CHENNAI 16, 17, 18 February, 2018 Chennai Trade Centre (Nandambakkam) STATES REPRESENTED: 21 Andaman & Nicobar, Bihar, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Puducherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal COUNTRIES REPRESENTED: 09 India, Nepal, UAE, China, Iran, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Singapore 142 EXHIBITORS 1207 TRADE VISITORS 3405 GENERAL VISITORS BENGALURU 23, 24, 25 February, 2018 Palace Grounds, Tripuravasini (Near Mekhri Circle) STATES REPRESENTED: 20 Andaman & Nicobar, Bihar, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, West Bengal COUNTRIES REPRESENTED: 08 India, Nepal, UAE, Uzbekistan, Bhutan, Thailand, China, Singapore 181 EXHIBITORS 1091 TRADE VISITORS 2838 GENERAL VISITORS 2 POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018
KOLKATA 6, 7, 8 July, 2018 Netaji Indoor Stadium & Khudiram Anushilan Kendra STATES REPRESENTED: 28 Andaman & Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal COUNTRIES REPRESENTED: 13 Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Finland, India, Macao, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, UAE, Vietnam 467 EXHIBITORS 3890 TRADE VISITORS 7976 GENERAL VISITORS Hyderabad 13, 14 July, 2018 Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) STATES REPRESENTED: 19 Andaman & Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chandigarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, West Bengal COUNTRIES REPRESENTED: 13 Bahrain, China, Dubai, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Russia, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, Singapore 202 EXHIBITORS 929 TRADE VISITORS 875 GENERAL VISITORS POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018 3
Ahmedabad 7, 8, 9 September, 2018 Gujarat University Convention and Exhibition Centre STATES REPRESENTED: 26 Andaman & Nicobar, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Puducherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal COUNTRIES REPRESENTED: 23 Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bhutan, China, Finland, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uae, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam 650 EXHIBITORS 6116 TRADE VISITORS 4525 GENERAL VISITORS SURAT 14, 15, 16 September, 2018 Pandit Dindayal Upadhyay Indoor Stadium STATES REPRESENTED: 17 Andaman & Nicobar, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal COUNTRIES REPRESENTED: 05 Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, USA 115 EXHIBITORS 737 TRADE VISITORS 5016 GENERAL VISITORS 4 POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018
PUNE 28, 29, 30 September, 2018 Messe Global Laxmi Lawns Magarpa tta, Hadapsar STATES REPRESENTED: 17 Andaman & Nicobar, Dadra And Nagar Haveli, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, West Bengal COUNTRIES REPRESENTED: 08 China, Dubai, India, Korea, Nepal, New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand 116 EXHIBITORS 754 TRADE VISITORS 1080 GENERAL VISITORS MUMBAI 05, 06, 07 October, 2018 Nehru Centre, Worli STATES REPRESENTED: 17 Andaman & Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh COUNTRIES REPRESENTED: 6 India, Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Oman, Seychelles 178 EXHIBITORS 1978 TRADE VISITORS 1518 GENERAL VISITORS POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018 5
TTF Chennai and Bengaluru boost tourism marketing efforts in the South Facilitating the trade to meet and market their products since 29 years, TTF - the biggest travel show network in India, provided the much-needed opportunity to the travel industry from across India to connect and conduct business in Chennai and Bengaluru. Chennai edition of TTF garners accolades The opening event of TTF 2018 series, India s biggest travel show network, was held in Chennai. The three-day travel show attracted excellent response with more than 1,500 trade visitors and over 6,000 walk-in visitors conducting business with close to 150 exhibitors from 8 countries and 21 Indian states and union territories (UTs). The show had official participation from the state tourism boards of Andaman and Nicobar, Bihar, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. Many other Indian states and UTs such as Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Puducherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana and West Bengal were represented by travel suppliers. Apart from the National Tourist Organisations (NTOs) of India and Nepal, other countries such as China, Dubai, Iran, Maldives, Singapore and Thailand were represented by travel operators and hotel brands. Placing their best foot forward with a good presence were exhibitors like Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), Showcase Munnar Association For Responsible Tourism, JMD Heritage Lawns (Sadda Pind), Southern Travels, Vythiri Village, The Tamara, The Royal Adventure Ladakh, Yeti Airlines Domestic, etc. TTF Chennai 2018 was inaugurated by Shreevats Sanjay, Regional Director (South), India Tourism Chennai Office, along with Ashok Kumar Singh, IAS, Director Tourism, Government of Bihar. