To chart out the revival of travel and tourism industry, a delegation of the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) recently met with Civil Aviation Minister Jyotriditya Scindia and Tourism Secretary Arvind Singh and Addl. Director General, Ministry of Tourism Rupinder Brar. The TAFI delegation, comprised of Abbas Moiz, National General Secretary, Anil Kalsi, Jt. Secy. and Khushvinder Sarna, Chairman, Northern India Chapter, was led by Ajay Prakash, President, TAFI. The objective was to discuss the current situation and to seek assistance for the revival of the travel and tourism industry.
Speaking after the meeting, Prakash shared his views on the interaction “It was a very satisfying meeting. We found the dynamic Minister very receptive to our concerns. He has a complete grasp of the business and genuinely sympathised with travel agents and tour operators on the losses suffered over the last 20 odd months. He has taken note of some critical issues and has assured us that he will get back to us shortly. He advised us that he is fully seized of the difficulty faced by agents and travellers alike on account of the suspension of regular scheduled flights and stated the government is closely monitoring the pandemic and will resume normal flights as soon as it is prudent. He directed us to take up some of our issues with the Tourism Ministry and assured us of his support once those matters were flagged to him by the Department of Tourism. Meeting him was a breath of fresh air and we are extremely optimistic,” Prakash informed.
The delegation also met Singh and Brar. Arvind Singh said that some of the issues raised by TAFI were already on the radar and had been discussed with the finance minister. He also assured the Department’s support for the next TAFI Convention which, in a break from past practice, is to be held within the country.
Brar reiterated what the Secretary had said about certain issues having been discussed with the FM and that she was optimistic about the future. She also made some suggestions regarding the TAFI Convention and assured the delegation that as a Founding member of FAITH, TAFI was an integral part of the Department’s initiatives and activities.
“We have had a series of very productive meetings and we are hopeful that we shall soon see a resolution of some of our long pending issues,” Prakash concluded.
