IATO Convention in Bhopal in August

As preparations for the 39th IATO Convention gather momentum, all eyes are on Bhopal, poised to reclaim its status as a must-visit destination on India’s tourism map. With collaborative efforts and strategic initiatives, the convention, to be held from 30 August to 2 September, promises to unlock the immense tourism potential of Madhya Pradesh.

Janice Alyosius

The 39th Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) Convention aims to put spotlight on the cultural and heritage riches of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Scheduled from 30 August to 2 September 2024, the convention will provide a platform for tourism stakeholders to learn, experience, and collaborate, enabling them to better promote the city to their clients.

Rajiv Mehra, President, IATO, revealed that the convention’s inauguration tentatively takes place on 30 August, followed by sessions on 31 August and 1 September. The programme also includes post tours on 2 September, though specific details are yet to be finalised. “In discussions with the Chief Minister (of Madhya Pradesh), various topics were talked about, including our intention to showcase Madhya Pradesh as a heritage and cultural destination. There is abundant wildlife in the region. Additionally, Bhopal city itself is beautiful and offers many unexplored attractions. Furthermore, there is ample potential for rural tourism development. The Chief Minister emphasised on the importance of rural tourism, which we plan to incorporate in the convention. These are our intentions for the convention, and the specifics will be worked out after our executive committee meeting,” shared Mehra.

The connectivity to Bhopal is not a challenge with flights and excellent train services available from various locations. “Bhopal has excellent train connectivity, including services like the Shatabdi Express and Vande Bharat from Delhi. Other regions are well-connected too, with many long-distance trains passing through Bhopal. Therefore, connectivity should not pose a major problem. Moreover, there is an abundance of accommodation options available, and we hope to secure the required number of rooms,” he said.

Speaking on the current inbound tourism recovery status, Mehra highlighted, “Currently, we are far from our goal, with only 65 to 70 per cent recovery, whereas we had expected it to be 90 per cent. There are various reasons for this, for instance, the connection with Israel via Air India was cancelled. These conflicts should end as soon as possible so that peace can be restored, and with peace comes tourism. If things return to normal, I believe we might reach the 90 per cent mark by 31 March 2025, but we still won’t be at 100 per cent of our 2020 levels.” He added, “Achieving this requires a lot of promotion abroad, which hasn’t been done for various reasons that the government perceives as valid. However, these reasons are not practical now, and they are not a solution. Therefore, they should consider our suggestions and follow through to see the results. I am hopeful that they will listen to us, and with increased publicity and other efforts, we will be able to attract more business.”