New Delhi: TV9 Network’s Travel and Tourism Summit kicked off with the panel discussion from the dignitaries which included Ravi Nandan Sinha, Director of Development at MSME Business Forum India, Yummi Talwar operations at VFS Global, Anshul Sethi Head of Sales to Indigo, Professor Dr Manohar Sajnani Professor and Dean Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism and Director at Amity University, Chalaka Gajabahu and Rajdev Bhattacharya, Global Head of Travel & Expense (T&E).
The main topic of discussion was the trends in travel in recent times and how travel demand is currently looking. The panel included a wide variety of backgrounds, with each tapping the customer interests from a different perspective.
Panel discussion included (from left) Ravi Nandan Sinha, Director of Development at MSME Business Forum India, Yummi Talwar operations at VFS Global, Rajdev Bhattacharya, Global Head of Travel & Expense (T&E), Chalaka Gajabahu, Sri Lanka tourism, Anshul Sethi, Head of Sales at Indigo and Dr Manohar Sajnani, Professor and Dean Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism and Director at Amity University.
Ravi Nandan Sinha, Director of Development at MSME Business Forum India, opened the session by noting that the travel trends have become much different today, with more concrete itineraries coming. He further said, “It isn’t technology that people experience during their travel but rather interaction with people. People today are reliant on experience.”
Dr Manohar Sajnani, Professor and Dean Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism and Director at Amity University, noted that it is a PR storytelling era, saying, “We are teaching storytelling today to our students. The idea is to bring the curriculum to a level that can ”
Yummi Talwar, operations at VFS Global, noted that influencers dictate about destinations and what will be the choice of travel for many, saying, “It isn’t the access to the Visa process that dictates people’s choice of destination today.”
Chalaka Gajabahu, Sri Lanka Tourism, felt that India brought the most revenue to the country, and after Covid and economic crisis, it was important to promote Sri Lankan Tourism. Mr Gajabahu said, “It was important to show that tourism was back to normal. The countries have a long history with each other, and Indian travellers have an interest in Sri Lanka owing to the Ramayana as well.’