DRMumbai: UBM India launched its much-awaited travel and tourism exhibition, SATTE, in the national capital on January 31. Celebrating the success of the silver jubilee edition of SATTE, South Asia’s leading travel and tourism exhibition, the three-day event plays host to over 1,000 exhibitors and represents over 50 countries and 28 Indian states. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India; Pallavi Mehra, Group Director, UBM India; Jime Essink, CEO, UBM Asia and Michael Duck, Executive Vice- President, UBM Asia at Pragati Maidan.
A special pavilion of 10 startups was set up at the three-day expo held as part of the silver jubilee edition of SATTE
As a prelude to the inauguration, the silver jubilee edition of SATTE was formally launched along with the second edition of the SATTE Awards on January 30 at the Le Meridien, New Delhi, amidst an august industry gathering from the travel and trade fraternity. Chief guest K J Alphons, Union Minister of State for Tourism said, “The year 2017 was amazing for India from a tourism perspective. We had clocked a growth rate of 15.2 per cent in terms of foreign tourist arrivals. When it comes to domestic tourism, we had 1.8 billion travels (not travelers) in the country. In three years from now, we aim to double the amount of international tourist arrival in India, increase the contribution of tourism industry to GDP to 10 per cent from the current 6.8 per cent and double the employment contribution. Honestly, tourism is the best weapon against terrorism anywhere in the world, apart from its other obvious advantages.”
Bridging the b2b divide
SATTE provided a comprehensive platform to 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. The industry platform is also well-supported by the Central Ministry of Tourism and the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Government of India. Visitors at the signature expo witnessed a number of features, including a special pavilion of 10 startups as well as a live show at ‘Colors of SATTE’ apart from other captivating engagements.
I Care
This year, SATTE also engaged its exhibitors and visitors to pledge for sustainable tourism under the unique I-Pledge initiative where they took oath to conserve natural reserve, respect and save wildlife, say no to plastic, dispose waste smartly and travel responsibly.
Tourism the engine of growth
At the inauguration of the silver jubilee edition of SATTE, Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India said, “The tourism industry has been a major engine in the economic growth of India. While it contributes almost 7 per cent to natin’s GDP, it also provides over 12 per cent of the total employment in terms of jobs. The industry itself has been growing at an unparalleled rate. This is evident from the very fact the country is now ranked 40th in the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index in 2017, a huge leap of 25 places from 2013. As the disposable income rises and more Indians travel, the industry is only poised to flourish further.” “With an aim to analyse and forecast trends and developments in the travel trade industry along with helping businesses prosper, SATTE 2018 promises not only constructive but also informative and engaging three days,” he further added.
Bo Keun Choi, Senior Officer, Regional Programme for Asia and the Pacific, World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), said, “Globally, we crossed the mark of 1.3 billion travellers this year. The growth rate to be expected in the upcoming years for the travel and tourism industry is around 7 per cent. India is one of the leading countries with almost 16 per cent contribution to the industry.”Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog said, “Statistics show more tourists visit Singapore & Malaysia but the truth is that India is a long-haul destination. A total of 97 per cent people come to India by air and the average stay is 14-20 days — one of the highest duration for travelers around the world. And that’s where an exhibition like SATTE comes to the fore with its reserves of ideas and thought leadership.
Recognising the Best
As a pre-cursor to the expo, UBM India hosted the second edition of the SATTE Awards. The awards was an endeavour to recognize and celebrate the excellence, achievements and innovations of key stakeholders in the Travel and Tourism industry and was based on transparent, authentic and genuine parameters, a philosophy which is imbibed in the values of SATTE. The awards night also included networking opportunities, presentations and other features. The 23 categories of awards covered various segments of the travel and tourism industry including tour operators, hotels, destinations, online travel portals, to name just a few. In just its second year, the Awards received an overwhelming response from the travel and industry.
T S Rawat, Chief Minister, Uttarakhand; Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog; Faiyaz Koya, Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism Fiji; I Gde Pitana Dy. Tourism Minister, Indonesia; Bo Keun Choi, Senior Officer, Regional Programme for Asia and the Pacific, UNWTO; Subhash Goyal, Member, National Tourism Advisory Committee; Navin Berry, Founder, SATTE; Michael Duck, Executive Vice-President, UBM Asia and Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India were also present.
