TravTalk India Online Magazine
The Indo International Tourism Chamber of Commerce (IITCC) formally launched in Kolkata, establishing India’s first exclusive tourism chamber to unify industry representation and strengthen national and global collaboration.
India’s tourism sector has long lacked a single unified platform capable of representing its diverse stakeholders at national and global levels. The launch of the Indo International Tourism Chamber of Commerce (IITCC) in Kolkata aims to fill that gap, marking a structural step forward for an industry that is expanding rapidly and seeking stronger policy advocacy, global partnerships and professional standards. Positioned as India’s first dedicated tourism chamber of commerce, IITCC intends to bring together travel companies, hoteliers, tour operators, event planners and allied sectors under one organised umbrella.
Mission to strengthen India’s tourism position globally
Founded with the goal of building a structured, representative and internationally aligned tourism ecosystem, IITCC outlines key priorities including global stakeholder engagement, MSME support, investor outreach, sustainability and skill development. The chamber aims to strengthen India’s position as a global tourism powerhouse, enhance policy voice, foster collaboration and support emerging entrepreneurs through certification and capacity-building programmes.
At the launch, Abbhishek Chaudhuri, Founder & President, IITCC, says: “India is one of the world’s most powerful tourism destinations, yet we have long lacked a unified representative body dedicated solely to the interests of this sector. IITCC is that missing platform — one that will empower tourism professionals, strengthen policy advocacy, and position India as a global tourism powerhouse.”
Leadership vision and national footprint
The chamber is led by a pan-India team comprising Vice Presidents Kaustuv Das (Kolkata) and Rajan Sharma (Mumbai), Secretary Krishna Balachandran (Kerala), CFO Vijay Kr Chowdhury (Karnataka) and Managing Director & President Abbhishek Chaudhuri. The leadership emphasises cross-state collaboration and unified development of inbound, outbound and medical tourism.
IITCC’s broader vision includes establishing the largest tourism chamber in Asia, connecting Indian stakeholders with more than 50 global tourism boards and creating India’s most credible tourism certification ecosystem. State chapters, ASEAN chapters and Middle East chapters are also planned as part of its expansion roadmap.
Programmes designed to build talent and global access
IITCC outlines several initiatives to support trade stakeholders, including:
• UTC Connects – B2B buyer–seller meets across Indian cities
• Ready2Work– Professional training and certification programmes for freshers
• UTC Grand Global Connect – A flagship event for tourism networking in Eastern India
• Multiple FAM Trips to strengthen product knowledge
• Travellation – A global B2B tourism publication
These programmes intend to raise industry competency, improve market access and expand participation in global tourism networks.
A timely development for a fast-growing tourism market
With India emerging as one of the world’s fastest-growing travel markets, IITCC is positioned to play a strategic role in shaping future tourism reforms, improving cross-industry dialogue and providing unified representation for the sector. The chamber aims to catalyse investment, innovation and international collaboration at a time when the industry is seeking stronger structure and visibility.
