Day 2 of TAAI 2023, India’s’ leading Travel and trade fair in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB), who is the main sponsor of the event and co-partnered by SLAITO, continued its successful 3-day convention with day 2 including B2B sessions and a gala Sri Lankan themed dinner at Cinnamon Grand Colombo. The two-day business session and the Buyer –Seller meet were held at Cinnamon Grand Colombo on the 7 th of July 2023, in parallel to the convention, as sidelining events. Around 450 representatives from the Indian travel trade participated in the meetings whereas 150 participants from the Sri Lankan Travel industry joined the occasion which ended up with a positive outcome, strengthening the economic and business partnerships between the two countries further.
Day 2 began with Ms. Jyoti Mayal , President TAAI , opening the session with the “TAAI Talk” giving a brief introduction to the event . Afterwards it proceeded with a panel discussion themed “India tourism Vision 2047 – A transformed landscape of experiences and connections” consisting of distinguished representatives of the Industry , including Mr. Arvind Singh, former secretary of Tourism , Government of India , Mr. Madhavan Menon , Managing Director at Thomas Cook India LTD, Mr .Nipun Agrawal , Chief Commercial and Transformation officer Air India, and Mr. K.B Kachru , Chairman Emeritus & Principal Advisor South Asia, Radisson Hotels group , moderated by Mr. Ashish Gupta, Consulting CEO , FAITH .The discussion shared important visions towards the future of the Airline Industry , the potential and benefits it could bring by developing trade and travel partnerships further.
Mr. Pieter Elbers , CEO Indigo Airlines gave a description about Air Indigo themed “India by Indigo” focusing on its way forward and the initiatives it has taken to develop Air connectivity to several destinations and the way forward.
Mr. Thisum Jayasuriya , Chairman Sri Lanka Convention Bureau focused on SLCB ‘S potential and it’s way forward on the MICE tourism and making Sri Lanka become one of the best MICE destinations.
The event also included another panel discussion between India’s leading Aviation companies and Sri Lankan Airlines, which included Mr. Richard Nuttall, CEO, Sri Lankan Airlines, Mr. Amitabh Kosla, Country Director, India, IATA, Mr. Praveen Iyer , Co-founder and Chief Commercial officer , Akasa Air , Mr. Rajeev Bhatia, Chief Commercial officer, Amadeus India (Pvt) Ltd and Mr. Vinay Malhotra, Head of Global sales, Indigo Airlines. The discussion was themed as “Sky is not the limit – The boundless potential of the skies”. It proved to be an informative and successful occasion where it produced endless opportunities for the Airline Industry, expansion of Air connectivity between India and Sri Lanka, introducing travel packages, and also answering the inquiries made by the participants at the audience.
Dr. Navina Jafa, , Expert Cultural skills and sustainable development , took to the stage next , speaking on Experiential travel , and making it a paradigm shift in Tourism . Summing up the schedule for day 2 of the TAAI Convention, Mr . Ajit Bajaj and Ms. Deeya Bajaj discussed on the Trail Blazers Journey themed ‘’ Higher than the seven summits’’. highlighting on the positive outcomes it could create.
The B2B sessions, were mainly conducted for the local and Indian trade representatives, giving them an opportunity to expand their businesses and share trade information of both countries. The occasion included the best of Sri Lanka’s Accommodation Providers and Destination Management companies showcasing their potential in the travel and tourism trade.
The Gala dinner which followed afterwards was graced by Hon. Speaker of parliament, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena,as the chief guest , and Hon. Minister of Tourism, Harin Fernando, along with other distinguished officials .The occasion was themed as an
“Evening in Colombo” including sumptuous Sri Lankan cuisine, complete with oriental music conducted by Visharadha Manoj Peiris and the band, complete with dance performances from the Channa Upuli Performing Arts Foundation, showcasing superb talent and a glimpse of the Sri Lankan Arts and culture. Sri Lankan band NAADRO kept up the beat with an exclusive drum session during the dinner reception.
Thus day 2 of the TAAI Convention concluded on a positive note giving an opportunity for both Sri Lankan and Indian trade representatives to network, connect and share information to take back a positive message about Sri Lanka to the world in order to encourage more Indian tourist arrivals as one of Sri Lanka’s Key source markets.
