 15 other States and Union Territories, who also presented their tourism products and offerings to the more than 1000 delegates who were in attendance – over 20 per cent more registrations from last year.
Convention Chairman and IATO President, Pronab Sarkar in his address gave various suggestions to the West Bengal government to boost tourism in the State. “I would like to suggest the West Bengal government to take certain measures such as introducing a friendly tourism policy with single window clearance facility, upgrading of existing hotels run by the State, better air connectivity and facilitating more language guides,” he said.
Tourism Minister of West Bengal Gautam Deb invited IATO to hold the convention every five years in West Bengal and offered to host it as well. “I am focussed on developing rural and village tourism in the State. We need participation of private players to enhance our efforts to promote tourism. Our government has already initiated three projects for identifying the potential of tourism in lesser known destinations,” he said.
The IATO Hall of Fame Award for 2019 was presented to Patu Keswani, CMD, Lemon Tree Hotels.
On day two, six insightful business sessions explored new opportunities to promote tourism. The day started with the inauguration of the India Tourism Fair 2019 in the presence of Gautam Deb, Tourism Minister of West Bengal, Meenakshi Sharma, Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Atri Bhattacharya, Principal Secretary Tourism, Government of West Bengal, Pronab Sarkar, Convention Chairman and President IATO and other office bearers of IATO.
The first business session focused on the theme of the convention, where all the panellists discussed the current state of tourism in the country and put forward suggestions to the government on what more could be done to improve the present scenario. Speaking at the session, E M Najeeb, Chairman, Air Travel Enterprises and Senior Vice President, IATO said, “Rationalisation of GST, enhanced rail, road and air connectivity, proper policy support from States/UTs, Incredible India campaign targeting competition from neighbouring countries and safety & security of tourists have to be addressed for us to touch 20 million inbound tourists by 2024.”
In the second session, titled, ‘Impediments in Traditional Business’, panellist Ankush Nijhawan, Co-founder, TBO Group, stressed on the need to harness the potential of technology and digital marketing for enhancing the prospects of the business.
Across all sessions, panellists and delegates discussed the importance of promoting domestic tourism and how India needs to be positioned as an year-round destination.
In a special session by Union Ministry of Tourism, presented by Rupinder Brar on Incredible India’s marketing way forward, she said, “We need to realise our strengths and work together to market India in a better way. We have to focus on areas which challenge our capabilities. We are looking to partner with the private players to understand the needs and demands of the travellers and what tour operators are expecting from the Ministry.”
Addressing the gathering as a panellist discussing ‘Cruise and River Cruise Tourism’, Ratna Chaddha, Chairperson, TIRUN Travel Marketing (Royal Caribbean Cruises), said that cruise tourism has immense potential in India which is waiting to explode.
Day three started with the IATO Run for Responsible Tourism. This year, the 3 km run highlighted the rich heritage and history of Kolkata with the organisers showcasing 15 heritage destinations to the participants during the morning hours of the day. More than 200 members participated in the run, and the winners were awarded in different categories.
The session on ‘Experiential Tourism’, focused on the growing popularity of travelling for experiences and understanding the needs of visitors, who are looking for new experiences in India. Speaking at the panel Shoba Mohan, Founder, RARE India said, “The next in experiential tourism is going to be about guests seeking deeper meaning and transformation.”
Ankush Nijhawan, Co-founder, TBO Group
“By adopting technology, tour operators who in any case own the demand, can scale up their business significantly. Education is another critical area for growing the business – having up-to-date information around destinations, attractions and experiences”
Ratna Chaddha, Chairperson, TIRUN Travel Marketing (Royal Caribbean Cruises)
“Building cruise tourism in India requires passion and patience as we are a nascent industry with immense potential and lot of untangling required on the policy front”
E M Najeeb, Sr. Vice President, IATO and MD, Airtravel Enterprises India Ltd.
“If we have to touch 20 million inbound tourists by 2024, the answer lies in MICE and cruise tourism. Hosting international sporting events is also a great way to showcase our destinations and attract footfalls”
Shoba Mohan, Founder, RARE India Destinations & Experiences
“The next in experiential tourism is going to be about guests seeking deeper meaning and transformation. Decision drivers for guests will be things like does the hotel or resort address issues like climate change, over tourism, preservation of heritage and culture, creation of livelihood for local communities and the like”
Prahlad Singh Patel
Union Minister of State for Tourism & Culture (I/C)
“I have received several recommendations and suggestions from IATO. I assure you that we will put forward your suggestions to the government with full confidence”
A special motivation session on how to overcome downturn and use positivity to succeed was taken by best-selling author, Chetan Bhagat who implored the audience to adapt like a cockroach and stay alive.
Prahlad Singh Patel, Union Minister of State for Tourism & Culture (I/C) addressed the valedictory function and assured full support of his ministry to IATO and promised to seriously look into its recommendations.
“I am delighted that India’s ranking has reached 34th jumping 18 spots in last four years on the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report. We will target to feature in top 10 of the list in the next five years. I have received several recommendations and suggestions from IATO. I assure you that we will put forward your suggestions to the government with full confidence. States, tourism ministry and stakeholders need to work together,” he said.
On the occasion, IATO also released a film on women’s safety and security in India, which the Association will use in highlighting how safe India is for female tourists in the global market and during its roadshows abroad. MoS Patel unveiled the film and also released a tourism vision document prepared by EY for IATO. IATO Convention 2020 will be hosted by Gujarat Tourism and held in Ahmedabad.
