Priyanka Saxena Ray
Kick-starting the meet by enlisting achievements of the last 6 years starting with GST reductions, relief for monument entry during monetisation, skill development, resumption of airport entry passes and many more that the team achieved, Mr. Pronab Sarkar, President, IATO enumerated that not only has IATO gained a prominence in the corridors of power but has also come to be recognised as the nodal agency for travel trade whose opinion and feedback is often sought by the decision makers.
Passing the baton now to Mr. Rajiv Mehra, who has been associated with IATO for over two decades and best known as the “silent force” working behind the scenes of every convention / event, team Moving Forward stands united in their vision and mission to revive the down and beaten tourism industry. “Our coming to power is important because whatever we have done or achieved till now in all these years should be maintained. Continuity is the key if we want to accomplish the desired results. Our achievements are numerous and our candidates have knowledge – a collective experience of over 200 years serving the travel community. If anyone can work selflessly towards the revival of tourism sector – it is this team at IATO,” said the aspiring IATO President.
Returning to the IATO EC after a gap, Mr. Sarab Jit Singh, who is contesting for the post of Sr. Vice President, IATO brings a fresh perspective yet experienced perspective to the team. “While we wait for the government assistance, we must do our homework and focus on revival of tourism. When we come to the power, we will have to rework the strategy and works towards strengthening the national presence of IATO through granting more power to our state chapters,” he said.
Mr. Ravi Gosain, who is presently the Hony. Treasurer is contesting for the post of Vice President and is perhaps the youngest member of Team Moving Forward. Age notwithstanding, Ravi comes with a vast professional experience and enjoys a decade old affiliation with IATO. “If elected, in my new role, I propose to bring something extra to the table starting with increasing the membership base. Also, in my professional capacity, I have been diligently working towards promoting India in oversees market and this is what I am aiming to strengthen in my new role at IATO,” he shared.
Having handled the Grievances Cell for 12 years at IATO, Mr. Rajnish Kaistha is contesting for the post of Hony. Secretary and clarified that membership fee was not mandatory for the year 2020 – 2021 and all those IATO members who missed paying the fee, continue to remain the member with no change in membership status. “We are hoping that the full team of IATO comes to power as a fractured mandate is of no use to anyone. Our collective aim is to put tourism in the concurrent list of the priority sectors for the government,” he explained.
Mr. Raj Bajaj contesting for Hony. Joint Secretary firmly believes that only when the house is in order, the team can deliver on the field. Son of the Past President of IATO Mr. Badri Bajaj, the passion to serve the industry seemed evident in his approach as he stood proud, calling himself as the dedicated tourism soldier. “Our vision is to make the IATO Secretariat more robust, pay more attention to regularly updating the members, increasing membership, motivating members for greater participation and making IATO digitally stronger,” he said.
Besides this, Mr. Viney Tyagi is contesting for the post of Hony. Treasurer but could not be present physically for the press meet.
Members contesting for EC Members (Active)
- P.S. Duggal, Minar Travels (I) Pvt. Ltd.
- Deepak Bhatnagar, Aamantaran Travel Company Pvt. Ltd.
- Himanshu Agashiwala, Columbus Travels & Services Pvt. Ltd.
- Manoj Kumar Matta, Oriental Vacations & Journeys Pvt. Ltd.
- Deepak Gupta, Tour Express
Members contesting for EC Members (Allied)
- Ashok Dhoot, Harsh Travels
- Kamlesh Hemchand Lalan, Ravine Trek
- Zia Siddiqui, Alliance Hotels & Resorts
The short term and long-term Agenda of our team is as under:-
- To continue follow up with Ministry of Finance/Commerce/DGFT regarding release of SEIS Scrips for 2019-20.
- To get SEIS for the tour operators for next 5 years by getting it included in Foreign Trade Policy 2021-25 with the easy terms and conditions suitable to our members.
- To remove the requirement of minimum Rs. 2 crores turnover of foreign exchange earnings in MDA Guidelines for overseas promotion so that all our members can be benefited.
- To get relaxation in qualification for MoT Recognition by adding diploma/certificate of Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council
- To request Ministry of Tourism to start marketing and promotions by organising road shows, participation in international travel marts, organise fam trips for FTOs etc., as soon as restriction on e-Visa is removed and international flights start operating,
- To get IATO website linked with MoT website so that members can receive queries/leads.
- To promote IATO website in different source markets so as to get leads/queries for our members.
- To request the Ministry to provide booths to tour operators in all major international travel marts on very subsidized cost so that members could participate in maximum marts.
- To continue follow up and take up issues with all the Ministries including Finance, Railways, Road Transportation, Civil Aviation, Culture, SEPC, MSME and RBI etc.
- To make amendments in IATO Memorandum of Association as per today’s needs. Majority of the work has already been done.
- To make our State Chapter Chairmen Strong with major thrust and support from the head office.
- To work for development of our members Pan India basis.
- To continue skill development training program for the members’ on pan India basis with support from our State Chapters.
- To create and develop synergy between active and allied members all over the country for marketing and knowledge sharing of new products through regular Webinars to benefit the entire membership
- To continue cordial relationship with other associations and Chambers of Commerce i.e. FAITH, CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM, PHD, WTTC, FHRAI and HAI etc. for our common interest & Objective to take forward those initiatives with the Government.
