Sri Vijaya Puram, July 10: A delegation of the Andaman Association of Tour Operators (AATO) participated in Connect Bengal 2026 in Kolkata, using one of eastern India’s largest business-to-business travel networking platforms to promote tourism in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and strengthen ties with the domestic travel industry.
The delegation, comprising around 15 members and led by AATO President M. Vinod, attended the event held at Hotel Hyatt Regency, Kolkata. Organised by the Travel Agents’ Association of Bengal (TAAB), Connect Bengal 2026 brought together tourism stakeholders, travel professionals, hoteliers and industry representatives from across the country for networking, business collaborations and destination promotion.
The event was inaugurated by Purnima Chakraborty, Minister of State for Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism, Government of West Bengal.
During the event, the AATO delegation promoted the tourism potential of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, highlighting the destination’s beaches, adventure tourism, eco-tourism and other visitor experiences before travel trade representatives from different parts of the country.
According to AATO, participation in the event formed part of its efforts to expand the visibility of the Islands in key domestic tourism markets while strengthening business relationships with travel partners and industry stakeholders.
Speaking on the occasion, AATO President M. Vinod said Connect Bengal provides an important platform to engage with travel partners and explore new business opportunities for the tourism sector in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
He also expressed appreciation to the Travel Agents’ Association of Bengal for organising the event and providing an opportunity to present the Islands before members of the travel fraternity.
The association stated that it will continue working with tourism stakeholders across the country to increase the visibility of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and support the sustainable growth of the tourism sector.
Connect Bengal is recognised as one of West Bengal’s major B2B travel networking events, bringing together representatives of the tourism industry to facilitate partnerships, destination marketing and business engagement. AATO’s participation focused on expanding industry outreach and promoting the Islands as a tourism destination in the domestic market.
