Yogesh Mudras - UBM India Reveals Attractions & Key Highlights from SATTE 2017

by  Shantanu Jain Business Events | February 16, 2017 | Interview

SAATE 2017 UBM India

UBM India, one of country’s leading live media and exhibition organizing company is presently hosting the 24th edition of SATTE, South Asia's leading travel trade show from February 15 to 17 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

The expo is represented by over 870 exhibitors and participants from over 40 countries and 28 Indian states, with several significant exhibitors making an inroad to SATTE 2017 for the first time.  The property is the travel and trade industry’s most favoured platform and is also well-supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.

In an exclusive conversation with EVENTFAQS, Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India shares details on the highlights, attractions, participation and key takeaways from SATTE this year.

What are the key attractions & highlights of SATTE 2017?

Spread over 3 days, SATTE is one of the key platforms by UBM India that offers a comprehensive platform to global tourism market to congregate and conduct business under one roof. Visitors at the signature expo can expect to witness several innovative features. While the government is promoting the ‘Start-up India, Stand Up India’ initiatives, SATTE this year has come up with an exclusive ‘Start Up’ pavilion featuring travel start-ups. Besides, a much in use feature at the expo is the B2B Scheduler in the portal which acts as a business match-maker between exhibitors and potential business partners.

A conference programme has been scheduled from February 15 to 17 that promises new insights pertaining to the sector and industry best practices. For instance, we work closely with UNWTO and as 2017 designated as the ‘Year of Sustainable Tourism’ by the UNWTO, we have a knowledge seminar on Sustainable Tourism to offer stakeholders a unique opportunity to raise awareness on the contribution of sustainable tourism towards development.  Most significantly, attendees to the expo will also witness several exciting partnerships and announcements that promise to augur in new trends in the industry.  

Which are the partnering countries for this edition of the platform and are there any new entrants since last year?

The 24th edition of SATTE will be represented by more than 850 exhibitors with over 21,000 travel and tourism professionals. We have participants from over 40 countries including 35 Foreign Tourism Boards. We also have the participation of private players from overseas and expect buyers from around 40 countries.

As an event of international stature, SATTE has always been witnessing participation from new players. In the last couple of years, we have witnessed double-digit growth both in exhibitors and visitors. In fact, it has worked as a launch platform for many countries which were looking at India. The expo will see participation from almost all State Tourism Boards. As far as NTOs are concerned, USA, Mexico, Czech Republic, Spain, Russia, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Israel, Thailand, Indonesia, Macau, Fiji, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, New Zealand, Reunion Island, Turkey and Egypt amongst others have confirmed their participation with Peru, Vietnam and Sharjah Joining in for the first time. While Turkey, Dubai, Sri Lanka and Thailand are partner countries, Sharjah is the feature country for SATTE 2017. From India, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka are our partner states and Odisha is the Premium Partner State. J&K is the feature state for this year.

Apart from NTOs and State Tourism Boards, travel & hospitality companies, airlines, cruise liners, DMCs, OTAs and tourism products will also join the event. SATTE works closely with renowned travel associations, organisations and media houses, keeping visitors and buyers at the show well-informed on trends and updates of the industry.

Comment on key challenges being faced by the tourism and trade industry currently.

Infrastructure, taxations, hygiene, safety and security and offering quality services are some of the challenges that industry is facing since last many years. Travel remains one of the heavily taxed sectors in India. The recently incorporated service tax came as a surprise and further increased the burden.

What can participants expect from SATTE 2017?

The main objective of SATTE is to bring buyers and sellers on one platform. All players who want to do business with and within India make sure of their presence at SATTE.  Visitors at the signature expo can expect to witness several features including a special pavilion for start-ups and venture capital firms that will be on board to provide seed investments for innovative ideas.

Comment on growing MICE Tourism segment and highlight future opportunities.

Globally the MICE market, which includes around 400,000 conferences and exhibitions, is estimated at a size of US$280 to US$300 billion. Many nations’ tourism economy thrives on this sector. The Asian MICE market has been one of the biggest growth stories with a rate of 38 per cent rise since 2006 which accounts for US$60 billion. Despite these phenomenal figures, India is one nation which is yet to tap the potential of this huge MICE business. Some of the key reasons behind this failure are lack of world class exhibition and conference infrastructure in the nation. Another major challenge is the higher taxation policies by the governments, due to which we lose the MICE business to the neighbouring competitors.

Presently, India shares only one per cent of the global market share. In 2012, India as a MICE destination ranked 25th, but as per the 2015 statistics India has been downgraded to the 35th position. One of the most important features of the MICE business is that it is not sensitive to the seasonality factor. In that case, India needs to develop itself as one of the most lucrative destinations with its world heritage sites, culture and ethos.