Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh calls for closer government–industry collaboration as Andhra Pradesh prepares to host the 41st IATO Annual Convention in Visakhapatnam
TRAVEL SPAN NEWS NETWORK : Andhra Pradesh is seeking to deepen its partnership with India’s inbound travel trade as the state looks to translate its diverse tourism assets into commercially viable products, stronger international visibility and increased visitor flows.
Addressing an interactive meeting of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) in New Delhi, Kandula Durgesh, Minister for Tourism, Culture & Cinematography, Government of Andhra Pradesh, called for greater collaboration between government, tour operators and private-sector stakeholders to accelerate tourism development across the state.
The meeting also provided an industry platform ahead of the 41st IATO Annual Convention, which will be held in Visakhapatnam from September 10–13, 2026, with the support of the Government of Andhra Pradesh. IATO has confirmed Visakhapatnam’s Novotel Visakhapatnam Varun Beach as the principal venue, while the programme will include business sessions, an Indian Tourism Fair and post-convention tours to destinations across the state.
From destination promotion to experience creation
A key message from the Minister was that tourism development needs to move beyond simply increasing visitor numbers. Destinations, he indicated, must offer compelling, integrated experiences that encourage travellers to stay longer, explore beyond established attractions and engage with local communities and businesses.
For Andhra Pradesh, this means converting its combination of coastal attractions, beaches, heritage, culture, cuisine, nature, Buddhist sites and other experiences into structured tourism products that can be marketed through domestic and international distribution channels.
The emphasis on experience-led tourism also places a greater responsibility on the travel trade to identify opportunities for combining attractions and developing itineraries that are commercially attractive to international visitors.
IATO partnership seen as a route to international markets
The partnership with IATO is particularly significant because inbound tour operators play a key role in taking destinations from promotional campaigns into international travel programmes.
Ravi Gosain, President, IATO, welcomed Andhra Pradesh’s engagement with the association and said the convention would provide an opportunity to move beyond showcasing the state and focus on developing products that can be incorporated into overseas itineraries.
“Andhra Pradesh has all the ingredients to become a major international tourism destination. Our objective through this convention is not only to showcase the State, but to enable our members to create new products and take Andhra Pradesh into the itineraries of overseas travellers,” Gosain said.
The approach aligns with the broader objectives of the Visakhapatnam convention, which IATO says will bring together tourism professionals, policymakers and stakeholders to examine opportunities and challenges facing Indian tourism. The convention is expected to attract around 900–1,000 delegates, according to the official Incredible India event listing.
Travel trade response gathers momentum
Sunil Mishra, Honorary Secretary, IATO, said registrations for the convention had already crossed 350, reflecting growing interest from the travel trade in Andhra Pradesh as an emerging tourism destination.
The convention is expected to give tour operators an opportunity to assess the state’s tourism infrastructure and attractions directly, while identifying opportunities to create new packages and itineraries.
The event will also feature the Indian Tourism Fair on September 11 and 12, creating a dedicated business platform for destination promotion and industry networking. IATO has also planned post-convention tours from September 13 onwards, allowing participating delegates to explore destinations across Andhra Pradesh.
Technology, sustainability and new tourism opportunities on the agenda
Sanjay Razdan, Vice President, IATO, said the convention programme would examine several issues shaping the future of tourism, including artificial intelligence and technology, sustainable tourism, emerging high-growth segments and partnerships for tourism development.
Cultural programmes featuring artists from Andhra Pradesh will form another component of the convention, providing delegates with an opportunity to experience the state’s cultural heritage alongside the business programme.
Rajnish Kaistha, Senior Vice President, IATO, highlighted the importance of government-industry cooperation in turning tourism potential into actual visitor growth and acknowledged the support being extended by the Government of Andhra Pradesh for the convention.
Andhra Pradesh looks to strengthen its international tourism proposition
The state’s engagement with IATO comes as Andhra Pradesh seeks to strengthen its position in India’s increasingly competitive tourism landscape.
Its tourism proposition extends across several segments, allowing the state to target different international and domestic traveller profiles. Coastal tourism and beaches can support leisure demand, while heritage and cultural attractions offer opportunities for experiential and cultural travel. Nature, wellness, cuisine and Buddhist heritage provide additional possibilities for specialised itineraries.
The challenge, however, lies in bringing these individual assets together through stronger connectivity, accommodation, visitor infrastructure, destination management and travel-trade distribution.
The IATO partnership could help bridge that gap by bringing destination authorities closer to operators who understand international market requirements and can translate attractions into bookable products.
Visakhapatnam convention to put Andhra Pradesh in the global tourism spotlight
The 41st IATO Annual Convention is therefore being positioned as more than an industry gathering. For Andhra Pradesh, it represents an opportunity to place the state directly before a large community of inbound tour operators and tourism stakeholders and encourage them to develop new business around the destination.
IATO’s official announcement confirms that the convention will be hosted with the full support of the Andhra Pradesh Government and will feature participation from tourism officials and representatives of around 17–18 state tourism departments.
The state government’s objective will ultimately be to convert the heightened industry attention into tangible outcomes — new itineraries, stronger international distribution, increased private-sector participation and higher visitor arrivals.
For IATO, the convention provides an opportunity to demonstrate how the inbound travel trade can work with state governments to develop destinations rather than simply promote them.
As Andhra Pradesh prepares to welcome the travel industry to Visakhapatnam in September, the emerging message is clear: the next phase of tourism growth will depend on turning destination assets into experiences, experiences into products, and products into globally marketable journeys.
