Members

Membership Benefits

CATO provides active membership to tour operators across the State. Any Tour operator who is accredited by Department of Tourism, Govt. of Kerala shall be an active member. The organization meets quarterly to discuss issues and update its members on current tourism industry.

Registered Service Tax payee in the State of Kerala can be a member of the Society.

At CATO, we believe that the development of tourism is directly proportional to the welfare of tourism service providers. Hence the association was founded on the following principles that safeguard the interests of its members:

• »  Protect the goodwill, wellbeing and integration of the nation
• »  Be instrumental in the development of tourism and promote all the sectors of travel trade
• »  Maintain cooperation and geniality across the industry
• »  Resolve disputes among the members
• »  Shield members from getting exploited by their foreign counterparts
• »  Enforce higher standards of ethical practices in the industry
• »  Help members participate in welfare activities that are impossible to undertake individually
• »  Associate with foreign counterparts
• »  Eradicate discrimination of all sorts and provide equal opportunity for all tourists regardless of any distinction
• »  Organize overseas promotional activities conjointly with Government of India tourism offices abroad, various airlines and other relevant establishments
• »  Promote and conduct cultural exchange and cultural meetings
• »  Encourage excellence by instituting awards in tourism
• »  Help students contribute to the development of tourism by offering scholarships in tourism related higher studies and research

Classes of Members

All Tour operators who are Accredited by Department of Tourism, Govt. of Kerala and shall be a Registered Service Tax payee in the State of Kerala can be a member of the Society.

Entrance Fee & Subscription

Members shall contribute to the funds of the Society an entrance fee in lump-sum at the time of admission and registration as a member and an annual subscription on or before the 31st May of each year. The quantum of entrance fee and annual subscription shall be as decided by the Managing Committee from time to time.

Admission of Member

An application for membership shall be made in the prescribed form.

Enrolment of members

Members can only be enrolled in the name of the establishment under which they carry on their business and shall for all purposes of the Society be represented by the person nominated as their representative in their application for membership. Such nominee shall be entitled to exercise all or any of the rights and privileges of membership as regards attendance and voting at meetings and otherwise generally as effectually as the member represented by him. The nomination made in the application may be altered by the member by notice in writing to the Hon. Secretary. The nomination will become effective after the Hon. Secretary has acknowledged the receipt of the writing containing the nomination.

Succession

A member, may, by notice in writing registered with the Society, nominate any one from the Organization to be his/her successor on his/her death and may from time to time, by like notice, cancel such nomination and/or substitute the nominee. On the death of such a member, the successor so nominated shall be enrolled as a Member in his/her place and the successor shall have all the powers and privileges his/her predecessor had. The rights and privileges of a member shall not be transferred and any such transfer which is not in accordance with the above provision shall not be binding or recognized by the Society

Initial Members

Notwithstanding anything in these Rules, the establishments represented by the signatories to the Memorandum shall be the Initial Members of the Society.

Register of Members

The Hon. Secretary of the Society shall keep a Register of all the members of the Society in which shall be entered in separate columns the following particulars as regards each member viz.
(1) Name under which each member carries on business,
(2) the class of the member,
(3) the address given in the application,
(4) the date when the member became a member,
(5) the name of the person nominated as representative by the member in his or their application, and
(6) if and when the member ceases to be a member, the date of such ceasing.

Every member shall forthwith notify in writing to the Hon. Secretary any change of address and name of any substituted nominee appointed by the member and sanctioned by the Managing Committee and the alterations shall be immediately entered in the Register by the Hon. Secretary.

Cessation /Termination of Membership:

The Membership of any member shall cease/be terminated in the following circumstances:-

(a) On resignation by a letter addressed to the Hon. Secretary;

(b) In the event of Accreditation gets cancelled / Invalid by Dept. of Tourism, Govt. of Kerala His / Her membership shall be terminated automatically.

(c) On the failure to pay the annual subscription within a period of 6 months after it has fallen due for payment; provided however that the Managing Committee shall before terminating his membership give 10 days notice in writing to the member to show cause as to why his membership should not be terminated.

(d) On being adjudicated insolvent or having suspended payment or compounded with his creditors or ordered to be wound up by a competent court;

(e) On being found guilty by a competent court or tribunal of an offence involving, in the opinion of the Managing Committee, moral turpitude or gross misconduct;

Exclusion and suspension of a member:

Any member who acts to the detriment of or against the interests of the Society or who shall fail in the observance of or violate any of the Articles of Association or thebye laws of the Society or whose conduct or action in the opinion of the Managing Committee is improper or is prejudicial to the Society or is detrimental to the interests of the public may after due enquiry be censured, suspended or excluded from the Society by the General Body. The General Body may act either on its motion or on the motion of the Managing Committee or written charges preferred by a number of members. Any member who has been excluded under these rules shall not be eligible to apply for membership again for a period of One year.

In the event of Accreditation gets cancelled / Invalid by Dept. of Tourism, Govt. of Kerala His / Her membership shall be terminated automatically. In that situation Point No. 16 is irrelevant.

A member ceasing to be a member by any means shall forfeit all rights to or claims upon the Society but shall nevertheless remain liable for and shall pay to the Society all moneys which may be due from him to the Society.

Rights and Privileges of Members:

The rights and privileges of every member shall be personal and shall not be transferred by his own act, or by operation of law , except in the case of a limited company or partnership firm in any of which cases the rights and privileges of the member may be enjoyed by either a director or such other responsible officer of the limited company as may be duly appointed in writing or by any partner or officer of the partnership firm as may be duly appointed in writing by the firm.

The rights and privileges of members shall include

(a) To vote, if present, at a General Meeting of members, or to appoint a proxy to vote in his stead.

(b) To receive notice of all the annual and extraordinary general meetings,

(c) To serve as an office bearer or Managing Committee Member of the Society,

(d) To make representations to the Managing Committee regarding any business or trade issues that affects the travel and the tourism industry.