TAAI set to enhance Indo-Turkish tourism trade

"The travel and tourism industry has evolved globally into an incredibly dynamic industry, offering abundant opportunities. This three-day convention will provide all our stakeholders a platform to exchange views and to chalk out solutions to meet the challenges of this rapidly changing business environment," TAAI President Iqbal Mulla told PTI here.

Turkey, which was not affected by the European crisis, is looking to expand its business presence in India and through this convention, TAAI is looking to capitalise on this opportunity, he said.

The 60th Convention and Exhibition of TAAI will begin from March 11 in Istanbul. "The TAAI Convention, an annual event, will serve as a catalyst, to develop and expand inbound and outbound tourism between the two countries," he said.

When asked about India`s inbound tourism trend, Mulla said, there is likely to be a 25 per cent increase this fiscal compared to the previous year. "The growth is marginal, as compared to the previous year following the global economic crisis," he added.

In FY11, about 12.38 million people from outside visited the country, according to the government data. When asked about what the Indian tourists preferred as their overseas holiday destinations, he said, it is mostly the South East Asian countries, which is due to the good air connectivity and the convenience of on arrival visas.

However, with the growing spending ability, Indians have now started looking at other destinations as well, like Europe and Australia, he added.