DRMumbai: The sixth edition of the India International Travel & Tourism Exhibition – IITT 2019 was a resounding success with more than 25,000 enthusiastic visitors and over 500 Fully Hosted Buyers attending the travel extravaganza which was held from January 10 to 12 in Mumbai. Year on year, IITT has become an indispensable sourcing ground for thousands of trade show visitors seeking travel and holiday destinations.
The inauguration panel of IITT 2019 boasted of eminent personalities such as Chief Guest John Amaratunga, Minister of Tourism Development, Sri Lanka; Special Guest Ade Sukendar, Consul General, Consulate General of Indonesia and Karan Anand, Head of Relationships, Cox & Kings. Joining them on the dais were industry leaders Sunil Kumar R, President, TAAI; Mahendra Vakharia, President, OTOAI; Guldeep Singh Sahni, Founder & Immediate Past President, OTOAI; and Jagat Mehta, President, ETAA.
Cox & Kings, the main sponsor of IITT 2019 showcased an experiential zone for various destinations including New South Wales Australia, France, Turkey, Qatar and South Africa. Cox & Kings also promoted Deccan Odyssey and TUTC (The Ultimate Travelling Camp).
Other key sponsors included Indonesia Tourism as Partner Country, Sri Lanka Tourism as the MICE & Wedding Destination Partner, Kerala Tourism as Partner State and Maharashtra as Host State.
Prominent brands from the industry seen at IITT 2019 included Akquasun Holidays, Ark Travels, JustClickKaro.com, Yatra, Guideline Travels, Tourism Fiji, Malaysia Tourism, Ottila International, RezLive and many more.
The exhibition set new standards in the way business is conducted for the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) – the venue for the expo, being in the heart of Mumbai city and hence easily accessible, added to the grand success of the event.
Through strong collaborations with countries seeking to expand their business in India, IITT hosted dedicated and distinct International Country Pavilions on the expo floor. Trade show visitors had a chance to meet, speak with and gain invaluable insights from more than 500 travel exhibitors, partners and experts from over 20 countries. IITT 2019 also hosted various parallel events such as panel discussions, workshops, destination presentations, delegate networking areas and more.
Every year IITT brings industry leaders to the forefront to share innovative ideas and experiences that will help the travel industry better understand the dynamics and market trends. IITT 2019 met the challenge to provide an international class show production featuring a stellar line-up of speakers on the IITT Conference and Workshop platform, which were filled to capacity.
“The 2020 edition will focus on attractions and excurions. At least 100 attractions the world over will be featured in a single pavilion,” said Mohit Mewani, Exhibition Director, IITT.
IITT CONNECT – a unique speed networking platform where exhibitors and buyers connect over a table space to discuss large volume businesses was also a huge success. This feature gave opportunities to exhibitors to connect with serious buyers comprising 260 corporate buyers, 160 wedding planners and key people with large business opportunities for the travel, tourism and hospitality industry.
