October 10, 2017 TnH Global

‘FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE TAFI’S HISTORY, Our Convention will be Held at Two Venues’

This is for the first time in the history of TAFI that we are offering two unique and picturesque destinations as venues of our convention to our members. This will enable them to do more business by promoting these and other attractive destinations in Turkey among their clients.

Next annual convention of Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) will be held in Turkey on 27-31 October, 2017 in two places, Dalaman and Antalya. In an exclusive interview to TnH, Praveen Chugh, President, TAFI talked about venue and theme of this year’s TAFI convention.

Q. Please tell us about the forthcoming convention of TAFI to be held in Turkey.

Deciding upon a destination for our convention by the Convention committee has indeed been a long journey. Keeping our goal and focus in mind we went about exploring new destinations, met different tourism bodies and visited certain places just to make sure that our members could explore and promote the best destinations. Our members benefit was at the core of the decision. In the process, we had to do some negotiations and finally the venues were decided. I am excited to share that we were able to close not one but two destinations – Dalaman an Antalya in Turkey.

Q. Why did you select Turkey as venue for this year’s convention?

Turkey is a great destination. It is the first time in the history of TAFI that we are offering two unique and picturesque destinations as venues for the annual Convention to our members. I am very happy and excited to welcome our members this year. The idea is to empower our members to do more business by promoting these and other attractive destinations in Turkey amongst their clients.

Q. Please tell us about the theme of this year’s TAFI convention. How is it relevant to the current scenario?

The theme of our Convention “Sustainable Success – Smart Way Forward” is indeed thought provoking and truly an eye-opener. Who does not wish to succeed in life? All of us do, but the key is that success needs to be sustainable. To do so, we need to discover and explore smart ways to move forward. Indeed our theme is very vibrant and full of potential, hence we can look forward to new insights, new approaches, new methods and new ways to emerge from the convention.

Q. What kind of support are you getting from Turkish Tourism?

Selection of Turkey as destination for this year’s convention has been possible due to all out support from Mr. Parmod Sahani, Mr. Emin Cakmak, Chairman, Turkish India Tourism Council and his team, Turkish Airlines, the Turkish Consul General in Mumbai, Mr. Erdal Sabri Ergen and Ambassador of Turkey in India, Mr. H. E. Sakir Ozkan Torunlar. Without their support and generosity it would have been a challenge to organize this Convention.

Q. What is expectation of Turkish Tourism from the forthcoming TAFI’s convention?

In 2015, over 1,31,000 Indian tourists visited Turkey. It is expected that there will be a growth of over 20% in the Indian arrivals to Turkey since it continues to remain a popular destination for Indian tourists visiting for honeymoon, adventure and leisure. State visit of the President of Turkey to India from 30th April to 01st May, 2017 has provided a fresh fillip to India–Turkey bilateral relations. I am glad to inform that Dalaman, Antalya, Bodrum, Cappadocia, Istanbul, Izmir and Pammukale are favorite destinations among Indian travellers and by having TAFI Convention at Dalaman and Antalya will further boost tourism between the countries.