Bhubaneswar, Feb. 14: After a gap of eight years, the Indian Association of Tour Operators, the national apex body of tour operators in the country, will host its annual convention in the city this year.
The convention will be hosted in the city from September 7 to 10. The apex body took the decision after receiving an invitation from state tourism minister Ashok Panda.
"During our last convention held in September last year, the minister spoke about a lot of developments that had taken place in Odisha in the tourism sector. Following full assurance from the state government, we decided of coming back here," said association president Pronab Sarkar.
The tourism body has been holding its annual convention since 1983 in various cities in the country to showcase the new and emerging destinations to its members.
The event is an industry convention dedicated to bringing together hundreds of travel experts from all over the country to learn and share and network over business sessions related to the latest trends and developments in the travel and tourism sector.
"Delegates will develop contacts with suppliers and other trade partners to grow their business. The convention will witness participation from investors and tourism consultants, with whom the state government can develop contact and workout mutually beneficial schemes," he said.
Apart from the business sessions, there will be competition on marketing innovations and other events related to tourism.
"With so many state tourism departments attending the convention, it would be an opportunity for the participants to share ideas and learn from each other. One can get feedback from tour operators, too," he said.
Since its inception, the association has been working closely with industry stakeholders and expanding the learning horizons of the members.
This is one of the most important events on the Indian travel calendar and attracts about 1,200 delegates each year.
The last five conventions had been hosted by Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Kerala, Maharashtra and Gujarat in that order.
