The 34th annual convention of IATO in Visakhapatnam, a three-day event whose theme was 'Achieving 20 million foreign tourists by 2020', debated on pertinent issues that India currently faces in reaching this milestone.
THE 34TH ANNUAL convention of one of India's biggest inbound travel trade associations, the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), kickstarted with a grand opening at Novotel Hotel in Visakhapatnam. The minister of state (I/C) for tourism, K J Alphons graced the event which saw an overwhelming attendance from IATO members pan India.
The three-day event whose theme was 'Achieving 20 million foreign tourists by 2020', debated on pertinent issues that India currently faces in reaching this milestone. At present, India welcomes a little over 10 million foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) per year. This was revealed by Rashmi Verma, secretary tourism, Government of India. She said, “In 2017, we had a growth of 15 per cent in FTAs. We also saw a 20 per cent increase in foreign exchange earnings. We have set ourselves a very tough target by our tourism minister - that of achieving 20 million tourists by 2020. Last year, for the first time we crossed the 10 million mark which was a doubling of the numbers in just three years. This was no easy task. I am sure that the new target we have set for ourselves will also be achieved if we all join hands.”
Other government dignitaries present at the inauguration included Bhuma Akhila Priya, minister of tourism, Government of Andhra Pradesh; Kadakampally Surendran, tourism minister of Kerala; Mukesh Kumar Meena, secretary tourism, Andhra Pradesh and Himanshu Shukla, CEO, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Authority.
The evening started with cultural performances local to Andhra Pradesh followed by welcome speeches from the IATO team and keynote addresses from the various state minsters.
This story is from the October 2018 edition of Express Travelworld.
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This story is from the October 2018 edition of Express Travelworld.
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