New president at TOAA, Assam

The Tour Operators Association of Assam (TOAA) has chosen Debajit Borah, Director of Brahmaputra Cruise, as its new president along with a new EC team for the next term.The evening also saw a convention on the side-lines of the AGM.

Hazel Jain

The recently-held AGM of the Tour Operators Association of Assam (TOAA) in Guwahati was marked by the formation of the new Executive Committee where Debajit Borah, Director of Brahmaputra Cruise, was selected as the new President. Other new office bearers include Rajkumar Das, Mukul Medhi and DipakSarma as Vice Presidents, Kundol Roy as Secretary, Nipan Sarmah as Treasurer, and Pranjal Bora and Sushmita Hazarika as Joint Secretary, along with 10 new EC members.

The outgoing President Ranjeet Das appealed to members to think and act anew.He stressed the need for members to innovatein order to revive and thrive. “The biggest challenge of the association was convincing the government on the plight of the first generation tourism entrepreneurs in the state through various platforms. I appeal to the members to think anew, act anew and let not the present circumstances deter us from doing so,” Das said.

The 11th Annual General Body Meeting was followed by an evening convention that was attended by Razvee Hussain, Commissioner & Secretary, Department of Tourism, Government of Assam and Deba Kumar Mishra, MD of Assam Tourism Development Corp, along with SS Devbarman, Regional Director of India Tourism. The highlight of the evening was the felicitation of Padmashri Dr AnshuJamsenpa for bringing glory to the North East for
her achievements.

In the sphere of promotion, conservation, sustainable tourism and culture,many organisations were also felicitated for their contributions. These include Rongmon Tourism Society, Manas Accommodation and Tourism Society, Kaziranga Development and Jeep Safari Association, and Green Trek &Adventure. Presence of representatives of Tour Operators Associations from Meghalaya, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Nagaland made the convention meaningful and showcased the bonding that exists between tour operators in the region.