Category Archives: Associations

Sunil Kumar, President, TAAI, said, “We are planning to do our convention in the Q3 or Q4 of this year.” Speaking about the travel and tourism situation of Jammu and Kashmir, he noted that they invested so much in promoting the UT in Kashmir during 2018, which gave it a premier tourism status. He regretted that the current developments have diluted the returns that came in as a result of years of effort.

IATO team led by Ravi Gosain, President met Pravati Parida, Deputy Chief Minister and Tourism Minister of Odisha, to invite her for the 40th IATO Annual Convention scheduled to be held from 22nd to 25th August 2025 at Swosti Premium Spa & Resorts, Puri. Odisha. IATO delegation included Sanjay Razdan – Vice President, Rajiv Mehra – Immediate Past President, J.K. Mohanty – Chairman, IATO Eastern Region and Gagan Sarangi – Chairman, IATO Odisha Chapter and met the Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister. Gosain informed that the Deputy Chief Minister gave her consent to join for the convention and assured her full support and also from the Directorate of Tourism, Govt. of Odisha and OTDC. She also mentioned that special arrangements with seamless entry will be made for the IATO delegates to visit Lord Jagannath Temple and beautification of Puri Beach during the convention. She also agreed to our request to host IATO Delegates at Odisha Tourism Development Corporation properties for the post- convention tours. After the meeting, IATO delegation met Mansi Nimbhal, Director (Tourism), Govt. of Odisha to invite for the convention and to seek her support, who assured her full support for the convention. With the support from Odisha Tourism, the 40th IATO Annual Convention is going to be held from 22nd to 25th August 2025 in Puri, Odisha. Odisha is the host state of the convention and besides the host state, we expect Ministry of Tourism and Government of India and 15-18 states presence in the convention. Swosti Premium Beach Resort, Puri will be the venue hotel and all the activities on all the three days i.e. registration for the convention, inaugural function, business sessions and evening programme will …

FHRAI has signed an MoU with the CUTS Institute for Regulation & Competition (CIRC) to launch a legal and compliance course tailored for the hospitality industry. K Shyama Raju, President, FHRAI, said, “Understanding the law is no longer optional; it’s a necessity.” The 8-week course aims to equip hoteliers, restaurateurs, and hospitality professionals with practical knowledge to tackle regulatory challenges.

Outlining his vision to expand the association’s global footprint by forging partnerships with international tourism boards and organisations, Ravi Gosain, President, Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), said, “We want IATO to grow into a truly international organisation. Whenever anyone is looking to do business with India, they should consider our members as their first choice.”

Amid the India-Pakistan tensions, to restore confidence and trust in tourism once again, MP Bezbaurah, Secretary General, HAI, suggested that for tourism to flourish in future as an instrument creating employment for the people and wealth for the country, trust and confidence needed to be restored in the law enforcing agencies to provide safety and security.

The Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) and The Hotel And Restaurant Association (Western India) – HRAWI in association with the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY) under the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, have announced Yogotsav, a special Yoga programme as part of the 100-day countdown to International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2025. The event will take place on 10th May 2025 at the Radisson Blu Resort in Goa Cavelossim Beach, from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The initiative is a part of a nationwide effort to promote the principles of holistic wellness, mental well-being and mindfulness in the hospitality sector and beyond. The session will be guided by experienced yoga practitioners appointed by MDNIY and is open to all hospitality professionals and wellness enthusiasts. “We cordially invite hospitality establishments to nominate participants for this enriching experience and look forward to enthusiastic participation from the fraternity to make the event a grand success,” says Mr Jimmy Shaw, President, HRAWI.

Reacting to the recent Indian air strike on Pakistan following the Palghar attack, IATO President Rajiv Mehra said, “This was expected and tourism is always the first to be hit. However, I don’t think the impact will last long. Today is May 7 and by this weekend, things should normalise.” He added that sightseeing tours continue as usual, barring disruptions near closed airports in a few border states.

Federation of Associations in Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) is set to hold the National Tourism Conclave on 4 – 5 June in New Delhi. Puneet Chhatwal, Chairman, FAITH, said, “The two-day conclave will discuss the tourism roadmap for 2030, which will serve as the building block for a $3 trillion tourism economy by 2047, aligned to the vision of Viksit Bharat, as envisaged by the Prime Minister of India.”

Federation of Associations in Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) is set to hold its National Tourism Conclave ‘Tourism 2030 – India on Mission Mode.’ Bringing together industry and government to define the roadmap for the sector to become a USD 3 trillion tourism economy by 2047, contributing 10 per cent to India’s GDP. Puneet Chhatwal, Chairman, FAITH, said “India will continue to be among the fastest growing major economies on its path to becoming the world’s third largest global economy. This coupled with limited supply addition in the country’s top ten lodging markets, foreign tourist arrivals set to exceed pre-covid levels, and the permanent shift in consumer behaviour with travel becoming a non-discretionary spend will continue the demand buoyancy in the tourism sector.” He added, “The National Tourism Conclave will focus on enabling a transformation in the policy framework and facilitate the creation of a favourable investment environment to unlock India’s tourism potential. This roadmap to 2030 will serve as the building block for USD 3 trillion tourism economy in 2047, aligned to the vision of Viksit Bharat, as envisaged by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.” The conclave will feature a series of panel discussions and interactive sessions focused on enhancing India’s global positioning by deliberating on issues such as Development of a Holistic Travel Eco-Systems, World Class Infrastructure & Connectivity, Sustainability & Inclusivity in Tourism, Preserving Culture & Heritage, Promotion of Destinations and Leveraging India’s Demographic Dividend – Building the Talent Pool. According to Ajeet Bajaj, Vice Chairman, FAITH, “The conclave will witness participation of senior leaders from both the Government and the Travel & Tourism industry.  The recommendations emerging from the conclave will be presented to the …

As per IATA’s global passenger demand report of March 2025, international demand rose to 4.9 per cent compared to March 2024. Additionally, capacity was up by 7 per cent year-on-year, and the load factor was recorded 79.9 per cent. Domestic passenger demand rose 0.9 per cent compared to March 2024.