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Sanjay said, Fairfest Media made the right decision to prefer the travel hub of Chennai as the city to start off with the TTF 2018 series. Diverse travel trade suppliers from across India as well as foreign countries ensured their presence at the recent edition. The trust and support of exhibitors reflect that TTF is the most effective and countrywide platform for marketing and promotion of travel products and services. Highlighting the role of the Host State, he stated, The state of Tamil Nadu is ultimately going to be the biggest beneficiary of TTF Chennai. India s biggest travel show network - TTF not only connected the dots among travel buyers and suppliers, but it also played a key role in showcasing the capital city to the travel trade. Good networking and business were capitalised at this edition and these business tie-ups will go a long way in bringing mutual benefits for all travel destinations. Overall, I found TTF Chennai to be a great success and wish good luck to Fairfest Media. Simultaneously, Singh also shared that TTF Chennai served as an ideal platform to exchange business ideas, trade news, and keeping abreast with recent travel trends. The travel show also provided an excellent promotional opportunity for marketing different travel products. It is only at TTF that we get an opportunity to interact with travel agents, tour operators and also, officials 6 POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018 from other states. This knowledge sharing in turn brings awareness about good practices and success formulas that can be adopted going forward. Nepal was the Partner Country at TTF Chennai 2018 and since years, TTF has been a very important travel exhibition for them. Khem Raj Timalsena, Officer, Tourism Marketing and Promotion, Nepal Tourism Board remarked, The Nepal Tourism Board has been associated solely with TTF for a very long time now. We don t participate in any other trade show as TTF serves all our objectives and is value for money. TTF has been the biggest trade fair in India which makes it all the more important platform for Nepal Tourism. In the future as well, TTF will continue to remain a must-exhibit travel show for us. In a first, Google Premier Partner joined hands with TTF Chennai to educate the travel trade on how digital can assist in scaling up business and enhance visibility to digital consumers at the key moments of their purchase decision. O3M Directional Marketing (Google Premier Partner) saw an overwhelming response to their workshop.
TTF Bengaluru receives excellent turnout at Palace Grounds The second leg of TTF 2018 series in Bengaluru also concluded on a positive note at the Palace Grounds. The three-day travel show welcomed over 1,400 trade visitors and more than 6,500 walk-in visitors over a period of three days who networked with over 180 exhibitors from 8 countries and 21 Indian states and union territories. The State Tourism Boards which had big participation at TTF Bengaluru 2018 were - Andaman and Nicobar, Bihar, Chandigarh, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab. Other Indian states and UTs such as Delhi, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal were represented by travel suppliers. The NTOs of India and Nepal participated at TTF Bengaluru while other countries such as Bhutan, China, Dubai, Singapore, Thailand and Uzbekistan were represented by travel companies and hotel brands. Exhibitors such as Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), Southern Travels, Ezeego One Travel & Tours, Swosti Group, JMD Heritage Lawns (Sadda Pind), Showcase Munnar Association For Responsible Tourism, Hotel The Zen Ladakh, The Royal Adventure Ladakh, Yeti Airlines Domestic, One Bhutan Adventure, Bergamont Group of Hotels, etc. placed their best foot forward with a good presence. Supported by the Ministry of Tourism as well as trade associations, the threeday travel show was inaugurated by Roshan Baig, Minister for Urban Development, Government of Karnataka, in the presence of Kumar Pushkar, IFS, Managing Director, Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC). Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of TTF Bengaluru 2018, Pushkar said, Tourism promotion is all about networking between buyers and sellers which is most effective when all the stakeholders come under the same roof. In this regard, TTF provides the best opportunity in India for the travel trade to connect and conduct business in all major target markets. Over the years, TTF has grown from strength to strength. This travel show is a major platform for the local and budding travel suppliers to showcase their travel products and market them among the buyers coming down from across India. I congratulate Fairfest Media on such an eventful show in Bengaluru. Google Premier Partner - Capillary Technologies collaborated with TTF Bengaluru 2018 to conduct a workshop on How digital is shaping the travel industry. The workshop educated the travel trade on how to utilise the digital platform to their advantage and boost the business revenues using digital means. Since years, TTF has been a significant travel show for Nepal Tourism. This year Nepal was the Partner Country at TTF Bengaluru. TTF is the best and most popular travel trade show network in India and it s an honour for us to ensure presence at TTF, said Gobinda Raj Oli, POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018 7 Manager, Nepal