SINGAPORE — More than a year after cracks showed within the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (Natas) and a rival camp decided to break away to form a new association and organise their own travel fair, tensions remain.

At the recent Natas annual general meeting, a power struggle erupted, with Madam Kay Swee Pin from travel group SA Tours challenging incumbent president Devinder Ohri in her bid to be the top officeholder.

Mr Ohri managed to hold on to his post after voting ended last Thursday, saying he welcomed the challenge put up by the rival team as a positive sign of progress and a step in the right direction.

Madam Kay is the president of the Singapore Outbound Travel Agents Association (Sotaa), which includes Chan Brothers Travel, CTC Travel and Dynasty Travel.

Her team comprised Classic Travel’s Jenny Ho, Misa Travel’s Wee Hee Ling and EU Holidays’ Alan Ang, who were vying for the top positions in the executive committee, such as president, deputy president, secretary-general and honorary treasurer.

All agencies represented by the candidates except Classic Travel are Sotaa members.

However, they were defeated at the polls, and Mr Ohri was re-elected president for a second term.

His team included Mr Steven Ler (deputy president), Mr Albert Hong (secretary-general) and Mr Simon Er (treasurer).

They won with an average vote share of 66 per cent, while the remaining six positions in the committee were not contested.

Mr Ohri, director of corporate travel agency GC Nanda & Sons, said in a press statement: “The fact that we were able to win a clean sweep of all four positions being contested … is clear indication and re-affirmation that the majority of our general membership is supportive of our performance and changes being made.”

He told TODAY that the ideas raised by the competition did not “capture the imagination” of Natas members.

At the meeting, old issues such as lack of transparency, booth rentals and entrance fees came to the fore again.

Changes advocated included “a bigger say” in the way the popular Natas travel fair was organised. Right now, committee members and exhibitors are able to weigh in on the fair organisation.

“They (the rival team) were asking for certain things to be done that would impact smaller participants — no entrance fees, booth rentals to be brought down,” Mr Ohri said.

“It’s quite telling (because) if things are really going well at their association, why would they want to come and contest at Natas? It’s an admission that their (association) isn’t really working.”

Tensions within the industry cranked up in March last year, with the Big Four travel agencies — SA Tours, Chan Brothers Travel, CTC Travel and Dynasty Travel — boycotting the twice-yearly Natas fair.

A month later, they held their own Travel Revolution Fair and registered Sotaa. Still, they retained their Natas membership.

Their dissatisfaction sprung from issues such as admission charges for the public and how the Natas fair’s earnings were being used.

In response to allegations that Sotaa was not doing well, Madam Kay said that their upcoming fair in August is already oversubscribed, with four to five exhibitors on a waiting list.

“The reason we went back is because we want to bring all the outbound (travel) members together. Those neutral parties like tourism organisations don’t want to take part in two fairs because of budget constraints,” she said.

“We felt that Natas was going in the wrong direction.”

She attributed her loss to the lack of support from inbound travel agents, among others.

Dynasty Travel’s managing director Clifford Neo, who is part of the rival camp, was voted in as the new-term outbound committee chairman.

Mr Ohri said: “It’s a move towards reconciliation in our perspective. It’s a step in the right direction.”

He added that he would like to see both factions come together to organise a single travel fair eventually.

However, Madam Kay shot down this suggestion: “It’s impossible. I hate to say it, but if he doesn’t come to me personally, there’s no way.

“My condition to him is for him to resign … He’s saying that he wants a combined fair but he has never once approached us.”