Category Archives: Associations

The Maharashtra Chapter of the IATA Agents Association of India (IAAI) recently conducted its Annual General Meeting in Mumbai. The AGM unequivocally declared that the present day maladies being faced by the travel agents fraternity were set off by the downfall of the national carrier that started in 2004 and was eventually hastened from end-2008 when Air India implemented zero commission (within India) to please the Star Alliance Group. Biji Eapen, National President, IAAI, said, “The AGM has unanimously decided to demand five per cent commission on gross fare and in turn, the entire travel agent community will wholeheartedly support Air India to regain its name and brand. The AGM collectively looks forward to Air India reversing its anti-travel agent policies and becoming a role model. Air India can only ensure the operation of a flight from one airport to another. But the aircraft seats have to be filled by the traditional travel agents only, as Air India’s web sale volume is marginal. Under the new GST regime, agents can survive only with the commissions as mandated by IATA Resolution 824 (Para 9) and the DGCA Order of March 5, 2010. It will be suicidal to depend on service charges as it may have to be separately invoiced.”

  Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI)  has postponed its annual convention, which was scheduled from August 18-20 in Kunming, China. According to a communication shared by TAAI with its members, the association has said that they have not started the registration for the August convention, which was supposed to start on July 5, 2017, owing to few pending approvals and airline seat confirmations. Hence, TAAI has decided to hold the convention at a later date. The new dates and schedule of the convention will be announced soon.

PATA India has partnered with Amity Institute of Travel & Tourism, Amity University, to conducted two training programmes in August and September. “We are confident that Amity University will bring required professionalism in our efforts to provide relevant training to our members and their employees. We propose to hold the following training in August & September, 2017,” said Runeep Sangha, Executive Director, PATA India chapter. The first training session on ‘Hiring for Success’ aims to help small business owners, senior managers & HR managers in their efforts to hire quality resources to deliver the organisations goals and objective. The curriculum of this training program will emphasis on building a job description and specification, role and responsibility, sourcing Identifying candidates through web sources, short listing/screening applicants, interview process, etc. The program will be held on August 25, 2017, at The Claridges Hotel, New Delh from 10 am to 6 pm. The subsequent training session on ‘Optimisation of Social Media in Tourism & Hospitality,’ aimed at supporting the business development efforts of Sales/Marketing Managers, Product Managers and Business Owners, covering related subjects will be held in September, date for which will be announced shortly.

Travel Agents Association of India- Northern Region has elected Neeraj Malhotra, Co-founder and CEO, Ganpati Travels, as its new Chairman, while Gaurav Dogra, Founder, Plan Your Holiday, is the new Honorary Secretary. Gurdevinder Singh of Bhagwant Travel and Tours has been elected for the position of Treasurer for 2017-19. Malhotra said, “I am thankful to the team of TAAI-NR for their support and faith in me. Going forward, our first agenda is to consolidate the members and also focus on increasing membership during our term. Since our industry is going through tough times with the implementation of GST, we will be conducting various knowledge sessions to address and explain to the members how they can work under this regime. Also in collaboration with various organisations like PHD Chamber of Commerce and CII, we will be holding education seminars for our members to increase the information quotient. We are also looking at offering value additions to our members like education conferences abroad, more familiarisation trips to learn about new destinations and sell them to increase their revenue arm.” TAAI Northern Region also plans to partner with multiple tourism boards to conduct learning sessions for its members.

International tourist arrivals worldwide grew by 6 per cent in January-April of 2017 compared to the same period last year, with business confidence reaching its highest levels in a decade. Destinations worldwide received 369 million international tourists (overnight visitors) in the first four months of the year, 21 million more than in the same months of 2016 (+6%), according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. International arrivals reported by destinations around the world were positive overall, with very few exceptions. Most of 2016’s strong performers maintained momentum, while destinations that struggled in previous years continued to rebound in the first part of 2017. This is especially reflected in the better results of the Middle East (+10%), Africa (+8%) and Europe (+6%). Asia and the Pacific (6%) and the Americas (+4%) continued to enjoy robust growth. “Destinations that were affected by negative events during 2016 are showing clear signs of recovery in a very short period of time, and this is very welcoming news for all, but particularly for those whose livelihoods depend on tourism in these destinations”, said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai. “As we celebrate 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, we welcome the continued development of tourism and recall that with growth comes increased responsibility to ensure tourism can contribute to sustainability in all its three pillars – economic, social and environmental. Growth is never the enemy and it is our responsibility to manage it in a sustainable manner,” he added. Regional Results: International arrivals in Europe (+6%) rebounded in January-April after mixed results last year, as confidence returned to some destinations that were impacted by security incidents, while others continued to grow strongly. …

