The 37th Annual Convention Of The IATO Concludes In Lucknow

EE News Desk Jan 09, 2023

With more than 1,000 delegates from all over India in attendance, the 37th Annual Convention of the IATO, one of the leading travel trade organisations in India, concludes in Lucknow with post-convention fam trips.

The completion of a series of familiarisation trips organised at the end of the 37th IATO Annual Convention that was held in Lucknow from December 16-19, has come to a successful conclusion, said a press statement issued by IATO.

The statement adds that the Convention was a milestone for IATO as the number of delegates crossed 1,000from all over the country. After the convention, five post-convention tours were organised and about 300 delegates and spouses joined the tour of their interest which concluded on 22nd December 2022.

Convention also witnessed the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as the Chief Guest during the Valedictory Session where he outlined the state government’s plans for the development of tourism and also highlighted the numerous incentives that have been announced by the government.

In his speech, Adityanath laid emphasised the safety and security of tourists and claimed that Uttar Pradesh was the safest state in India for tourists. Adityanath also released a Coffee Table Book on Bundelkhand and IATO Manual 2022-23. Minister for Transport Dayashankar Singh, Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change Arun Kumar Saxena, and Principal Secretary Tourism Mukesh Kumar Meshram were also present at the Valedictory Session.

Also, Maharashtra Minister of Tourism Mangal Prabhat Lodha addressed the conference through a video message which invited all to the 38th IATO Annual Convention scheduled to be held in Aurangabad in September 2023.

President of IATO Rajiv Mehra requested Adityanath to help the industry by introducing a 2-minute halt of the Vande Bharat train at Tundla Junction which would help the tourism industry to promote pilgrimage tourism to Uttar Pradesh.

During the convention, several key issues were discussed in focused business sessions including the future of inbound tourism, tourism marketing and promotion, last-mile connectivity and new segments of tourism. After the conclusion of the conference on December 19, about 300 delegates departed for post-convention tours to various cities including Ayodhya, Varanasi, Dudhwa, Allahabad & Chitrakoot and Agra & Mathura.

This year the event was taken to another level and various elements were added for the delegates to experience something different and new said Ruchin Kohli, Founder of Occasion Xperts Pvt Ltd who conceptualized and executed the event. “Year on year we tend to do something innovative for the convention he mentioned.” They have been awarded the IATO annual convention for the past 3 years and won this contract because of the spectacular creativity they have been showing during the tender awarding process.