IATO Convention 2026 India’s Inbound Tourism Priorities.
When the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) holds its Annual Convention in Visakhapatnam in September with the theme “India: The World’s Next Tourism Opportunity,” all eyes will be on the city. The convention takes place at a critical juncture for India’s inbound tourism sector, with industry executives advocating for increased government-tourist industry cooperation, continued worldwide promotion, and better policy support.
According to IATO President Ravi Gosain, the organization’s strength is its varied regional network, which enables individual chapters to take advantage of a powerful national platform while addressing localised tourism possibilities and difficulties. One of his top priorities is the reinstatement of Market Development Assistance (MDA).
Gosain argues that because inbound tourism produces jobs, earns foreign exchange, and supports a sizable ecosystem of MSMEs, it should be acknowledged as an export business. He thinks that India needs a long-term international promotion system akin to the previous MDA framework. He claims that sporadic promotion is ineffective for destination branding, especially when other locations are making significant investments in international marketing.
Additionally, he draws attention to the limits of an industry organization in bridging the gap left by the lack of a robust national tourism marketing initiative. Gosain thinks a government-industry partnership that combines national destination branding with private-sector market access and knowledge is the most effective strategy, even though IATO continues to promote India and provide commercial possibilities for its members.
According to Gosain, the number of delegates would not be the only indicator of the Visakhapatnam convention’s success. He hopes that attendees will return with improved business relationships, fresh concepts, and a deeper comprehension of technology and travel-related goods that may be sold abroad. Additionally, he views the convention as a chance to promote Andhra Pradesh and persuade travel agencies to add more locations from the state to their itineraries.
One of IATO’s main advantages, according to Senior Vise President Rajnish Kaistha, is the organization’s network of 36 regional chapters. Granting tourism infrastructure status across states, initiating a consistent and well-funded international marketing campaign, adding tourism to the Concurrent List, and expanding the RoDTEP program to tourism stakeholders are the four main policy priorities he highlights for boosting tourism growth.
According to Kaistha, these changes can boost funding and investment, increase cooperation between the Center and the States, and acknowledge tourism as a major source of foreign exchange earnings.
With over 2,000 members, IATO is pitching the convention as a forum to tackle industry issues and turn India’s tourism potential into more robust inbound arrivals, business prospects, and long-term growth.
