OTOAI keen on digitisation

The Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) is all set to organise its fourth Annual Convention in Cape Town from August 11-14. Mahendra Vakharia, President, OTOAI, briefly talks about the theme and format of the convention.

Manas Dwivedi

After attracting significant growth in outbound tourism with its past conventions in Manila, Bali and Ras al-Khaimah, OTOAI is now geared up for its fourth convention in Cape Town, South Africa. The theme for the convention is ‘Digitalisation – The Way Forward’,” says Vakharia, President, OTOAI.

“All the business sessions during the convention will be focusing and explaining about digitalisation. The idea is to inform and educate the members, tour operators and SMEs on how they can leverage and enhance the business profitability with digitalisation,” Vakharia said.

Speaking about choosing Cape Town as the venue for convention, he says, “We are very excited about organising the fourth edition in Cape Town. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Also, this year is very special for South Africa because, 2018 marks the centenary of the birth of Nelson Mandela and year-long-celebrations are organised. The convention is shaping up very well and we are expecting more than 200 delegates to attend the event.”

The idea is to inform and educate the members, tour operators and SMEs on how they can leverage and enhance the business profitability with digitalisation

Explaining about the format of the convention, Vakharia says that the three-day event is going to be an exciting affair. “This year, the day of arrival will be the inaugural function with the VIPs. On the second day, all the business sessions will take place. We will also have a small B2B session with our partners, which is equally very important. When you have about 200-odd travel operators coming from India, it’s important for them to network with the local operators. The third day will involve a lot more of interaction with local sight-seeing and a gala dinner to conclude the convention,” says Vakharia.

Along with the convention, there would be a three-day pre and post Fam trips each for the delegates which will cover the beautiful regions of Garden Route in South Africa, which is very popular in the Indian market. The trip also includes a visit to Kruger National Park, Sun City and other places. The country has different combinations of places which Indian tourists want to experience during a stay in South Africa,” adds Vakharia.

200+ delegates to mark presence

With a fruitful summer season, Vakharia believes that OTOAI has experienced good growth in outbound tourism during last one year. “Traditionally, Europe has done very well. Inspite of the visa, challenges in terms of delays in getting appointment or non-availability of slot for biometrics with certain Schengen countries, this season has been very positive. I believe it’s in the track record of 15 per cent growth of what it was last year. Other destinations like Canada and the US have also done very well,” says Vakharia.

Fam Tours

• A three-day pre and post Fam trips each for the delegates will cover Garden Route in South Africa, visit to Kruger National Park, Sun City and other popular attractions