Category Archives: Associations

Association of Tourism Trade Organisations India (ATTOI), a consortium of tour operators in Kerala, have launched a 9-day experiential package ‘Navaratana Experiessential Holidays’, for inbound tourists which would include 500 new packages for visitors in the first phase.  The highlight of the packages will be an insight into village life, community interactions and promotion of sustainable tourism practices. Local interactions, tradition of Ayurveda, full body massages, jungle boat safari, backwater cruises on houseboats, tea factory visits, tour of Kerala’s trade and cultural ties with the rest of the world. The first phase of the packages by the consortium, targets foreign tourists and is uploaded on ATTOI website. Packages for domestic tourists will be launched in the next phase. “The Navaratana ‘Experiessential’ Holidays is going to redefine the way we see Kerala with 99 unique experiences in nine days,” said Anish Kumar P K, President, ATTOI. The finer elements of the industry consortium by ATTOI involves collaboration of hotels, tour operators and vendors at each destination. A P Anil Kumar, Tourism Minister, Kerala, said, “The state government’s plan allocation to the tourism fund has been increased from Rs 100 Crores to Rs 225 Crores in the course of five years. This will be further increased in the coming budget session.”

The biennial election of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) is slated for April 23, shared Pronob Sarkar, Hony Secretary, IATO, at the inaugural day of the ‘Destination North East 2016’ mega event. Sarkar added that the IATO Convention would take place sometime in September this year. Elections will be held as per Article 11 of the Memorandum of Association for the offices of President, Senior Vice President, Vice President, Secretary, Joint Secretary, Treasurer, Executive Committee Members (Active) and Executive Members (Allied) to be elected by the active members of the association. Speaking at the event, he highlighted the need to spread awareness about the Northeastern region’s tourism products and that public private partnership (PPP) mode would be instrumental in promoting growth in the region.

The fifth India Heritage Tourism Conclave “Making Incredible India – Swachh, Sundar & Sashakt Bharat,” was held at Rambagh Palace in Jaipur (Rajasthan). The one-day conclave, was organised by PHD Chamber and supported by the Ministry of Tourism (MOT). Special addresses were given by H.E. Sabit Subasic, Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Ajay Data, Chairman, Rajasthan Chapter, PHD Chamber; Vijay Goel, Member of Parliament, and special guest Parvez Dewan, Advisor to the Governor, Jammu and Kashmir Government. An Extensive Study on Tourism was also launched at the event. The first technical session saw discussions on “Opportunities and Challenges- Making Incredible India: Swachh, Sundar, Sashakt Bharat,” followed by a second session on “Importance of Start-ups in contributing to the restoration of Indian heritage and hospitality” and “Role of Royal families of India in preserving Indian heritage for across all generations” was discussed in the last session of the day.

PATA CEO Mario Hardy and John Koldowski, Member Tourism Action Group, Thamassat University Thailand, will deliver a seminar on April 5, 2016 at The Park New Delhi, to help prepare tourism stakeholders for future growth, opportunities and challenges. Together with luminaries from UNWTO, WTTC, IATA, ICAO and World Economic Forum amongst others, PATA is engaged in building Tourism Advocacy across the world to ensure that Tourism is at the forefront of strengthening the global Visitor Economy. While Hardy is optimistic about the growing role and contribution of tourism in world economies, he will focus on how markets can get their fair share of this growth as well as address, both present day and futuristic challenges and opportunties. Hardy leads PATA’s charge at the Global Travel Association Coalition. John Koldowski, former Deputy CEO of PATA, is regarded as one of the leading analysts of the travel & tourism sector. He specialises in analysis and interpretation of information regarding movements and trends in the tourism sector based on emerging consumer preferences and destination development. Koldowski will share his in depth knowledge of the impact of global trends on Asia Pacific tourism.

Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) offers early bird discount of Rs 3500 + GST till Feb 20. Packages for Active Members – Rs 39,900 ++ Allied Members – Rs 49,900 ++ Non Members – Rs 59,900 ++ On spot registration for local delegates – USD 100 OTOAI has released its registration form for their 2nd Mega Convention scheduled from March 17–21, 2016, at Bali, Indonesia. “All registrations fees are waived for early bird registrations till February 20, 2016 by 1700 hours,” informed Riaz Munshi, Vice President and Convention Chairman, OTOAI. Registration charges under Package A for OTOAI Active Members is Rs 3,500 (plus GST), with cost per person on twin sharing is Rs 39,900 (plus GST) and single occupancy is Rs 49,900 (plus GST). Registration charges under Package B for Allied Members is Rs 3,500 (plus GST), with cost per person on twin sharing is Rs 49,900 and for single occupancy is Rs 59,900 exclusive of GST. Registration cost for Package C for Non Members is Rs 3500 (plus GST), with cost per person on twin sharing is Rs 59,900 and for single occupancy is Rs 69,900 exclusive of GST. Under Package D for local delegates without hotel stay and air tickets registration cost per person is USD 100. For Media Members under Package E for Media Package, cost per person on twin sharing is Rs 24,900 and single occupancy is Rs 34,900 excluding GST. Detailed information on the packages is mentioned in the registration form.

