Indian Association of Travel & Tourism Experts (IATTE) has opened its first State Chapter in Gujarat on October 15 (Thursday). Jenu Devan, Commissioner of Tourism, Government of Gujarat and Nirav Munshi, Manager – Commercial, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat were the Chief Guests at a virtual event that was organised to announce the opening of the Chapter.
Speaking on the occasion, Naveen Manchanda, President, IATTE said, “We are thankful to Gujarat Tourism for being extremely supportive in our endeavour to open a chapter in the state. IATTE membership has crossed the 1350 mark in a very short span of time. We are hopeful that IATTE will be able to infuse fresh energy in the tourism industry by bringing different stakeholders across the country on a single platform.”
Veena Robinson, General Secretary, IAAI said, “The opening of Gujarat Chapter is a momentous occasion for us. We already have many members from the state and the opening of this chapter will help us to further connect more people to our network across Gujarat.”
IATTE’s State Chapter is expected to boost tourism in Gujarat at a time when the industry has been reeling under pressure in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Congratulating IATTE for opening its Chapter in Gujarat, Jenu Devan, Commissioner of Tourism, Government of Gujarat & Managing Director, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat said, “I hope that IATTE will help to promote tourism in the state with the opening of its chapter in Gujarat. It is imperative that in the present challenging time, the industry comes together to help the sector to revive. The government will support tourism stakeholders but it is also important that businesses innovate and come up with new experiences for tourists.”
Nirav Munshi, Manager – Commercial, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat said, “I am glad that IATTE is aiming to promote sustainable tourism and connecting India to the world. IATTE being a virtual forum has been able to connect all the verticals of industry like inbound, outbound, domestic, hotels and transportation among others. We will extend our complete support to IATTE.”
IATTE has already crossed the 200-member mark in Gujarat. Uttej Rao, Director, JNR Globetrotters who has been appointed as the Chairman of the Gujarat Chapter highlighted the growing popularity of the state as a tourist destination.
“Rann Utsav and the Statue of Unity have become global tourism products. The state of Gujarat is blessed with diverse offerings like desert, forest, wildlife, architecture and handicraft. Moreover, Gujarat is also the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and the Gandhi circuit offers a one-of-its-kind experience to a tourist.”
Gujarat based Treasurer of IATTE, Aanal Dhabi said, “If a tourist has to explore Gujarat even one month is not enough. Ahmedabad is a world heritage city and a tourist can easily spend 3-4 days exploring its charm. Cinematic Tourism has become very popular in Gujarat with many popular movies like Piku and Kai Po Che being shot here. Gujarat Tourism has been very supportive of film shoots taking place in the state.”
Gaurav Khandelwal, Joint Secretary, IATTE said, “The opening of a Chapter in Gujarat marks the beginning of many positive plans, we have in the pipeline. I have always been fascinated whenever I have visited Ahmedabad and hope many more tourists will explore the diversity of Gujarat.”
Industry veteran and Chairman, STIC Travel Group, Subhash Goyal who was present at the launch applauded IATTE’s vision to connect the smallest of the companies to its travel network. “Domestic tourism has taken a centrestage and I am glad that IATTE has chosen Gujarat for the opening of its first chapter. Gujarat has the potential to become extremely popular among the tourists like the state of Kerala.”
While thanking speakers and attendees at the virtual opening of Gujarat Chapter, Subhash Verma, National Advisor, IATTE said, “The present change in business dynamics mean that the industry has to innovate and IATTE has been able to provide a virtual platform to the industry for meetings and networking.”