Sustainability to be the heart of TAFI Convention 2022
There is certainly a great deal of excitement about the upcoming TAFI Convention 2022, where more than 500 TAFI members are expected to attend the event at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK). TTJ takes this opportunity to interact with Seeraj Sabharwal, Convention Chairman, Jigar Dudakiya, Deputy Chairman, TAFI Convention Committee, and Anil Kalsi, Joint Secretary, TAFI to get feedback on the destination and highlights of the most anticipated Convention.
The TAFI managing committee visited Kuching in July 2022 to conduct multiple site inspections and visit YB Dato Sri Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Sarawak (MTCP). After their recce, the committee felt that Sarawak had a great potential to become a popular destination in the India market because after the pandemic the present generation is greatly concerned about the planet, conservation, and sustainability. Hence, the sustainability factor will be the heart of the Convention.
Speaking about the host destination, Seeraj Sabharwal said, “Sarawak is famed for its astonishing national parks and biodiversity, rich cultural heritage, and nature reserves. Sarawak’s rich ethnic diversity offers a uniquely local experience at the very moment you step off the plane. TAFI has often organised conventions in unique and unusual locations to expand the portfolio of travel agents and tour operators of India and Sarawak simply amazed us.”
According to Seeraj, the response so far has been great as the TAFI Convention is happening after a gap of four years. At the Convention, they will be having extensive business sessions for two days with some great speakers and are actively looking forward to the B2B engagements with the Malaysian travel agents. The Convention package will be inclusive of 3 nights’ pre or post-Convention tours to beautiful places within Malaysia. Hence, the Convention committee anticipates many more members registering.
“We have received a lot of support from our Convention partners i.e. Tourism Malaysia, Sarawak Tourism Board, MyCEB, Malaysian Airlines, Business Events Sarawak, BCCK, The Pullman Hotel, and The Waterfront Hotel to name a few who are as excited and awaiting the arrival of the travel agents from India,” affirms Seeraj.
The Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK), with its state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, is the first international purpose-built Convention centre in Kuching. The centre can host up to 5000 people with uninterrupted WiFi internet services for up to 8000 simultaneous users. Both the host hotels, The Sarawak Waterfront Hotel and The Pullman Hotel, offer panoramic city and river views.
Sharing more about the destination, Jigar Dudakiya said, “After we visited Kuching, the capital of Sarawak, I found simply the city to be very unique. No other city in Malaysia has such a romantic and unlikely history, nor displays its charms with such easy grace. The residents of Kuching take great pride in their fascinating city, which is reflected in their attitude to visitors. Kuching’s city centre is well preserved and very compact; virtually everything worth seeing can be reached on foot or by sampan.”
Regarding the 3 night’s pre or post-Convention tours, Jigar informed, “We are going to cover 4 pre tours like Kuching, Kuala Lumpur with Genting, Melaka (Mallaca) with Port Dickson, and Selangor and 4 post tours to Johor, Langkawi, Penang and Kota Kinabalu. Each tour covers the main sightseeing places, along with upcoming tourist attractions. All tours are for 3 nights, 4 days. So members will have a great experience during the 7 days, including the Convention and tours.”
On speaking to Anil Kalsi about the Convention, Kalsi had similar opinions to share, “TAFI is always focused on adding value in multiple terms to its membership. Our Convention is one of our initiatives in the same direction. We keep the price very realistic for our members. The inclusions are tremendous, as the cost includes the ticket, visa fee, and business session. For a very insignificant add-on, we also offer pre and post-tours to members, so that they get to experience the destination closely and imbibe hands-on experience to market it better in their area of work. Our business sessions are good learning experiences in a focused environment.”
“Our convention theme, ‘Build Back Together’ underlines our focus. Travel is evolving and so are the remuneration and marketing patterns. We will try to disseminate as much relevant knowledge as possible. Our delegates are travel professionals and they will become ambassadors of the host country on their return. Malaysia will see a resurgence in arrivals from India post the convention,” assures Anil.