IATO holds 28th annual convention on Travel & Tourism:By Sachin Murdeshwar

IATO holds 28th annual convention on Travel & Tourism:

28th Annual IATO Convention in Mumbai NCPA and Trident from August 30 to 1st September.


From Left to right:Mr. Subhash Goyal, President IATO, Dr. Jagdish Patil, Managing Director, M T D C, Rajeev Kohli, Convention Chairman, IATO & Lally Mathews, Convention Co-Chairman, IATO

Mumbai,29th August,2012.(Sachin Murdeshwar):Indian Association of Tour operators (IATO)  will be holding its 28th annual convention here from 30th August  to 1st September,2012.Announcing the event, conference Chairman Rajeev Kohli said Mumbai was decided as the venue after two decades at the insistance of Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation and its importance being the financial capital of the country.We decide which city goes in to what travel programs and therefore are in a unique position to shape the positioning of a destination in the global travel markets.As a result the IATO convention in NCPA at South Mumbai, we would project an increase of foreign tourist arrivals of 15-25 per cent in the next 18-24 months into the state. This is very easily obtainable by allowing for the right focus in our planning.”IATO president Subhash Goyal said that tourism wil acutally help in eradicating the poverty of the country. mtdc md dr jagdish patil said maharashtra has many destinations to offer the it will be an attraction for tour operators to promote the same.

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has invited the apex body of tour operators, IATO,back to Maharashtra after 20 years. Other states like Gujarat, Orissa, Rajasthan, Karnataka have been the hosts of the convention in the recent past.IATO’s membership controls close to 90 per cent  of all organised International tourism arrivals into the country. The body intends to operate specific education trips for the its delegates around the convention to cover the wine tourism, Buddhist Tourism, MICE Tourism,Pilgrimage tourism, In-depth Mumbai educational tour,etc. Dr Jagdish Patil MD of MTDC said Maharashtra has many destinations to offer and it will be an attraction for tour operators to promote the same.Talking about the theme, Goyal added, “Every convention organised by the association has been different and has always been with an idea to raise new and existing issues with a difference. The main objective is to increase inbound tourism in the country and think of new ways to take it forward. This year – all the prevailing issues in the travel and tourism industry, which has become a matter of concern like service tax, VOA, increasing cost of air travel, and more will be raised.”This year Maharashtra Tourism put the highest bid and was very keen to promote new areas amongst tour operators. They want them to know that there is more to Maharashtra except Mumbai. The main area of focus is Sindhudurg, and Ganpatipule. The post convention tours has also been organised,” he said. According to him, all the issues raised at the convention will be taken forward to the government through various channels, media being the most powerful of them.