Kolkata Agents Optimistic About TAAI Convention ‘04

Joy Roy Choudhury - Kolkata

Travel agents of the state are elated and are hoping that the annual convention will help them to turn their fortunes.After successfully hosting the annual conventions of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) and the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), Kolkata is now set to host the 53rd Annual Convention of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) in September this year. "It will be a great opportunity to showcase our potentials and erase the misconceptions associated with the state of West Bengal,” said Devesh Kumar Agarwal, Director, Victoria Travels Pvt Ltd, an IATA accredited leading travel agent of the city.

"Things like infrastructure, road and rail connectivity between Kolkata and important tourist spots, hotel accommodation etc have improved significantly over the years. The city too is fast improving keeping in mind the needs of the changing times. In addition to this, West Bengal Tourism has also taken up some pro-active steps in promoting in-bound tourism. We are sure that these initiatives will help us to project West Bengal in a positive light,” added Agarwal. Mentioned another tour operator based in the city, "Tourism activities in this part of the country is comparatively low in comparison to the rest of India, but we hope that TAAI will help us to increase in-bound tourism to this region. This will not only benefit travel agents like us but also will help everyone associated with it like the airlines, the railways, hotels and others.”

The West Bengal Tourism Department too wants to grab this opportunity to showcase the state. A senior official of the department on condition of anonymity said, "We are looking forward to the convention to help us promote tourism in the state. During and after the convention we are planning to organise FAM tours for the travel agents to the Dooars, the Sunderbans, Darjeeling and other tourist spots in the state and also invite them for one-to-one sessions with our departmental heads. The annual convention will help us immensely in marketing the State.

Alka Rathi, managing director, Aviana Travels Pvt Ltd, another IATA accredited travel agent, feels that TAAI's decision to host its annual convention in Kolkata would do a lot of good for the tourism industry for the entire eastern region and not only for West Bengal.

She said, "Delegates and invitees would come down from not only other states of the country but also from neighboring and South East Asian countries also. They will get an opportunity to interact with us and see for themselves the changes that have been brought-in. Not only West Bengal but neighboring states of Orissa, Jharkhand and the entire north-east stand to benefit from the TAAI convention.”

Sounding a word of caution, she added, "But we have an important task ahead. It is vital to project our state properly and show them that West Bengal does not lack in terms of infrastructure and connectivity as compared to other states of the country. We are optimistic about the outcome of the convention".