TravTalk India Online Magazine
The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) is geared up for its annual convention, which is packed with ideas and activities to not only motivate the members, but also guide them for future recovery.
Nisha Verma
The state governments and stalwarts of the travel industry will participate in the 36th IATO Annual Convention from December 16 to 19, 2021 at The Leela Gandhinagar.
Dignitaries galore
Rajiv Mehra, President, IATO has said that Bhupendrabhai Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat, has agreed to be the chief guest of the convention. He also said Shripad Naik, Minister of State for Tourism, will chair the valedictory session of the convention, which will be held on December 18.
Mehra shared, “We will have participation from the Ministry of Tourism, GOI as well as the Gujarat government. Arvind Singh, Secretary of Tourism; Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General, Tourism; Dr. V. Venu, Chief Secretary, Tourism, Kerala; Hareet Shukla, Secretary of Tourism, Gujarat; Jenu Dewan, MD, TCGL; Rajiv Jalota, Chairman, Mumbai Port Trust; and Dr. Abhay Sinha, Director General, SEPC will participate in the business sessions.
In addition, senior industry representatives like Nakul Anand, Executive Director, ITC Hotels, Puneet Chhatwal, MD and CEO of Taj Hotels, and Anuraag Bhatnagar, COO, The Leela Palaces Hotels & Resorts will also address the delegates. This apart, Mehra said that they are expecting the participation of as many as 15 state governments.
Knowledge and recovery
EM Najeeb, Senior VP, IATO and Chairman of the Convention, has said that they are expecting more than 1,000 people at the convention, which is taking place after two years. Since everyone in the industry has borne the impact of COVID, the convention will give a lot of hope to the industry, as they will get to meet their peers and it will be a great networking opportunity for the industry. There would also be knowledge-sharing sessions with excellent speakers. Also, we need to give thrust to domestic tourism as well, because that is going to happen without any hassle in India. Also, post-COVID, everyone will be looking at developing future tourism, how the government is going to behave, how they will support the industry and how the industry will try to move forward, “he says.
Rich sessions
All the sessions are very well designed and good moderators are appointed, says Najeeb. It’s going to be a motivation for the members on how to take it forward because everybody is in a different kind of situation now. We have incorporated everything required for a good convention and people are looking forward to good interactions and deliberations, “he adds.
Brand India
Rajnish Kaistha, Hony. Secretary, IATO and Co-Chairman of the Convention, has said that to have this convention successfully, they have taken all the necessary precautions and protocols. One cannot register without submitting a double vaccination certificate. Even at the venue, all the necessary protocols have been put in place. Among the speakers, we have sessions with senior decision makers from the hospitality industry, as well as aviation and other travel businesses. The delegates will learn how to keep abreast of the changes seen post-COVID in the industry. We have also planned for good entertainment over the next few days in Gandhinagar,” he informs.
Speaking about Brand India, he says, “While Incredible India still holds its brand well at the international level, the government may be looking at Incredible India 2.0 soon, which would be in line with the changes in the industry in the last few years.”
IATO Run
A major initiative at IATO convention every year is the IATO Run for sustainable tourism. Kaistha says that it is scheduled for this year as well. It will start outside the Leela Hotel and will be a good four km stretch,” he informs.
