Kochi chosen venue of AITO meet

Express New Service
First Published : 05 Jul 2009 10:47:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 05 Jul 2009 11:27:36 AM IST

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Association of Independent Tour Operators
(AITO), Britain, the first tourism industry association in the world to incorporate into its business charter a commitment to Responsible travel and green tourism, has selected Kochi as the venue for its annual conference which will be held from November 18 to 22.

``We decided to go somewhere exotic and different, somewhere exciting, and in a place AITO has not been before,’’ said AITO chairman Derek Moore.

Derek, accompanied by AITO vice-chairman John Gillies, had visited Kochi last month to hold discussions with Kerala Tourism officials.

``With the help of our friends at Kerala Tourism, I am sure this will be a conference to remember, and a perfect antidote to a difficult year for all of us,’’ Derek said.

Kerala Tourism officials have welcomed the news with big cheer. ``We are honoured to host AITO and we will do our best to see that all delegates have a meaningful and enjoyable time in Kerala,’’ Tourism Secretary Dr V Venu said.

``The conference is expected to bring significant gains for the host destination, as it will bring together business-owners, key decision makers and reputed operators from the UK, the biggest inbound market for Kerala,’’ Venu said.

According to Tourism Director M Shivshankar, the hosting of AITO conference will be a big boost for the promotion of Kerala in the UK. Shivshankar said the UK contributed over 1,40,000 tourists in 2008, with a nearly 25 percent market share of the total international arrivals to the State.

The AITO comprises independent companies, most of them owner-managed, specialising in particular destinations or types of holidays.