This year’s SATTE was different as it was the first time that SATTE 2017 had introduced awards. I was the part of inauguration Ceremony of SATTE 2017 that was held at Le Meridien , Delhi.
Chief Guest, Dr Mahesh Sharma, Union Minister of State for Tourism & Culture (Independent Charge) and Civil Aviation, Govt. of India ( TBC )
Chief Guest, Dr Mahesh Sharma, Union Minister of State for Tourism & Culture (Independent Charge) and Civil Aviation, Govt. of India ( TBC ) along with Mr. Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Mr. Surendra Patwa, Minister of State for Culture and Tourism, Madhya Pradesh, Mr. Ashwani Lohani, CMD, Air India, Mr. Subash Goyal, Chairman, Stic Travel and Member, National Tourism Advisory Council, Mr. Dato Seri Mohamed Nazri, Minister of Tourism and Culture, Malaysia and Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India inaugurated the show amidst an industry august gathering from the travel and trade fraternity.
First of all Mr. Mahesh Sharma introduced various aspects of India as a tourist destination to our guests. He also mentioned that Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi has taken tourism in a big way and to new Heights. Tourism generates employment, revenue and more. India is a land of spirituality, Vedas, Upanishad , truth of nonviolence, Lord Mahavir and Lord Buddha, Amir Khusro. Tourism is our soul. It is a part of our culture. We are in the process of bringing Cruise tourism. 73% of Himalayas are in India. To strengthen the tourism private stakeholders have to come forward. We also understand the strength of medical tourism there are 1.6 billion domestic tourist visits. India is the second most talked about destinations in the world. We have liberalised e visa, e tourist, e-business and medical visa. We are developing India as a tourist destination prepaid SIM cards are distributed on e Visa and also we are increasing connectivity with Railways. India is a prime destination with Wellness , heritage, adventure , Buddha tourism and more. While we as the government will lead from front but definitely not without the strong support of private players.
There was a dance performance by India and Srilanka
He then awarded to achievers in various categories of travel, tourism and hospitality.
Next day I had gone to attend SATTE 2017.
As usual, it was a hustle bustle of numerous stalls of various states of India, International Tourism boards, hotels/ resorts and many travel agencies. There were 870+ participants from over 40 countries and 28 Indian states.
There were also booths for Airlines like Singapore Airlines , Air Asia and more.
I decided to first start worth Indian States starting with Incredible India which had booths from Assam, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Tripura and more.
Incredible India at SATTE 2017
Then I headed towards Karnataka booth which had pillars designed in the same fashion representing the architecture of Karnataka.
Madhya Pradesh was a lovely colourful booth with tiger.
There was next booth of Uttarakhand, Goa, Gujarat Tourism.
Kerala Tourism had a vast booth with Kerala touch with houseboat and spices etc. It was nice.
I got to meet with the authorities of Odisha Tourism. The booth had glimpses of highlights of Odisha. The whole atmosphere was vibrant there. The authorities were very receptive of various ideas and stories on Odisha. They spent a good time to discuss various aspects of tourism in Odisha and why should one travel there. Clearly indicated about the hospitality in Odisha and urged me to start planning for Odisha. Lakes, beach side, wildlife fascinate me. So, I will surely plan for Odisha.
Jammu and Kashmir too had a big booth and it was nice meeting the authorities there.
I then went to the International section where there were big booths of Singapore, Thailand, Egypt, Fiji, Macao, Brand USA, Russia, Indonesia, Vietnam.
Singapore Tourism
Section of hotels had Radisson Blu, Marriott, Sarovar Hotels and many more.
Since this was the third time I was attending SATTE, so there were many people from domestic as well as International booths, people knew me already. It was like coming home after an Year. It was a different feeling. Many new friendships begun and positive opportunities that can be tapped from SATTE.
Dance performance from Sri Lanka
SATTE 2017 is a platform where one can tap ample opportunities from various hospitality brands, Tourism boards and more. It indeed is a sea of seeds of ideas, strategies and opportunities. SATTE is a must must attend and highly recommended for all related to travel, tourism and hospitality. I always eagerly look forward to SATTE.
Nidhi KM
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