Tourism Board. He further added, The Nepal Tourism Board along with the local suppliers always looks forward to participating in TTF. This year we had 13 sellers from Nepal who participated at TTF Bengaluru 2018. We are very satisfied with the response in Bengaluru. South India is one of the main source markets for Nepal Tourism and Fairfest Media did an excellent job in executing the travel show. No doubt, they are the No. 1 travel show organisers in India. Himachal Pradesh has been exhibiting at TTF for more than two decades. With 10 local suppliers, Himachal Pradesh was the Partner State at TTF Bengaluru 2018. During the three days, we received a number of queries from the travel agents and tour operators as well as general visitors. TTF is a great marketplace for the public and private players as it facilitates networking under the same roof. We will continue to participate in the upcoming events of Fairfest Media, highlighted Dinesh Guleria, Tourism Information Officer, Department of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Himachal Pradesh. Participation at TTF Bengaluru 2018 was also a success for the Feature State of Goa. In Bengaluru, Goa Tourism promoted many new adventure sports such as hot air balloon ride and river rafting along with the new properties across Goa. Deepak Narvekar, Senior Marketing Manager/PRO, Goa Tourism Development Corporation, outlined, We participate in almost all the major TTFs across India and it is undoubtedly the biggest platform for Goa Tourism. TTF is organised at all prominent Indian cities and we leave no stone unturned to showcase our tourism products and network with travel buyers. This time yet again, the organisers did an excellent job. Both the editions were supported by Incredible India, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI), Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI), Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI), Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), IATA Agents Association of India (IAAI), SKAL International and Enterprising Travel Agents Association (ETAA). Travel News Digest was the Official Publication of the event. For more information visit: www.ttfotm.com
Voices at TTF TTF provides the best opportunity in India for the travel trade to connect and conduct business in all major target markets. Over the years, TTF has grown from strength to strength. This travel show is a major platform for the local and budding travel suppliers to showcase their travel products and market them among the buyers coming down from across India. Kumar Pushkar, IFS Managing Director, Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation The Nepal Tourism Board has been associated solely with TTF for a very long time now. We don t participate in any other trade show as TTF serves all our objectives and is value for money. TTF has been the biggest trade fair in India which makes it all the more important platform for Nepal Tourism. Khem Raj Timalsena Officer, Tourism Marketing and Promotion Nepal Tourism Board For us, TTF Chennai has been an extraordinary experience as we saw serious engagements from travel trade stakeholders at our stall. Our booth at TTF Chennai was flooded with queries. It s good to see that trade is curious and eager to learn on the digital marketing front. All the attendees and delegates who interacted with us were more than satisfied. Rob Peck Director-Client Services O3M Directional Marketing (Google Premier Partner) This time Goa Tourism promoted wedding travel segment in TTF Chennai and we are extremely satisfied with the overwhelming response. TTF series provides us with ample of opportunities to meet with the best of travel agents and tour operators in the tourism industry. The way in which Fairfest Media conducts its travel exhibitions goes on to show their exemplary experience. Rodlin Mascarenhas Assistant Tourist Officer Goa Tourism TTF is truly the biggest travel trade show network we have in India. Our experience at TTF Chennai and Bengaluru had been really worthwhile and rewarding. TTF is one of the best platforms where we can promote the tourist destination of Jharkhand and we are happy with the queries received and addressed. Fairfest Media organised both the editions very well. Nalin Kumar Manager Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation TTF Chennai was the perfect travel exhibition for us as it facilitated networking with serious travel agents. This really matters to us as we are seeing the meetings turning into quality business. We also met various state and country representatives and entrepreneurs and we are very satisfied with the response we received. Indeed, superb team work done by Fairfest Media. Prabina K C Senior Manager-Sales & Marketing Yeti Airlines TTF is an ideal platform to network with the experts of travel trade and is suited for travel product promotion across India. The Tamara has been participating in TTF for a very long time now. Our overall experience this year has been meaningful too. We managed to strike good connections with key people from travel trade at Chennai. Udaya Kumar J K Manager-Corporate Sales & MICE The Tamara TTF has always been a good platform for the buyers and sellers from the travel trade. This year we acquainted with many new destinations at TTF Bengaluru and understood their travel requirements. We are thankful to Fairfest Media for organising TTF as it provides with national and international exposure which aids in reaching out to a larger market. Gopi Vishrolia Tourism Officer Gujarat Tourism 8 POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018
