Tag Archives: TAAI

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkiye and Turkiye Tourism & Promotion Agency successfully concluded a mega six-city India Roadshow. In collaboration with the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), this roadshow spanned six prominent cities of India including New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Ahmedabad. The event witnessed a resounding response from the travel trade fraternity. It collectively saw participation from over 1200 members from India’s Tourism Industry and was designed to foster successful business interactions between the Indian travel trade community and Turkiye Tourism officials. The roadshow not only saw participation from TAAI members across the country but also from India’s most renowned MICE Agents and travel brands including Thomas Cook, Makemytrip, SOTC, and FCM. The event kicked off its first leg in New Delhi on January 30th, and saw the esteemed presence of Mr. Onur Gözet from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, as well as, Turkiye’s Ambassador to India, H.E. Mr. Fırat Sunel. The Roadshow assembled 29 distinguished suppliers from Turkiye, including Tour operators, Hoteliers, and Indian restaurants. The roadshow comprised impactful B2B sessions, facilitating invaluable interactions between these stakeholders and the Indian Travel Trade Community. The event was designed to unveil the latest travel trends emerging in both countries, offering participants a unique opportunity to network and establish valuable connections within the travel fraternity. The aim was to create a platform that not only promotes Turkiye tourism in India but also further the collaborative sentiment between both the countries. Enhancing the celebratory ambiance of the roadshow, lucky draws were also held in each of the six cities. Mr. Onur Gozet, Deputy Director General of Promotion in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said, “The success …

The Ministry of Culture & Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye and Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), in collaboration with the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), have successfully concluded the first leg of their mega six-city India Roadshow 2024, in New Delhi. The event held on 30 January at The Oberoi Hotel, marked the commencement of the roadshow with a grand kick-off in the National Capital. In attendance at the roadshow were 30 key stakeholders from Türkiye, including Tour operators, Hoteliers, and MCs.   The attendees witnessed an immersive exploration of Türkiye’s stunning landscapes, historical landmarks, and vibrant cities. The B2B sessions facilitated fruitful exchanges, fostering partnerships between the Indian travel industry leaders and Türkiye‘s esteemed suppliers. Prominent Indian travel brands such as MakeMyTrip and EaseMyTrip actively participated in this event, underscoring the industry’s enthusiasm for Türkiye as a premier destination. The presence of influential dignitaries, including Mr. Onur Gözet from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, along with Türkiye‘s Ambassador to India, H.E. Mr. Fırat Sunel, further emphasized the significance of the growing tourism relations between the two nations.   Addressing the gathering, Onur Gözet, Deputy Director General for Promotion, Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Republic of Türkiye said, “Our shared histories, deeply rooted in ancient civilizations, have woven a narrative that resonates through both Türkiye and India. It is remarkable to witness the cultural commonalities that bind the two countries, fostering a unique connection that extends beyond geographical borders. It’s no wonder that Türkiye has emerged as a country of choice for Indian tourists, with iconic destinations like İstanbul, Antalya, and Cappadocia capturing the hearts of travellers. The foundation laid with the commencement of the six-city roadshow goes beyond tourism. It signifies the beginning of a collaborative journey towards enduring …

Onur Gozet, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Republic of Turkey, said that in 2019 the number of Indian visitors to Turkey was 2.3 lakh. In 2022, it was estimated to have been 2.7 lakh. The aim is to reach 3.5 lakh Indian visitors in 2024. He was speaking at the joint roadshow with TAAI.

Gaurav Dogra, Hon. Secretary, TAAI-Northern region, has stepped down from his position to focus on his company Plan Your Holiday. Dogra has been in this position since 2017 and was the Treasurer of the chapter before that. Currently, the TAAI-NR team is headed by Neeraj Malhotra, who revealed that the term for the team will be over in 2 months and elections are due for the new team.  

Paras Lakhia, Managing Committee Member and Chairman, Airlines Council, TAAI represented the travel trade fraternity in a meeting on Ministry of Civil Aviation’s draft ‘Heli-Tourism Policy’. In the meeting, he said that Heli business may pick up fast if Aerial tours at Tourist destinations could be started on priority so that travellers and visitors may see the entire place in limited time. His suggestions in the meeting included inviting players to foray into the vertical of Heli Tourism & emphasis was given on the need of developing Heli infrastructure at the same pace as developing airports & seaports. He also mentioned that all-important religious and hill station destinations especially where road journey is tedious but are well visited and popular should be facilitated with Heli service from its nearest airport or seaport. This includes destinations & routes, such as Hampi, Coorg, Kevadia, Munnar, Goa, Udaipur to Nathdwara, Delhi to Agra, Bengaluru to Mysore, Srinagar to Gulmarg & many more.

Jyoti Mayal, President, TAAI, has said that in the tech era upgrading ourselves and our businesses is the need of the hour. “Post pandemic, I can assure that our fraternity will come out with the most innovative solutions. Even though our services are right-now being experienced and gauged only online by a set of travellers, however, we are doing our best to facilitate smooth, and hassle-free travel for customers from every aspect. We are now offering marketing solutions based on technology and upgraded ourselves by facilitating training programmes. However, to hand-hold and support our customers we need to come on ground,” she said.

TAAI and Kazak Tourism have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote mutual interest and tourist arrivals between Kazakhstan and India via cooperation and collaborative relationship and experience changes on reciprocal basis. The signatories were Jyoti Mayal, President, TAAI and Kairat Sadvakassov, Acting Chairman of the Board, Kazakh Tourism. TAAI members will get an opportunity to showcase ‘Incredible India’ towards inbound and M!CE segments for Kazak Tour Operators and travellers.

IACC-NIC will host the 2nd Indo-US Services Summit tomorrow, July 31, with a session on travel, tourism and hospitality scheduled from 2:00-3:00 pm. Titled ‘Living with COVID – Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow’ and moderated by Ajay Bakaya, MD, Sarovar Hotels, the Chief Guest for the session will be Tourism Secretary Arvind Singh. Also in attendance will be Ross R Belliveau (Commercial Attache US Embassy), Ragini Chopra (InterGlobe Enterprises), Jyoti Mayal (TAAI) and Sudeep Jain (IHG).

Jyoti Mayal, President, TAAI, has said that by appointing three ministers for tourism (including one cabinet minister) and three ministers for culture, the Prime Minister has given a heavy weight focus to tourism. “We always had a lot of expectations from MOT, but now being given a cabinet berth, we expect much more and quicker decisions to take place. This is because the Government is looking at tourism as the industry, which would quickly revive the economy. Else, the PM wouldn’t have put so much of manpower into it,” she said.

Sunil Kumar, Immediate Past President of TAAI, has been re-elected as the President of UFTAA at the Annual General Assembly (Virtual) held on 29th June, 2021. UFTAA’s General Assembly unanimously resolved to draw the attention of governments on ‘Vaccine Equity’ related to uniform policy on the corridor of travel formalities The introduction of complex procedures by few governments, in the opinion of UFTAA, can delay the most required turnaround of Travel & Tourism industry to its previous robust levels.