Theme:  Indian Tourism-on the Turnaround

President:  Maharaj IS Wahi, Travel Promotion Bureau Pvt. Ltd.

Convention Chairman:  Vijay Thakur, India Vision Tours and Travels

Co-Chairman: Arun Anand, Midtown Travels Pvt. Ltd. & Lally Mathews, Vacation Travels & Tours Pvt. Ltd.

Chief Guest:  N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh

A brief detail:

• N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh inaugurated the Convention.
• Keynote Address: Yogesh Chandra, Former Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation
• Bhavnben D Chikhalia, Union Minister of State for Tourism and Culture, inaugurated the Indian Tourism Fair.
• Valedictory Address: MP Bezbaruah, Ex-Secretary Tourism, Govt. of India
• Hall of Fame award: Jagmohan, Union Minister for Tourism & Culture.

Business Sessions:

• Trends and opportunities
• Marketing Strategies for Growth.
• Competitive Transportation System.
• Key to Tourism Growth.
• MICE Tourism- The Future.
• Look South- Showcasing the Southern States.
• One of the recommendations made was to take immediate steps to remove dual tariffs and reduce the levies on ATA and Inland Air Travel Tax(IATT) to make India a tourism friendly destination
• There was a need to give major push to intra-regional tourism.
• The potential for developing world class circuits in the South to be tapped primarily by the Southern States with the Centre playing a supporting role.
• NRI’s should be encouraged to act as brand ambassadors and active promoters of tourism in key markets.
• First Maharashtra Chapter Meeting in Mumbai 2003.