Voices at TTF Diverse travel trade suppliers from across India as well as foreign countries ensured their presence at TTF Chennai. The trust and support of exhibitors reflect that TTF is the most effective and countrywide platform for marketing and promotion of travel products and services. Overall, I found TTF Chennai to be a great success. Shreevats Sanjay Regional Director (South) India Tourism Chennai Office TTF Chennai served as an ideal platform to exchange business ideas, trade news, and keeping abreast with recent travel trends. It also provided an excellent promotional opportunity for marketing different travel products. The knowledge sharing at TTFs in turn brings awareness about good practices and success formulas that can be adopted going forward. Ashok Kumar Singh, IAS Director Tourism Government of Bihar Himachal Pradesh Tourism has been exhibiting in TTF for more than two decades now and we will continue to do so. TTF is a great marketplace for the public and private players as it facilitates networking under the same roof. During the three days at TTF Bengaluru, we received a number of inquiries from the travel trade and general visitors. Dinesh Guleria Tourism Information Officer Department of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Himachal Pradesh I was amazed to see the response of the travel trade at TTF Bengaluru this year. The participants from travel sector were very eager to know more about digital marketing and were asking questions even after the session got over. It was really an excellent experience as we were able to reach out to an assorted mix of travel brands. Soumajit Bhowmik Director, E-commerce and Performance Marketing Capillary Technologies (Google Premier Partner) The three days at TTF Bengaluru were very eventful as we got to meet many quality operators from the travel trade. South India is one of the most lucrative markets for us and TTF has definitely facilitated in capturing the market. We look forward to taking part in all the upcoming events of Fairfest Media. Rajesh Samanta Corporate Deputy General Manager Swosti Group of Hotels South India is an important market for us and that is why we participated at TTF Chennai and Bengaluru. We got some potential leads from the local travel trade and few national companies as well who were interested in our products. I humbly thank Fairfest Media for organising TTFs which provides an ideal platform to boost our business. Christine He Marketing Director Shanghai Dongyu International Travel Service Co TTF is the best platform to build the much-needed network with the travel trade players from India and the world. IRCTC has been participating in TTF for a long time and has received numerous business queries through the travel show. We are very thankful to Fairfest Media for all the support. Kishore Satya Manager-Tourism Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation TTF has evolved into a bigger and better brand over the years and TTF Bengaluru was a very successful show this year. It helped us in tapping the South Indian market and we were able to network with some qualified trade buyers. Fairfest Media organised the show very tactfully and we thank them for all the support. Hitesh Shah Deputy General Manager Ezeego1 POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018 9
Gallery 10 POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018
POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018 11 Gallery
Google s workshop at TTF Chennai & Bengaluru provides digital marketing edge to travel trade In a first, TTF - India s biggest travel show network, partnered with Google India to conduct a workshop at its Chennai and Bengaluru 2018 editions. Conducted by Google Premier Partners at the respective cities, the session titled How digital is shaping the travel industry, highlighted how digital mediums are playing a significant role in targeting and personalising the promotions and in turn enhancing business revenues. Overwhelming turnout at TTF Chennai 2018 O3M Directional Marketing (Google Premier Partner) saw an overwhelming response to their workshop on Day 1 of TTF Chennai 2018. Rob Peck, Director-Client Services, O3M Directional Marketing (Google Premier Partner) conducted the session and showed two case studies where digital if used in a befitting way, can help grow business within a short span of time. He further outlined the paradigm shift in the behaviour of new age travellers and how they increasingly prefer online over other traditional mediums to plan and book their travel. Digital is the best way to scale and market the campaigns, said Peck while addressing the attendees. He reiterated that understanding the requirements of the online customers is critical to the growth of one s travel business. Going digital is important to increase the efficiency in the travel space. In present times, millennials get influenced and inspired by the videos and images of new destinations on social media. We