We have several associations in place right now, each one representing a certain segment of travel. When airlines decided to bring in zero per cent commission, all these associations felt the need to come together to fight this decision. So the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) and the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) approached ETAA, along with the IATA Agents Association of India (IAAI), the Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) and the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), for the same. The six presidents together formed the Travel Fraternity of India. This was the time I started telling them that this coming together should not be a one-off initiative to fight one battle at a time. We are one family; we should sit across the table, and find a way to work together in general.
During our time together, we made joint presentations to the ministries, the DGCA etc. The airlines said they had been running in losses since the 9/11 attack, and had given the trade sufficient warning of what was to come. The agents were instructed by the associations to boycott the airlines. Protesting this decision, some of the travel agents went to court and the Competition Commission of India, and got an order against TAAI, TAFI and IAAI stating that they cannot force members to follow the dictate of the travel associations to boycott the airlines. The airlines did a lot of lobbying behind the scenes as well to oppose these instructions, and the Competition Commission of India fined TAAI, TAFI and IAAI.
At the same time, we started facing ego clashes and hassles within the associations. The whole perspective was lost. While some of us tried to find a middle ground solution, TAAI and TAFI wanted to do their own thing, and the whole structure came apart at the seams. This is a very unhealthy scenario for the travel industry. We are a completely divided lot. We really cannot do anything for the industry unless we pull our act together, work in tandem, and take into consideration not just what we want for the travel agents, but what we want to do for the general public.
The bane of the travel industry right now is that there is no one voice. Each representative body is doing its own thing and, in the process, we have lost track of the product and the customer. What are we bringing in value to the customer? Some of the frontline staff has no more than brochure knowledge of the destinations being sold. ETAA and IAAI have now joined hands, and as part of our efforts together, ETAA and IAAI will try and get our members to educate their frontline on staff. In addition, the funds received from state tourism boards will not fill up our coffers; it will be ploughed back into the industry. When our conventions are held in various cities, we will showcase that city to the attendees.
What I think is imperative right now is that everyone comes together and works for the fraternity and the customer at the same time, rather than spend all this energy on debating commission percentages. The airlines want to decide how they want to pay their commission. They are changing the module. They are saying zero per cent commission. But the same airline is paying a productivity link bonus to agents who sign up with them. We need to sit with them and find out how we can regularise this. However, without unity between associations, this won’t be possible. This is the scenario today. Each one thinks he is bigger than the other. We are not moving forward. We are actually moving backwards.
