Category Archives: Associations

The vibrant travel community of Mumbai witnessed a memorable gathering as T Syndicate, a prominent travel agents’ association, hosted a special event at The Peninsula Grand Hotel, Andheri. The occasion was not just another industry meet—it reflected unity, patriotic fervor, and promising global opportunities for travel professionals. Founded by Siddharth Shah of Primark Travel House and Mr. Hemant Shah of Neel Travels, T Syndicate continues to create a platform fostering collaboration, information exchange, and growth among travel agents. The August meet was marked by an Independence Day theme, celebrating the spirit of freedom and enterprise. The event drew in an impressive turnout of over 70 travel agents, making it a full house and underscoring the association’s growing presence and relevance in the industry. A key highlight of the evening was an insightful presentation on Japan by event sponsors, Mr. Pranay Nath and Ms. Neha from I Love Japan DMC. The presentation offered enriching information about Japan’s tourism offerings, itinerary planning tips, and opportunities for Indian travel partners—further encouraging destination promotion post-pandemic. The session was especially appreciated for its depth, practical value, and renewed ties between Indian agents and the DMC community. The event concluded with networking over fine culinary offerings and a sense of shared patriotism and purpose, echoing the spirit of August. T Syndicate Core Committee: Siddharth Shah – Director Hemant Shah – Director Vijay Sanghavi – President Rushabh Parikh – Secretary Harish Doshi – Joint Secretary Janak Gala – Treasurer With such impactful gatherings, T Syndicate sets an example of how collective effort, forward-thinking, and industry partnerships can drive the travel trade forward. The association looks forward to many more such enriching engagements that empower agents and promote …

KB Kachru, President, HAI, said, “With the evolving landscape of the Indian tourism sector, the hospitality sector is also adding more authentic experiences rather than services, increasing its engagement with the local communities, sourcing locally largely and supporting the businesses and economies of the region in which they are located.”

India has emerged as the world’s fifth-largest aviation market, handling 241 million passengers in 2024, according to IATA’s World Air Transport Statistics. The Mumbai–Delhi route ranked 7th among the world’s busiest airport pairs. Asia Pacific dominated the ranking, with only Jeddah–Riyadh, located outside the region, in the top 10.

Releasing data for June, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) revealed global passenger demand, highlighting that the total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), was up 2.6% compared to June 2024. Total capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), was also up 3.4% year-on-year. The June load factor was 84.5% (-0.6 ppt compared to June 2024), it added.

Rajiv Mehra, General Secretary, FAITH, emphasised that the upcoming FAITH Conclave will spotlight the need for unified policies, improved infrastructure and global marketing to boost India’s inbound tourism. Addressing issues like visa bottlenecks, taxation, and destination readiness, the event, which is slated to to held on 12 – 13 August in Delhi, will focus on collaboration, sustainability, digital transformation, and skilling to position tourism as a national economic driver.

TAAI’s 68th Convention & Exhibition is all set to take place from 17 to 19 September in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in collaboration with the Department of Culture & Tourism – Abu Dhabi. Celebrating its 74 years, the event will revolve around the theme, “Business with Goodness,” focusing on purposeful networking, thought leadership sessions, and meaningful industry engagement.

The Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH)  announces its most significant policy dialogue since the onset of the pandemic—the FAITH Conclave 2025—scheduled to be held on 12–13 August 2025 at The Taj Palace, New Delhi. Under the theme ‘Indian Tourism: Invincible Spirit’, this landmark event will bring together top leaders from both government and industry to collaboratively drive the shared goal of establishing India as a global tourism powerhouse by 2047. A Vision for 2047: $3 Trillion, 200 Million Tourism Jobs FAITH Conclave 2025 is a cornerstone in shaping the path to Tourism@2047—a bold, inclusive and achievable roadmap for India to become a top 5 global tourism economy. Discussions will focus on: Milestones for achieving India’s $3 trillion tourism vision Creating a pan-India tourism growth narrative Deepening Centre-State-Industry alignment Urgent steps to increase Inbound Tourism to India  Making tourism a concurrent subject in the Constitution Securing export industry status for tourism Reforming GST across the tourism value chain Spotlight on Tourism Reforms Key areas of discussion include: Developing a country-specific inbound strategy Boosting rural, wellness and spiritual tourism circuits Creating destination-specific marketing and infrastructure plans Confirmed Dignitaries & Thought Leaders: Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Hon’ble Union Minister for Tourism Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia, Hon’ble Minister for DONER ShriRohanKhaunte, Hon’ble Tourism Minister of Goa Senior functionaries from the Ministry of Tourism Industry leaders including: Mr Amitabh Kant (Former G20 Sherpa) Mr Puneet Chhatwal, MD & CEO of Indian Hotels Company Ltd. Mr Rajesh Magow (Group CEO, MakeMyTrip) Mr Pieter Elbers (CEO, IndiGo) Mr Dipak Deva (MD, TCI) Mr Anil Chadha (MD, ITC Hotels) Mr K B Kachru (Chairman Emeritus, Radisson Hotels) Ms Homa Mistry (CEO, Trail Blazer Tours) And many more… FAITH’s structure ensures that every member association—ADTOI, ATOAI, FHRAI, HAI, IATO, ICPB, IHHA, ITTA, TAAI, TAFI, has equal representation and …

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Northern India Chapter of Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) was organised on 14th July 2025 at The Park, New Delhi under the guidance of Khushvinder Sarna, Chapter Chairman. In the AGM, Chapter Elections for the term 2025-2027 were held, wherein the following candidates were declared elected: Dinesh Kumar, Inter Airwings as Chairman; Rajiv Aggarwal, Hindustan Air Travels as Secretary; and Naveen Kumar Gupta, Travelco (India) as Treasurer. Charu Arora, YTS Travel Services and Niti Batra, Joy Travels were elected as Committee Members. Anil Kalsi, National Vice President, and Rai Achal Krishna, Joint Treasurer, TAFI and several members of Northern India Chapter attended the AGM. All of them greeted the new team with flower bouquets and wished them a successful tenure and also assured their full cooperation. The new elected TAFI NI Team expressed their gratitude to all the members and assured that the new team will work for the betterment and welfare of the travel fraternity and will try to meet all the stakeholders in this regard and will also make the request for a tourism policy by Govt. of India, Govt. of NCT of Delhi, Govt. of Haryana, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh, Govt. of Uttarakhand, Govt. of Punjab & Govt. of Rajasthan.

Speaking at the PHDCCI event, Rajeev Jain, Director, Rashi Entertainment, said, “The way this industry is expanding, I truly feel we’ll have a Wedding Ministry in 10 years. State ministers, central ministers, even the Prime Minister are now talking about weddings and concert tourism.” He hailed the wedding industry as a ‘serious contributor’ to the economy and national tourism strategy.

“The government is targeting to increase tourism’s share in the country’s economy to 10% by 2047, in line with global standards,” said Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Tourism Minister, GoI, at the CII Annual Business Summit. He emphasised the role of tourism as a powerful generator of jobs and called for trained human resources for the sector.