need to understand our audience for effective marketing and the mindset of the new age traveller, which is changing rapidly as they are going online, more than often to plan their Booth of O3M Directional Marketing (Google Premier Partner) at TTF Chennai 2018 trips, remarked Peck. According to him, mobile travel booking went up to 230% in the year 2015-16. This shows the frequency and the new patterns in travel bookings. To stay relevant in the market, one needs to move with the world and have mobile-friendly websites. A whole lot of data is available which is collected, processed and analysed. Data is cheaper than ever and so are smartphones. Peck averred that everyone present in the workshop to be accessible on search apps and social media platforms. The young traveller keeps searching and reviewing throughout their travel. Once people have arrived at the destination, make sure they come to your accommodation, restaurants, nightclubs, casinos, etc. as the data supports the traveller s details. Google search has gone a long way towards personalisation. A traveller s smartphone will show his/her current location and rest can be tailor-made from the information, explained Peck. Rob Peck, Director of Client Services at O3M Directional Marketing (Google Premier Partner) conducting the workshop at TTF Chennai 2018 12 POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018
On the other two days as well, the booth of O3M Directional Marketing (Google Premier Partner) at TTF Chennai was flooded with queries from travel trade. For us, TTF Chennai has been an extraordinary experience as we saw serious engagements from travel trade stakeholders at our stall. It s good to see that trade is curious and eager to learn on the digital marketing front. All the attendees and delegates who interacted with us were more than satisfied, exclaimed Peck. Stellar response at TTF Bengaluru 2018 Google Premier Partner - Capillary Technologies highlighted the unique digital marketing techniques used by the global giants such as Airbnb, Oyo, Cox and Kings, etc. at TTF Bengaluru. The workshop conducted by Soumajit Bhowmik, Director of E-commerce and Performance Marketing, Capillary Technologies (Google Premier Partner). He outlined how digital and mobile have changed the traveller s buying journey, its implications on business, types of digital campaigns which are currently generating results for travel players and online tools that can enable digital marketing success. Speaking at the session, Bhowmik highlighted four important processes a business should keep in mind while promoting their brand online i.e. building awareness, influencing consideration, driving action and creating loyalty amongst the customers. Through Booth of Capillary Technologies (Google Premier Partner) at TTF Bengaluru 2018 the application of aforesaid four steps any organisation can create the muchneeded brand awareness amongst its users and cater to the needs of thousands of users through the digital interface which can help the organisation in cutting the cost of traditional marketing, he suggested. With more than 300 million smartphone users in the country, India is one of the hotbeds for the digital marketing and is ready for a digital transformation. One of the major accomplishments of digital marketing is that it works instantly and hence new age travellers or the millennials prefer going online for any suggestions, queries and bookings, Bhowmik pointed out during the session. The session also saw varied slideshows, audio-visuals and pictures on Soumajit Bhowmik, Director of E-commerce and Performance Marketing, Capillary Technologies (Google Premier Partner) addressing the attendees at the session in TTF Bengaluru 2018 POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018 13 how digital marketing works and cater the needs of the travel trade. Different digital marketing strategies such as SEO, PPC, social networks, the website with a great user interface and SMS can be used by the companies to cater the needs of their customers. The participation of the travel trade was also overwhelming and they were eager to understand and learn more about new techniques to generate and convert leads into business. Capillary Technologies (Google Premier Partner) was amazed to see the participation of travel trade at TTF Bengaluru. Digital marketing is the need of the hour and travel businesses have understood its potential of late. The trade participants were very eager to know more about digital marketing and were asking related questions even after the session got over. It was really an excellent experience as we were able to reach out to an assorted mix of travel brands, asserted Bhowmik. They were able to make contact with the varied pool of state tourism boards, national tourist organisations, destination management companies and other travel trade as well. Bhowmik felt that TTF was an excellent platform not only for the travel trade but also for the digital support providers. We were very happy to find that a number of innovative travel trade visitors used diverse digital marketing techniques to lure the traffic. However, some of the participants were still using the traditional marketing approach for reaching out to the customers but they were happy to connect with us, he said.