The entry fee for all Grade I monuments all over India will be increased from Rs 250 to Rs 750 and from Rs 100 to Rs 250 from April 1, 2016 for all foreign visitors. N.S. Rathore, Chairman (Western Region), Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), says, “We have approached the tourism minister who fortunately is also in-charge of ASI. We have requested ASI in New Delhi and they have deferred it till April. But if they implement this it will be a huge problem for agents. We have suggested that instead of increasing Rs 500 in one shot, do it piecemeal – Rs 250 in this year and Rs 250 in the following year. Business has anyway been bad. Cancellations will only happen when this is implemented. Some of our agents from Germany have said that if this is implemented they may cancel all their departures to India.

Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) announced its 2nd mega convention from March 17-21, 2016 in Bali, Indonesia. Riaz Munshi, Vice President, OTOAI, was announced as the Convention Chairman. He revealed, “the venue of the convention will be Pan Pacific Nirwana Bali Resort and around 300 delegates are expected to attend the convention.” The theme of the convention is ‘India Outbound: The Game Changer.’ The three-day convention will be followed by a day trip to Ubud. OTOAI will be working on the convention with their local partners PACTO.

The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) has decided to create a government liaison committee to facilitate detailed interaction with the government and suggest reforms for the industry. The team led by National President, Sunil Kumar, met Dr Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State for Culture and Tourism (Independent Charge) and Civil Aviation in New Delhi on January 29. Kumar said, “The government’s role in India on aviation practices, particularly, between airlines and agencies has been extremely limited. We discussed a lot of issues and have requested him to ensure that the government plays an important role to establish healthy industry practices including remuneration that must be provided to the agencies. We also talked about forming a round-table of agency representatives and airlines led by the government to resolve decisions on the marketing practices.”

The Hotel & Restaurant Association of Northern India (HRANI) is organising a Conclave on February 27, 2016 at Le Meridien, New Delhi. The theme of the conclave is “Hospitality & Tourism- Gateway to Growth”.  The HRANI Conclave will be a one-day event that aims to highlight the issues and aspirations of tourism and hospitality sector. This conclave will be a quarterly feature for the association and will be conducted in its nine member states on a rotational basis. Delhi Tourism will also launch ‘Brand Delhi’ Campaign in 2016 with a vision of encouraging tourism and increasing tourists inflow in the state. With HRANI shared aspiration of making Delhi, a top destination of choice, for both foreign and domestic tourists, the organisation is privileged to announce endorsement of Delhi Tourism Ministry towards the HRANI Conclave. A delegation led by Luv Malhotra, President, HRANI; Garish Oberoi, Hony. Secretary, HRANI; Bharat Aggarwal, Treasurer, HRANI; and Renu Thapliyal, Secretary General, HRANI, met Kapil Mishra, Minister of Tourism, Govt. of NCT of Delhi, to discuss about jointly organising a tourism and hospitality Conclave in the capital.

Following the declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on the Zika virus, UNWTO recalls that according to WHO there should be no restrictions on travel with the affected areas. WHO released a statement on the first meeting of the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) Emergency Committee on Zika virus and observed increase in neurological disorders and neonatal malformations. UNWTO reiterates that there should be no restrictions on travel or trade with countries, areas and/or territories with Zika virus transmission. Travellers to areas with Zika virus transmission should be provided with up to date advice on potential risks and appropriate measures to reduce the possibility of exposure to mosquito bites. Standard WHO recommendations regarding disinfection of aircraft and airports should be implemented, it said. UNWTO will continue to monitor the situation in close contact with WHO and the relevant tourism authorities. UNWTO also recalls that health and tourism authorities are working together to inform residents, tourists as well as the industry about the precautions to be taken and the tourism sector is working closely with health authorities to follow WHO prevention recommendations. As per the impact on the tourism sector, it is too early to make any effective assessment considering the evolving nature of the situation, UNWTO observed.