On the second day of the 39th IATO, various sessions were held to deliberate on future prospects, efforts and opportunities in tourism. Delegates shared their views on topics such as increasing the number of tourists in the country and the state, economic growth and promotion of tourist destinations.
Addressing the business session on 'Resurgent India Inbound - Strategy to re-establish India amidst challenging business environment' in the first session of the second day, Principal Secretary Tourism and Culture Sheo Shekhar Shukla said that 50 new offbeat destinations are being developed in the state to manage the crowded tourist destinations and for tourists seeking peace.
More than 40 thousand women are being trained in the tourism sector while making efforts to generate employment in the tourism sector and to connect women of the community with tourism. Special Secretary Tourism Uttar Pradesh Isha Priya, MD of Abercrombie & Kent Vikram Madhok addressed the session. The session was conducted by Secretary (Retired) Government of India Arvind Singh.
Principal Secretary Shukla said that there is a need to set a benchmark for international standards and there should be no compromise from day one. Work is being done to create the right ecosystem for inbound tourism. Resources should be collected through coordination with other departments and they should be used to create infrastructure for tourism development.
Speaking on the topic of Discovering the Undiscovered in the third session of the convention, Managing Director State Tourism Development Corporation Ilaiyaraaja T said that more than 90 properties are being operated by Madhya Pradesh Corporation for hospitality of tourists in the state. Madhya Pradesh is the cleanest, greenest and safest tourist destination in the country.
Madhya Pradesh has a wonderful amalgamation of culture, history, archaeology and geology. To promote sustainable tourism, tie-ups have been done with the Eco Tourism Board, so that infrastructure ie resorts and hotels can be built in a sustainable manner.
Along with Mahakal Lok and Ujjain gaining fame in spiritual tourism, the state is also leading in responsible tourism. Taking community participation in tourism a step forward, Hotel Amaltas in Pachmarhi is being run only by women. Chairman ATOAI Padmashree Ajit Bajaj, MD and CEO CGH Earth Mr. Michael Dominic and Chairman Antara Luxury River Cruise Raj Singh also shared their views in the session.
Special session on Madhya PradeshA special session on Madhya Pradesh was organized during the conference. In this, Additional Managing Director of Tourism Board Bidisha Mukherjee invited various stakeholders including travel agents, tour operators who had come to Bhopal for the convention to visit Madhya Pradesh.
She said that the natural beauty, ancient history, protected heritage, wildlife diversity and forest areas of Madhya Pradesh are attracting tourists from all over the world. With the aim of making the state more safe for women tourists, especially single women tourists, participation of women in the tourism sector is being increased. Women are being trained in 48 job roles in 8 sectors of the tourism sector. She also highlighted various places of cultural and spiritual importance in the state.In another session on Chasing Hotels for Inbound Tourism, representatives of the country's reputed chain hotels ITC, The Leela, Fern, Sarovar and Pride shared their views on the development of the hospitality industry in the country and Madhya Pradesh. Also, in the session based on the topic of Last Mile Connectivity, brainstorming was done on streamlining the air connectivity in the country and the state as per the demand of tourists. Representatives of the country's reputed institutions Air India, STIC, Lotus Aero and ITTA addressed. In the last session of the day, all IATO members were guided on increasing the publicity of tourism and the use of new means of media on the topic of Marketing and Promotion of Inbound Tourism.
Presentations were made on tourism and investment opportunities in Madhya Pradesh and other states.A glimpse of states and reputed brands was seen in the Travel MartTo introduce IATO members and travel and tour operators to tourism products, other states including Madhya Pradesh and reputed brands have set up attractive stalls in the Travel Mart. Delegates are being invited to bring more and more tourists to the state by distributing brochures, booklets, souvenirs and local food of tourist destinations. Reputed brands like Hotel Pride, Palace on Wheels, including Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh have set up stalls.IATO Run for Responsible Tourism at 6 amOn the last day of the IATO conference, on Sunday at 6 am, a 5 km run (IATO Run for Responsible Tourism) is being organized to introduce IATO members to the natural beauty and heritage of Bhopal city. This run will start from VIP Road and will end at Gauhar Mahal via Imperial Segway.
