SATTE has always been a vital part of the Indian tourism industry and is recognised as the most sought after B2B travel and tourism event in South East Asia. This year, SATTE has recorded an overwhelming participation of several Indian and global players, each visiting the event with high expectancy from the event and its offerings. Buyers and sellers continue to flock in, with their enthusiasm and support, fuelling a surge of first-time visitors and exhibitors as well. Dubai – Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has gradually built their presence at SATTE and continue to expect larger inflow of buyers. Carl Vaz, Director (India), DTCM said, “SATTE is a must attend for Dubai and we are pleased to be associated with the event over the last seven years.”
Manoharan Periasamy, Director, Tourism Malaysia, believes SATTE is the right platform where the tourism board can update and equip the travel agents in India with all the relevant information they need to market Malaysia to their customers. Echoing his sentiments Jay Gray, Vice President, Global Partnership Development, Brand USA said that they are confident that their participation in the event will make a constructive and long-term impression. Brand USA will also develop a series of activities during the travel fair to further strengthen tourism marketing efforts in the region.
At SATTE 2014, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is looking forward to building business relations with prospective buyers and partners. “SATTE is one of the best arenas for buyers and sellers to mingle and discuss business opportunities. We are looking forward to have a long term association with the event,” said Runjuan Tongrut, Director, TAT New Delhi,
A number of SATTE’s key exhibitors including Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra, Turkey, Seychelles and Bhutan, Kenya, among others, have increased their stall size considerably, reiterating SATTE’s importance as a great B2B platform. “Participating at SATTE has always been a very important part of Goa’s marketing and promotional plans. We see the tourism event as an opportunity to network with international clients as well as domestic tour operators and travel agents,” opined Dilip Parulekar, Tourism Minister of Goa.
Jagdish Patil, Managing Director, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) views SATTE as the perfect platform to educate international buyers and increase footfall to the destination. “We want to showcase the various facets of our state to the international market and SATTE is a great channel through which we can educate the trade,” he stated.
For the first time, VisitBritan, Zambia, Bangladesh, Lavasa Corporation, Gold Coast Tourism, Taiwan Tourism Board, Singapore, Sri Lanka, among many others will showcase their tourism profile in India through SATTE. First time participants VisitBritain have placed their faith in SATTE and hope to yield excellent results post the event. Lavasa Corporation, who will also be participating for the first time, plans to position Lavasa as preferred weekend and MICE destination through SATTE. “We are looking forward to SATTE in January and are very keen on meeting quality buyers who will help us leverage the business. Through the travel event, we want to be the leading destination among the domestic market,” said Rajiv Duggal, Senior Vice President – Tourism, Hospitality & Leisure, Lavasa Corporation.
SATTE also continues to receive the support of international organisations and governing bodies, including World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and leading tourism associations of India such as the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), Enterprising Travel Agents Association (ETAA), Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI), IATA Agents Association of India (IAAI) and Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI), to name a few. Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General, UNWTO commends SATTE for providing an indispensable platform for the global tourism and travel sector to network, exchange views and impressions on current affairs, and to strengthen their business ties. “SATTE acts as a tourism driver for the Indian travel and tourism industry,” Rifai added.
Sharing similar sentiments, Subhash Goyal, President, IATO opined, “Over the years SATTE has given the Indian and Asian tour operators, hoteliers, State Tourism Boards, airlines etc. an unique opportunity to showcase their products to foreign and local buyers.”
According to Iqbal Mulla, President, TAAI, “SATTE has been a game changer for the Indian travel and tourism industry. We are very pleased to be associated with a show of this stature and will continue to support SATTE.”
Naveen Advani, President, ETAA, further shared that, through SATTE, the travel industry has benefitted in a large way as the quality of participants, be it buyers or sellers, keeps getting better as each year passes. “SATTE is the largest and most well organised travel trade fair in South Asia and has brought enormous benefits to the members of ETAA,” Advani said.
SATTE Mumbai, the companion event that caters to the Western region of India, will be held at Nehru Centre Mumbai on 3-4 February, 2014.
