SATTE 2021 begins with the hope of reviving travel and tourism industry

Published on : Thursday, March 25, 2021

Informa Markets in India, India’s leading B2B exhibition organiser, commenced the 28th edition of SATTE. The expo is the first physical event by Informa Markets in India in the pandemic status quo. The much awaited event was inaugurated by Chief Guest Mr. Arvind Singh, Secretary – Tourism, Govt. of India along with key dignitaries Dr. Abdulla Mausoom, Minister of Tourism, Maldives; Mr M P Bezbaruah, Former Secretary – Tourism, Govt. of India and Secretary General, Hotel Association of India; Mr. Maneck E. Davar, Chairman, Service Export Promotion Council, and Ms. Jyoti Mayal, Vice-Chairperson, FAITH, Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, Informa Markets in India and Ms. Pallavi Mehra, Group Director, Informa Markets In India.

The three day expo is being organised with a comprehensive line of best practices & safety protocols between March 24-26, 2021, at the India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, Delhi – NCR, and witnessing participation from cross-sections of the industry. It has garnered great support from the Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India, Service Export Promotion Council (SEPC) of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Ayush and State/UT Tourism Boards such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, to name a few. Uttar Pradesh is the ‘Host State’ for SATTE 2021.

International participants such as Nepal, Maldives, Malaysia, Utah and Expo2020 Dubai are showcasing their product profile and preparedness to woo Indian travelers. Private players such as TravelBoutiqueOnline, ITC Welcome Heritage, My Value Travel, Tripjack, Youngistan Travellers, STS World, Destination India, Nix Tours, Hora Tourism, and Rayna Tours, amongst others, have also participated this year. SATTE 2021 has one-of-a-kind features such as SATTE Virtual Zone, and the T3 Studio that is enabling exhibitors to communicate their services effectively to the buyers.

Speaking at the inauguration of SATTE, Mr. Arvind Singh, Secretary – Tourism, Govt. of India, congratulated the organising team of SATTE for sending out the message of resurgence in the travel and tourism industry. He also mentioned that travel and tourism is the leading service industry of India and as per WTTC, contributed 6.8% of the total economy amounting to INR. 16,681 billion. It generated 39,82,18,000 jobs which translates to 8.0% of the total employment of the Indian economy. Mr. Singh also added, India is emerging as a nation to look up to for several countries in terms of health infrastructure, and have already vaccinated 32 million people and would be continuing the efficient drive.

He mentioned that in order to strengthen the foundation of travel and tourism industry, the Ministry has launched ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ campaign which has already organised more than 80 webinars. He shared that the website of ‘Incredible India’ has also been updated in multiple languages like Chinese and Arabic to facilitate a smooth flow of communication across multiple countries. Initiatives like SATHI (System of Awareness Training for Hospitality Industry), SWADESH and the Incredible India Tourist Facilitator (IITF) Certification Programme have been launched. The programmes aim at enhancing the overall experience of tourists by creating a pool of talented and skilled individuals in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. He informed that India is being positioned as a centre of Ayurveda, Yoga, Sidha, Naturopathy which will be boosting the Wellness Tourism, the guidelines have already been drafted by the Ministry and schemes have also been extended to wellness tourism service providers.

Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, Informa Markets in India, added, that they are glad to receive such an overwhelming response from exhibitors, and support from authorities and tourism boards. He said that the industry is still subject to the see-saw effect in terms of the economy and exhibitions like SATTE will drive a positive tone among the associated stakeholders and industry players, while strategically strengthening ‘Atmanirbharta’ as envisaged by the Government.

He shared that authorities are upbeat about the future and about the efforts needed to put together for the revival and mentioned that two common themes that have emerged are ensuring safe and sustainable growth and greater use of the latest technology solutions. He stated that these can be leveraged to build further inroads into niche, in-demand segments like domestic leisure business, and wellness and health tourism that are also being promoted at SATTE. With the current international air travel restrictions, SATTE reoriented its strategy that is mainly focused on the domestic market along with select International destinations that have opened doors for tourists post the lockdown lift.

Addressing the gathering, Dr. Abdulla Mausoom, Minister of Tourism, Maldives, said that SATTE 2021 is a crucial way forward to move past the crisis, which will echo across the globe. He also thanked Indian Govt. for their support, Indian tourists for visiting Maldives and playing an important role in making it the next door travel destination. By the end of this year, more than 3,00,000 Indian tourists are expected to visit Maldives which is a highest recorded number for any country. He added that Indians are hard-working individuals, be it IT professionals, doctors or executive class – they all need a vacation break, and hence the country is working to kickstart North airport which will cut the travel time by 45 minutes for Indian tourists. He shared that very soon Maldives is all set to become the first country to initiate Vaccine Tourism called as “3V”- “Visit, Vaccinate and Vacation” that will give travellers the option to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in the Maldives and promote it as a safe destination for tourists.

Alongside the expo, the SATTE 2021 conference is presenting a host of thought-provoking knowledge sessions. Day 1 of the conference saw panel discussions on topics such as Domestic tourism: Exploring unexplored, International tourism: Tackling pandemic impact, A destination Showcase by Gujarat and panel discussion on Technology: Adopting SMART tourism. Day 2 will witness panel discussions on Religious Tourism, Wellness Tourism and Women in Travel along with Destination showcases by Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Lakshadweep.

SATTE 2021 is amply supported by its AllSecure & Travel Safety Guidelines – a safety standard initiative by Informa that will safeguard the Health and Safety of the exhibitors, visitors and its employees to RESTART exhibitions. These are in line with the government’s guidelines to ensure a smooth, secured experience for everyone at the show. In a nutshell, the expo has laid a concrete stepping stone for the travel and tourism industry to proceed towards a balanced recovery.