The 67th Travel Agent Association of India (TAAI) Convention and Exhibition kicked off yesterday with a Press Conference in Colombo addressing the Indian as well as foreign media. The Convention is being held in Colombo, Sri Lanka from July 6-9, on the invitation from the Sri Lankan Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), the main sponsoring partner of the event. The Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO), is also the associate partner of the convention.
Every destination that has played host to the TAAI Convention in the past has seen tourist numbers surge at least quadruple since TAAI members serve as ambassadors of tourism. The Convention is the right opportunity for improving bilateral tourism the theme of the Convention is ‘Transcending Borders, Transforming Lives’ and will focus on promoting regional tourism besides positioning Sri Lanka as a preferred destination among Indian outbound travellers.
The opening ceremony of the convention will take place at Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), and his excellency Ranil Wickremesinghe, President of Sri Lanka is expected to grace the occasion as the chief guest and Hon. Harin Fernando, Minister of Tourism and Lands, will be the guest of honour. The two-day business session and Buyer-Seller meet mart will be conducted in two hotels Cinnamon Grand Colombo and Shangri-La Colombo. The Sri Lankan theme dinner on day 2 will be held at the Cinnamon Grand with the participation of Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka and the closing Gala dinner will be held at the Heritance Negombo.
Apart from the convention, SLAITO member companies will host post-convention tours covering destinations including Bentota, Galle, and Kandy. TAAI has partnered with four airlines including Srilankan Airlines, Air India, IndiGo and Vistara for the proposed convention to Colombo.
TAAI Conventions (Indian Travel Congress), which is the most eagerly awaited event in the Indian Travel and Tourism industry. The huge visibility that this annual event brings to the global industry is fantastic. Around 500 delegates are expected to join the event in Colombo as they are offered the excellent opportunity to network, get updated, promote or buy and sell, and also take home some great learning through knowledge sessions.
There is also a contingent of around 50 members of the Indian Media. Through this event, Sri Lanka will greatly boost the Indian market through the immense media coverage and network of travel agents that will visit Sri Lanka. TAAI’s area of activity extends to areas of aviation; tourism – outbound and inbound: MICE, inbound and outbound; Adventure Tourism; Sports Tourism, Education, etc. TAAI members are involved in all these activities, and there is no other Travel and Tourism Association in India with this strength and bandwidth offering leadership to this growing industry.
 Convention and Exhibition kicked off yesterday with a Press Conference in Colombo addressing the Indian as well as foreign media. The Convention is being held in Colombo, Sri Lanka from July 6-9, on the invitation from the Sri Lankan Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), the main sponsoring partner of the event. The Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO), is also the associate partner of the convention.){kind=link}