Thomas Cook India’s consistent efforts in promoting quality research in the field of travel and tourism, have resulted in the launch of the second edition of ‘Disha’ by its education and training vertical, Centre of Learning, in Mumbai recently. ‘Disha’, is a platform which invites research papers in the field of travel and tourism from faculties of educational institutions across India.
Post receiving an overwhelming response, the initiative was concluded in a felicitation ceremony where Chaggan Bhujbal, Minister for Tourism, State of Maharashtra; Sumit Mullick, Principal Secretary – Additional Charge Tourism and Chief Protocol Officer and Madhavan Menon, Managing Director, Thomas Cook (India) felicitated the winning research entries and released a published book with a compilation of the top research papers.
The first prize was awarded to Dr. Mahalaxmi Krishnan from K J Somaiya College, Mumbai who presented a paper on ‘Infrastructure – the need for it in having a robust Tourism Industry in India’. The second prize winners were Dr. Prem Ram and Arvind Saraswati from Banarasidas Chandiwala lnstitute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, New Delhi who researched the ‘Impact of Civil Aviation Policies on Tourism Industry in India’. The consolation prize winners were Dr. G.Anjaneya Swamy & Dr. Nitin Mittal from Pondicherry University for their research on ‘Relevance of Movies in Marketing a Destination’.
Commenting on the initiative, Menon said, “The travel and tourism industry of India has been recognized as a powerful driving force in boosting the Indian economy but faces its share of challenges. Our attempt, through Disha, is to encourage and support high standards of research and learning in the Tourism sector, and thereby catalyse the entire travel ecosystem. The award-winning research papers for Disha 2013 highlight current issues that impact the sector and recommendations.”
A panel discussion on ‘Travel and Tourism – Emerging Trends’ saw experts discuss the challenging issues and areas of opportunity for the industry in India. The panellists were Ratna Chadha, Chief Executive, Tirun Travel Marketing – India Rep Azmara Cruises, Celebrity Cruise, Royal Caribbean International; Manjula Chaudhary, Director, Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management; Gour Kanjilal, Executive Director, IATO; and Stephan Heuberger, Director – India Switzerland Tourism.
