KNOW YOUR CANDIDATES: A WHEREABOUTS INITIATIVE
The nodal body of ‘Inbound’ tour operators in India IATO is all set to elect its new Managing Committee for the 2021-2023 term on March 06. An industry which is first and worst affected of Covid-19 pandemic needs to have a dynamic representation which can create innovative ideas and synergy between the government and its stakeholders.
Candidate for Vice President under the banner of ‘Team for Change’ led by Lally Mathews, Lajpat Rai feels that the industry should have more pro-tourism policies. An expert in Japanese market, Rai who comes with 40 years of experience in Inbound tourism business says: “If I am elected as the Vice President, my first and foremost priority would be influencing the Government to make pro-tourism policies for business generations of tourism such as educational tours, company sponsored tours, family tours, etc.”
“Everybody is expecting to get the business in next few months but how are we going to survive till that time? The question is survival. For survival and revival everybody is looking at the Government. But the Government is also very tight with the money, especially amidst the ongoing war with COVID-19, and they are not opening up. So what should we do? We should ask the Government to make policies which are beneficial to the tourism industry especially in times of pandemic,” says Rai.
While elaborating more on this Rai suggest that the Government of India has launched an excellent campaign ‘Dekho Apna Desh’. In order to get more, the Government should add some incentives to the campaign and the industry stakeholders should create a market around the campaign. “Whatever the Government is doing, we should create a market around that so that we can supplement those efforts,” he feels.
While explaining, he informed that the main infrastructure in most of the developed countries such as Germany, Japan has been created by domestic tourism. Such countries have two policies one for international and one for domestic. He feels that something can be done on those lines.
While recalling his contribution to the industry Rai says that by utilising his expertise (Japanese language) he brought huge ‘Inbound’ business from Japan. “At a time when there were no good accommodation at the Buddhist sites, I was first to develop hotels there. When I started people followed me and today you have a number of accommodations at Buddhist sites,” says Rai.
He created much needed deluxe boarding & lodging facilities in the year 1995 at Buddhist pilgrimage sites of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Lajpat Rai’s association with IATO goes back to the year 1985, having served it in various capacities as Office Bearer/EC Member and Chairman of various Committees. He reveals that when IATO had no premises to operate he gave 855 sq. feet office to IATO free of cost for 13 years and later transferred same in the name of IATO for a very small token amount.
After graduating in economics along with three years diploma in Japanese language and literature from Delhi University Rai started his career as Japanese interpreter/tour escort and worked for four years before starting his own company Lotus Trans Travels in 1983.
In his appeal to the members, Rai says: “Let’s work as one, if we are united the Government and authorities will listen to us otherwise not nobody is going to care for you. The association will get more power if there is unity among Office Bearers.”
