IATO Annual Convention Brings Good News to the Industry

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the surge of the Omicron variant, the travel and tourism industry is once again shutting down. But the good news is that this convention attracted 600 delegates, conducted 8 business sessions, and included the presence of as many as 13 states. The quality and range of the sessions was impressive, with participation of top brass in the industry and IATO members as well.

The theme of this year’s IATO Annual Convention, which was held in Gujarat after 10 years, was Brand India – The Road to Recovery, and the speakers spoke on just that. They gave food for thought for officials and members alike, and it will be watched with interest how things shape up in the months to come.

Technology was high on the list of subjects as was the question of sustainability and responsible tourism.

Another crucial issue discussed was the relationship between hotels and agents, a subject which led to heated conversations and light-filled information. The presence of industry stalwarts like Ajay Bakaya, Managing Director of Sarovar Hotels & Resorts; Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of The Indian Hotels Company, Ltd.; and Anurag Bhatnagar, Chief Operating Officer of The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts gave weight to the hospitality topic, with even a detection of forward movement as far as agents-hotels ties are concerned.

What will be the new normal?

This discussion led to generation of ideas, as did the question of responsible tourism. Interestingly, tourism officials and industry players spoke of the need for greater interaction so that things will move forward. Inputs from the industry were sought for the website so that it is more meaningful.

Digital marketing will be in focus, and on this was the point, there was agreement in the discussions. The need for change in systems and for crisis managing set-up was also emphasized during the sessions.

One of the important features of such conventions has been to let the states reveal what is in store. The states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat spoke on what is coming up in their areas.

At the macro level, cruises received much attention with speakers pointing out that this specialized field needs more attention, rather than speaking about it only in general terms.

Rajeev Kohli of Creative Travel came up with 8 doable ideas, and he also suggested that the Incredible India campaign be retired and be replaced with a new branding reflective of the current times.

Rajiv Mehra, IATO President, told eTN that the convention was a success and had attracted good attendance under the present circumstances.

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