Tag Archives: IATO

In a written appeal, IATO has urged the Union Finance Minister to ask the GST council to consider rationalisation or lowering of GST on various tourism related services at their upcoming meeting. In a statement, IATO has said that this would help boost the sector as and when the revival happens.  Rajiv Mehra, President IATO, said “The inbound tourism has been the worst hit and if we were to get these financial relief it will help us give us some strength to bounce back. Sincerely hope that our requests will be given serious consideration by the GST council. I would also request the Ministry of Home Affairs to start planning on opening an E-Tourist Visa in phases as Vaccination in many source markets like USA, UK and other European Markets are almost complete. This can be done in stages and on reciprocal basis, so that inbound tourism business can start which will not only revive economic activities but also will bring back jobs lost during the last 14 months.”

The IATO Executive Committee recently reviewed and restructured the IATO Regional and the State Chapters to expand its wings and strengthen its membership base in Uttarakhand, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, Dadra, Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu. In continuation, IATO has further expanded its wings by appointing Co-Chairman and in-charge in various states and union territories. Rajasthan being a large state with a strong membership basis was considered to have a Co-chairman and Mahendra Singh of Holidays N Vacations, Jaipur has been appointed as Co-Chairman of Rajasthan. It was for a long time in the mind of IATO EC to have a Co-Chairman of Uttar Pradesh who should be based in Varanasi, keeping in view the importance of Varanasi as a big tourist attraction,  both for international and domestic tourists and Bhuvanendra Vikram Singh of Prime Value Tours Pvt. Ltd has been given this responsibility. Sikkim being a prime tourist destination needed a Co-Chairman, keeping in view the distance between North Bengal and Sikkim.  Namgyal P Sherpa of Namgyal Treks & Tours, Gangtok has been appointed as co-chairman to assist the Chairman of Sikkim and North Bengal Chapter who is based in Siliguri, Darjeeling. Similar is the case of Andaman & Nicobar and Mohamed Jadwet has been appointed as Co-Chairman in Andaman & Nicobar to assist the Chairman based in Chennai. Besides the above, two-state in-charge have been appointed in Manipur & Tripura to assist Chairman of IATO North East Chapter and H Radhakrishna Sharma, of Seven Sisters Holidays and Soumen Dutta of Hindustan Tour & Travels have been appointed State In-Charge of Manipur and Tripura respectively. Rajiv Mehra, President of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) expressed his happiness and mentioned …

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.

 A delegation of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), led by association President Pronab Sarkar, recently met Arvind Singh, the new Secretary – Tourism, Government of India. IATO welcomed him and took the opportunity to discuss some of the issues that have been plaguing the tourism sector, such as SEIS, MDA, etc. Secretary Singh assured the delegation of his intervention and positive action.

IATO, in association with TravTalk, is hosting a webinar today at 11:30 am, to educate attendees on new ideas in strategic cost cutting and its benefits. The speaker for the session will be Amol Bajaj, Head – Apprenticeship, Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council (THSC). To register, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call +91-9650196532.

Learn about the new labour laws, HR policies, and the new draft of the appointment letter at IATO’s webinar, in association with TravTalk, on Wednesday, January 13, 11:30 am onwards.

IATO, in association with TravTalk University, is hosting a webinar titled ‘Website Secrets Revealed’ today at 11:30 am. During the session, Digital Marketing Specialist Gaurav Gurbaxani will educate attendees on the most common mistakes to avoid in developing a website. To register, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call +91-9650196532.

IATO, in association with TravTalk , will host a webinar titled ‘Website Secrets Revealed’ on January 8, 11:30 am onwards. During the session, Digital Marketing Specialist Gaurav Gurbaxani will educate attendees on the most common mistakes to avoid in developing a website. To register, write to jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com or call +91-9650196532.

Understand eight pieces of the digital puzzle and learn nine new skills to grow your business in 2021 with IATO’s skill development webinar in association with TravTalk today at 11:30 am IST. Lifestyle Entrepreneur & Digital Media Strategist Siddharth Rajsekar will answer queries. To register, contact Jaspreet Kaur at +91-9650196532 or jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com.

Ravi Gosain, Hony. Treasurer, IATO, has said that the Government should announce a date for reopening of visa applications for India, whether it eventually happens or not. “If they make the announcement, it will be an important step for inbound market, because it would allow people to plan well in advance. If there is a possibility of doing it in March, the should announce it now, of if they think it can open by June-August, they should announce it as soon as possible, so that professionals can work for promotions and plan something,” he advised.