TravTalk India Online Magazine
EM Najeeb, Sr. Vice President, IATO, has been announced as the Chairman for the 36th IATO Annual Convention to be held at the Leela Gandhinagar, for which Rajnish Kaistha, Honorary Secretary, IATO, is the Co-Chairperson. With new ideas and different topics planned for the convention, it will set in a tone of vibrancy and positivity amongst the members.
Nisha Verma
Speaking about their first physical convention post-pandemic, Najeeb shares the theme of the convention ‘Brand India—Road to Recovery.’ “In the last 20 months, the industry has been struggling, but we expect a complete recovery. The tourism industry and the government will work together to ensure that India is back on track. We expect a sizeable number of inbound tourists, if the scheduled flights start, “he adds.
Kaistha says, “On the positive side, domestic tourism has picked up. Both hotels and airlines are doing a good job, but leisure inbound has yet to start and is going to take time. We need to have proper SOPs in place, as people are going to look at how, India is going to maintain its image.”
Expectations from the convention
Najeeb shares that with new ideas and different topics planned for the convention, it will set the tone of vibrancy and positivity amongst members. “The members will get a platform to exchange ideas to help the industry recover and move forward with optimism and confidence,” he adds.
Kaistha echoes the thought, saying, “While people look up at us, the idea is to uplift the morale of the people and tell them how things are going to be post-COVID. Many senior people, professionals, hoteliers, airline representatives, and motivational speakers will come and guide our members through the new normal.”
Najeeb adds, “We are expecting Arvind Singh, Secretary of Tourism; Rupinder Brar, ADG, Tourism; Dr V Venu, Additional Chief Secretary, Kerala, and all the industry leaders. There will also be experts from the aviation, tourism, and hospitality sector.”
Issues to address
Kaistha says that they will talk about how to deal with hotels under the new normal, as they are looking into increasing their prices. “We will focus on transport prices due to hike in fuel prices, state taxes and means to rationalise them. For this, we are calling on people from various states to speak up and send a message that while we are opening, we must be price- and quality-conscious, as well as ensure that tourists return with a positive impression that India is not only ready to welcome tourists, but they return as ambassadors and say that India is ready, “he adds.
Registrations and protocols
Najeeb reveals that on the first day of opening, they received around 100 registrations. They hope to get a total of 1000–1200 registrations, with all protocols by the GoI being followed for registrations.
Gujarat is in the spotlight
Gujarat Tourism will have a presentation at the convention and expect messages from both the PM and the Home Minister for the same. “We are also trying to get the CM of Gujarat on board. There will be Fam tours to places like Bhuj to Rann of Kutch, Dwarka to the statue of Unity, educating them with the products and having them showcased in the best possible manner so that Gujarat is seen on the international tourism map, “he adds. Lauding the Gujarat government, Najeeb says that they have been very welcoming. “Even the hotels like Leela or Novotel have been very supportive. We are looking towards a good convention and we invite maximum of our members to join us and make it a success,” he adds.
