Tag: CATO

A second wave of Covid-19 and the ensuing restrictions can eliminate the tourism sector in Kerala, the industry’s captains and workers fear, announcing they will observe May 1 as Black Day to press the state government to resolve the grave issue. The Tourism Samrakshana Samithi, while noting that the segment was struggling even amid a stimulus package from the government, said the future looked bleaker with the prospects of massive job loss and shutdown of allied businesses. Even those generating some revenue out of tourism are in dire straits, noted the umbrella body for 20 organisations. It will observe the ... Read more

Leading tourism associations have come forward to congratulate the Kerala state government’s decision to announce a financial package worth Rs 455 crore, which will be used to provide loans to entrepreneurs and employees in the industry. ATTOI President Vinod CS said he would like to congratulate the State Government, Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran, Tourism Secretary Rani George and all the officials of the tourism department for putting together this package. “This is will be highly beneficial for the sector,” he said. “Covid-19 has destroyed the sector. Many had lost their jobs and entrepreneurs didn’t have a clue on how to ... Read more

The Indian tourism sector must be feeling an orphan right now. Despite being a huge foreign exchange earner and providing jobs to millions, the industry has been left in the cold. The Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus package does not have anything significant for travel, hospitality or tourism, and that’s a shame considering that employees working in these sectors have been hit the hardest by the pandemic. Two of the leading tourism associations, the Confederation of Accredited Tour Operators (CATO) and Association of Professionals in Tourism (APT) have come out in the open criticising the stimulus package, which they consider ... Read more

Procession organized by ATTOI in Thiruvananthapuram Kerala’s tourism sector has been bouncing back to normalcy after the devastating floods of August this year. However, the industry is still facing holdups in various forms from different areas. The recent strike (harthal) in the name of Sabarimala temple was the latest event, which affected the tourists visiting the state. Normally tourists are exempted from strikes or harthals, as they are considered guests of the state. However, for the first time, tourists were also targeted on  harthal, which took place on 17th November 2018.  The protest in the Kochi International Airport on 16th ... Read more

  Association of Tourism Trade Organization of India (ATTOI) has been pursuing its relief activities in the flood affected Kuttanad. Recently ATTOI has distributed drinking water to the relief camps in Kuttanad. As a follow-up action, ATTOI team have visited the flooded areas and the relief camps for the second time. This time Kainakari and the other innermost areas of Kuttanad have been visited. Kerala Institute of Tourism and Travel Studies (KITTS), Taj Group, Confederation of Accredited Tour Operators (CATO) and Association of Tourism Professionals (ATP) have also take part in the relief operations of ATTOI. PK Aneesh Kumar, President, ... Read more

  The draft bill of Tourism Regulatory Authority of Kerala (TRAK) put forward by the Kerala State Government should be revised with some major amendments as suggested by the proponents of tourism industry. It was raised from the meeting of Confederation of Accredited Tour Operators (CATO) on 6th July 2018 at Le Meridian Hotel, Kochi. “Mandatory registration for all those working in the tourism industry is welcomed. However, some of the conditions in the draft bill cannot be accepted as it is,” opined the CATO members. The main points set forth by the meeting are: The term ‘tourist’ should be ... Read more