 The
inauguration of the 17th
edition of SATTE took
place on January 29 at
Pragati Maidan, New
Delhi. The inauguration
which was a grand affair
saw the presence of
Union Tourism Minister
Kumari Selja, Civil
Aviation Minister Praful
Patel and Delhi Chief
Minister Sheila Dikshit
as the chief guests.
Other guests included
the Tourism Minister of
Orissa Debi Prasad
Mishra, the Tourism
Minister of Jammu and
Kashmir Nawang Rinzing
Jora, Jammu and
Kashmir's Minister of
State for Tourism &
Culture Nasir Aslam Wani,
Union Tourism Secretary
Sujit Banerjee and
Gujarat's Tourism
Secretary Vipul Mittra
among others.
What was special
about SATTE this time
was that this was its
first show with ITB -
the world's leading
travel and trade show -
as a co-branded partner,
as well as with the
Confederation of Indian
Industry (CII). The
latter resulted in a
day-long seminar titled
the 'India Business
Travel Conference' prior
to the inauguration. The
Business Conference
discussed the importance
of the domestic business
traveler, MICE and price
versus value.
The two-day mart also
featured five business
sessions on its
sidelines. The
discussions focused on
investment in tourism,
the ethics of
responsible tourism and
striking the right
balance to make it
profitable, and wildlife
preservation with
particular focus on the
tiger.
This year SATTE grew
in all aspects. In terms
of visitors, the 17th
edition of SATTE grew by
45.22 percent. Between
all category types,
there were about 10,000
professionals who walked
through the two-day
event. There was also an
18 percent growth in the
net exhibition area over
the last SATTE and
following on from this,
the number of exhibiting
companies also increased
by 15.58 percent. This
was despite the fact
that the 17th edition of
SATTE was the second
SATTE exhibition being
held for Indian
companies in the
financial year 2009-10.
Moreover, the presence
of internationally
hosted buyers from 29
countries and nationally
hosted buyers from 46
cities across India
confirmed SATTE's
reckoning as a premium
national and
international fair for
the entire region.
As for the
exhibitors, they came
from 19 countries. These
included first time
participants like Abu
Dhabi, Oman, Slovenia
and Iceland. Dubai and
Turkey, with large
pavilions, were
international country
partners. On the
domestic front, Gujarat
was the principal
partner state while
Orissa, Madhya Pradesh
and Jammu & Kashmir
were premium partner
states. The North East
pavilion which was
showcased under one
umbrella by the Ministry
of Tourism showcased the
varied tourism products
of the region. As for
the airlines, national
carrier Air India
continued its patronage
to SATTE for the 17th
consecutive year as the
official partner airline
while low cost carrier
IndiGo was the domestic
partner.
Simply put, the 17th
edition of SATTE had
showcased the importance
that SATTE holds for the
tourism trade, both in
India and the world
today. Showcasing the
best of Indian tourism
to the world, it would
perhaps not be wrong to
say that SATTE today has
helped the MoT's
'Incredible India'
campaign, resonate even
more strongly throughout
the world. |
