OTOAI convention at Ras Al Khaimah

Ras Al Khaimah will host the Outbound Tour Operators’ Association of India (OTOAI) convention to take place tentatively from September 12-14, 2017.

NISHA VERMA

Guldeep Singh Sahni, President, OTOAI, and Haitham Mattar, CEO, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the convention during the Ras Al Khaimah roadshow held at The Imperial New Delhi. “We are going to have our convention most probably from September 12- 14 in Ras Al Khaimah. The dates are tentative and will be finalised in some time. We will be coming out with more details about the convention very soon. Our intention is to introduce new markets to the tour operators so that they have another destination in their kitty, which will add value to the already existing markets that they sell. If one looks at the numbers, there is a big gap between Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah, and we are looking at utilising that for the benefit of the tour operators so that they can extend their tours to this destination, with an added cost,” Sahni said. Currently, OTOAI is planning for its Educon in Turkey to be held from May 3-7, informs Riaz Munshi, Vice President & Chairman Convention, OTOAI. The Educon is organised in association with Turkish Indian Tourism Council (TITC). Talking about the Educon, Sahni said, “The Turkey Workshop is in the process and we are amid preparations. We have sent the modalities to the members for the same. We have decided that this time we are not going to do a big Educon to Turkey and will take groups of 40-50 members. The first Educon will have two third members from Delhi and one third from Mumbai. Then, there will be another one happening in July, which will have more members from Mumbai and the western region, and we would include other regions as well. Thus, we will be doing 3-4 series for Turkey.” Unlike the previously planned Educon, which was supposed to happen in Istanbul with pre and post tours, this one would take members to different cities. “Member delegates from across India will get a chance not only to get the first-hand experience of the cities like Caunus, Akyaka, Marmaris, Olu Deniz, but also will get an opportunity to interact with local DMCs, hoteliers, obtain business opportunities and understand the destination and its culture personally,” reveals Munshi. Riaz also informs that the Ministry of Tourism, Turkey has made a subsidy of $150 for the agents who would attend the Educon. The all-inclusive fare for the agents would be `38,316 and `47,375 (based on the sector), he reveals.