IATO 31st Annual Convention to he held in Indore in August

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, July 8: Indian Association of Tour Operators President Subhash Goyal has announced that the 31st IATO Annual Convention will be held from August 20 at Indore. The three-day convention will be held at the Grand Bhagwati hotel, informed Subhash Goyal in the presence Union State Tourism and Culture and Aviation Minister Dr. Mahesh Sharma and Madhya Pradesh Minister of State for Tourism and Culture Surendra Patwa.

The IATO President said “we had several destinations in our mind and it was really difficult to decide the venue. We had been looking into the options among Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh. State governments support was also very important as also availability of hotels, air and rail connectivity. Pre and Post Convention tours options are also our main consideration to showcase. Even as per our policy we always try to reach a new destination and try to boost tourism to the state basing our venue of the Convention. After series of deliberations, study visits, Executive Committee took the decision to have IATO’s 31st Annual Convention in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Hotel the Grand Bhagwati will be the venue for inaugural function and business sessions.

Addressing the media and IATO meet at the Park Hotel here, Tourism Minister Dr Mahesh Sharma lauded the role of IATO for the promotion of tourism and supporting the ministry for all its efforts in marketing India in overseas markets.

Dr. Mahesh Sharma also mentioned about the initiatives that Ministry of Tourism is taking to boost tourism both domestic and international.

Union Tourism Secretary Dr. Lalit Panwar informed about the work being done by the Ministry and the achievements that has been made especially in getting e-Tourist Visa which has already been implemented for 76 countries and in more countries this is to follow. He requested the members to give it a wide publicity and encourage tourists to make use of this facility.

Ashwani Lohani expressed his happiness about the IATO’s decision to hold its annual convention in Indore. He also appealed the members to attend the convention in large numbers and attend the post convention tours especially being designed for the members.

"Madhya Pradesh - Home of the Indian Tiger, Religious places like Mahakal temple in Ujjain, Buddhist stupa in Sanchi and the palace hotels in Bhopal, the boating at Bheda Ghat and tourist places in Jabalpur, Bhopal, Pachmarhi, Khajuraho etc. are great attraction of Madhya Pradesh. IATO Convention will bring Madhya Pradesh in front as convention destination,” added Ashwani Lohani.

“We are returning to Madhya Pradesh nearly after 22 years when we had our IATO 10th convention at Khajuraho in December 1993. Madhya Pradesh Tourism has been very active in marketing various tourists’ attractions in the state. Concurrently with our convention, there will be Indian Travel Mart. It is an opportunity for exhibitors to showcase exciting and diverse range of destinations, conference and Incentive venues. This will facilitate discerning buyers from the travel trade and corporate world to reinforce their choice for business travel, incentives etc. Also interesting business sessions are being planned with social evenings,” said Pronab Sarkar, Chairman Convention.

“The Stupendous Success of the pervious Convention has raised the expectations of the members and sponsors alike. More than 1200 delegates are expected for the three days event and is eagerly waited by all. They look for an enchanting as well as a destination not explored earlier. Here Indore fits in very well. Post-Convention tours on offer will be very attractive to explore new areas hither to unknown to our members” said Sarabjit Singh, Senior Vice President, IATO.

On this occasion, IATO also felicitated, a 25 member delegation from Nepal headed by Ashok Pokharel, President Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO) and also an Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) and Association of Tour Operators of Andaman (ATO) for promotion of Tourism in Andaman.

Goyal also informed that 10 top outbound tour operators from China selected by Air China are expected to attend the convention in Indore apart from tour operators from neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

Kairali Ayurvedic Healing Village bags Most Preferred Destination Award

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI: Kairali Ayurvedic Healing Village has bagged the Award for the Most Preferred Ayurveda Destination at a function held here on Saturday. The awards were announced by Brands Achiever National Business and Service Leaders Awards 2015.

Pawan Kamra, Manager (Marketing – Online) of the Kairali Ayurvedic Group received the award from M S Bitta, Chairman of the All-India Anti-Terrorist Front (AIATF) and former chief of the Indian Youth Congress and Mandira Bedi, an Indian actress, fashion designer, model and television presenter.

The Awards were given in 40+ categories. The Brand Achievers awards offered proof of the credibility of the winners and act as the seal of quality for their commitment to delivering up to the expectations of their consumers.

By bringing together industry, academia and governments onto a single platform and working together as a think tank to continuously improve upon the overall performance of Indian industries, Brand Achievers Summit & Awards aimed at assisting organisations and individuals that are or have aspirations to grow into powerful brands.

The Brand Achievers Summit & Awards are being supported by several corporate, government and non-government organisations.

'Destination Canada' ready to welcome Indians in big numbers

NIAGARA FALLS, May 29: canada's Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism and Agriculture Maxime Bernier has announced the new operating name for the Canadian Tourism Commission to be “Destination Canada”.

Speaking on the opening of Rendez-vous Canada (RVC) 2015 to over 1500 participants here, he said “this re-branding of our corporate profile better reflects our business and clearly defines ourselves internationally. Destination Canada is an important milestone for us all as we continue to build on our successes, refresh our vision, and set ourselves up to be even more competitive in the future.”

Special mention was made about India from where tourist numbers had grown by 19 per cent in 2014 as compared to the previous year. Canada issued 1,52,985 visas to Indians.

Over the next few months, steps will be taken on re-branding the collateral and assets. The consumer brand identity, “Canada, Keep Exploring” will be retained to connect with travellers in the marketing efforts.

Chris Alexander, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, said, "Our government is committed to fostering economic and people-to-people ties by making it easier for travellers to come to Canada, whether for business or tourism purposes. Visas are a challenge but we continue to improve the system with eTA for a few countries. The number of countries will increase quickly. eTA will be on a voluntary (testing) basis until March 2016 when it will become mandatory. It would be valid for 5 years.”

“Events such as RVC present opportunities for CTC to position Canada's small and medium-sized tourism businesses to take advantage of international growth opportunities, increase revenues and create jobs," highlighted David Goldstein, President and Chief Executive Officer of Destination Canada.

This bold new identity represents an exciting new chapter. Destination Canada is a great name for a great organisation with an extremely bright future ahead.