Tag Archives: Riaz Munshi

Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI said, “The merger of Air India and Vistara, is a positive development. Air India has struggled to compete in the aviation market for years, and the merger will make it one of the biggest airlines globally and a national carrier for India.

In the Union Budget 2023, it was announced that the government has increased Tax Collection at Source (TCS) for overseas packages from 5%to 20%. Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI, says that instead of reducing the TCS, it has been increased and it will hamper the business. Rajeev Sabharwal  (CA), Chief Executive, Gaurav Travels, says outbound industry should oppose this move.

Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) will be announcing its new team today for the term 2022-24. The existing team will be taking over unopposed and some shuffle in positions is expected. Currently, Riaz Munshi is President, Himanshu Patil is Vice President, Shravan Bhalla is Gen. Secretary and Siddharth Khanna is Treasurer.

OTOAI held its General Meeting today in New Delhi, where they discussed about the work the association is doing with airlines and tourism board with the association members. Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI, revealed that the association is focusing on building relationship with stakeholders and are extending their support in providing all the necessary information required. “This is the time of cooperation and building relationship so everybody can strengthen their business, said Munshi.

OTOAI invited their members for a gathering at Shangri-La on 3rd evening. OTOAI President Riaz Munshi greeted the members and said to gear up and get prepared. In his speech he talked about creating innovative products and to be step ahead of the requirement of the clients to deliver a better experience for them. The market is going to grow, there is a huge potential and opportunity for us and 2022 will definitely going to cross 2019 mark” said Munshi.

The Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) has waived off the annual membership fee for the financial year 2021 – 22. The association has reduced the fees by 50% for the financial year 2020 – 2021. Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI said, “This is not the time to make money or fill up reserves. We understand the plight of our fellow industry colleagues and this gesture is our way of showing our solidarity to them. The outbound from India has been severely affected and it will indeed take a while before things go back to normal. The second wave has hit all businesses, especially tourism (which had started to pick a little in December / January) severely and different entry laws / requirements by different countries has made outbound travel very challenging. I would also like to urge people in the travel fraternity to get themselves vaccinated at the earliest possible so that whenever tourism opens, our customers do not hesitate reaching out to us and it will also send out a positive message to the world.”

Riaz Munshi, Managing Director, N Chirag Travels, says “There are lot of unexplored resorts and islands, which Indian travellers can explore and the trade can promote. When the outbound leisure travel resumes, I would urge everyone to explore new products in Thailand. TAT is always proactive in promoting tourism and I am sure this time also they will come up with lucrative offers to attract Indian travellers. Let’s hope for the best and soon we will come back strongly.”

OTOAI has recently written a letter to almost all European Embassies in India, requesting them to issue Gratis Visas to those travellers, who despite having a valid travel visa, could not undertake the planned holiday. Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI, says, “OTOAI has written to most of the European Embassy requesting them to issue a Gratis Visa to the visitors who despite having paid and processed the Visa fee and due procedure, could not undertake the journey for reasons known to all of us.”

The team of Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI), recently met Kamlesh Varshney, Joint secretary, TPL, Ministry of Finance, to apprise him of situations arising currently on tourism industry because of TCS. In a statement by the association, it was mentioned, “We requested that TCS be not implemented and deferred in present situation. He assured that our request will be positively looked into and they would consider our request of rolling back of the law, and if rollback is not possible then deferment will be considered.” Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI; Shravan Bhalla, Gen. Secretary; Guldeep Singh Sahni, Former President and Rajeev Sabharwal, Former Treasurer, met the Joint Secretary to voice their concerns.

In the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak across the world, the Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) has decided to postpone its Convention to another date. The Convention was scheduled to take place in Antalya, Turkey from March 15-18, 2020. Once things are back to normal, the OTOAI Convention will take place in Turkey with fresh dates. Riaz Munshi, President, OTOAI shares, “It is unfortunate that we had to postpone the convention, but given the prevailing circumstances, we thought it is best to do so. The decision has been taken keeping the safety of our delegates in mind as we would never do anything that might put their health in jeopardy. I am sure that the effect and spread of Covid-19 will subside with time and once that happens, we will re-announce the convention with a fresh set of dates.” Himanshu Patil, Vice President and Convention Chairman, OTOAI, added, “We would like to thank all the members of the travel trade, media and our partners in Turkey who have been extremely supportive. We look forward to your continued support in the future also and we are confident that as soon as the Covid-19 cases are curbed, we will announce the new dates of the convention.” In a statement, the Destination Turkey said, “Turkey is very eager to host all the delegates and the preparations are still in order. While Turkey has not reported a single confirmed case of COVID-19, the decision has purely been taken keeping the various travel advisories being issued in mind.”