Prelude To The Convention

Message From The TAAI President

Jehangir N Katgara, president, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI)

The travel industry across the world has been facing turbulent times, with India being no exception to the rule. External disturbances, both man-made and natural, have driven the travel trade into the slow track. Business from the European and US market have also witnessed a decline.

Known for its survival spirit, the Indian travel trade has made efforts to bounce back into action. To provide further impetus to this fighting spirit, it was important to look beyond our boundaries, not too far and wide but just the next door. We have a wealth of business potential lying unexplored in regions close to India, which could be either the Middle East sector, the ASEAN region, Sri Lanka or even the SAARC belt. The markets in the Far East region, Middle-East and Sri Lanka, when compared to Europe and the US, hold eminent promise for the Indian travel business as they provide the numbers and are also logistically sound.

Analysing the present scenario, ‘Regional Networking - Opportunity For Success’ was the indisputable choice as the theme of our convention. TAAIintends use this opportunity to strengthen ties with our neighbours. Networking continues to play a pivotal role in the travel and tourism industry. The theme is therefore very apt.

Selecting the ASEAN region as our focus for regional networking was the result of a few factors. Constant persuasion from the Malaysian tourism authorities; regular liaisoning and follow-ups from the their side; success of the destination in the Indian market; sound logistics in terms of air connectivity and convention facilities – all of these have resulted in the ultimate zeroing in on the salubrious surroundings of Genting Highlands in Malaysia. Besides, there was the enthusiastic support we received from the Malaysian Tourism Authorities and Malaysian Airlines.

After 20 long years, TAAI is venturing beyond the Indian sub-continent.

Though these are turbulent times, the fact remains that our industry has again displayed its spirit of solidarity, by supporting our ASEAN neighbours in holding the event in Malaysia.

Through networking, the travel and tourism industry has crossed borders, forged greater ties and opened new vistas. In the past, great concern was expressed that individuals would recede into the virtual world and lock themselves out of the real world. Networking today, is strongly associated with the ‘net’ which is a fountain of information on every conceivable subject, to which we had little or no access over a decade ago. Despite the IT phenomenon, I am a firm believer that the personal touch cannot be replaced. We need to meet and communicate face to face.

The convention this year affords you the opportunity to hear a host of international speakers. At the TAAI convention, for the first time a panel discussion of presidents from travel associations of various countries will take place. The discussions will give the Indian travel trade a deeper insight into the international systems of functioning. This convention would also give TAAI more leverage in the international travel arena. The convention aims to encourage two-way traffic and attract the ASEAN traveller to India which we hope to achieve at this international convention.

The INDO-ASEAN Travel Mart also holds a lot of promise since besides India, there will be representatives from all over the world including Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Oman, Dubai etc apart from, of course, many others from the South East Asian region. Hence, it will prove to be an ideal platform to network, connect and build business for the future.

Though the past two years have not been smooth sailing, I have endeavoured to resolve many of the issues affecting us with the unstinted support and encouragement of my colleagues of the managing committee and the regions and chapters. My personal thanks to each of you for your generous support during this period. I look forward to your wholehearted participation at the TAAI convention in Malaysia.