Like every year, the Indian Association of Tour Operators’ (IATO) 29th Annual Convention in Kochi is providing a platform to tour operators from across the country to network, discuss business, deliberate contemporary issues and draw a roadmap for the future. The theme of the convention is ‘Tourism – Innovations & Partnerships’ and the venue is Le Meridien, Kochi. Arun Anand is the Chairman and Lally Mathews and E.M. Najeeb are the Co-Chairmen for this year’s convention.
Subhash Goyal, President, IATO opined that the main highlights of this year’s convention are ‘Greater Interactive interphase’ at each session among speakers and members rather than just speech from the experts. The topics for the business sessions have been well-thought of to meet the growing needs of the members, he added. Sarab Jit Singh, Sr. Vice President, IATO, stated that the USP of this convention is clear that IATO is looking at the future of tourism in India by forging partnerships. Anand added that the convention is set to discuss the role of media and how it can play a responsible role to create confidence.
Replying to a question over why Kochi was selected as a venue, Goyal said that Kochi is centrally located to explore every region of Kerala toward Munnar, Periyar, Wayanad, Tiruvananthapuram, Nagarhole, backwaters and actual Kerala trade is located there. .
Anand opined that Kerala, with its infrastructural developments, holds lot of prospects and potential for inbound tourism. Mathews mentioned that the objective is to innovate and re-innovate to build members trust, and, with the consumer’s interest in the destination being the focus, establish connection with decision makers and promote the new products at the state.
“Kerala Trade is deeply involved in all respects for the development of the state in an integrated manner. Post convention tours have been drawn up to give a real experience of Kerala. Our members must take advantage of the post convention tours covering Kumarakom, Thekkady, Munnar, Kovalam, and Wayanad and workout enchanting package for their clients overseas,” Najeeb said.
According to Kohli, when IATO takes its convention to a destination, there is a certain onus on that destination to take the opportunity of our bringing the key stake holders of the industry to their land. “This is an amazing opportunity for them to showcase a new face, new ideas and market themselves to our members. Past conventions have clearly demonstrated increases in tourist arrivals post the convention. I think Kerala will most certainly benefit as well. We did look at two other destinations and Kerala came to us with the best overall offer. We are a sought after association for our convention,” he added.
Giving more details on convention, Kohli revealed that there are as many as 12 business sessions at IATO this year. These are: The Government and the Tourism Partnership, Making India an Aviation Hub, Update on Visa Rules and Group Landing Permits, Industry Partnerships – Working together for the greater good, Working Partnerships – The future in 2025, Enhancing the Strategic Valuation of Entrepreneurial Business, Making a Difference – Sales ideas for high impact presentations to Foreign Tour Operators and ‘How tourism professionals in India can create a captivating and compelling Social Media presence to attract new customers and build valuable business connections’, Leadership – The Indian Way, The Media and Indian Tourism and Always Connected Travellers, among others.
Throwing light on the choice of theme, Kohli said that today is an era of cooperation and partnerships. “We need to work together as an industry to build a larger sized pie rather than fighting to fragment it further. We started this theme of partnerships at the start of our tenure in the IATO leadership. We worked with it at our convention last year and we now are pushing the ideology further this year. No longer can a business survive in isolation of other players in the market. Whether we look at our competitors or at our suppliers or even clients, the game today is about partnerships. Similarly, innovation is also an important characteristic for any growing business. In business one has to be experimentative, bold and at the end be willing to take risks and innovate in the way they operate. Together both Innovation and Partnerships will create a successful and long term business model,” Kohli said.
