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Being environment-friendly is important: Thakur

Anupama Sushil - New Delhi

Vijay Thakur President of IATO

The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) has chalked out the agenda for its 24th annual convention; it will address questions like whether we are ready for growth and how to manage it. But while the association will look at these issues, it has kept the environment in mind and decided to open registrations for the convention online from this year to save on paper.

There are numerous things that need to be addressed before tourists can avail of satisfactory services. Speaking on this is Vijay Thakur, president of IATO, who said that the association will have a round table with the tourism ministry about the immediate steps that need to be taken. "Small things like having sun shelters, multiple ticketing counters and many others are a few basic things that are needed at any tourist place. These things should not take much time to be implemented," he explained.

He also wants to offer tourists the convenience of getting tickets in advance or printed tickets for an attraction. This would avoid any on-the-spot hassles. Thakur suggests that IATO is asking MoT, the ASI and several other agencies to look at issuing pre-printed tickets.

IATO suggests having a separate waiting lounge for foreign nationals - a norm worldwide - a place where they can meet people they want to.

While all efforts are being directed towards solving smaller issues, IATO also wants to explore and market different destinations of the country. "States should be given a chance to exploit their tourism potential and Orissa has been one such state that is building infrastructure and facilities. The state is also looking at inviting investments for tourism," Thakur said.