‘How I endeavoured to create my self’

Being a successful woman in this industry, Vasuki Sundaram, Joint Secretary, TAFI, has faced a share of ups and downs. In this guest column, she writes about her struggles and achievements in .

The travel industry is a tough and challenging sector, and is more difficult when times are tumultuous.

I entered this male bastion at a critical juncture – it was a time of turbulence, it was a time of new overpowering trends, it was a time when growth seemed to wait in the wings.

My tryst with TAFI started in 2006, when I was elected as a committee member. This was just the beginning, and in the same term I was elected as the first woman secretary. I continued to forge ahead and in the very next year I was elected as the Western India Chairperson. At the time when various airlines were moving towards Zero Commission, the situation was bleak and I had my hands full. However, I persevered and at a point when little or no opportunity existed, I endeavoured to create my own. With the responsibility that was entrusted in me by the members, I maintained faith in my leadership. With belief in inclusion, I succeeded.

‘One Voice’

For me, the decision making capacity should not rest in the hands of few, instead the organisation must have a holistic approach. I initiated meetings at different levels with the leaders of the industry, the consolidators, tour operators, destination specialists, corporate agents, mid size agents and the smaller agents. the Commission was not changed in favour of a transaction fee model.