Hailed as the region’s biggest show, SATTE 2015, organised from 29-31 January, recorded an unprecedented growth breaking all previous records. The 22nd edition of SATTE concluded amidst record growth notching an increase of over 15 per cent in terms of the show area and a staggering 50 per cent increase in business visitors/business meeting requests.
Amidst massive industry response, the show attracted more than 750 exhibitors that included 35 National Tourist Offices, 26 State Tourism Boards from India, airlines, hotels, DMCs, cruise liners and the entire other gamut of travel and tourism suppliers showcasing their incredible range of products to 16,234 travel trade attendees.
Spread over a massive 17,500 sq mt of area in New Delhi’s exhibition landmark, Pragati Maidan, the 22nd edition of SATTE was a testimony to the enormous mandate that the global travel and tourism industry gave to the Indian market as the show was hailed by the United Nation World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) as “the biggest event and leading networking forum in the region.”
Welcoming the guests and dignitaries at the opening function of SATTE 2015, Michael Duck, Executive Vice President, UBM Asia said, “Being a composite travel and tourism show in this part of the region, SATTE provides a platform to domestic and international buyers and professionals across the travel and tourism industry. So it is very important that we have with us here many international buyers hosted by the industry here and by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.” He also added that UBM is proud to be partnering with the Ministry of Tourism. It has been a tremendous interaction between the company and the Ministry over many years now.
Joji George, Managing Director, UBM India shared the key highlights of the exhibition this year and thanked the industry partners and Government for their support in making the event in India. “There are events. Then there is SATTE!” he said.
Lauding the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, for helping SATTE 2015 with the hosted buyer programme, George stated, “Government of India, all the major travel and tourism associations, State Tourism Boards, National Tourism Offices of more than 35 countries, hotels, airlines, cruise liners, theme parks and of course the UNWTO have all contributed in giving SATTE a great start. We hope to come back with SATTE 2016, even bigger, brighter and provide a great opportunity to all of you from the entire travel and tourism ecosystem to converse and create great alliances and opportunities.”
Congratulating UBM for the commendable job in making SATTE what it is, Girish Shankar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India said, “With a 15 per cent growth and 650 plus exhibitors and 26 State Governments also being present here, SATTE definitely has become a landmark event in South Asia.” The Additional Secretary wished that SATTE grows much faster in the coming years and it becomes a big global event.
“Year 2014 has been a historical year for the Indian tourism industry. For the first time the central government has given it the due importance and priority. Every time the Prime Minister speaks on a public forum, he never forgets to mention the potential of the tourism industry. This clearly shows where tourism stands in the minds of the people who are running the country. And it is not only reflected in the policies. It is also getting translated into action, such as the Tourist Visa on Arrival supported by ETA, among other initiatives,” he said.
Shankar informed that, in 2014, India recorded a growth of 7.1 per cent in inbound arrival with the overall figure reaching 7.5 million arrivals to the country. On domestic front, the number grew at 9.5 per cent to a staggering 1.2 billion visits.
He also used the platform to inform the industry about some of the new initiatives by the Government on various fronts, including international and domestic air connectivity, tourist visa on arrival, inter-ministerial coordination, new tourism circuits, infrastructure development at pilgrimage destinations, security perception, cleanliness, 24*7 tourist helpline numbers, a state-of-the-art and more tourist friendly website, a closer working relationship and synergy with industry bodies, among others.
In an audio visual message delivered on the occasion, Taleb Rifai, Secretary General, UNWTO lauded SATTE for its continuous growth year after year. He said, “Today’s SATTE is the biggest event and leading networking forum in the region.”
Underlining the role of events like SATTE in growing international tourism and developing new source markets and destinations, he informed, “South Asia is a leading sub-region in tourism development with India at its forefront. International tourist arrivals reached 16 million in 2013 with a growth of 10 per cent growth over the previous year. India accounted for 44 per cent of its arrivals and 75 per cent of its receipts. Today’s India is not only a powerful economy and technological giant; it is also a global tourism powerhouse.”
Rifai also used the occasion to red-flag concerns such as sustainability. “Tourism’s progress is synonymous with economic growth, job creation and inclusive social development. Yet tourism’s success also underlines the great challenge of sustainability. We need to all work together to ensure that tourism growth and the protection of our natural and cultural heritage grow hand in hand. Sustainability is also a great opportunity. Sustainable tourism boosts tourism contribution to socio-economic growth, job creation and the transformation to inclusive economy,” he emphasised.
While making a strong pitch for the Philippines as a destination tailor-made for Indians, Ramon R. Jimenez JR., Tourism Secretary, Philippines said, “It gives me a great pleasure to invite you this year in particular to the Philippines because this year has been declared as the ‘Visit Philippines year 2015.’ I urge you to look very closely at what we have to offer. We hope to transform tourism to primary seven units for the Philippines that can help create new jobs and opportunities.”
Tse Heng Sai, Cecilia, Deputy Director, Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), while highlighting Macau’s various tourist attractions including its heritage and legacy, culture, food, world class entertainment events and gaming, said that Macau is a tourism city and treasures and values tourism as an industry.
Cecilia also informed that Macau will increase its marketing efforts in India in a significant way this year and has appointed VFS as its representative office in India. Macau was the ‘Feature Destination Partner’ at SATTE 2015.
Congratulating SATTE for putting up a bigger and a better show, the Odisha Tourism Minister, Ashok Chandra Panda, reminded of the great maritime and cultural connect that Odisha has shared with the South East Asian countries over thousands of years. Panda also used the occasion to point out the poor connectivity to Eastern States, and hoped that the Central Government’s recent Look East thrust will bring in improved connectivity between Odisha and South East Asian countries.
Highlighting SATTE’s catalysing role that the event has played over the last two decades, Subhash Goyal, President, IATO, whose association with SATTE dates back to the event’s inception, said, “22 years ago we had a dream. We wanted to have a show in India particularly for those who could not afford to go to international marts. We conceived an idea and were also supported by Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) and others for this event. And I am very happy that SATTE has come of age. It is an excellent event for the buyers and sellers. It has grown into a world event. I feel that SATTE is doing a great service to the tourism industry.”
UBM India has also proudly announced it’s next show – SATTE Mumbai West- your ideal gateway to travel business in the west, scheduled from 18 – 19 Aug 2015 at World Trade Centre, Mumbai.
