Promoting peace through tourism

By Ahana Gurung

In a bid to foster a sense of camaraderie among the travel fraternity, Enterprising Travel Agent’s Association (ETAA) organised their second domestic convention at Leonia Holistic Destination, Hyderabad. The convention attracted participants from all over the country and gathered more than 200 attendees who engaged in networking and B2B sessions between sellers and buyers. Jagat Mehta, President, ETAA, added that the edition saw a pan-India participation from different states of the country such as Karnataka, Maharashtra, New Delhi, West Bengal, to name a few.
He elaborated, “We were very satisfied with the turnout and the response. While there were a few last-minute cancellations, it did nothing to deter the spirit. Our first domestic convention was held back in 2011 with 180 members from Mumbai, Pune and a few from Gujarat so in comparison to that, we’ve managed to bring together a diverse crowd. Yes, business is the main aim but so is forging and strengthening bonds.” Carl Dantas, Chairman Emeritus, ETAA, also took the opportunity to announce their partnership with UNWTO, Incredible India and the Institute of International Peace through Tourism (IIPT) as affiliate members of IIPT. “This gives every ETAA member the privilege of being an affiliate member of IIPT and an advocate of peace through tourism. During such times, I think promoting peace is extremely necessary and the need of the hour and it is a huge milestone for the Indian industry and ETAA as well.” Mehta further proceeded to sign the MoU, sealing the partnership on paper. Exhibitors such as Telengana Tourism, TrawelTag Cover-more, Fiji Tourism, ICS Travels, VFS Global, Tsogo Sun, to name a few, engaged with potential buyers and had one-on-one interactions giving details of their products. The inauguration was graced by Sunil Kumar, President, TAAI and Biji Eapen, President, IAAI, who drew focus to harmony among travel trade associations, and were felicitated on the occasion.