The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) has announced its 39th annual convention, which will take place in the capital city of Madhya Pradesh from August 30 to September 2, 2024. The annual mega gathering of the association will be supported by the Government of Madhya Pradesh and MP Tourism. The last IATO Convention in the state took place in 2015 in the city of Indore.
Last year in October, the association has signed an MoU with MP Tourism to explore the possibility to host convention in 2024. This convention is anticipated to be a significant milestone for the tourism industry, emphasising the strengthening of ties between Madhya Pradesh and IATO.
IATO team led by Rajiv Mehra, President, Ravi Gosain, Vice President and Mahendra Pratap Singh, Chairman – IATO Madhya Pradesh Chapter met the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Dr Mohan Yadav and invited him to inaugurate the event.
Sheo Shekhar Shukla, IAS, Principal Secretary, Tourism & Managing Director and Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board, Bhopal also accompanied the IATO delegation.
The CM has reportedly accepted the invitation and assured full support from his office and Madhya Pradesh Tourism. The delegation also met Shukla separately to get his consent and finalise other details related to the convention.
Preparations are in full swing to transform the inaugural Navratri festival at the Ayodhya temple, following the consecration of the Ram Lalla idol earlier this year, into a grand and momentous occasion. The event is expected to draw a significant influx of religious tourists from all corners of the country. Varanasi alone saw a record-breaking influx of 95.63 lakhs pilgrims in the month of March.
Mehra said that the association is delighted to host the IATO Convention in MP after 9 years. “The 39th IATO annual convention will be held with great pomp and grandeur thanks to the support of Madhya Pradesh Tourism,” he added.IATO organises it annual convention every year in different cities to promote tourism to the state through its large membership base pan India. IATO has so far organised 38th conventions in different states. “All those states wherever IATO conventions were organized, they have been highly benefited with the increase of 30-35 per cent in foreign and domestic tourist arrivals,” said IATO in its statement.
There will be various events and activities taking place during the convention such as business sessions, tourism mart, marketing innovation competition, Run for Responsible Tourism, cultural evening, social functions besides the inaugural function and valedictory session.
Gosain mentioned that like every year IATO is expecting participation of about 20 state tourism departments and 900 – 1,000 travel and tourism industry stakeholders from all over the country.
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Kerala Tourism is hosting an event during the third edition of Beypore International Water Festival (BIWF) to spotlight the country’s diverse handicraft heritage, aligning with the state’s push for sustainable and inclusive tourism.
The Responsible Tourism and Textile Art Festival, to be inaugurated by Tourism Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas, will run until December 30. It’s a showcase of art and craft traditions spanning 17 Indian states, featuring pottery, weaving, dress-making, and more—cherished skills passed down through generations.
Organised by Kerala’s Responsible Tourism Mission, the festival not only highlights Kerala’s esteemed handloom industry but also offers live demonstrations where artisans from various states display their crafts, fostering cultural exchange and appreciation.
“The craft festival has been conceived as an added feature to the Beypore international water festival when the ancient port town of Malabar is all set to emerge as a global tourism hub,” Riyas noted.
“Leveraging the fabulous handloom, handicraft, agricultural and cuisine traditions of different states of the country is important for responsible and sustainable tourism promotion. Apart from displaying a wide variety of textile traditions, the festival will have live demonstrations of the art and craft,” added RT Mission State Coordinator K. Rupeshkumar.
These include pictorial embossment, dyeing, textile printing, making of decorative clothes like tapestries and display of different types of handlooms and spinning equipment used by craftspeople from various states and sub-regions.
The expo will also have a wide range of items on sale: tourist souvenirs and agricultural as well as food products from various units of the State RT Mission — at affordable prices. Planned as an upfront initiative, the event will have conversations and workshops on preserving the craft traditions and leveraging them for promotion of tourism which will benefit the local communities, Rupeshkumar said.
While the Homestay and Caravan Tourism Policies have taken centre stage already, the state government is gearing up for the introduction of additional policies such as agro-eco tourism, wellness, and adventure, focusing on attracting investments while ensuring transparency and regulation in the tourism landscape. The Minister for Tourism, IT, E&C and Printing and Stationary, Rohan Khaunte shared all and more with ETTravelWorld. Read here.
