22 Sep 2015|Noida | F2 Auditorium
“India can become number one tourist destination by indentifying and promoting its strengths” avers His Excellency Mr. Samuel Panyin Yalley during World Tourism Day Celebrations at Amity
To celebrate World Tourism Day on September 27, 2015, AmityInstitute of Travel and Tourism commenced week long 12th AnnualConvention on theme “One Billion Tourist, One Billion Opportunities:Indian v/s Global Perspective” at Amity Campus, Sector 125, Noida.
The celebrations of World Tourism Day aim to fosterawareness amongst the International community about the importance of Tourismand its social, cultural, political and economic values attached to it.
The 12th Annual convention seeks to address globalchallenges outlined by the United NationsMillennium Development Goals (MDGs) andto highlight the potential contribution of the tourism sector in achievingthese goals.
The commencement of Annual Convention saw the presence ofgalaxy of eminent personalities including His Excellency Mr. Samuel PanyinYalley, High Commissioner Republic of Ghana; Ms. Hanneli Slabber, Country Head,South African Tourism Board (India); Dr. Subash Goyal, Chairman Stic Group ofCompanies & Chairman, Indian Association of Tour Operators; Mr. NaveenRizvi, Executive Director, ICE TUI Global and Mr. Deepak Behl, Director HR,Hotel The Grand, New Delhi; Dr. (Prof.) Balvinder Shukla, Vice Chancellor,Amity University Uttar Pradesh; Dr. (Prof.) Gurinder Singh, Additional GroupVice Chancellor and Prof. (Dr.) M. Sajnani, Director, Amity Institute of Traveland Tourism.
Sharinghis views on Tourism Industry, His ExcellencyMr. Samuel Panyin Yalley said “Tourismis not limited to just hotels, airlines, cuisines etc. but it encompasseseverything in the world. Late Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru rightly remarked thatvisitors from abroad should be welcomed for economic reasons and even more sobecause this leads to a greater understanding and mutual appreciation. There isnothing that world needs today more than mutual understanding.” He averred thatTourism is a vehicle which connects humanity, tribes, culture and history.Elaborating on Indian Tourism, His Excellency Mr. Yalley said that India hasthe best locations geographically to attract the tourists and become number onetourist destination but it lacks right promotion. He remarked that India needsto identify the strengths as a country and promote them accordingly to changeits image as a snake charmer’s nation. He called upon students to have a globalview towards their career and explore global opportunities in the industry.Sharing his vision, His Excellency Mr. Samuel Panyin Yalley stated that he islooking forward to facilitate the education of Ghanaian students in India withspecial interest in ICT and its application in tourism and pharmaceuticals andto promote the establishment of small-scale industries and agro-processingunits in India.
Presenting a brief on Indian Tourism, Ms Hanneli Slabbersaid that Travel and Tourism is the largest service industry in India whichinclude heritage, cultural, medical, business and sports tourism. Shehighlighted that there are several factors which make Indian Tourism sectorstand tall across world including employment generation ratio, geographicalzones, service export and hotel management institutes amongst others. Sheremarked that Tourism in India has seen a growth of 10.2% for Foreign TouristArrivals in India last year. She highlighted that world is getting smaller andbetter connected due to Tourism but the industry itself faces a lot ofchallenges including human trafficking, exploitation of Natural Resources etc.which needs to be addressed as Tourism has immense contribution in country’seconomy and employment growth. During the occasion, Ms. Slabber gave apresentation on South Africa as a Tourist Destination showcasing Wildlife,Tourism and Culture.
During the convention, Dr. Subash Goyal stressedthat hardwork, discipline, positive thinking and strategy skills are the mantrafor success and encouraged students to have an ambition in life coupled with astrong desire to attain success.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. (Prof.) Balvinder Shuklasaid that Tourism has always been an integral part of the country's fiveyear plans, and has been accorded priority sector status in the Twelfth FiveYear Plan. She mentioned that the Indian Travel and Tourism industry hasfared well in the recent few years with the support of Government’s initiativeswhich has realized the country’s potential inthe Tourism industry and has taken several steps to make India a global tourismhub. She remarked that Tourism is an amalgamation of various sectorswith growing international competition in the sector. Dr. Shukla outlined thatconsidering the growing need for global professional training, CorporateTourism is an emerging domain which needs to be tapped by the buddingprofessionals.
During the occasion, the dignitaries comprising of eminentIndustry Stalwarts were honored for their significant contribution to theirrespective field of operations.
Dr Subhash Goyal, Chairman STIC Group of Companies washonored with ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ forhis overall contribution to the Tourism and Travel Industry for more than 4decades.
Mr. Anil Parashar, President & CEO InterglobeTechnologies, Mr Pradeep Kataria, Director, Holiday Masti and Ms. HanneliSlabber, Country Head South African Tourism Board (India) was honored with‘Corporate Excellence Award’ for theiroverall contribution to the Travel, Hospitality & Aviation corporate world.
Mr. Tarandeep Singh, Creative Head Trojan Events &Entertainment & Trojan Holidays was honored with ‘Young Achievers Award’ for his overall contribution to the Tourism and eventsIndustry in a highly innovative manner.
Duringthe event, a colorful cultural programme was presented by the students.