Category Archives: Associations

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has declared that India’s domestic market rose just 3.1 per cent in March, down from February’s growth of 8.3 per cent.  These figures were part of the global passenger traffic results for March 2019, released by IATA, which shows that demand (measured in revenue passenger kilometers, or RPKs) rose 3.1 per cent, compared to the same month a year ago, which was the slowest pace for any month in nine years. The numbers are way against the scorching five-year average growth pace of close to 20 per cent per month.The slowdown comes in line with the reduction in flight operations of Jet Airways, which stopped flying in April, as well as disruptions at Mumbai airport owing to construction.

HRANI’s next conclave has been scheduled for Monday, May 27, 2019 in Ludhiana, Punjab at 1800 hrs onwards. The conclave will be inaugurated by Chief Guest, Pawan Agarwal, Chief Executive Officer, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The conclaves are planned and organised by HRANI in all nine state of North India on rotation basis. The last conclave held in Uttar Pradesh’s capital, Lucknow, themed on the Environmental Concerns of Hospitality Industry witnessed participation in good numbers. The sessions captivated the audience and a Guide for Waste Management in Hospitality Industry was launched during the last HRANI Conclave. This time, Hotel and Restaurant Association of Northern India (HRANI) in collaboration with Hotel & Restaurant Association of Punjab (HRAP) has planned to introduce ‘HRANI Awards – Ludhiana Edition’. The awards have been instituted by HRANI to encourage industry professionals and recognize excellence, in the hospitality industry. More information can be found on HRANI’s website about the awards. The session on Hygiene Rating is planned with the aim to sensitize hoteliers and restaurateurs about the various benefits of the rating system. Apart from that, knowledge drive presentation on re-purposing used cooking oil into bio-diesel and FSSAI’s Hygiene Rating initiative are planned in the interest of the hotel and restaurant members. Start-ups such as BioD have initiated the repurposing of used cooking oil with the objective to create sustainable solutions for a greener environment and a healthier society. The knowledge will highlight the harmful effects of consuming cooking oil which is used and re-used.  

Group packages to Europe traditionally covered five to eight destinations within a couple of weeks. However, millennial travellers are expressing a preference for visiting fewer destinations on a single trip, reports a study by CAPA India and Expedia titled ‘The Inflection Point for Indian Outbound Travel’. There are two drivers to this. Firstly, a desire to better discover and experience the places visited. This is supported by the increasing affordability of travel which means that people believe that they will have the opportunity to travel again in future, rather than a trip being a once-in-a-lifetime event where they need to tick multiple destinations off a list. Secondly, travel is increasingly seen as a means to rejuvenate and recharge and hence more leisurely itineraries are preferred.

PATA India Chapter’s First ‘Tourism MasterClass’ to be held on May 15, 2019 at the Le Meridien, New Delhi from 9:15 am – 5:30 pm for tourism professionals. It is a platform for gaining knowledge and learning from the experiences of well-known leaders of the tourism fraternity. MasterClass is targeted to attract middle to senior business leaders and help to add to their professional strengths to deliver a differentiated and profitable product offering  and will be inaugurated by Assistant Director General (ADG)- Meenakshi Sharma, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.

Travel and tourism is expected to provide employment to nearly 53 million people in India, directly and indirectly, by 2029, as per a latest report on inbound tourism commissioned by FICCI and Yes Bank. The sector has been a key source of employment as well, directly accounting for 26.7 million jobs in 2018. Further, the total jobs from indirect and induced activity stood at 42.7 million. The number is estimated to reach 43.7 million in 2019, accounting for 8.1% of the total employment in the country.

With international tourists expected to grow in the next few years, it is important that India has the right product to meet the need of the visitors. Peter Walton, President and Chief Executive, International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO), says, ‘India is an incredible kaleidoscope of destinations and experiences and so are the golf courses. I can see doubling of golf tourism revenue in India by 2021. India is still an undiscovered golf destination, even though you have 230 golf courses. Through golf, visitors will be able to experience India. 70 per cent of golf travellers are looking for a unique place which they ahev not discovered earlier.” Sharing statistics on the value of the market he adds, “Since the global economic crisis in 2008-2009, that impacted the entire leisure industry, golf bounced back within 18 months to two years, because golfers will not be denied their annual golf travel fix. Since 2011, golf tourism has grown every year at a rate between 8 and 10 per cent. So, on an average double the rate of growth of an average leisure tourism which is about 4 per cent. That carried on until 2018, we actually anticipate now that the rate of growth will slow to 5-7 per cent per year for the next three years. Mainly due to the lack of sufficient golf courses of a suitable standard in destinations people want to travel to. So, demand is still there but supply in the most popular destinations at the most popular time of the year is insufficient to cope with the demand. That is why new destinations like India can really advantage of the strong situation in the market.”