A section on Kerala’s agricultural products at the expo, planned in association with Agrifarm Tourism Network units, will showcase an assortment of organic food products and spices, besides promoting the Village Experience packages from different districts. According to an official update, the entire spectrum of travel and tourism stakeholders including HATS, women RT clubs and adventure tourism agencies have extended their support to the event. Today also marks the inauguration of the highly anticipated Beypore International Water Festival (BIWF) by the Tourism Minister Riyas. This event is poised to attract global attention with its lineup of competitive water sports featuring participants from various countries, enhancing its international appeal.
Joining this festival are representatives from states such as Tamil Nadu, Assam, Karnataka, Gujarat, Telangana, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Puducherry, Odisha, Maharashtra and Jharkhand, amplifying the diversity and scale of this gathering.
BIWF, organised by the Department of Tourism in collaboration with the District Administration and District Tourism Promotion Council, strategically unfolds across prime locations like Beypore Marina Beach, Chaliyam Beach on the Chaliyar River banks, Nallur, and Beypore Port. The festival extends its reach to key spots like Kozhikode Beach, strategically aiming to draw both local and international business interest.
The festival launch commences with a bicycle rally from Kozhikode Beach to Beypore Beach at 7 am on December 26. It will also feature an array of cultural showcases, a sizable food festival, engaging adventure sports activities, and exclusive access to Navy and Coast Guard vessels.
The event roster boasts an international kite fest engaging participants from five countries, dinghy boat races, flyboard demonstrations, surf ski displays, flea markets, paramotoring, sailing regattas, and net throwing, among other activities.
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Saudi Arabia announced its plans to bid to host the 2034 World Cup, the latest step in a campaign to turn the kingdom into a global sports powerhouse.
The bid “intends to deliver a world-class tournament and will draw inspiration from Saudi Arabia’s ongoing social and economic transformation and the country’s deep-rooted passion for football“, said a statement from the Saudi Arabian football federation.
News of the bid comes one year after neighbouring Qatar hosted the first World Cup in the Middle East, where the Saudi national team scored a stunning group stage victory over eventual winners Argentina.
The Saudi announcement came an hour after world football’s governing body FIFA released a statement giving its plans for the 2030 World Cup and inviting countries in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to bid for 2034.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is considering implementing a visa system that would allow residents to travel easily to other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations, including Saudi Arabia. The proposed system aims to facilitate free movement within the bloc and could be introduced in the near future. Currently, foreign residents in the GCC countries often require visas to cross borders, while citizens of the bloc can travel freely.
On the heels of the Qatar tournament, Saudi Arabia signed Cristiano Ronaldo to play in the Saudi Pro League, the first in a slew of major stars drawn by eye-watering salaries to the world’s biggest crude oil exporter.Sport is a major component of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 reform agenda, which aims to transform Saudi Arabia into a tourism and business hub while transitioning the economy away from fossil fuels.
Spending spree
In the coming weeks, the kingdom is set to host the final LIV Golf League tournament of the regular season, a boxing match featuring Anthony Joshua and the Next Gen ATP Finals tennis tournament.
It will also host the FIFA Club World Cup in December.
Earlier this year Saudi Arabia was confirmed as host of football’s 2027 Asian Cup.
That event will enable Saudi officials to improve on existing football infrastructure, with new “world-class stadiums” constructed “in the most sustainable ways”, Saudi football federation president Yasser Al Misehal said on Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia previously explored a tri-continental World Cup bid with Egypt and Greece, though that plan has been shelved.
This collaboration will help unite both private and public sectors in a concerted effort to create a sustainable framework for growth. Additionally, it seeks to promote community empowerment and inclusion while jointly addressing crisis preparedness, management, and recovery, drawing from the valuable lessons learned during the Covid-19 pandemic
The new Saudi-only bid means fans would face “maximum three-hour flying times between cities and stadiums”, Misehal said.
Riyadh’s willingness to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on sporting events has drawn accusations of “sportswashing”, using sport to distract from oft-criticised human rights abuses.
In an interview with Fox News last month, Prince Mohammed dismissed those attacks, saying “I will continue doing sportswashing” if it will benefit the Saudi economy.
