TAAI - AP Chapter Taking Tourism Head On

Charmaine Fernz - Hyderabad

The city of Hyderabad, though low profile in the past, has of late begun to make its mark in the Indian tourism arena. This fact can be substantiated from the booming tourism industry in the city. Mahesh K Neralkar, chairman, TAAI - AP Chapter explains, "Hyderabad has a lot of tourist attractions but the only drawback has been the lack of proper and aggressive awareness. We have not been able to attract the right kind and amount of international tourists to the city, but this scenario is fast changing, with a proactive chief minister and tourism ministry on board."

TAAI being a proactive association in most parts of the country, what activities set the growth pace in the AP Chapter? An enthusiastic Neralkar says, "We have regular meetings every month, wherein we invite a guest speaker from the industry to share their views with our members. We also have a council of 11 members, each looking after a particular section of the industry like visas, airlines etc. This committee meets in between the monthly meetings to keep a tab on the latest happenings and to set solutions to impending problems. Apart from this, we also conduct a quiz programme for our council members to keep them abreast with the industry."

With the travel industry all over India including AP being faced with common issues like TDS and ADMs, an added problem in the city is the lack of proper representation by airlines. "Most airlines are represented by GSAs in AP, so due to lack of authoritative figures, we do not get correct airfares, no confirmation of seats and other facilities that travel agents get in the metros," adds Neralkar. However concluding on a positive note, he says, "In the past, we have not been able to work closely with the government, likewise participation from other sectors has also not been very strong. So, this year, the TAAI - AP chapter along with Andhra Pradesh Tourism will be working out a year-long strategy to aggressively promote the destination."