In a conscious attempt to leverage the power of social media, a key global conference aimed at helping tour operators and travel professionals in India will be set into motion in Kovalam on June 7.
The International Conference on Travel Technology (ICTT) India, is the first event of its kind in the country and is being organised by the Association of Tourism Trade Organisations, India (ATTOI) at the Leela in Kovalam. ICTT India is supported by Kerala’s Department of Tourism.
The event will be inaugurated at 5.30 pm by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in the presence of Minister of State for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor and Tourism Minister A P Anil Kumar.
“The conference is naturally fit for Kerala Tourism since we have always been pioneers in using digital tools for promoting our state,” said Tourism Secretary Suman Billa.
“The digital space is vast and dynamic and initiatives such as the ICTT will help the travel industry keep up with the rapid changes,” he said.
Suman Billa will make a presentation on Kerala Tourism at the inaugural function. ATTOI president Sreekumara Menon, Subhash Goyal, president, Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO); E M Najeeb, president, Confederation of Kerala Tourism Industry (CKTI); Anish Kumar P K, ICTT organising secretary and Shailesh Nair, ICTT convener would speak.
More than 300 delegates, mostly tour operators, from across the country and abroad are expected to attend the three-day conference.
Travel media professionals and bloggers will be among the participants.
Social media, online marketing, mobile applications, pricing and distribution strategies, managing reviews and handling competition, revenue management, business intelligence and the future of technology will be among the listed topics to be covered in the sessions.
ICTT features 17 eminent speakers from countries such as the US, UK, Australia, UAE and India with expertise in the travel industry and digital entrepreneurship.
Selina Power, a social media specialist from Australia; Chad Wiebesick, an award-winning entrepreneur who oversees social media for the tourism office in the US State of Michigan; Philip Calvert, a UK-based writer, strategist and LinkedIn expert; Avijit Arya, the founder and CEO of digital marketing company Internet Moguls and Bicky Carlra, group president of UAE-based TraVision are among the participants.
