26th edition of the South Asia’s leading and celebrated travel trade show to be held in Greater Noida
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 at 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 1,000 exhibitors and representation from over 50 countries and 90 cities from across India. SATTE will provide 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. SATTE has grown hand-in-hand with the consistent support of the Ministry of Tourism as well as all State Tourism Ministries and the Indian travel and tourism fraternity in totality.
SATTE continues to receive the support of international organizations/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 augur in new trends in the industry. SATTE 2019, fresh after its gala silver jubilee celebrations last year, has witnessed a record-breaking number of enrolments for its Domestic Buyer Programme with 500 domestic buyers already registered three months before the exhibition. The expo expects footfalls 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 so far, 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 few more countries and states to become the partner countries and states for SATTE 2019.
Speaking at the announcement of the 26th edition of SATTE, Mr. 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 USD 234 billion, 9.4% of the GDP in 2017 and is forecast to rise by 7.5 per cent in 2018, and to rise by 6.9% per annum to USD 492.2 billion, 9.9 per cent of GDP in 2028. Total contribution of the sector to employment was 8 per cent of the total employment in 2017 which is expected to rise to 8.4 per cent 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 the foreign tourist arrivals are growing with an unprecedented rate of around 15%, Indian outbound travel is growing with a CAGR of over 10 per cent since last few years. Our Domestic Travel Visits currently stands at 1.6 billion reflecting growth of 18 per cent.”
He added, “With a proactive measure from the Govt of India such as ease of visa, Regional Connectivity Scheme, launch of Incredible India 2.0 campaign, implementation of Swadesh Darshan, PRASAD, Prayatan Parv and Adopt A Heritage schemes amongst others, India Tourism Industry is set to touch a greater height. Indian aviation industry has been witnessing over 20 per cent growth since last 3 years. This is where a travel and tourism show of SATTE’s stature is so significant. Backed by international organizations and Indian associations, SATTE endeavours to analyze trends, forecast future developments, come up with viable solutions and of course, help businesses thrive.”
SATTE 2019 will have an array of exhibitors with many of them increasing their presence for the 26th edition of SATTE. “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 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 finalizing 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 & Publisher – Travel Trends Today, 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 fast-paced 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 as ‘Tourism and Jobs: a better future for all’, CLIA will organize a 1 hour workshop for agents and operators selling cruise holidays followed a panel discussion on India as a cruise destination and market on Day 1 (January 16, 2018). ACTE will organize a dedicated ‘Corporate Travel Day’ at SATTE on Day 2 (January 17, 2019). NIMA will organize 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 organizing a session on ‘Air Route Development and Tourism Growth’ on Day 3.
UBM India will be hosting the 3rd Edition SATTE Awards powered by T3, which is an endeavour to recognize and celebrate the excellence, triumphs and innovations of key stakeholders in the Travel and Tourism industry.
Industry-speak and launches at SATTE 2019
1. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA)
“SATTE provides a perfect platform to meet travel agents and media to help us promote Sharjah as the ideal family destination and also to make it resonate as a multifaceted destination.
Sharjah’s hospitality establishments recorded an 8 per cent growth in the year 2017, compared to 2016 and went up to 138,000 from 110,400 in the previous year. These numbers are indicative of Indian travelers’ growing interest in family-friendly international holiday destinations. The emirate’s increasing popularity as an ideal holiday destination in the UAE has also contributed to this growth. As we are actively promoting the three themes of Sharjah Tourism – culture and heritage, gastronomy and adventure.”
“At SATTE 2019, we will be highlighting our upcoming international water sports competitions such as the U.I.M. F1H2O World Championship, UIM-ABP Aquabike Class Pro Circuit World Championship – the Grand Prix of Sharjah; and other leading cultural events such as the Sharjah Light Festival, World Music Festival, and Xposure International Photography Festival. We will also be highlighting our upcoming projects such as the Novotel Hotel Sharjah, which will feature 120 rooms and suites including 3 hotels, a health club, private suites, a business center, private workshops and two meeting rooms, including a 200m² conference hall built according to the highest specifications, mark Sharjah hospitality’s expansion into the business hotel market. This project is strategically located near the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.”
“We will also be introducing the Pullman hotel that has 188 rooms and suites, three coffee and beverage areas, a restaurant serving meals throughout the day, one serving only ‘special cuisines’, large meeting rooms, two health clubs, a spa, two indoor swimming pools and an open-air swimming pool. These premium developments reflect Sharjah’s hospitality sectors’ commitment to cater to Indian businesses.By exhibiting at SATTE, we get a tremendous platform to create a lasting impression on the Indian trade and media fraternity attending the event while making new connections and maintaining existing connections in support of our business needs and strategies.”
2. Neelu Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Ezeego1
“Both Domestic and Outbound Tourism in India are displaying an impressive growth year on year despite many factors. Factors influencing the growth are predominantly the spike in spending capacity, infrastructure upgrade, and simplified travel documentation for both domestic and inbound.With a prediction of becoming the third largest aviation market by 2025, India is set to surpass countries including the UK, Japan, Germany and Australia. UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik), the Indian Government’s visionary project has been a great leap for the aviation industry to provide connectivity to remote areas and enhance access in under-served regions. Also with players like Vistara and Air Asia India increasing frequencies on existing as well as new routes, the air traffic growth rate for both domestic and international will remain positive. Despite the slowdown in the past, the hotel industry has picked up volume with hotels recording over 65% occupancy in 2016-17 for the first time since 2007. With hotels focusing on Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Events (MICE) demand and playing host to both Domestic and International business, occupancy levels are continually improving. The development of midscale and budget hotels is also going to fuel the growth in demand from the Leisure segment and will continue to see a spurt during holidays and extended weekends.”