The Association of Domestic Tour Operators (ADTOI) has recently opened its Northeast Chapter in Guwahati. Rajesh Arya, Vice President, ADTOI, says, “Recently we opened our 10th chapter in the Northeast. Further, we are likely to open two more chapters shortly after the elections- Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The timeline we are looking at is, July-August. Also, the convention is due this year, which we will conduct in August or September, most likely.

The Association of Domestic Tour Operators (ADTOI) is all set to open its Northeast Chapter in Guwahati on April 6, 2019 at Vivanta by Taj, Guwahati and will coincide with Rongali Festival. PP Khanna, President, ADTOI, shared the news saying that it will be the Association’s 10th chapter. “The inauguration ceremony of the chapter will be graced by the presence of the Principal Secretary, Tourism, Government of Assam, tour operators and hoteliers. The Chairman of the Northeast chapter of ADTOI will be Arijit Purkayastha, MD, Koyeli Tours. The launch event will be followed by B2B meetings between ADTOI members and the local agents in Guwahati.” Arijit Purkayastha, MD, Koyeli Tours, who will be the Chairman for Northeast Chapter, ADTOI, said that his main aim would be to connect the tour operators based in various parts of India to those in the Northeast. “We would want everyone in India to know about the Northeast region, since many tour operators from Meghalaya and Assam are not participating in travel shows in other parts of India. Also, people and even tour operators living in other parts of India are sceptical about the safety and connectivity in the region. Our main agenda is to make people aware of the safety in the Northeast region.”  

Travel industry veteran, Praveen Chugh, passed away in Delhi on March 26, 2019 after suffering a massive heart attack. He was serving as the President of Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) and was also the Chairman of World Travel Agents Association Alliance (WTAAA). Born on October 16, 1955, Chugh recently became the COO of Agency Sales for Via.com by EbixCash, which acquired his company Business Travels Private Limited. He is survived by two daughters. Known for his guidance and expertise in ticketing, Service Tax and GST, he has represented Indian travel industry at various international forums time and again. Subhash Goyal, Secretary General, FAITH, said, “My relationship with Praveen Chugh started ever since he joined TAFI, and he took it to great heights with time. He started his company Travel Services International (TSI) from scratch and made it one of the most successful companies in India. He was one of the finest people I know and was a pillar of strength, not only for TAFI, but for FAITH as well. He was always enthusiastic about new things and had a positive attitude. He was of great help for the India Tourism Mart (ITM), and even sent his staff for the ticketing. He contributed a lot to the industry, especially with Service Tax and GST matters, which he was very clear of. He educated and guided the industry in case of any issues on the same as well as worked on agent commissions along with TAAI and other industry organisations. He has been representing India on various international platforms as well. It is a very sad moment for the entire industry and a personal loss for me as he was …

India is set to generate an incremental increase of 5.4 million visitor arrivals between 2018 and 2023, according to a latest report by PATA’s Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts 2019-2023. Of the 210 million additional foreign arrivals into Asia Pacific generated between 2018 and 2023, 73.7 per cent will come from Asian origin markets. The strongest Asian generators of additional visitor arrivals between 2018 and 2023 will be led by China and Hong Kong SAR with respective increases of 49.2 million and 30.8 million. These markets will be supported by Korea (ROK), Malaysia and India. The Asian Average Annual Growth Rate for tourism receipts between 2018 and 2023 is expected to be around 9.1 per cent, with Northeast and Southeast Asia showing even stronger average growth. “The growth momentum of Asia Pacific as both a receiver and a generator of international visitors – not just into Asia Pacific but globally – and the receipts that they both receive and generate, is set to continue to at least 2023,” said Dr Mario Hardy, CEO, PATA. “As is always the case, growth in international arrivals across Asia Pacific and indeed globally, is often unequal, with subtle changes and shifts occurring as travellers tune into new experiences and the destinations that offer them,” he said.