Agartala , Nov 21, 2024, TRIPURATIMES Desk

Agartala Nov 21: All Tripura Hotel and Restaurant Owners’ Association (ATHROA) aims to contribute to the well-being and development of Tripura by fostering community engagement and ensuring high-standards in the hospitality sector, said the president of the newly formed 27-member committee of the Association.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday at Hotel Welcome Palace in the state capital, ATHROA president Sumit Saha announced a blood donation camp aiming to collect at least 100 units of blood to address the crucial issue of ‘blood-shortage’ in the state blood banks.

“Our Association is actively involved in various social activities throughout the year. Reflecting our commitment to social responsibility apart from our professional duties, we have decided to organize a blood donation camp on November 24, at Agiye Chalo Sangha, Melarmath. The event will be graced by state chief minister Dr Manik Saha, Minister for Transport and Tourism Sushanta Chowdhury, AMC Mayor and MLA Dipak Majumder, Rajya Sabha MP Rajib Bhattacharjee among others”.

The camp aims to encourage hospitality industry workers and the public to donate blood, addressing local healthcare needs, he said.

Speaking about the newly formed committee, Sumit Saha informed, “On August 25, 2024, a general meeting of the All Tripura Hotel and Restaurant Owners' Association (ATHROA) was held at Hotel Sonar Tori. With the term of the previous committee coming to an end, the meeting saw the acceptance of the account of all income and expenditure of the committee. Subsequently, a new executive committee of 27 members was formed with the unanimous consent of all the members present. The term of this new executive committee will last until August 2027”.

The committee is composed of Patron Kanti Deb, president Sumit Saha, Three- vice-presidents; Kanti Sen, Ashok Choudhury, Tapesh Debnath, General Secretary Saikat Bandyopadhay, Treasurer Biswajit Paul, among others.

Saha stated that the newly formed committee will focus on several key areas including; Compliance- Ensuring adherence to local regulations, hygiene standards, and safety protocols in affiliated hotels and restaurants, Service Quality- Improving service quality and promoting best practices across the industry, and Addressing Challenges- Tackling issues such as rising operational costs, staff shortages, and increasing competition.

Speaking about past contributions and future plans, he said, “ATHROA made a donation of Rs 1.1 lakh to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for flood relief efforts. The association has also decided to build an office building to better serve its members”.

“We also plan to include new hotels and restaurants from all districts of the state. A delegation will visit different districts starting December 2024 to discuss the potential for district-based activities. Additionally, to further enhance the state's tourism sector, the association is developing its own website and telephone directory, expected to be completed by December 2024”, said Saha.

The president further noted that ATHROA will continue to participate in various state government and state tourism department programs to make Tripura more prominent on the national tourism map.

“Our association remains committed to coordinating with the state government and the tourism department to further develop and promote the tourism industry in the state”, he said.