Andhra Pradesh tourism officials discuss new tourism products, longer stays and stronger engagement with inbound tour operators
The urgent and vital need for India to significantly increase foreign tourist arrivals was the focal point of deliberations on the second day of the 41st IATO Annual Convention currently underway in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, with the host state taking the lead in looking beyond its established domestic tourism base to attract more overseas visitors.
On the second day the spotlight was on new tourism experiences, longer visitor stays and closer engagement with tour operators, as tourism department of Andhra Pradesh says it is seeking to build products and partnerships that can translate its tourism potential into inbound business.
The three-day convention, which began on Thursday, has brought together travel agents, tour operators, tourism boards, state government representatives and industry stakeholders from different parts of the country. Discussions on the day covered tourism products, international marketing, artificial intelligence, sustainability, connectivity and the need to move from tourism presentations to implementation.
Travel industry stakeholders attend the 41st IATO Annual Convention in Visakhapatnam
For Andhra Pradesh, the convention has been positioned as an opportunity to bring the state’s tourism products before the inbound trade and develop stronger business links with tour operators.
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K Vijay Mohan, IATO President, Andhra Pradesh, says the state’s domestic tourism base is strong, particularly because of destinations such as Tirupati and other temples, but inbound tourism remains an area that needs greater attention.
K Vijay Mohan
“Inbound Andhra Pradesh has been a little weak in terms of getting inbound tourism. Domestic tourism is quite strong because of Tirupati and other temples, but inbound is a very critical point. Getting IATO Convention here is going to change the dimension of how we look at inbound tourism,” Mohan tells India & You.
He says that the state is now working on products that can be packaged for overseas markets rather than relying only on established destinations.
One such product is a tribal tourism circuit in the Araku region. According to Mohan, Andhra Pradesh has worked with Odisha and Chhattisgarh to create a four-night itinerary and has curated experiences in two Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group villages.
“We have curated 15 experiences in the Araku segment. These include cuisine, face painting, tribal astronomy and tribal healing. We want people to understand tribal living through these experiences. Earlier, we did not have a tribal product, but now we are building one for the European and Western markets,” says Mohan.
The state is also developing a Buddhism circuit around its heritage sites, with a focus on building stories that can be taken to international markets.
“We have a very big Buddhist story. One is Nagarjunakonda, where many Japanese know Nagarjuna by name. Another is Amaravati, where the first Kalachakra sermon by Lord Buddha happened. We are curating these stories so that they can become tourism products,” he says.
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For Mohan, the immediate opportunity created by the IATO convention is not only exposure for Andhra Pradesh but direct interaction between the inbound trade and hotels and tourism suppliers in the state.
Industry leaders and tourism representatives at the 41st IATO Annual Convention in Visakhapatnam
“Agents who are already doing inbound will remember Visakhapatnam and Andhra Pradesh. We have also organised B2B meetings so that agents can interact with hotels and understand what is available. This interaction is important because it can help move the business forward,” says Mohan.
The state also wants to extend its engagement with the travel trade beyond the convention. During discussions, the Andhra Pradesh tourism administration was urged to involve tour operators from outside the state in its international travel delegations so that the destination receives wider representation in overseas markets.
The state government indicated that it would consider having a mix of local and operators from other states in such delegations.
The wider objective is to increase the length of stay at destinations that already receive substantial tourist traffic. For Visakhapatnam, the state wants tour operators to build itineraries that go beyond the conventional city visit and Araku Valley.
PN Murthy
For hotels in Visakhapatnam, the convention has provided access to tour operators who can influence future group, leisure and international bookings. The hotel sector’s interest in more such meetings also reflects the need for continued trade engagement after the convention rather than limiting destination promotion to one-off events.
PN Murthy, Marketing Manager, Royal Fort Hotel, Visakhapatnam, says more such industry meetings could help create business opportunities for the destination.
“We should have more meetings like this so that we can interact with people from other areas, foreigners and more travellers and tourists. This will help boost tourism in Andhra Pradesh and India,” Murthy tells India & You.
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Amulya Kakkar
Amulya Kakkar, Vice President and General Manager, Hotel Clarks Shiraz, Agra, says that the convention had provided useful business sessions, but the industry now needs implementation of the policies and proposals discussed.
He also pointed to the lower international tourism numbers compared with the pre-Covid period and the impact of geopolitical tensions, airfares and travel advisories on inbound demand.
“Whatever we are discussing should lead to action. We have seen a lot of presentations from state governments, but those are on paper. Action is very important. Until there is implementation, the actual benefits will not flow to the tourism industry. We must implement the policies we are writing on paper,” Kakkar tells India & You.
O P Mendiratta
Kakkar says that international tourism needs greater focus, particularly for destinations such as Agra that depend heavily on overseas visitors.
“We are yet to receive the pre-Covid figures in international tourism. Geopolitical situations, higher airfares and the economic situation in Europe and other countries are affecting the market. The Government of India, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Civil Aviation should work together to promote India internationally,” says Kakkar.
O P Mendiratta, Managing Director, Global Hotel Representations and former IATO Executive Committee member, also called for greater focus on digitalisation and marketing.
“Every year the IATO convention is improving, and I can see the response from the Andhra Pradesh government. The need of the hour is to increase tourism. I personally feel that the efforts of the Government of India combined with IATO can go a long way. We need more digitalisation and more digital marketing,” Mendiratta tells India & You.
Pankaj Sharma
Pankaj Sharma, proprietor, Route Makers, Delhi says that the priority for inbound operators should be stronger international promotion of India.
Harshit Kalra
“We need India on the world platform. So we need IATO to advertise India well abroad because we are inbound tour operators. India needs to be promoted on one platform globally, and that is something we need to focus on,” Sharma tells India & You.
Harshit Kalra, Managing Director, the Art Emporium, Agra, says that the convention also offered an opportunity for IATO to consider the geographical spread of its future events.
“IATO is doing a lot well, but most of the events are happening in South India. It is high time that we move towards North India for the next convention,” Kalra tells India & You.
