2022 Convention aimed at boosting India and Sarawak’s tourism ties
After a four-year hiatus, the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) has announced its Convention in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia from September 20-23, 2022. TAFI had previously held conventions in Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu in 1999 and 2007 respectively. This will be its third convention in Malaysia. Ajay Prakash, President, TAFI believes that TAFI Conventions are always eagerly awaited and they expect an excellent turnout of delegates and speakers. With us, Ajay shares more on the Convention.
The agenda of the TAFI 2022 Convention is to help the Indian travel trade discover the untapped province of Sarawak in Malaysia. The Convention will feature several speakers, which include industry players, state government representatives, as well as leaders from the tourism industry who will be engaging in stimulating dialogues as well as ways to build resilience as the tourism industry moves beyond the pandemic.
Stating the reasons as to why the Convention is being held in Sarawak and at this time of the year, Ajay says, “We have not had a TAFI Convention since 2018. With the pandemic receding, flights resuming and restrictions easing, our members were looking for a convention in a new and unexplored destination. Also, the support of Tourism Malaysia, Sarawak Tourism Board, Business Events Sarawak, and Malaysia Airlines has made it possible to hold the Convention.”
Focusing on building a more resilient tourism industry and responsible tourism post-pandemic, TAFI Convention 2022 has incorporated ‘BUILD BACK BETTER’ as its theme to promote sustainable and responsible tourism practices, conservation, and advanced greening efforts. Elaborating on the theme, Ajay shares, “Essentially, it’s a call to the travel and tourism industry to heed the lessons of the pandemic. We have all suffered unimaginably over two years and we have to realise that Mother Nature has a way of getting back if you do not respect her. The industry needs to evolve business practices that are more sensitive, responsible, and sustainable.”
The pandemic has led to travellers rethinking how they experience the world and are now looking to visit often overlooked destinations and locations. Ajay thinks Sarawak as a destination has the potential to generate more interest among TAFI members and get the
required mileage from the convention. He amplifies, “Sarawak is a relatively unexplored destination for the Indian traveller. But it’s a great destination for family travel, adventure activities, film shoots, destination weddings, and corporate events. The Borneo Convention Centre in Kuching is state-of-the-art and I see great potential. Also, Sarawak is at the forefront of responsible, sustainable eco-tourism and is the ideal destination to begin our journey to BUILD BACK BETTER.”
Sarawak is located on the island of Borneo, the third largest island in the world, and it is the largest state in Malaysia, covering an area of nearly 125,000 sq km in the Borneo land mass. Sarawak, while revealing another side of Asia unlike anywhere else, offers an alternative for those seeking humble authenticity far from the tourist-trap clichés. The place has developed its own very distinctive culture, completely different from what you would find in mainland Malaysia.
As per Ajay, stimulating knowledge sessions with lively discussion, exciting pre and post-Convention FAM tours, a productive and instructional B2B interaction with the Malaysian travel trade, member networking, bonding and some great entertainment are the highlights to watch out for at the Convention.
TAFI organises workshops, seminars, and conventions for their members in different parts of the world and India, and preference is given to destinations where TAFI members can offer some new options to their clients for leisure travel, MICE and weddings. Each destination has experienced exponential growth in numbers after the TAFI Convention. Sarawak Tourism Board was promoting Sarawak to India since 2019 and this was a wonderful opportunity to strengthen and boost respective tourism industries.
Anticipating new and fresh ideas for recovery, the Convention this year is slated to have greater participation and create a major impact on the TAFI delegates. Ajay states, “We have had an excellent response from our membership and we should achieve our target. TAFI Conventions have always been well attended and this will be no exception.”
Sharing his observations on the current Indian outbound travel market, Ajay shares, “The outbound market here is very strong. It is three times the number as compared to incoming tourists. The high airfares and visa log jam has been a hurdle to the full revival of outbound travel, hopefully, that will ease in time for people to travel during the holiday season later in the year. Another unique fact is that families travel together. Often you might have three generations travelling together, that doesn’t happen so much in other markets. The rising dollar and the visa backlog have led to people opting for more affordable destinations or destinations with no visa/ easy visa regulations. I expect we will surpass pre-COVID outbound numbers by next summer.”