Association of Domestic Tour Operators (ADTOI) will have their 2017 convention in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh in November. P. P. Khanna, President, ADTOI, has revealed the tentative dates, and said that they are planning to hold the convention from November 17-19 followed by fam tours. More details regarding the convention will be subsequently shared by the ADTOI team.

The biennial election for Travel Agents Association of India’s (TAAI) Northern Region will be held on July 21, 2017, at The Claridges, New Delhi. Revealing this was Rajan Sehgal, Chairman Northern Region, Travel Agents Association Of India (TAAI). “The nominations are open till July 18, post which we will come to know the final list of nominees,” he said. Neeraj Malhotra, Hon. Secretary Northern Region, TAAI,also revealed that the elections will take place after the annual general meeting of the association and the new executive committee will be announced on the same day.

The second edition of the Global MICE Travel Mart (GMTM) organised by FICCI, will be held on September 14-16, 2017. This was announced by Rahul Chakravarty, Senior Director – Tourism, FICCI on the sidelines of FICCI’s Tourism Investors Meet that took place last week. The annual event will be instrumental in putting MICE destinations in India on the itineraries of the foreign tour operators and opinion leaders from India. Recognising the need to propel the highly-potential MICE industry to greater heights, FICCI introduced GMTM in 2016 where the inaugural edition saw a participation of over 30 buyers from 12 countries. Face-to-face meetings among exhibitors and buyers were held in full swing, along with a panel discussion where insights and challenges of the MICE industry were discussed.

Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) organised an interactive meeting with Sungita Sharma, Principal Commissioner CBEC, Govt. of India who is also head of Sectorial Working Group for GST on Travel & Tourism to address GST concerns of its members. The session was held at The Park New Delhi, where IATO members raised questions and concerns regarding GST to Sharma as well as Bipin Sapra, Ernst & Young. Pronab Sarkar, President, IATO, said that after the GST law has been passed there has been ambiguity on various aspects of the law including the definition of tour operators, how to file for input credit, hotel rates as well as airlines. He added that Sharma gave clarity on these subjects and also noted their advice to take them into consideration with the GST Council.

The third edition of FICCI Tourism Investment Meet was held in New Delhi on July 5-6, 2017 in an attempt to facilitate investment through one-on-one meetings. State tourism departments showcased their policies and facilities that would encourage potential investors to capitalise on tourism. State governments with the likes of Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra and West Bengal took part on the occasion and solicited investment in tourism infrastructure through presentations and face to face pre-scheduled meetings with the investors. Speaking at the inauguration, Dr Jyotsna Suri, Past President FICCI, & Chairperson, FICCI Tourism Committee said, “Three years ago, we embarked on this journey and once again, we are back here to help facilitate investment in tourism infrastructure development. We have gathered investors from around India, from hotels & resorts, convention centres, theme parks, adventure tourism, roadways etc., and hope this will give tourism the essential push it needs.” Rashmi Verma, Secretary – Tourism, Govt. of India in her special address said, “The tourism industry is one of the largest sectors all over the country, and is a major driver of the economy and for employment generation. India, with its abundant tourism products, is replete with different destinations, topography, weather and an old heritage. We have been jumping positions in several reports and have been doing well, especially in the month of May where growth has been 19.4 per cent and is one of the highest achieved. It has been encouraging to see this during May, which is considered as a lean month. However, we have a long way to go and if we really want our industry to reach greater heights, upgrading the infrastructure is the way …