PATA invited a leading marketing company and its associates to share information on the readiness of several European markets to promote tourism to India, covering their expectations and opportunities. These markets included UK & Ireland, Italy, France and Spain.
The webinar covered the following topics:
Europe’s key markets this year
Emerging consumer buying behaviour: Expectations & Prerequisites
What drives European tourist to India
Building partnerships with FTOs
The international panelist consisted of:
Alison Cryer, Founder and Managing Director of Representation Plus, who covered UK & Ireland
Sebastian Sarrasin, Director of Representation Plus Europe, spoke on Franc
Diego Barcelo Perez, Founder & CEO, CCIBA covered Spain
Fabiana Cannizzaro, Founder and Managing Director of Corat Italy updated on Italy.
The focus of the webinar was how India & neighboring countries are gearing to revive travel and tourism after second wave of COVID 19? The webinar discussed plans with Ministry of Tourism and other Industry leaders on preparedness for Travel 2.0
The key note speakers of the webinar were Mr Arvind Singh, Secretary, Government of India, Ministry of Tourism and Dr Dhanajay Regmi, CEO, Nepal Tourism Board. Mr. Rajan Dattar, BBC Anchor on Travel & Tourism, had a fireside chat with them on the readiness of India & Nepal to welcome tourist to their country. Mr Alistair McEwan, SVP, BBC Global News delivered an overall global perspective on tourism from BBC point of view.
It was followed by the BBC’s insight on Travel Audience and Travel Re-launch by Mr Vishal Bhatnagar and panel discussion with Industry leaders.
The panel consisted of:
Mr Sanjay Kumar – Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer, Indigo Airlines
Mr Parveen Chander Kumar – SVP Sales & Marketing, Taj Group of Hotels
Mr Jatinder Taneja, Vice Chairman PATA India and MD, Travel spirit International
Mr Nikhil Desai, MD Goa Tourism Development Corporation
March 2021 - TravelSpell.com, powered by Travel Spirit International (TSI), has already partnered with Taj Hotels, Oberoi Group, ITC and RARE India, and more agreements will be announced soon.Travel Spirit International (TSI) has launched a new travel portal www.TravelSpell.com that is solely focused on promoting domestic tourism by providing the Indian tourist with a variety of curated experiential journeys across the country.The platform, powered by TSI, a trusted name in the industry for more than 33 years, has already partnered with top brands like Taj Hotels, Oberoi Group, ITC, and RARE India, and agreements with more partners to bring their packages on to this platform will be announced soon. Sharing more information, Jatinder Singh Taneja, Managing Director, Travel Spirit International, says, “While most online platforms today focus on eliminating human interaction during the entire process of searching and booking journeys, the TravelSpell team still believes that travel experts are integral to achieving the highest level of traveller satisfaction and personalisation. In addition, the vast network of TravelSpell's local experts ensures that travellers have unforgettable experiences in every destination they visit. The portal is easy to navigate, and allows seamless operation on all types of devices such as mobile phones, tablets, desktops, etc. On the platform, you can dive right into the detailed day-wise itineraries that are equipped with a large photo gallery showcasing unique destinations and hotel, along with key travel information, best time to visit, weather detail, etc. Once they narrow down the journeys, the portal connects users to travel experts that help them customise their journey. Whether it is an exclusive yoga session at the Taj Mahal or a special rendezvous with a Maharaja or any other authentic local experiences in India, you will find it on TravelSpell.com,” he adds. Talking about future plans, Taneja says, “In phase two, we plan to give our hotel partners access to the back-end so they can manage their inventory.”
Mr. Jatinder Taneja's statement was published in Trav Talk in September 2020: To keep domestic business going, to increase and to keep the traveller's trust intact, it is very important that ‘no quarantine’ be enforced. It should be publicised very well through all media channels so that everyone is aware of it if they are travelling within India. The traveller should carry the COVID-negative test certificate while travelling and that should be a passport to travel within India.
An article of Mr. Jatinder Taneja was published in the magazine Trav Talk in Jul 2020 on the topic - Is tourism really an MSME?. Mr. Taneja expressed that "There is a confusion about ‘real’ and other benefits under the proposed guidelines. For instance, when banks are approached, they are unable to provide us with any help. Either understanding of the guidelines is absent on their part as well, or they are not coming forward. In both cases, the situation is not helping anyone. Also, for every loan being offered by the government, the high interest is being borne by the industry only. The conditions are such that the payment of interests would not prove to be a big help for anyone. What would have helped lift the industry at present would have been interest- free loans for a certain period or highly subsidised ones."
Travtalk, April 2019 - I had a couple of interesting meetings and successfully renewed my contracts with old people. With the new business, I don’t think any of the exhibitions are important for getting business. ITB Berlin is essentially a platform to meet your old partners whilst creating awareness for our brand, and most importantly to keep in touch with our old contacts. It is a very powerful networking tool.
E-article published in TravTalk magazine in August 2018 2nd edition: The inaugural edition of Tourism Powerhouse—a PATA India initiative, took place at The Park New Delhi, saw in presence eminent speakers from across the world addressing 200 delegates. Mr. Jatinder Taneja Secretary, PATA India Chapter stated that “The inbound tourism has grown by 15.6 per cent in 2017. India is now ranking 40th at World Economic Forum, Travel and Tourism competitiveness index. 1.7 million foreign tourists arrived on e-visa during 2017.”
E-article was published in TravTalk magazine in July 2018 2nd edition: In an effort to celebrate womanhood and appreciate the efforts of women employees, TRAVTALK has started the PINK Friday initiative and encourage people to wear something PINK to wear every Friday. Kudos to the team Travel Spirit International for turning up in pink on a Friday. We encourage more people from the industry to take this up and celebrate the efforts, dedication and unparalleled commitment of the women in the workforce.
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