The 39th annual convention held recently in Bhopal was a resounding success. This year's convention, which began on August 30 and ended on September 1, was inaugurated by Hon'ble Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Dr. Mohan Yadav. It saw a record participation of 1250 members from across the country and senior representatives of tourism ministries from thirteen different states of the country. The three-day event had different sessions related to boosting foreign tourism in the state as well as in the entire country. Ways and means for developing new tourist spots and improving facilities around the existing and popular tourist spots were discussed. Alongside, challenges faced by the sector and possible solutions were discussed in the multiple sessions held during the convention. The next convention will be held in Puri, Odisha.

During the convention, leading lights of Tourism and Hospitality industry Mr. Puneet Chhatwal MD and CEO of Indian Hotel Company Limited and Late

Shri M.L. Razdan of Razdan Holidays (posthumously) were honored by the Hall of Fame award this year. At the opening, IATO President Mr. Rajiv Mehra and Vice President and Chairman Convention, Mr. Ravi Gosain, explained in detail the role of IATO in the tourism sector particularly related to the inbound sector.

The convention saw eight business sessions which included topics like 'Resurgent India Inbound', 'Discovering the Undiscovered', lesser known destinations, marketing and promotion of inbound tourism, future of Al in Inbound tourism and legal challenges for women empowerment.

Senior representatives from different states made presentations and showcased their lesser known destinations. Besides the Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India, and the Host State, Madhya Pradesh, there were 12 other states that participated in the convention i.e. Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh.

The concluding session was graced by the Deputy Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Rajendra Shukla.

The 'Run for Responsible Tourism' was held on 1st September 2024 in which more than 500 members participated. Further, post the convention 10 special Fam tours were organised to showcase the known and new destinations of Madhya Pradesh.

The convention which is held in different cities of the country every year, is organised with the objective of showcasing the specific city's as well as that state's tourism potential and draw in more foreign tourists with innovative strategies and help in boosting the local economy. The response we received this year was unprecedented and we look forward to replicating this success at our next convention in Puri, Odisha"