On a mission to fast-forward tourism
Jyoti Mayal President, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI)
2022 was an excellent year to reconnect and re-establish business relationships. After the COVID-19 devastation, the industry forged ties at levels. Collective efforts are what all of us in the tourism domain require. I am glad to share those positive vibes and overwhelming responses, be it for the meetings, training programs, travel, or offline or online events that indeed worked for the betterment of us all.
2022 was also the year of creating history in TAAI, in which we saw unity in the entire membership to choose team 2022- 24 unanimously. In 2022, I can proudly say that we became the first-ever association to organise a cruise convention. It has opened a window for expanding cruise businesses in India. The travel trade will benefit from this in the long run. Many cruise lines approached us after the Convention who would like to start their services in India.
TAAI also held its orientation meeting at Almaty with the entire team for 2022-2024. It was a new learning destination for 75 managing committee members and region /chapter office bearers. TAAI has been aggressively connecting with various stakeholders, airlines, IATA, embassies, and tourism bodies, both national and international. We are also investing in the skilling and upskilling of our members and staff. Most importantly, we work on all policy matters with the Government at centre and state levels and individual ministries. In 2022, we missed out on organising our Convention in Sri Lanka for reasons known to the world. However, we will keep our promise to support our friend and neighbour and try our best to reschedule as soon as possible.
In 2023, we have lined up a few more important events and conclaves to showcase and educate the travel trade sector of India. We will also hold various events under the WITT (Women in TAAI and Tourism) banner to support and promote women in the industry. TAAI, as an association, has always been proactive in supporting its members through various initiatives. We plan to organise fruitful and meaningful meetings for our sector to grow, prosper, and be back on track at the earliest and prosper. We take our role as a leader association very seriously and will continue to invest as a private partner with the Government at all levels to fast-forward tourism.
Tourism is an evolving sector and will continue to have challenges. However, in the aftermath of a pandemic, the most important thing is to have the industry status as soon as possible. There are numerous benefits associated with the grant of the status, so I am pushing at every level to get it for the tourism industry. In addition, we need an aggressive marketing campaign for the tourism industry and tax benefits. A right approach, will, and adequate push given to the sector at this stage would do wonders for the country. From an aviation angle, we need an Indian regulator and a process to protect consumers and our member’s money and also the high-handedness of some airlines.