After a successful Convention in the Lion City of Singapore last year, the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) is holding its annual Convention in Kota Kinabalu, the Land Below the Wind, in Malaysian Borneo. Scheduled for…
After a successful Convention in the Lion City of Singapore last year, the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) is holding its annual Convention in Kota Kinabalu, the Land Below the Wind, in Malaysian Borneo. Scheduled for 06 to 09 September 2007, the Convention will focus on the theme Drive the
Change – Stay On Top, an unequivocal call to travel agents to seize the initiative, to take
charge of their destiny and to determine where the industry is headed over the next crucial years.
As ample proof that they mean business TAFI has instituted a set of awards to recognize the best in the Indian travel industry – as perceived by peers within the industry. The first Abacus- TAFI Awards For Excellence In The Indian Travel Industry to be presented at a glittering ceremony on 08 Sep will be the highlight of the Convention in Kota Kinabalu.
Abacus is TAFI’s principal partner for the Awards, which are presented by TravelBiz Monitor, in association with Tata-AIG, Kuoni Academy of Travel and Ezeego1.com. ACNielsen the marketing information company is the research partner and is conducting the poll.
According to TAFI, what’s unique about these Awards is that this is the first such initiative by a travel agents’association in the country. It’s also unique in that the nominees and the voters are all peerswithin the same industry. These are also the most interactive and comprehensive Awards in thetrade since the entire travel and tourism fraternity is entitled to be nominated and to vote.
“We intend to make the TAFI Awards the definitive benchmark of what’s best in the Indian travel industry,” says Ajay Prakash, the National General Secretary of TAFI. “Integrity, credibility and accuracy are the keywords and we have chosen our partners with care to ensure that these Awards have impeccable credentials.”
Viiveck Verma, Managing Director of Abacus India is very upbeat on the Awards. “TAFI is a very proactive association and Abacus is proud to be a partner in this search for excellence. India is one of the fastest growing travel markets in the Asia-Pacific today and Abacus, the GDS with emphasis on the core Asian values of warmth and fraternity, is looking to form a long lasting relationship with TAFI, the Awards and the Indian travel trade.”
Apart from the face-to-face polling being conducted by ACNielsen across India, an online polling form is also available on the websites of the major Awards partners.
The awarded categories are:
- Best Eastbound, Westbound, Domestic and Low Cost airline
- Best Inbound, Outbound and Domestic Tour Operator
- Best Luxury and Value hotel chain
The best national and international tourism board and a unique first – the Travel Business Man and Travel Business Woman of the Year In addition there will also be Awards for Corporate Social Responsibility, the Most Innovative Product Launch and a Lifetime Achievement Award for service to the Indian travel industry.
Praveen Chugh, President of TAFI states unequivocally, “There are many awards in Bollywood,
and then there is IIFA; similarly there are some travel industry awards in India and now you have the Abacus-TAFI Awards! We are the best in the business and we shall ensure that our Awards become the premier Travel Industry Awards in the years to come.”
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
