DRMumbai: B2B exhibitions organiser UBM India is all set to bring in the 26th edition of SATTE – South Asian Travel and Tourism Exchange from January 16 to 18, 2019 to the new venue – India Expo Mart, Greater Noida, Delhi – NCR. This year, the exhibition has witnessed a tremendous response from the industry with participation from over 1000 exhibitors and representation from over 50 countries and 90 cities across India.
SATTE will provide a comprehensive platform for domestic and international buyers and professionals from across the travel, tourism and hospitality industry along with national and state tourism boards (NTOs and STOs) to congregate and conduct business, arrive at solution-driven innovations to counteract economic uncertainties and promote inbound, outbound and domestic tourism in India.
SATTE has grown hand-in-hand with the consistent support of the Ministry of Tourism as well as all State tourism departments and the Indian travel and tourism fraternity.
SATTE continues to receive the support of international organisations/associations and Indian travel trade associations such as World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI), Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), IATA Agents Association of India (IAAI), India Convention Promotion Bureau (ICPB), Universal Federation of Travel Agents Association (UFTAA), Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and Enterprising Travel Agents Association (ETAA) to name a few.
The three-day expo will witness several exciting partnerships and announcements that promise to usher in new trends in the industry. SATTE 2019, fresh after its gala silver jubilee celebrations last year, has witnessed a record-breaking number of enrollments for its Domestic Buyer Programme with 500 domestic buyers already having registered three months before the exhibition.
The expo expects footfall from a wide range of visitors that comprise tour operators, travel agents, wedding planners, corporate travel decision makers, potential investors in the field of hospitality, leisure and travel industries as well as location planners from leading television and film production houses.
While Thailand, Malaysia and Sri Lanka are partner countries, Indonesia is the feature destination for SATTE 2019. Partner states for SATTE 2019 are Rajasthan, Goa and Madhya Pradesh. SATTE is also in discussion with a few more countries and states to become the partner countries and states for 2019.
Speaking at the announcement of the 26th edition of SATTE, Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India said, “Globally, Travel & Tourism is an important economic activity. In India, the total contribution of travel & tourism to GDP was $234 billion, 9.4 per cent of the GDP in 2017 and is forecast to rise by 7.5 per cent in 2018, and to rise by 6.9 per cent per annum to $492.2 billion, 9.9 per cent of GDP in 2028. Travel and tourism is the third largest foreign exchange earner for India. The industry is growing at an unprecedented pace with India’s travel sector expected to grow to a $56 billion market opportunity by 2020. While foreign tourist arrivals are growing at around 15 per cent, Indian outbound travel is growing with a CAGR of over 10 per cent since last few years. Our domestic travel visits currently stand at 1.6 billion reflecting a growth of 18 per cent.”
He added that with proactive measures from the Government of India such as e-visa, Regional Connectivity Scheme, launch of Incredible India 2.0 campaign, implementation of Swadesh Darshan, PRASAD, Paryatan Parv and Adopt A Heritage schemes amongst others, the Indian tourism industry is set to touch greater heights.
“The Indian aviation industry has been witnessing over 20 per cent growth since the last three years. This is where a travel and tourism show of SATTE’s stature is so significant. Backed by international organisations and Indian associations, SATTE endeavours to analyse trends, forecast future developments, come up with viable solutions and of course, help businesses thrive,” he said.
SATTE 2019 will have an array of exhibitors with many of them increasing their presence for the 26th edition.
“Exhibitors such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Azerbaijan amongst others have taken larger stall space at SATTE 2019. We have new exhibitors such as Qatar, Iceland, Cyprus and a few more from overseas joining for the first time at SATTE. Once again SATTE is set to witness the participation of close to 28 states along with Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India, most of which are in the process of finalising their participation. Also, for the 2019 edition, SATTE has seen an overwhelming response from the private segment, both outbound and inbound, and a lot of new private players are expected to come onboard,” Pallavi Mehra, Group Director, UBM India said.
SATTE India Conference 2019, a concurrent event of SATTE, is set to once again provide industry professionals with the tools and techniques to succeed in today’s marketplace.
This year, SATTE has roped in global and national associations/think tanks like World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), ASM Global Route Development, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) and Network of Indian MICE Agents (NIMA) amongst others.
While UNWTO will have a session titled ‘Tourism and Jobs: a better future for all’, CLIA will organise a one-hour workshop for agents and operators selling cruise holidays followed by a panel discussion on India as a cruise destination and market on Day 1.
ACTE will organise a dedicated ‘Corporate Travel Day’ at SATTE on Day 2. NIMA will organise a workshop and two business sessions, one each on Meetings and Incentives and one session each on Conferences and Exhibitions on Day 1 and 2 respectively.
ASM Global Route Development is organising a session on ‘Air Route Development and Tourism Growth’ on Day 3.
UBM India will be hosting the 3rd Edition of SATTE Awards, which is an endeavour to recognise and celebrate the excellence, triumphs and innovations of key stakeholders in the travel and tourism industry.
Karan Anand, Head, Relationships, Cox & Kings: “As India shapes the growth strategy of its travel and tourism industry, it is critical to bring the entire industry, both business and government, together to achieve ambitious targets. Infrastructure and service providers also need to work hand in hand in order to uplift customer experience. We hope, with the new theme ‘Welcome to a bigger world of possibilities’, SATTE brings these issues to the forefront and contributes to set clear and realistic expectations.”
Pankaj Nagpal, Managing Director, Travstarz Global Group: “The key trend has been the travellers’ interest in newer lesser known destinations. We have brought in many new destinations as a DMC starting with Azerbaijan, Almaty, Ukraine, Jordan, Egypt and now Sri Lanka. I am sure that SATTE 2019 will provide a platform for many destinations waiting to enter the Indian market. We are also very excited to launch our Cruise Vertical now starting as the PSA for Star Cruises and Dream Cruises.”
Datuk Musa Haji Yusof, International Promotion Division (Asia & Africa), Senior Director, Tourism Malaysia: “India is our main market within the South Asia region. It contributes to almost 70 per cent of our arrivals. Being the main market, surely we will put more focus and commitment into this market. As SATTE is one of the top travel fairs in India and the region, it is on our marketing plan every year. Rain or shine, we will always find our way to participate in this event and tap into the vast number of buyers.”
Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA): “SATTE is a platform that helps us promote Sharjah as the ideal family destination and a multifaceted destination. Sharjah’s hospitality establishments recorded an 8 per cent growth in the year 2017, compared to 2016 and went up to 1,38,000 from 1,10,400 in the previous year. We are actively promoting the three themes of Sharjah Tourism – culture and heritage, gastronomy and adventure.”
Isra Stapanaseth, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand: “The Amazing Thailand is our brand logo for Thailand. For 2018 – 2019 we have come up with a communication campaign called ‘Open to the New Shades’ which is a new marketing concept to showcase hidden gems and storytelling of products and services offered to Indian travellers. We will also showcase beautiful classic styles of art, such as Benjarong paintings from Samut Songkram province which is located south of Bangkok, for visitors at SATTE 2019.”
Neelu Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Ezeego1: “Both Domestic and Outbound Tourism in India are displaying impressive growth due to many factors. Such factors are a spike in spending capacity, infrastructure upgrade and simplified travel documentation for both domestic and inbound. With hotels focussing on MICE demand and playing host to domestic and international business, occupancy levels are improving. The development of midscale and budget hotels is also going to fuel growth in demand from the Leisure segment.”
