Stakeholders, associations, asks States to show courage and intent and come forward, say they are willing and ready to handhold the state governments in reviving tourism.
The 10thADTOI Convention starting today at Kevadiya in Gujarat will be the first major physical tourism event since the sector was hit hard because of Coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns. Amidst declining Covid numbers in India, the convention, South Asia’s biggest travel fair SATTE2021 next month, and other such events holds particular significance as the country marks a gradual return to tourism economy. According to ADTOI President, PP Khanna, there is tremendous interest and support from Union Ministry of Tourism, Gujarat Government and other state tourism departments for the event in order to kick-start and revive tourism activities in India.
The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, is also hugely invested in these events as part of its ongoing engagement with industry and its stakeholders for tourism revival. Top MoT officials like Secretary of Ministry of Tourism, Arvind Singh and Addl. Director General of Ministry of Tourism, Rupinder Brar are not only attending the convention but are also moderating key business sessions on “Role of Aviation in Promotion of Tourism” and “Technology Is Future-Travel Real from Virtual” respectively.
Announcing MoT’s support to the ADTOI convention recently Singh had said that the event is the first major physical event being organized by a stakeholder association post-lockdown with approximately 350-400 delegates expected to be in attendance from all over the country. The event is also expected to give impetus to initiative like ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ in line with Prime Minister Modi’s appeal asking every citizen to visit at least 15 destinations by the year 2022 and help develop the local economy.”
Commenting on the industry events, Former Vice-chairman, FAITH, Sarab Jit Singh said that the convention and other industry events, if supported wholeheartedly by government and stakeholders can greatly help the smaller industry players who have suffered the most in the pandemic. “Looking at the emerging Covid scenario in the country, ADTOI Convention in its original physical format is a laudable initiative. The pandemic has hurt tourism industry like never before, particularly the smaller tour operators. Nobody is ready to see their pain. Events like ADTOI convention, SATTE next month, one of the major international events on global tourism events calendar, and other such events, will help spur demand and revive tourism. We need to, across various state tourism departs, Union Ministry of Tourism, industry bodies and various tourism product suppliers, actively engage with these events to reboot tourism and alleviate the pain the entire tourism industry is in, specially smaller players like tour operators, agents, hotels and various product suppliers,” he said.
According to the President of India’s oldest industry body Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), Jyoti Mayal, “It’s a great initiative by ADTOI and we really appreciate them for this event. The Covid numbers are declining, there are fewer mortality, Covid vaccines are being rolled out. I must congratulate Gujarat Tourism also for this initiative. In fact we are also planning a conclave next month. However, there is also takeaway for other states in this. Every state in the country need to come forward with strong intent which is missing; exception being Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kumar and one or two more. In TAAI we have nationwide presence and 20 state chapters and are ready to handhold and support states’ travel & tourism initiative in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of efficient public-private partnership.”
Echoing similar sentiments, IATO President Pronab Sarkar, asked the states to show enterprise and courage towards rebuilding tourism. Sarkar said, “The convention is a step in the right direction. However, States should start considering opening up as the Covid numbers are declining. Those which have already opened to tourism, like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Himachal, Goa, and few more, are the ones who will benefit most from events such as ADTOI Convention. SATTE 2021 is scheduled next month, and then there are other events. These events will greatly help rebuild tourism. It is also time government and industry consider taking concrete steps towards reviving inbound tourism. These events are also the right platform to give the sector the right push. We need to build on these momentum and expedite the recovery of inbound tourism as well.”
India’s biggest industry event, SATTE has regularly been hailed by non-other than the likes of UNWTO as the year’s first major international travel fair. The event has played a key role in not only developing domestic tourism but also ‘brand India’ equity globally and showcasing India to international tourism buyers over the years.
Commenting on the role of industry events in tourism revival in the country, Pallavi Mehra, Group Director, Informa Markets in India, organiser of SATTE, said, “Events like ADTOI Convention or the region biggest travel fair SATTE in their physical form is definitely a strong statement of tourism revival in the country. For SATTE which is scheduled next month, there is very encouraging response from the industry. Major state tourism boards, like Gujarat that is hosting ADTOI Convention, and others have started confirming their participation. The Union Ministry of Tourism is very excited about the event. And importantly, we have got a very good response for our domestic buyers programme. We are also getting encouraging response from international buyers now, who have started approaching us and are confirming their participation for SATTE 2021. As an industry event we are reaching out to all stakeholders to help rebuild tourism in the country.”
