Category Archives: Associations

The sixth edition of the Bengal Travel Mart (BTM) will be held from 10th April, 2021 to 12th April 2021 at Mayfair Tea Resort, Siliguri – the gateway to the North Eastern part of India. Bengal Travel Mart is an initiative of the Eastern Himalaya Travel & Tour Operators Association (EHTTOA), West Bengal Tourism and the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India to showcase tourism in Siliguri, West Bengal.

FHRAI has cited and lauded the SC order where a waiver of compound interest on loans above Rs 2 crore has been announced which has come as a major relief and positive sign for the Hospitality industry. FHRAI plans to continue engaging with the government for sector-specific relief.

Manmeet Singh, Chairman, IATO Punjab Chapter & ADTOI Haryana & Chandigarh Chapter has shared that he, along with other tourism stakeholders of the region met with Amarinder Singh, Chief Minister, Punjab, and apprised him with the issues plaguing the industry. “We had a meeting with the honourable Chief Minister of Punjab, where we reiterated the points which we had earlier emphasised. The CM gave us a patient hearing to our points, which were pending. He also wanted to know what is the current scenario in which we were facing problems, especially the movement restriction owing to night curfew in the region. The said that he will get back to us. We have also been sharing things with the bureaucracy,” he said.

Hotel Association of India (HAI) has urged industry stakeholders to treat tourism as a ‘common agenda’ and highlighted the need to make tourism viable, sustainable, accessible and affordable for all. The association has also suggested that the private sector and state governments should work together to usher the revival of the tourism sector and put it back on the track of recovery. KB Kachru, Vice President, Hotel Association of India and Chairman Emeritus & Principal Advisor-South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group, said, “This will help strengthen the sector to unlock its potential and generate employment to support the post-pandemic economic revival.”

Instead of making its own state chapters, Network of Indian MICE agents (NIMA), is signing MoU with local associations in different states. Jagdeep Bhagat, National Coordinator, NIMA said, “We have already completed arrangement with five state associations, and we are working together for promoting MICE in those states. The idea remains that we will not be opening our state chapters and we will do whatever best we can do to strengthen the state infrastructure to go for constructive development of MICE resources, facilities and promotion of MICE.”

IATO President, Rajiv Mehra has said that WhatsApp groups for efficient communication with all members are getting ready and he is hopeful that the first group will be functional in next 72 hours. “It takes time since manual feeding of all numbers has to be done to add members in the group. The data work is being done at the moment and it should be done very soon,” he said. The WhatsApp group for efficient communication with members was one of promise made by the new IATO President.

IATO says that for members who have paid their annual subscription for FY2020-21, membership will be automatically renewed for FY2021-22 and they will not be charged the annual subscription fee. The Association also says that members who have not yet paid their annual subscription for FY2020-21 can pay till March 31 this year or even the next.

Reacting to a social media post by Air India on March 18, Pradip Lulla, Acting President, TAFI, said that the association has written to the national carrier, asking for clarification. The post said, ‘Passengers traveling on AI flights to Rome, Toronto and Vancouver from India may kindly note that booking for these flights will not be available through travel agencies based in India.’

FHRAI and IRCTC have come together to offer hotel accommodations to tourists. The collaboration will allow hotel members of the FHRAI and its Regional Associations to provide their inventory for sale as online Accommodation Partners through the IRCTC tourism website and its associate portal. As part of the special partnering offer, a discount of 2 per cent on the commission payable to IRCTC is offered to the hotel or chain of hotels in the 3-star category or with equivalent facilities.

Vishwas Makhija, President, ATOAI said that the Adventure Travel Operators Associations of India (ATOAI) has reviewed and restructured its sub-committees. “ATOAI Committee Formations have been completed, we need more active participation in our committees as we move ahead.” He also informed about the total revamp of the ATOAI website for which the work has already begun.