With her presence in Delhi and established connections within the corridors of power, she expressed her confidence in being able to achieve even more for her members once re-elected. She noted that many of the landmark initiatives she initiated are now in their final stages, and she is eager to see them successfully completed. Mayal, the current President of TAAI, is standing for a re-election at the upcoming polls scheduled in September in Mumbai.
Jyoti Mayal, the current President of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), is standing for a re-election at the upcoming polls scheduled for September 30 in Mumbai. During a media briefing held at Hotel Le Meridien in Delhi, Mayal shared insights from her journey as TAAI President from 2019 to 2024 while she recalled her key achievements and outlined the vision for the future.
Looking back…
Reflecting on her 40-year career in the travel industry, Mayal recalled how she entered the field at just 19 years, joining her husband Balbir Mayal, a prominent name in the industry. “I was young and instantly captivated by the world of travel,” she said, explaining how she grew from an observer into a hands-on leader, witnessing the industry’s evolution and grappling with challenges such as airline commissions, flight cancellations, and visa issues.
Mayal emphasised her key achievements, including her efforts to secure a 3% commission from Air India for travel agents, a significant victory at the time. Her leadership saw her rise through the ranks, from Chairperson of TAAI’s North region to the President in 2019. However, just months into her presidency, the pandemic struck, posing unprecedented challenges to the travel industry. “We had to navigate through this together, fighting with airlines and keeping our members informed. Before Covid, we organised a six-city roadshow with Turkish Tourism, and the first Management Committee meeting during my presidency took place aboard the Cordelia cruise, where all members enjoyed luxury experiences. But then Covid hit, and I was faced with an unfathomable set of challenges,” she reflected.
“The whole world started closing down, and while some initially thought of it as a holiday, reality soon set in. Businesses were being impacted, especially the travel industry, which is always hit first and recovers last. During Covid, I must have participated in around 1,200 webinars. We were battling refunds and strategising to keep the industry afloat. Between the first and second waves, I even initiated a leadership change in APJC to strengthen our representation.”
“I remember connecting stranded travellers with the Ministry of Tourism and their respective embassies, which eventually led to the start of repatriation flights. From my position in Delhi, knowing the industry’s pain points and the key officials in various ministries, I was able to help in ways that seemed simple, yet carried significant weight. Every day, I woke up with a list of tasks to accomplish, whether it was motivating industry staff, ensuring they didn’t feel demoralised, or advancing training initiatives. Despite the struggles with health and business not picking up, I kept fighting,” Mayal shared, adding that with her persistent follow ups, refunds worth INR 5000 crore were secured during the lockdown.
She also recalled signing MOUs with 28 countries and working on online meetings with various ministers to maintain momentum in the industry. “Post-COVID, we also fought the implementation of TCS (Tax Collected at Source), which had been delayed for two years. I constantly pushed back, saying “No TCS,” until they eventually implemented it on July 1. To my relief, we managed to stall it until October 1. I gave them various justifications, and to my surprise, they accepted them without much resistance. That’s how we secured the extension,” she reiterated.
Reminiscing other things as well, Mayal said that we need a transparent, sustainable future for our industry and by contesting again, she wants to finish what she started, ensuring prosperity for all the members.
Looking ahead…
Despite considering stepping back after her five-year term, Mayal ultimately decided to run again, encouraged by members who noted that much of her tenure was spent managing the impact of Covid-19.
Looking ahead, Mayal’s focus is on elevating TAAI’s global standing and advocating for members’ interests. One of her major accomplishments has been securing protections for travel agents through IATA against airline defaults, a pressing issue post-pandemic. She aims to extend these protections to low-cost airlines and is pushing for fairer IATA fare policies to prevent agents from incurring penalties. She also proposes insurance coverage for low-cost airlines to protect agents from financial losses in case of airline defaults, a frequent issue that has harmed agents’ businesses in the past.
Mayal, if re-elected, also plans to address tax reforms, particularly the abolition of Tax Collected at Source (TCS) and securing credit input on IGST, to ease financial burdens and streamline the tax framework for travel agents. She is committed to pushing for transparent airline policies around cancellations and Agency Debit Memos (ADM), ensuring agents are not unfairly penalised.
Another priority that she has earmarked is amending TAAI’s Memorandum of Association (MoA) to better align with the evolving needs of the travel industry. She believes that the association must evolve with transparency and fairness. Additionally, she emphasised on increasing women’s participation in the industry, building on her work with Women in Travel and Tourism (WITT), and ensuring more leadership roles for women.
Also, when asked, Mayal shared her willingness to protect smaller agents, particularly in tier 2 and 3 cities, by providing them with technology solutions to enhance their competitiveness, ensuring they can thrive in an increasingly consolidated market. “It’s vital that smaller agents embrace technology; even I’ve had to adapt to online platforms. The goal is to facilitate ease of business and recognition by the government for all agents, big and small. We can’t overlook the smaller players; they are the foundation of our industry, just like individual molecules that come together to form water.”
Besides, as the Chair of the Tourism and Hospitality Skill Council (THSC), Mayal has been instrumental in skilling individuals under the Pradhan Mantri initiative. “Last year, we skilled one lakh people under the initiative, and this year, we’ve increased that number to two and a half lakhs, aiming to cross five lakhs soon.” With this, she is determined to continue driving initiatives she started, particularly in skilling and capacity-building efforts.
Election Dynamics
Mayal’s candidacy is not without competition. She faces opposition from Sunil Kumar, a former TAAI President (2015-2019) and a long-standing member of the association’s Managing Committee, among other contenders. While some nomination issues had initially emerged after Sept 14, including a disqualified candidate and objections regarding membership rules, Mayal has maintained a stance of neutrality and fairness. “I believe in being neutral and acting with integrity,” she stated.
“Given my ongoing commitments, I announced to my team well in advance that I would be continuing. They were thrilled and fully supported my decision. But being part of an association, everyone has the right to contest, and soon we had four teams (currently three), including mine, vying for leadership,” she said.
“Amid the controversies and politics surrounding the upcoming TAAI elections, I remain steadfast, as my conscience is clear. While one candidate’s nomination was cancelled and another faced uncertainty, I made a well-informed choice to approve the second nomination, prioritising fairness over engaging in dirty politics or unfounded allegations. My work is a testament to my commitment, and I’m not concerned about the election results. My primary focus is on empowering our members and securing their businesses,” she emphasised.
Mayal, in her concluding remarks also emphasised her dedication over the past five years to the benefit and upliftment of TAAI members. With her presence in Delhi and established connections within the corridors of power, she expressed her confidence in being able to achieve even more for her members. She noted that many of the landmark initiatives she initiated are now in their final stages, and she is eager to see them successfully completed.
“Many of the landmark initiatives started by me are in their final stages and I want to see them reach their successful end. I strongly believe that together, we can transform the travel and tourism landscape in India.”
