Opening up effective communicating channels for members

Ajay Prakash President, Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI)

2022 was the year of recovery. With the resumption of flights in March and the sustained opening of borders, the industry heaved a sigh of relief. We knew it wouldn’t be easy to pick up the pieces and resume from where we left off in 2020, but there was hope, resolve, and resilience, and we have come through.

It’s been a significant year for TAFI, too. We kept in touch with our members through regular Chapter meetings - physical and virtual. We added close to 100 new members during the year, launched a new Chapter -our 12th in Jammu and Kashmir, and held a memorable Convention in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, on the theme “Build Back Better.” An association derives its strength from the membership, and the members look to the Association for skills and support; the key is communication. TAFI did that effectively through many channels, including a fortnightly newsletter.

We have revamped our website, and our members can access over 100 free sector-specific and soft skills courses. We’re also launching in-depth destination knowledge modules for our members to upgrade and enhance their selling skills for new and unusual destinations.

As we advance, 2023 promises to be a positive year. The Indian economy is projected to grow between 6 and 7 per cent, and traditionally, tourism has always outstripped GDP growth. Despite high airfares and visa woes, domestic and outbound tourism have shown positive trends. Hopefully, the latest COVID scare emanating from China will only be a blip! Inbound numbers, though, have been disappointing. This could be due to a need for adequate and sustained marketing and publicity campaigns in key overseas markets over the last couple of years. It remains to be seen what impact the closure of India Tourism offices worldwide will have and whether the Indian missions overseas will fill the gap.

As we’ve seen, there is no point in expecting direct financial benefits for the industry. What we do look forward to, however, is an enabling environment that facilitates ease of business. The GST regime needs to be simplified, and the rate of taxation needs to be lowered to a more practical level, as 18 per cent makes our star hotels uncompetitive. The TDS on tour packages puts Indian companies at a disadvantage vis-à-vis overseas operators. Each state has different tax rates for tourist vehicles - which need to be streamlined and moved into the digital space. The Fastag can be the medium for tax collection at State borders. But above all, there has to be legislation for consumer protection. Aviation is the backbone of the travel and tourism industry, but there’s no protection for travellers or travel agents in case of airline bankruptcy. The obvious solution is to put a small charge on every ticket as insurance against airline failure. We have raised these issues before the Government and will continue to do so.

TAFI champions the cause of safe, responsible, and sustainable tourism and urges all our partners to join hands to achieve this goal. In 2023, we are planning one domestic and one international convention. We are in talks with some Indian states and countries that have expressed an interest in hosting a TAFI Convention.