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The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), established in 1982, has been holding its annual convention since 1983 in various cities across India to develop strategies and help in the implementation of programmes of the tourism ministry. This year, the 30th IATO annual convention, held at Kempinski Ambience Hotel, New Delhi, saw participation from over 1400 members and around 13 state tourism boards. Welcoming the guests, Rajeev Kohli, convention chairman, IATO said, “The convention has been structured to provide highest quality and mature content in its sessions and great networking opportunities to the delegates and members. This time the highest number of state boards are supporting the efforts of IATO, thus making it a success right from the beginning.”
Talking about the theme, ‘New Beginnings, Fresh Ideas, Vibrant Future’, Kohli opined, “For the first time in Indian history, tourism has been placed at the helm and given major focus, leading to a new start. It is time for our younger generation to enter the market and put forth ideas, with innovative thinking and create a niche for Indian tourism in the global marketplace.” Commenting on the same, Subhash Goyal, president, IATO, mentioned, “The new government has brought new hope by prioritising the tourism industry and voicing the concerns faced by us,’ adding that, “Due to mechanisation of agriculture, the toll of providing employment and job opportunities is now on the tourism sector.” Meanwhile, Goyal also appealed for the withdrawal of prohibition on serving liquor in hotels and resorts below five star category in Kerala as this policy will have a negative impact on tourism. “After investing millions in marketing Kerala as God’s Own Country, the government has now introduced prohibition with the new liquor policy. Unless the prohibition is withdrawn uncontrollable damage will be done to Kerala’s tourism sector, with most of the business moving to Sri Lanka,” he asserted.
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Requesting more focus on the railways, Goyal said, “After public-private partnerships for airports, the same should be done for the railways, at least for those which are on tourist circuits.” He also requested special tourist zones and hotspots to be created and land be made available for lease to three star hotels. “Also, 77 per cent of the Himalayas are located in India and can provide opportunities for summer business in hotels as well as for adventure tourism,” he added. Goyal also appealed that the GST be implemented at a discount and service tax exemption be provided.
Development opportunities
Complimenting the endeavors of IATO, Ashok Chandra Panda, minister of tourism, Odisha, stated, “The convention suggests ways of taking the national tourism forward by integrating the historical and cultural aspects. Tour operators should take the initiative and come forward with key developments.” He also proposed that the government should instate a ‘Look East’ policy for the entire eastern region of the country and requested IATO to promote tourism in Odisha.
Parvez Dewan, secretary, ministry of tourism, Government of India emphasised on the international arrivals and growth of foreign exchange. “There was a nine per cent growth in tourism arrivals in June 2014 and in July even that was surpassed with 12.9 per cent. Last year the growth rate was 5.9 per cent, which is higher than the world average and even the foreign exchange saw an almost 10 per cent growth despite issues like the rupee plummeting.” He added, “We are well ahead, with 20 per cent growth seen so far.”
Referring to the seven million target in international arrivals, Dewan said, “We should be able to see 7.35 to 7.5 million international tourists this year. Though there has been a drop in the segmented markets, especially from Western Europe, the Russian market has jumped to 33.40 per cent, Pakistan to 88 per cent, with China growing steadily.” Focusing on the main international market segments, Dewan stated, “Germany is the biggest source market and stands third in the global sphere for international travel. Though Russia is already present in India, we should look for more opportunities.” Talking about promoting inbound tourism from China, Dewan elaborated, “The ministry has plans to train guides in Chinese. The Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management in Noida is preparing courses and curriculum for the same. Also we should have the authentic Chinese food and not the Indian version of it.”
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In order to bring the Indian heritage forward, the tourism ministry is planning to develop five tourism circuits, for which funds have already been allocated in the 2014 Budget. “From Kashmir to Himachal Pradesh, the area would come under the Himalayan Circuit. For furthering this cause, we have even developed a 15 by three feet map of the whole Himalayan region, including the area lying in Nepal, Bhutan and the illegal occupancy by Pakistan,” revealed Dewan.
Talking about the development of the Buddhist Circuit, Dewan stated, “A daily air-conditioned train will be launched within a year, tackling issues like bad roads, toilets, etc. The food part will be looked after with major cuisines available on the train like Indian, continental, Thai, etc. Also, we are provisioning it in such a way that guests can bring their own chefs for other cuisines.” Addressing the tour operators and travel industry to take the initiative, Dewan said, “The government can only provide funds and leadership to carry out the developments but ideas and initiatives have to be pushed by the industry.”
