It’s Official - Kolkata To Host 53rd Annual TAAI Convention

Joy Roy Choudhury - Kolkata

The wait has finally come to an end…It’s official! The 53rd Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) annual convention will be held in the 'City of Joy' - Kolkata from September 24-26, 2004. The formal decision to hold the convention in Kolkata was taken in New Delhi recently. Confirming the development in an exclusive with Express Travel & Tourism, a jubilant Sanjoy Sett, chairman, TAAI (Eastern Region) revealed, "Repeated requests made by us and a strong appeal made by our chief minister to host the annual convention in Kolkata clinched the deal in our favour."

The inaugural ceremony will be held at Science City in Kolkata and ITC Hotel, Sonar Bangla Sheraton & Towers, Kolkata will be the venue for the convention. Sett will be heading the annual convention organising committee and Vijay Chadda will head the convention committee.

So, what made Kolkata procure the deal? There are several reasons. Highways, flyovers, well-equipped hospitals, multiplexes, shopping plazas, state-of-the-art IT Parks, Kolkata is changing and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the West Bengal chief minister has reasons to cheer. The city is slowly coming out from its Leftist cocoon and grabbing any opportunity coming its way to hard sell its potential, be it in information technology (IT), tourism or hospitality, because critics have been vocal against the state administration's failure to 'market' its strengths.

It is true that West Bengal, despite its rich history of art and culture, has failed to become another Goa, Kerala or for that matter a Rajasthan. But now by playing host to the annual convention, the state has a golden opportunity to showcase the tourism potentials to the Indian travel fraternity.

The city has hosted successful annual conventions of bodies like the IATO (Indian Association of Tour Operators) in 2002 and FHRAI (Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India) in 2003. The TAAI convention is the largest gathering of Indian travel and tourism professionals, with over 1,600 members across the country of which 850 are IATA members and is the oldest representative body of the Indian travel and tourism industry.

Elucidating further Sett added, "The management committee of TAAI will be meeting in Kolkata again in early May to discuss and finalise other details of the convention. The theme of the convention will be decided then."

More than 1,700 delegates, including travel agents, IATA-members, professionals and invitees will be attending the three-day event. A delegation from the Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP) is likely to attend the convention. Guests, delegates and invitees will be put up at five luxury hotels of the city ie ITC Hotel, Sonar Bangla Sheraton & Towers, Hyatt Regency, Oberoi Grand, The Park and Taj Bengal.

Sett feels that this is a great opportunity for the city and the region to showcase its tourism potential, as the entire eastern region will be the focus of attention of the complete travel and tourism fraternity.