Prez to focus on members in 2nd term

Sunil Kumar R., second-time elected president of Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), underlines three focus areas for the next term: strengthening member connect and bringing experts to the fore, GST and airline matters.

HAZEL JAIN

Sunil Kumar R. has been re-elected for a second term as the president of Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) for 2017-19. Prior to this, he was chosen as the presiding President. The announcement was made during the association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on November 28, at The Lalit Mumbai.

Speaking about his focus areas for the new term, he says, “The overwhelming support that members have shown in this election con- firms that they have a lot of expectations from me. My first agenda will be to forge a stronger member connect. In my discussions with members from all over India, one feedback which stood out was that TAAI must go beyond its committee and reach out to members, involve the experts amongst our members, utilise their services from industry lobbies and get people who are connected well with the government to join TAAI in our endeavour to reach out to our government.”

This, he says, will closely be followed by the issue of GST. “Our members certainly want relief from the challenges they are facing with regards to GST. IATA is coming up with its revolutionary New Generation of IATA Settlement Systems (NewGen ISS) 812. This was approved in Geneva on November 24, 2017, and has not been announced nationally yet. But it’s a new trend that will change the way this industry will go in the future. New Gen ISS is another priority area for us,” Kumar asserts.

He added that airline matters continue to be a priority and TAAI needs to get airlines closer to meeting member expectations. “It’s a tough challenge but I believe we are tougher. Being elected for the second term, my responsibility is now greater,” he says.

Managing Committee Members

• Anoop Kanuga
• Gurmeet Singh Vij
• Rajan Sehgal
• S. Saravanan
• Bhagwan Ramnani
• Anil Kumar
• Devaki Thiyagarajan

Office Bearers

• President: Sunil Kumar R.
• Vice President: Sanjay Narula
• Honorary Secretary General: Jyoti Mayal
• National Treasurer: Imitiaz Qureshi