‘We have to stop working in groups’
Sunil Kumar, Acting President, TAAI, chats with about pressing industry issues and how the association must proactively handle uncertain situations.
What are the pressing issues of the industry right now and how do you plan to address it?
My first goal is paying attention to the challenges faced by our members. The key setback before the industry is the existing ‘connect’ between our principals and agencies. The practices of our principals unfortunately do not meet the expectations of the travel fraternity. There is an urgent need for us to re-establish a mutual win-win approach. We lived that way before. We understand that airlines are having a hard time, but that must not imply that those who have taken up travel as a profession must face the same crisis. Surely the pressing issues include reasonable remuneration for the investments we made, credit card pass-through, parity in pricing, airlines settlement period not in rhythm with business practices, uncertainty in insurance cover, growing costs versus depleting profits, service tax challenges, the NDC (IATA’s new distribution capabilities) and many more that keep occurring frequently.
I am willing to listen to all, meet up with all, and join all to herald the dialogue. Let’s do it, together.
Sunil Kumar Acting President, TAAI
The bottom line is clear: Many of us are uncertain about sustainability, which is the key issue. Getting together, working with all associations to make our voice heard, making our plight visible and addressing these issues with the principles amidst industry players rather than limiting it to leaders, is one way to address these challenges. Keeping members updated and trained is another way. The association must proactively handle uncertain situations. What do you think is the way ahead for TAAI?
TAAI and its committee must focus their attention on member needs. There is an immediate urgency for us to get together and be united in our way forward. One of the major weaknesses in TAAI, growing over the years, is our working in groups. This has to stop. I am willing to listen to all, meet up with all, and join all to herald the dialogue with the principals and authorities. Let’s do it, together. This must complement our joining hands with other associations as well. This must be tried out and I will soon initiate this process.
Being the oldest association, what is the growth in membership that you are targetting?
Our members are our customers. My immediate priority is to cater to them. However, we may not be able to please all the people, all the time. As long as there is a sincere desire to address members’ issues with higher levels of commitment, members will respect TAAI and our actions. Of course, more industry players will be admitted. TAAI has the unique glory of successfully facing challenges for over six decades. This is truly outstanding. What we do in the immediate future will determine how many more will join us.
How important are your regional chapters, and which is your strongest chapter?
Every region, every chapter of TAAI is important and strong. The structure in TAAI is that we access our members, we brief them on challenges and updates, and we seek their participation through our regions/chapters at our meetings. They are an integral part of TAAI and an immediate access for our
members. That is why our MC meetings have chairpersons present, who join us in drafting our policy and our decisions. Every chapter is our strongest chapter. There surely are some who represent a large percentage of our members and thus are of great value to us. But that should not imply that midsize or smaller chapters are not strong. Every member in TAAI is important and is capable of making TAAI strong.
How do you plan to strengthen the regional chapters?
We plan to strengthen our chapters by organising regular meetings, member debriefing, active member participation and a system to keep the meetings formal, business- like and receiving solutions from members towards the challenges we encounter. Our chapters must invite those who are ready to volunteer their services to help us.
Have you decided on anything about the TAAI Convention?
That is not our immediate priority. Let us work towards refocussing on our prime issues first, seek member participation and oneness, for unless we are together, we can’t achieve much. Then, we can talk about the convention.