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The first annual convention of Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) titled the Changing Face of Indian Outbound, which was held in Manila, Philippines from December 1- 4, 2013 at the Solaire Resort & Casino, did deliver its promise of offering its members and delegates a thought provoking convention with topics and speakers who brought in value to their field of work. From hospitality partners to destination management companies and National Tourism Offices there was a definite tone of knowledge sharing that was visible all through the convention. From controversial questions to near close convincing replies, the convention served as food for thought for the delegates. Kishor Markad of Chaitanya Travels, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra felt that the experience was fruitful as they were exposed to a new destination. “The OTOAI team worked with a positive attitude especially the president, Guldeep Singh Sahani. We got to learn a lot and it was also a good networking opportunity. I know it is tough but would be great if speakers could also address the crowd in Hindi,” added Markad. Ajay Gojamgunde of Chaitanya Tours Latur, was also impressed with the convention. He opined, “The arrangements and hosts were excellent. Philippines tourism did very well. There is a lot to learn from the Philippines government, as they have excellent infrastructure even in remote places. I have already spoken to my local MLAs about this observation. We learnt a lot, met interesting people in the trade and built new relations.”
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The convention hosted around 350 delegates from the travel trade industry and primarily focused on highlighting and taking forward the interest of all the stakeholders involved in outbound tourism of India. The organising team was headed by Guldeep Singh Sahani, president, OTOAI, and supported by Riaz Munshi, vice president and convention chairman, OTOAI and Vineet Gopal, joint secretary and co-convention chairman, OTOAI along with team members namely Shravan Bhalla, Rajiv Sabharwal, Sidhharth Khanna, Gurdeep Gujral, Mahendra Vakharia, Himanshu Patil, Sajjan Kumar Gupta, B A Rahim to name a few. Speaking at the occasion, Sahani, gave credit of setting up the convention to his team and the team at Philippine Tourism Promotions Board in Manila and India. He spoke about interesting industry issues, from taxation to working as partners in the real sense and promised to deliver value to its members through OTOAI. He added that, “Philippines is a beautiful destination and has lots to offer to a traveller. We want Philippines to fight back the aftermath of Haiyan and I hope the OTOAI convention helps the destination benefit with increased tourist arrivals. We also expect a new level of partnership between India and Philippines and hope to bring pan-India tour operators onto one platform.”
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Philippines story
Philippine Tourism Promotions Board (PTPB) offered the delegates a package that would showcase the destination as a potential leisure and MICE tourism product. The pre and post convention tours were well appreciated by most delegates as they felt it was an educative experience in terms of exploring an untapped region. Though most agreed that direct air connectivity between the two nations will provide a considerable fillip to the tourism business, they felt there is potential amongst high end FIT travellers and that Manila can work towards receiving MICE traffic from India though in small numbers. However, Philippines is strongly gearing up toward strengthening its tourism portfolio and is on its way to built a casino city in Manila on the lines of Macau. It is also preparing itself to play host to two major international events namely World Economic Forum 2014 and APEC Summit 2015. They are ready to showcase their MICE capability and are clear on their plans to tap the wedding and honeymoon market. Domingo Ramon C Enerio III, chief operating officer, PTPB proudly stated, “Divorce is not recognised in our country. So come over to Philippines and let your marriage be for keeps.” He also confidently shared a few hospitality investment details in the region, wherein major local investment groups like San Miguel Corporation and AyalaLand Hotels and Resorts group are investing in hospitality and tourism sector which will take the nation to the next level in the area of tourism. The tourism department also appreciated the work carried out by its India representative team. Speaking at the occasion, SanJeet, India representative, department of tourism, Philippines said, “We are proud to have hosted the first annual OTOAI convention in Philippines. The success of the association’s maiden event was a great accomplishment not only for the association but also for us. It gave the participating members from OTOAI a great opportunity to come face-to-face with people from the travel industry in Philippines. The event served as a platform for Philippines to extend its tourism ties with their counterparts from India and helped educate them about the country’s tourism products through educational sessions. It will go a great way in helping Philippines tourism achieve its targeted visitor arrival figures from India next year as we look onto getting introduced to new businesses from India through the association. OTOAI plays an important role in the travel industry in India and we will look forward to hosting more of these kinds of events in future”.
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Talking business
The business session titled ‘Difficult or Simple: Dealing with International Hotels’, brought in few interesting observations both controversial and convincing. Tekla Maira, director, global sales, India, Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, spoke about the business relationship between operators and hoteliers and how it is important to have structured conversations between two business partners and that pricing is not the main decision making factor. Dhananjay S Saliankar, regional director, Starwood Sales Organisation, South Asia; Mark Flower, director – commercial, south-east Asia, IHG and the general manager of Solaire Resort & Casino were also part of the panel. The sensitive topic on online pricing was also touched upon. The next business session on ‘Is the Current Structure of NTOs Optimal?’ highlighted few interesting findings about the functioning of NTOs with operators and who decides what is the best aspect to sell in the destination, the NTO or tour operator who is in touch with the local demands and sentiments. Another interesting discussion highlighted the working style of NTOs and how Singapore Tourism Board works with a different strategy. Vassilis Theocharides, director, Cyprus Tourism Organisation was vocal about his thoughts on the film industry sector and stated that he will not bend backwards to accommodate their demands. Another session named ‘How and Why To Make your DMCs your Partner’ spoke about relationships and working as a team. The convention ended on a note that highlighted the importance of realtime partnerships in the business, upgradation of skills and knowledge, understanding the customer and finding new paths for progress.
