Travel & Tourism industry gets much-needed push from SATTE 2021 at India Expo Mart

Greater Noida: SATTE 2021 – South Asia’s leading Travel and Tourism Event was recently organized during 24th March to 26th March at Greater Noida’s India Expo Mart. The trade fair was inaugurated by Tourism Ministry Secretary Arvind Singh along with Dr. Abdulla Mausoom, Minister of Tourism, Maldives; M P Bezbaruah, Former Secretary – Tourism, Govt. of India and Secretary General, Hotel Association of India; Maneck E. Davar, Chairman, Service Export Promotion Council, Jyoti Mayal, Vice-Chairperson, FAITH, Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, Informa Markets in India and Pallavi Mehra, Group Director, Informa Markets In India.

The travel and tourism industry has been one of the most severely affected industries by the pandemic, and therefore, SATTE offered a key opportunity for the stakeholders from this industry to conduct business, share knowledge, exchange ideas for the revival and growth of the industry.

Speaking at the event, Arvind Singh, Secretary Tourism, Govt of India shared his experience of recent visit to ‘Kevadia Tourism Circuit’ in Gujarat where he saw the different dimensions of tourism sector and how it is providing employment to the rural sector. “In the pre-Covid era, the tourism sector of India contributed 6.8 % to GDP and 8 % to employment which shows the power of local communities.”

Taking about central government schemes for promoting tourism, he gave the example of “Dekho Apna Desh” which is an initiative to promote domestic tourism in India and is intended to enhance tourist footfall in places of interest so as to help develop the local economy. Apart from that, he also talked about the “Dekho Apna Desh Pledge campaign” under which tourists who visit at least 15 tourism hotspots are awarded with an exciting prize.

On Ministry’s efforts to boost wellness tourism, he said, “We are positioning India as a centre of Ayurveda, Yoga, Sidha, Naturopathy which will boost the Wellness Tourism, the guidelines have already been drafted by the Ministry. Schemes have also been extended to wellness tourism service providers.”

Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, Informa Markets in India, said “SATTE, South Asia’s leading travel trade exhibition, is an important milestone in getting the industry back together to revive the business. With the government also recognizing B2B marketplaces as key for stimulating industrial and commercial development, it has been heartening to see an all-around interest and support for hosting this event.”

“All stakeholders that we have interacted with in the run-up to SATTE 2021 are upbeat about the future and about the efforts we all need to put together for the revival. Two common themes that have emerged are ensuring safe and sustainable growth and greater use of the latest technology solutions. These can be leveraged to build further inroads into niche, in-demand segments like Domestic leisure business, and wellness and health tourism that will enhance Atmanirbharta, as envisaged by the government,” he added.

Addressing the gathering, Dr. Abdulla Mausoom, Minister of Tourism, Maldives, said, “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.”

Speaking to Ten News, Informa Markets MD Yogesh Mudras urged the government to have Common SOPs across all the states which will help build the confidence of the travelers, and in turn boost the travel and tourism industry.

At SATTE, Ten News interacted with few exhibitors to learn about their expectations from the fair and the challenges they faced during the past one year.

While speaking to Ten News, one exhibitor expressed his discontentment towards the government for making frequent changes in the travel & tourism policy, which has made it hard for the stakeholders to comprehend what the government wants to convey.

Another exhibitor said that only serious customers have bothered to visit SATTE 2021 as many of them are compelled to go through RT-PCR test for intra-state travel.

When asked about the prospects of tourism in Nepal, Nepal Tourism Board CEO, said, “There are no restrictions in Nepal, people can come and enjoy, we are providing the world’s finest hospitality. People have this misconception about Nepal that we have only natural beauty and pilgrimages but we also have 23 casinos, night clubs, ultra-luxury hotels offering great hospitality. Especially for Indians, Nepal is very accessible and can be reached in just a few hours of drive,” he said.