More than 400 Indian travel professionals have gathered in Rhodes for TAFI’s 40th anniversary convention, where a new agreement with the South Aegean Region is putting greater focus on India as a source market for the Greek islands.
Rhodes has become the meeting point for India’s travel trade and Greece’s regional tourism ambitions this week, as the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) holds its 40th Anniversary Convention from October 4 to 7.
Held under the theme “Connecting Legacies, Crafting Futures,” the convention brings together more than 400 Indian travel professionals for business sessions, networking, destination experiences and discussions around the future of outbound travel. The choice of Rhodes is significant for a Greek tourism industry seeking to build stronger links with India beyond the country’s more established European travel circuits.
The gathering has also produced a more tangible development: TAFI and the South Aegean Region have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) intended to strengthen tourism cooperation between India and the region.
The agreement was signed in Rhodes by TAFI President Abbas Moiz and South Aegean Governor Giorgos Hatzimarkos. The regional authority had announced ahead of the convention that the MoU would establish a framework for promoting the islands in the Indian market, developing thematic tourism, increasing visitor flows and strengthening business relationships between the two sides.
From a Convention to a Longer-Term Market Strategy
For the South Aegean, the agreement is less about a single event than about establishing a sustained presence in one of the world’s most closely watched outbound tourism markets.
India is increasingly important to destinations looking to diversify their international visitor base, particularly as affluent and experienced Indian travellers show growing interest in journeys built around culture, gastronomy, celebrations, leisure and distinctive experiences.
Those opportunities are particularly relevant to the South Aegean, where Rhodes and the surrounding islands can combine heritage, beaches, gastronomy and island-hopping within a single itinerary.
The regional authority had already identified the Indian market as a priority when it agreed in June to host the TAFI convention. At that stage, the planned cooperation framework was described as a way to promote the islands in India, broaden thematic tourism and encourage stronger commercial links between Indian travel companies and South Aegean businesses.
Rhodes as the Business Platform
The convention itself is designed to give Indian travel advisors a closer understanding of Greece as a destination they can sell with greater confidence.
Alongside the formal conference programme, the event includes networking and B2B activity connecting Indian travel professionals with Greek tourism businesses. Pre- and post-convention programmes are also taking delegates beyond Rhodes, with visits and destination experiences intended to broaden their knowledge of Greece’s cultural, nature-based, luxury and experiential offerings.
That approach reflects a wider change in the Indian outbound market. Travel advisors are increasingly required to build more personalised itineraries rather than simply sell established sightseeing circuits. For destinations such as Rhodes, firsthand exposure can therefore become an important commercial tool: the more familiar agents are with hotels, experiences, attractions and logistics, the easier it becomes to build those elements into future programmes.
TAFI President Abbas Moiz has previously described the convention as an opportunity for members to experience Greece personally and return to India with the knowledge and confidence to recommend the destination to their clients.
Beyond the Traditional Greek Holiday
The South Aegean is also looking beyond the conventional summer-island proposition.
The region sees potential in weddings, gastronomy, family travel, cultural tourism, island-hopping and special-interest journeys. The broader TAFI programme similarly places emphasis on luxury travel, MICE, events and experiential tourism, giving Indian travel professionals reasons to consider Greece for occasions and itineraries beyond a standard beach holiday.
For Rhodes in particular, the proposition is unusually broad. The island combines a UNESCO-listed medieval city, resort infrastructure, coastal landscapes and a strong hospitality sector, while its location makes it a natural base from which to explore other parts of the Dodecanese. Greece’s national tourism platform also highlights Rhodes for its medieval heritage, natural landscapes, gastronomy and blend of cosmopolitan and traditional experiences.
Connectivity and the Next Phase
Air access will be an important part of converting market interest into actual bookings.
During the convention, Hatzimarkos highlighted the importance of stronger connectivity between India and Greece, while regional discussions have pointed to the role of airline services in supporting future visitor growth. The wider objective is to create the practical conditions for Indian travel companies to develop more programmes to Rhodes and the South Aegean rather than treating the islands as occasional additions to a wider European itinerary.
The scale of the convention itself illustrates why the Indian market matters. Bringing several hundred travel professionals to Rhodes places the destination directly in front of the people responsible for shaping and selling outbound itineraries in India.
A Four-Decade Milestone with a Forward Focus
TAFI’s 40th anniversary gives the convention an additional dimension. Founded in 1986, the federation has become an established representative body for India’s travel-agent community, and its anniversary gathering is being used not simply to celebrate its history but to examine where the industry is heading.
The convention has also included recognition of veteran industry figure Subhash Goyal, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award, while Philippine Airlines President Richard Nuttall was among the keynote speakers. India’s Ambassador to Greece, H.E. Shri Ravi Shankar, also addressed delegates.
For Rhodes and the South Aegean, however, the most consequential outcome may prove to be the agreement with TAFI.
The challenge now is to turn the visibility generated by four days of meetings and destination experiences into products that Indian travellers can actually book. If that happens, the MoU could become more than a ceremonial partnership: it could form part of a longer-term strategy to build a stronger India–South Aegean tourism corridor and introduce more Indian travellers to the islands beyond the traditional Greek holiday map.