During the keynote address, Subramaniam Swamy, BJP leader, talked about bringing back the cultural traditions. “India has 0.64 per cent of the world’s population and has a variety of attractions for foreign tourists due to our rich culture and heritage. Tourism packages should be developed based on the uniqueness of India, like creating one package for the the 12 Jyotirlingas.” He also said, “The new tourism policy should be created focusing on promotional objectives, prioritising and resource planning.”
The inaugural session was followed by the Hall of Fame award ceremony, the winner being Rajvir Singh Dundlod from Rajasthan. The IATO Newsletter and Manual were also released and the India Travel Mart was also inaugrated.
A platform to share
Talking about enhancing air connectivity, Ashok Gajapathi Raju, minister of civil aviation and chief guest for the event said, “We are living in an inflation age with varied structures and incomes. The problem with the aviation industry is that disposable income is rising and we need to harness this to contribute to the tourism industry as well as the Indian economy.” Also acknowledging the suggestions put forth by Goyal about the affordability of air tickets and luggage weight limit, Raju said, “The civil aviation industry is an unregulated sector and the government is currently trying to regulate it in efforts to reach its maximum potential. India has many destinations that are well connected and yet large groups are travelling abroad, bringing forward the need to package India for domestic travellers.”
Usha Sharma, ADG, ministry of tourism, discussed the changing marketing paradigms of brand India. “The Incredible India campaign is well positioned and PR agencies in foreign markets have been hired to promote the same. Also the brand website will be revamped within six months and applications that have been launched so far will be available on Apple platforms in order to promote and market India globally,” she said.
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Ashish Gupta, Consulting CEO, FAITH, talked about the necessity of industry partnerships and global branding. “There has been about 4.5 per cent reduction in current account deficit and moving forward the partnership will continue to have huge implications on the industry. Broad based employment will be created for the skilled and unskilled labour through direct and indirect methods,” he stated.
Talking about India’s potential as a tourism destination and the new government, Girish Shankar, additional secretary, ministry of tourism, Government of India, said, “India has the potential to reach 19 million tourists and with the new government, not only the central and inter ministerial boards but also the state governments are realising the potential of the tourism sector. We now have to remove red-tapism for licenses and create more awareness regarding the safety and security of travellers by engaging PR agencies in major source markets.”
Emphasising on the new directions planned, Lalit K Pawar, secretary, ministry of minority affairs, talked about the need for coordination of all ministries to undertake responsibilities. “Civil aviation sector has to arrange connectivity to Tier II cities with air taxis, charter flights and in flight promotion of aviation. Also with the Clean India Campaign, the upkeep of monuments should be prioritised. More sound and light shows should be arranged at top world monuments like the Taj Mahal,” he said. Also, he requested IRCTC to come up with an economy version of ‘Palace on Wheels’, with the same itinerary and create transit accommodation.
Looking ahead
Providing insight into the incentive part of MICE tourism, Anup Nair, MD, Incentive Destinations, explained the importance of providing incentives. “The traveller is provided with exceptional experience in order to motivate him to strive for excellence. This is the market for the corporations to spend serious money and increase their ROIs.” He also highlighted the measures taken by the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) to promote business and incentive tourism and urged people to join the global conference happening in Rotterdam, Netherlands from November 14-17, 2014.
Talking about ideation, innovation and implementation, Steve Borgia, CMD, INDeco Leisure Hotels, stated, “There is a growing need to see India with new eyes, as our ecology is being destroyed in the name of development. Our heritage, ecology and responsibility has to become part of the travellers’ itinerary.”
Furthering the discussions on developing the tourism industry, Anand Kumar, joint secretary, ministry of tourism, Government of India stated, “The ministry is working towards removing unnecessary certificates and licenses and overcoming seasonality of the trade and focusing on developing niche tourism. We are also looking to lift the ban on use of satellite phone for adventure tourism, to lessen connectivity issues and with the help of the home ministry this change should be announced within a month. Also we are looking at expedited use of remote air strips for adventure tourism.” The ministry is also looking to develop cruise tourism in India. Kumar also hinted that the textile ministry is looking at a partnership with the tourism ministry to promote handicrafts.
The convention ended with the IATO awards ceremony hosted by Amaresh Tiwari, convention co-chairman, IATO. A few of the winners included Odisha winning the best booth in terms of innovation and Tamil Nadu, a first time participant, for the best poster and Madhya Pradesh for best Video CD award.
