On September 26, at Hotel Maurya in Bengaluru, the Karnataka Tourism Society (KTS) conducted its 4th Annual General Body Meeting, during which the new Managing Committee for the 2023-25 term was elected.
The newly appointed Managing Committee members are as follows:
· K Syama Raju, MD – Hotel Maurya (President)
· Vineet Verma, ED & CEO, Brigade Hotel Ventures Ltd. (Vice President)
· S Mahalingaiah, Director, Skyway International Travels (Secretary)
· Manoj Mathew, SVP Operations, Tamara Leisure Experiences (Joint Secretary)
· G K Shetty, Chairman, Swathi Hospitality Services Pvt. Ltd. (Treasurer)
Additionally, the Managing Committee includes the following members:
· Amish Desai, Director, Beleast Travels Pvt. Ltd.
· Radhakrishna Holla, Director, Cauvery Cars
· Ayappa Somaiah, Director, Tattava Trails
· Jagadeesh H, Director, BIG Travels
· P C Rao, Director, ldealsolutions Pvt. Ltd.
Established in 2019, KTS was founded with the primary objective of promoting tourism in Karnataka and safeguarding the interests of all stakeholders involved in the tourism sector. Despite its relatively short existence, KTS has played a pivotal role in securing numerous business-friendly benefits for tourism stakeholders through close collaboration with government officials.
Some of the notable initiatives facilitated by KTS include:
· Securing a 20% discount for co-participation at national and international exhibitions and events organized by the Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka.
· Successfully advocating for industry status recognition for star-rated hotels.
· Advocating for operational relaxations during the latter part of the pandemic period.
· Organizing networking events for stakeholders across Karnataka with support from the Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka.
· Pioneering the inaugural edition of the Karnataka International Travel Expo (KITE), a B2B event that hosted over 400 Tour Operators and Travel Agents from India and overseas, while also conducting FAM trips to showcase Karnataka.
· Collaborating with the Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka, to draft the Karnataka Tourism Policy for the period 2021-2026.