Mohit Rathod – Mumbai
India International Travel and Tourism fair (IITT), held from January 11-13, 2016 in Mumbai, had focused itself on activities such as workshops, training sessions and panel discussions, along with travel trade interactions. The event was inaugurated by H E Erdal Sabri Ergen, consul general of Turkey, Turkish Embassy; Philip Saunders, chief compliance officer, Kuwait Airways; Subhash Goyal, president, Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO); Guldeep Singh Sahni, president, Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI); Jay Bhatia, tourism council chairman, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI); Jyoti Kapur, president, Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI); Bharat Malkani, president, Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI) and Mohit Mewani, exhibition director, IITT.
The event highlighted several issues pertaining to the travel industry through panel discussions, which were held across two days. Panel discussions at IITT 2016 involved topics such as prospects for India in online travel, promotion of tourism amidst terror, strategies for tour operators, emerging wedding destinations, and startups’ impact on travel. One of the discussions highlighted strategies tour operators should adopt when dealing with an informed customer. The panelists included Sahni; Ankush Nijhawan, managing director, Nijhawan Group; Karan Anand, president, Cox & Kings; Anand Kumar, joint secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and Ashish Kishore, country head, Dnata.
Speaking on the topic, Kumar said, “The internet is an important tool. The existence of tour operators is theatened with customers getting direct access to products through the internet. Even travel agents need to create their online presence. Travel agents also need to ensure that the information they give is latest and accurate. Also, travel agents need to be of consultative nature.”
Speaking on the sidelines of the fair, Mohit Mewani said, “IITT is in its third year now and have grown two folds since we started. We have taken a lot of new initiatives, such as IITT Connect, IITT Workshop, IITT Training Academy and IITT Conference. Our biggest initiative has been IITT Connect where corporates and exhibitors can meet and discuss business. This year, we have grown by around 30 per cent.” Commenting on the fair, Judah Samuel, director of marketing – India, Israel Ministry of Tourism, said, “The turnout is better than last year and the event is more organised. This is a good platform for us, because it brings B2B under one roof. There is scope for everyone; small operators can have access to a larger base.”
