Tour operators from all over India discussed the Theme: ‘Brand India: The Road to Recovery’

Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], December 31: The 36^th Annual Convention Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) was held at Hotel The Leela, Gandhinagar. Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Bhupendra Patel inaugurated the convention. Tourism Secretary to the Government of India Shri Arvind Singh, Tourism Secretary of Gujarat Shri Hareet Shukla and other dignitaries were present at the inaugural function.

Tour operators from across India came to Gujarat to attend this 36^th Convention of IATO. They had discussions on ‘Brand India: The Road to Recovery’ during the three-day convention.

Various business sessions were held during the 3-day convention on various subjects, including Brand India – The Road to Recovery for Revival of Business, Hotels in the New Normal, Connectivity: New Frontiers, SEIS: New Policy under FTP 2021-2026,  Responsible Tourism, Automation and Digital Marketing, Preparedness under New Normal etc.

Climate change is the biggest challenge faced by the world today. We are in a time when protecting the environment is our top priority. Considering this, we are moving forward on the path of sustainable development to advance the development journey of the country and Gujarat while protecting the environment. So, it is necessary to promote sustainable tourism as well. Earlier this year, the Government of Gujarat announced a new tourism policy to develop Gujarat as a clean tourist destination by promoting sustainable tourism. The tour operators also discussed sustainable tourism during this three-day convention.

In this three day convention, state presentations on the tourism of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu-Kashmir, Kerala and other states of India were also presented. Officials of the Tourism Department of Gujarat gave a presentation on Gujarat Tourism, which provided detailed information about various diverse tourist destinations like coastal areas, forests, deserts and hilly areas of Gujarat. Tour operators from Uttarakhand gave presentations on various tourist places of Uttarakhand. A presentation was made on the scenic hill stations and snow-capped Himalayan sites of Jammu and Kashmir. Tour operators from Kerala gave presentations on scenic tourist destinations of Kerala. Various other state tourism presentations were also presented during the 3-day convention.

IATO President and officials of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, gave a presentation on ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ at the convention.

This convention aimed to discuss the measures to revitalize the tourism sector after the Covid-19 pandemic. This program will help in boosting the tourism sector of Gujarat and India. The business sessions held at the event gave rise to many new ideas for the development of the country’s tourism sector as well as for the creation of Brand India. The conference provided a platform for B2B marketing to the tour operators in India. The tour operators discussed various topics with each other, which also gave them information about the tourism industry of other states. After that, tour operators from other parts of the country visited various tourist destinations in Gujarat.

Officials from the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, officials from various state tourism departments, tour operators from across the country and other dignitaries attended this 3-day annual convention of IATO.