Prince in spotlight
Hosting the World Cup would ratchet up scrutiny of the 38-year-old de facto ruler, who critics accuse of consolidating power through a fierce crackdown on dissent, including one recent case in which a retired teacher was sentenced to death for critical social media posts.
Prince Mohammed told Fox he was “ashamed” of that verdict.
Like Qatar, Saudi Arabia would take heat for outlawing homosexuality and for its treatment of migrant workers, said Kristin Diwan of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.
“Still, there is a growing sense of inevitability to the emerging centrality of the Gulf region to the sport,” she said.
World Cup-related construction could also draw a backlash from environmental activists who sounded the alarm last year after Saudi Arabia was awarded hosting rights for the 2029 Asian Winter Games, a 47-event competition to be held in Trojena, an area of the planned $500 billion futuristic megacity known as NEOM.
At the time, Greenpeace questioned how plans for Trojena — including a man-made freshwater lake, chalets, mansions and ultra-luxury hotels — could possibly be sustainable.
But Riyadh would be keen to use the World Cup as a showcase for various natural attractions, dispelling the notion that Saudi Arabia is one giant desert.
Misehal, the football federation president, said on Wednesday that fans would be drawn to “our mountains, our islands and of course our culture”, adding: “Everything will be connected with state-of-the-art facilities to guarantee an amazing fan experience.”
The Asian Football Confederation came out in support of the Saudi 2034 World Cup bid shortly after it was announced on Wednesday.
“The entire Asian football family will stand united in support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s momentous initiative, and we are committed to working closely with the global football family to ensure its success,” said AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa.
The Jeddah-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation also called on its 57 member states to back the bid.
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The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, will host the 46th edition of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Travel Mart 2023. The event is set to take place at the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) also called Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, and is scheduled to run from October 4 to 6, 2023.
The upcoming PATA Travel Mart 2023 is poised to be a pivotal event for the global tourism industry, promoting collaboration, sustainable practices, and cultural exchange among tourism professionals and enthusiasts from around the world.
Founded in 1951 and headquartered in Bangkok, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for-profit organisation globally recognised for its efforts in promoting responsible travel and tourism development in the Asia Pacific region. The PATA Travel Mart holds a prominent place as an international trade exhibition, facilitating trade interactions between global buyers and sellers, with a primary focus on the Asia Pacific region. India’s role as the host nation this year further highlights the country’s efforts to fostering responsible and inclusive tourism practices.
This year’s event will feature a wide range of activities, including the PATA Gold Award, the PATA Youth Symposium, PATA Forum on Sustainability, and the core B2B Mart.
India’s participation in the PATA Travel Mart includes a dedicated pavilion showcasing the diverse spectrum of destinations, both well-known and lesser-known, within the country. Several Indian states and government entities, such as Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi, Karnataka, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and the Handlooms Development Commissioner, are also setting up stands and stalls to display their products.
Although the event primarily caters to business-to-business (B2B) interactions, it serves as a valuable platform to introduce global audiences to the thematic products offered by Indian states, including wellness, adventure, heritage, culinary experiences, and art and craft.
The Ministry of Tourism also announced the forthcoming edition of the Best Tourism Village Competition in 2024, aimed at fostering rural tourism development and easing off burden from cities plagued by overtourism. Further, a national competition titled Tourism for Tomorrow, focusing on case studies and best practices, was also inaugurated during the event, in line with the priorities outlined in the Goa Roadmap.
Speaking of the event venue, the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi recently hosted the G20 Leaders’ Summit, giving a dias to India’s to showcase itself as a sought-after destination for hosting large-scale international events and conferences.Lately, India’s growing prominence in the tourism sector has been characterised by sustainable and inclusive tourism initiatives, has made it an attractive choice for organising Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) events.
In a recent development, the Ministry of Tourism also launched the Travel for LiFE sustainable program on World Tourism Day, September 27, 2023, under the aegis of Mission LiFE. This initiative encourages responsible behaviour among tourists during their travels.
The Ministry is also planning to continue cleanliness initiatives and providing essential amenities at 108 designated sites, including those covered by the “Travel for Life” program and other popular tourist destinations.
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