Category Archives: Associations

Rajiv Mehra, President, IATO, has said that India should do some kind of advertising that our country has the Presidency of G20 and that people should visit India during this period. Kit needs to be done to increase Forex earnings and to increase business.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced passenger data for July 2022 showing that the recovery in air travel continues to be strong. India’s domestic RPKs rose 97.8% in July and are now exceeding 81% of 2019 levels.

According to the latest Economic Trends Report by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), India has been ranked sixth in terms of travel and tourism’s contribution towards GDP. India contributed $178 billion towards GDP in 2021. The first position was secured by the United States with $1271.2 billion dollars contribution of travel and tourism towards GDP.

Ravi Gosain, VP, IATO said, “Technology plays an important part in our lives, and travel is not different from that. In the coming years, it will change the life of travel agents and tour operators in the way they are working.” 

The World Travel and Tourism Council reports that the travel and tourism industry is facing a staffing deficit of 1.2 million in 2022, with Italy the most hard-hit country. Pay is a major issue in key sectors of the industry, especially in hospitality.

Ajay Prakash President, TAFI said that there are several travel agents who applied for TAFI membership because they wanted to be a part of the convention. “So perhaps a convention is a great way to boost membership!”. 

Ravi Gosain, Vice President, IATO, said that the tourism ministry should do overseas promotion immediately as we are sitting on an advantage when our neighbours are not doing well. positive publicity about India is the need of the hour.

Kapil Kaul, CEO-India & ME at CAPA, speaking at the CAPA India Webinar titled Maximising Airline Ancillaries, said that in terms of Low Cost Carriers (LCCs), ancillaries are core to the business model and can account for 20-30% of revenue. “We believe that ancillaries are key to profitability,” he said.

Vaibhav Kala, Officiating President, ATOAI, has revealed that ATOAI elections will be held on 21 September 2022. He said, “It has been one of the most eventful tenures in ATOAI history, not only due to the pandemic and business revival,  but ATOAI has had some major breakthroughs including formation of the National Board on Adventure Tourism, efforts to launch the first Himalayan Mountaineering and Adventure Tourism meet in 2023, assisting State governments with formation of rules and guidelines and many growth areas in the sphere of promotion of adventure tourism.” He added, “The new team will strive to continue the momentum gained over the last year and take all steps initiated, to their logical conclusion.”

TAFI convention delegates will be able to immerse themselves in a full-on Sarawak authentic experience with a tribal-inspired theme showcasing the best of its culture and gastronomical offerings. To be held for the first time in Kuching, Sarawak from 20-23 September, the TAFI convention will highlight Sarawak’s diverse ethnicities which comprise 28 ethnic tribes, all with their own unique traditions, lifestyles, music, food and handmade crafts. TAFI delegates will get to learn about Sarawak as an attractive multifaceted destination for the Indian market. Ajay Prakash, TAFI President, said, “Sarawak is a relatively unexplored destination for the Indian traveller. We anticipate that after the convention, our members will be inspired to promote tourism to this beautiful province since it can be a great venue for destination weddings, family travel and corporate events. We appreciate the support given by Sarawak Tourism Board, Business Events Sarawak, Tourism Malaysia and our Official Carrier, Malaysia Airlines.”