Joint efforts of FAITH and IATO, one of its ten member associations, played key role in delivering wider tourism industry the first inbound travel show GET-INDIA in 2015 that became a pre-cursor to the annual India Tourism Mart (ITM), successfully negotiated SEIS incentive for inbound tour operators with Ministry of Commerce, facilitated the development plans of Cruise Terminals at major Indian ports, engaged with Ministry of Home Affairs to bring e-Visa system, among others, informs SarabJit Singh, who played a central role as Sr. Vice President of IATO in bringing the ten associations together to form a united voice in FAITH in 2012, a move the then IATO President Subhash Goyal says was supported by about 94 per cent of Active members of IATO.
The third edition of ITM, in a virtual avatar, concluded a fortnight ago. Participants conducted business with over 240 buyers from 74 countries.
FAITH has come under scrutiny in the ongoing IATO Election campaign after one of the contesting team led by Divine Voyages’ Lally Mathews’ ‘Team for Change’ has alleged loss of identity of IATO and that it would “go ahead solo as far as possible” if voted to office. Other members from the team like Airtravel Enterprises’ EM Najeeb and Planet India Travels’ Rajesh Mudgill have also expressed similar sentiments. Mudgill has said that the team will not walk out from FAITH “right now” and that “If FAITH comes around, it is for the best.”
In a letter addressed to IATO members that seeks to reinforce the broader role of FAITH and need of a united voice under the federation, Singh, writes, “It was decided that FAITH will take up issues pertaining to tourism industry on broader level, while the vertical specific issues will continue to be taken up by the associations. In case, an association feels not being heard then the matter can be escalated through FAITH and taken forward under the leadership of President of that association.” Managing Director of Travelite (India), Singh is contesting for the post of Sr. Vice President from ‘Team Moving Forward’ led by Uday Tours’ Rajiv Mehra.
Singh, who was the first Vice-chairman of FAITH with a stint of over four years in that position, has refuted the allegation of IATO losing its identity as a FAITH member. “This is not true at all. FAITH was never formulated that way.Individual identities are fundamental that forms the core,” he has said in the letter.
Insisting on the need to form greater synergy that can further strengthen the federation, Singh writes, “Surely, there are several more issues that need to be taken forward and I am sure working together FAITH-IATO will achieve them.”
