Knowledge boost for TAAI members

 

Organising its first physical event in the COVID-era, the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) recently conducted a Tourism Conclave from March 9-12, 2021 at the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat. The event saw participation from more than 200 members and also included a tour of the area.

Manas Dwivedi

Members from 20 regions and chapters across India gathered and experienced the newest tourism attraction of the state. Organised in association with Gujarat Tourism and supported by Ministry of Tourism, the conclave’s focus was to educate travel trade members and promote Gujarat as a tourism destination for domestic as well as inbound tourists, stated Jyoti Mayal, President, TAAI. “Members of the trade are going through challenging times due to the pandemic and this offered them an opportunity to adapt to transformation, and explore possibilities. It was necessary to take our members out after a long hiatus because we need to motivate not only our members but consumers as well to travel and explore domestic destinations. Our conclave provides more avenues to our members and gives them the hand-holding they need to revive themselves and help them move forward. I am happy that we got such a great reception from more than 240 members who participated and showed enthusiasm during the conclave and enjoyed their stay at the destination. I would like to thank Gujarat Tourism and MOT for their assistance and support in organising the TAAI Tourism Conclave,” she added.

Delegates experienced the accommodation facilities at Tent City 1 and Tent City 2 at Kevadia along with a visit to the tallest statue in the world. They also visited nearby attractions such as Jungle Safari, Aarogya Van and many more apart from enjoying a dinner cruise on river Narmada.

Talking about the success of the event and the prospect of organising more such conclaves elsewhere in the country going forward, Jay Bhatia, Vice President, TAAI, said that the success of conclave in Gujarat depicts the need to impart skills, educate and empower members. “This initiative of TAAI shall ensure members were familiarised with the region to promote ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ and revive the promotion of domestic and inbound tourism through personal experience. The idea was to ensure that our members know more about the products and offerings at Statue of Unity before they start promoting it. Apart from familiarisation, we had three informative knowledge sessions that focused on how we can move forward after the pandemic. All participating members gave good feedback about their trip. Going forward, we are going to tie up with more states and tourism boards to work together and to provide members with more practical experiences,” Bhatia mentioned.

Jenu Devan, Commissioner of Tourism and MD, Gujarat Tourism, addressed the conclave via a live video call wherein he highlighted the initiatives of the government in promoting Gujarat and thanked the TAAI committee for bringing their members to SoU. He also assured support and encouragement to members in promoting Gujarat as a wholesome destination.