“Our ports are opening up to international and domestic tourists. Robust infrastructure development complemented with competitive travel products will ensure further impetus to port tourism. Water tourism – river tourism, cruise tourism, water sports will grow. With platforms like SATTE, various stakeholders get an opportunity to come together and realise the country’s potential to rise in the tourism industry.”
3. Porleifur Pór Jónsson, Senior Manager, Trade Delegations, Promote Iceland
“With increased interest in Nature and Activity travel, Iceland is a most favourable destination. Iceland puts great emphasis on responsible tourism and we look forward to receiving Indian visitors. At the moment SATTE is the only marketing activity that Promotes Iceland and we see it as the perfect opportunity to reach the maximum number of contacts. We will have 8 co-exhibitors with us from all sectors of Icelandic Tourism industry that are eager to meet with Indian businesses. A direct flight between Iceland and India ( New Delhi ) will commence on 7th December 2018 by WOW air. This connection opens up huge possibilities for Indian visitors to travel directly to Iceland and Icelanders to visit India. Besides this, Keflavik Airport in Iceland is extremely well connected with connections to up to 20 destinations in North America as well as close to 70 in Europe. A stopover in Iceland is a perfect way to start exploring Iceland as you will definitely want to come back.”
4. Pankaj Nagpal, Managing Director, Travstarz Global Group
“The key trends have been the travellers interest in newer lesser known destinations over the past 2 years. We have been very pro-active in this and have brought in many new destinations to India as a DMC with our Operations starting in Azerbaijan, Almaty, Ukraine, Jordan, Egypt and now Srilanka. I am sure that SATTE 2019 will provide a platform for many such new destination waiting to enter the Indian market. SATTE has always been an important part of our Marketing plan as it is the biggest show in Delhi for travel industry with delegates and participants coming from across the country and the world. This time our participation is bigger with a bigger portfolio of our products and specially as we will be launching our Cruise Vertical this time. SATTE also provides us opportunity to meet our agent partners from across India who come to visit the expo thereby building stronger partnerships with them. Along with our new destinations under our DMC vertical, we are very excited to launch our Cruise Vertical now starting as the PSA for Start Cruise and Dream Cruise both and we hope that SATTE will provide us with ample opportunities to grow this vertical at a rapid pace.”
5. 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 up all these issues on the forefront and contributes to set clear and realistic expectations. SATTE has always walked the extra mile in order to provide the industry a platform for all tourism players. The upcoming SATTE 2019 should add a global perspective to the critical issues and challenges faced by the tourism industry today. SATTE is one of the most important industry gathering which bring together stakeholders of the industry on a single platform. Besides ample networking and branding opportunities, we look forward to exchange of ideas that will add value to our business and also tourism industry at large.”
6. Nippun Juneja – Business Head – Special Projects & Partner Management, Dnata India
“SATTE gives us the opportunity to conduct business with qualified industry buyers and trade visitors and to showcase Dnata India portfolio at a leading platform in the Travel and Tourism industry. Making it an essential part of our business and marketing plan for Pan India as it is attended by majority of the key players from pan -India SATTE also helps us build a connection with the travel trade community and allows us to get a feel for industry trends and best practices giving us insight on how to meet the travel industry needs. Dnata has always been a pioneer in the travel industry, innovating and coming up with new travel solutions to service the industry and soon will be launching one of its premium products to cater to the India B2B known as Gold Medal.”
7. Isra Stapanaseth, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand
“SATTE is one of the prominent platforms in terms of Travel & Tourism across the globe that most of the travel trade businesses plan to visit and network. 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 the new marketing concept to show case the hidden gems & stories telling of products & services offered to Indian travellers to explore & enjoy with a variety of shades. It can be the shade of nature & beach / the shade of art & culture / the shade of way of life / the shade of culture / the shade of gastronomy and the other million shades of Thailand. We will also showcase beautiful classic style art such as Benjarong painting from Samut Songkram province which is located south of Bangkok for visitors at SATTE 2019.”
8. Datuk Musa Haji Yusof, Senior Director, International Promotion Division (Asia & Africa), Tourism Malaysia
“India is a matured market. They have travelled extensively all over the world. With more than 75 million Indian holding International passport, the forecasted 50 million outbound trip made by Indian by 2020 is within reach. With these volume, there’s demand for new products in the market. Movement is not only from the Metro Cities but also coming from Tier II & III cities. This is due to the rapid infrastructure development experienced in the country that has create easy accessibility to the nearest international airport. At the same time, the air connectivity growth is tremendous! Indian airlines are receiving on average 1-2 new aircraft monthly. T hese new aircrafts not only require new routes to fly but also adding more frequency to the existing one. Malaysia has a lot of new products that we would like to introduce to the market. For SATTE 2019, we are getting bigger space to cater to growing demand from our sellers. Our continuous participation in SATTE will ensure that these sellers with able to meet up with their potential clients not only to introduce but also to sell and package their new products.”
“India is our main market within the South Asia region. It contributes almost 70 percent of our arrivals from this region. Being the main market, surely we’ll put more focus and commitment into this market. SATTE being one of the top travel fair in India and the region has always been in our marketing plan every year. Rain or shine, we will always find our way to participate in this event. Our continuous presence in this prestigious event is to tap on the vast number of buyers which is not only from India alone but also from region. Our sellers have seen increase in the sales volume each time they participate in the event.”
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
