Category Archives: Associations

Expressing concerns regarding the recent GST notices issued by India’s Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) to some foreign airlines, the IATA argues that this approach does not align with international norms and practices, pointing out that Indian airlines do not face similar demands abroad. These notices, targeting expenses incurred by foreign airlines’ headquarters, are seen as potentially detrimental to India’s aviation growth, it said.

Addressing hoteliers, Dr. Sagnik Chowdhury, DDG & Regional Director (Western & Central), MOT, said, “Guests from all parts of the world visit India, and the hospitality sector is essentially a melting pot of cultural exchanges. Enhancing guest experiences is our core offering; we are more than just venues to stay. I emphasize on the need for the hospitality industry to focus on sustainability and community ties and implored the industry to dovetail its trade with the tangible heritage and intangible cultural heritage which are India’s core strengths.

Addressing hospitality industry stakeholders at the HRANI annual conference in Greater Noida, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of Tourism, GoI, said that he understands the pain points of the tourism and hospitality industry and will take up the long-standing demands like infrastructure status and GST with PM and FM to find a lasting solution.

Jyoti Mayal, President, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), recently said that TAAI’s organisational elections for the term 2024 – 2026 will be held along with the Annual General Meeting (AGM) before the end of September 2024. Elections for various TAAI’s chapters are being held across the country.

The Ministry of Tourism has said that for the promotion of adventure tourism in India, it is important that the policies for adventure tourism destination should focus on infrastructure that is important to adventure tourists. This includes clear signs, well-trained guides and clean trails. The National Strategy emphasizes strict regulation enforcement to guarantee safety and service standards because of the inherent risks in adventure activities.

Rajiv Mehra, President, IATO, announced that Port Blair seaport has been officially designated as an e-visa port. This move comes as a response to IATO’s request made last August during Mehra’s visit to Port Blair, where he met with the Port Blair Governor. “We are thrilled to share that the Government of India has approved our request to introduce e-visa facilities at the Port Blair seaport,” Mehra stated. The implementation of e-visa services at Port Blair is expected to streamline the entry process for visitors and further promote the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a premier travel destination.

According to its Mid-Year Report for its Asia Pacific Visitor Forecast 2024-2026, PATA predicts strong gains in Asia Pacific international visitor arrivals for 2024. This update underpins the prior report’s prediction of strong annual growth in international visitor arrivals (IVAs) into and across Asia Pacific, exceeding pre-pandemic 2019 levels for the first time in 2024 under the mild scenario, and by 2025 under the medium scenario. However, challenges persist as the severe scenario predicts arrivals in 2024 to remain 31% below 2019 levels, and 13% below the benchmark by 2026.

Sharing his comments on the recent IT outage that crashed 8.5 million computers, Willie Walsh, IATA’s DG, says, “The first lesson is humility. IT glitches happen. And they can happen on a massive scale. My initial thought is to thank travelers for their patience and all those who worked long and hard to return our world to normality. And that is quickly followed by a desire to understand how all industries could be better protected from and prepared for such failures. Indeed, questions are already being raised around the overall resilience of businesses and society to cope, which may lead to greater political scrutiny.”

Uttar Pradesh Chapter of IATO conducted two chapter meetings in Varanasi and in Agra on 21st of July and on the 26th of July respectively. Both the meetings were attended by about 40 members of IATO at each location and many attendees were new members who have recently joined IATO from UP. Uttar Pradesh is a very important state and in the last financial year only it has added 35 new members to the impressive membership list of IATO. Both the meetings were conducted by Prateek Hira, the Chapter Chair of Uttar Pradesh. Guest of Honour in Varanasi meeting was Rajendra Rawat, Deputy Director – UP Tourism and similarly In the Agra Meeting the Guest of Honour was Deepti Vatsa, Regional Tourist Officer along with Harish Kumar of Ministry of Tourism, GoI. Regional Chapter Chair, Sunil C. Gupta presided over the Agra meeting along with Prateek Hira. Uttar Pradesh Chairman of IATO and Varanasi meeting was chaired by Prateek Hira. The meetings discussed and deliberated on issues and problems faced by members in the state of Uttar Pradesh and solutions to these were instantly provided by the attending government officers and the IATO’s Regional chairmaen Sunil C. Gupta and UP Chapter Chairman Prateek Hira. Sunil C. Gupta enumerated the achievements of IATO and invited all members to register for the upcoming IATO Convention in Bhopal and take advantage of the knowledge sessions and familiarization tours planned thereafter. Prateek Hira on another hand spoke about the schemes of the governments and informed the members how each of them can take advantage of the schemes after registering with the state government. He also heard all the problems being faced by the members …

Pradeep Shetty, President, HRAWI, said that he was happy with Maharashtra’s Tourism Policy 2024, adding, “The annual financial allocation of INR 1,666 Cr for incentives and operational support underscores the Government’s commitment to enhancing tourism and hospitality infrastructure. This progressive framework, aimed at positioning Maharashtra as a global tourist destination, is a game-changer for our industry.”