by NR INDRAN / INT

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has invited the apex body of tour operators, Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), back to Maharashtra after 20 years. Other states like, Gujarat, Orissa, Rajasthan and Karnataka have been the hosts of the Convention in the recent past.

IATO’s membership controls close to 90% of all organised international tourism arrivals into the country. The body intends to operate specific education trips for its delegates around the convention to cover theWine Tourism, Buddhist Tourism, MICE Tourism, Pilgrimage Tourism, In-depth Mumbai educational tour etc.

DrJagdishPatil, Managing Director, MTDC, said, “Maharashtra is the only state in the country that offers such a diverse range of tourist products – from the vibrant cities, to wildlife, unique caves, beaches, wine tourism, Buddhist tourism and much more. The hotel infrastructure build is also very positive and tourism is needed to fill in the growing number of rooms. The state alone is a small country when it comes to tourism. We wish to harness this potential through the power of our members to divert their programs to include more of the state.”

IATO is holding its 28th Annual Convention in Mumbai from August 30 to September 1. Conference Chairman, Rajeev Kohli (also Vice President of IATO) claims, “We decide which city goes into what travel programs and therefore are in a unique position to shape the positioning of a destination in the global travel markets. As a result of holding the IATO convention in Mumbai, we would project an increase of foreign tourist arrivals of 15-25% in the next 18 – 24 months into the state. This is very easily obtainable by allowing for the right focus in our planning.”

Further, IATO states that the past decade has seen Maharashtra’s share of the international tourist arrival drop dramatically. Ten-fifteen years ago, Mumbai and Aurangabad were featured by every credible international tour operator. That is no longer the case and much ground has been lost. Exposing IATO members to the multi-faceted tourism products that Maharashtra has, will result in a greater product focus in the coming years, believesMrKholi.

In addition, IATO will encourage all tourism stakeholders in Maharashtra to participate in its trade mart to be able to showcase their products to IATO members. This is one of the most sought after venues to conduct business with the companies who frame inbound tourism products.

The theme of the 28th IATO Annul Convention is – “Moving Forward in Challenging Times – Together”. The topics of discussion during the Convention will be, Government policies across various ministries and their impact on tourism, Standing out in a crowded market – best practices in marketing, Session on building better bonds and understandings between tour operators and hoteliers, A special session on the hidden treasures of Maharashtra, The impact of the global economy on our industry and on foreign exchange volatility, A HR oriented session on getting the most out of our employees and keeping them and Exploring New markets

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