TTF in Kolkata and Hyderabad highly successful Travel and Tourism Fair (TTF), the oldest and biggest travel trade show network in India, kick-started on a high note with the Kolkata and Hyderabad editions. Travel lovers, who visited TTF, got a unique opportunity to explore hundreds of international and domestic destinations and book the best deals and packages for their upcoming holiday season. TTF Kolkata was a huge success, with packed halls of Netaji Indoor Stadium and the adjacent Khudiram Anushilan Kendra. Over 430 exhibitors from 13 countries and 28 Indian States & Union Territories participated with colourful pavilions and stalls at these TTFs. It got huge footfalls, from more than 4,000 travel trade visitors and 8,000 general visitors. TTF in Hyderabad rebranded as TTF South has seen massive transformation since a couple of years. It is shifted to Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), where 200 buyers were hosted within the venue hotel Novotel. This year too, there were 200 buyers who were hosted and they completed 4,322 meetings, using the online meeting diary. In addition to hosted buyers, there were 930 travel trade visitors and 900 general visitors who attended the two-day event, making it a very successful show. Sanjiv Agarwal, Chairman and CEO of Fairfest Media Ltd said, As the oldest and leading travel trade show organisers in the country, we have taken upon ourselves the responsibility to constantly innovate, to serve the needs of the industry. Several transformations have been successfully carried out in TTF in Kolkata and Hyderabad recently. For example, in Kolkata we invited large contingent of buyers from entire East India as well as Bangladesh - #1 source market for India (as per MoT statistics). The Hyderabad TTF is positioned as the leading travel trade show in South India, with hosted buyers with pre-scheduled appointments as well as on the spot speed networking sessions. TTF Kolkata was inaugurated in the presence of A K M Shahjahan Kamal, Minister, Department of Civil Aviation and Tourism, Government of Bangladesh; Pramod Kumar, Minister, Department of Tourism, Government of Bihar; Atri Bhattacharya, IAS, Principal Secretary, Department of Tourism, Government of West Bengal; Venus Asawapoom, Deputy Consul General, Royal Thai Consulate-General, Kolkata; Eaknarayan Aryal, Consul General, Consulate General of Nepal, Kolkata; and Menino D souza, Director, Goa Tourism. TTF South was inaugurated by Panyala Bhoopathi Reddy, Chairman, Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation and B Manohar Rao, Managing Director (FAC), Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation in the presence of a host of dignitaries and senior tourism officials. Sri Lanka, the Partner Country for both the TTFs, participated with a large delegation and with the biggest pavilion at TTF Kolkata. The other Partner Countries for TTF Kolkata were Bangladesh and Nepal. Macao and Thailand were present as the Feature Countries. Bhutan, China, Myanmar and Singapore were few other countries represented at TTF Kolkata. TTF South had Bahrain as the Feature Country. Among other countries, China, Dubai, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Russia, Switzerland and Thailand were also represented in 14 POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018 TTF South. India Tourism also participated at both the locations. Among Indian states, Uttarakhand had the largest pavilion and was also the Partner State and West Bengal was the Host State at TTF Kolkata. Other TTF Kolkata was a huge success, with packed halls of Netaji Indoor Stadium and the adjacent Khudiram Anushilan Kendra. Over 430 exhibitors from 13 countries and 28 Indian States & Union Territories participated with colourful pavilions and stalls at these TTFs. It got huge footfalls, from more than 4,000 travel trade visitors and 8,000 general visitors. TTF in Hyderabad rebranded as TTF South has seen massive transformation since a couple of years. It is shifted to Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), where 200 buyers were hosted within the venue hotel Novotel. This year too, there were 200 buyers who were hosted and they completed 4,322 meetings, using the online meeting diary. In addition to hosted buyers, there were 930 travel trade visitors and 900 general visitors who attended the two-day event, making it a very successful show. Sanjiv Agarwal, Chairman and CEO of Fairfest Media Ltd said, As the oldest and leading travel trade show organisers in the country, we have taken upon ourselves the responsibility to
constantly innovate, to serve the needs of the industry. Several transformations have been successfully carried out in TTF in Kolkata and Hyderabad recently. For example, in Kolkata we invited large contingent of buyers from entire East India as well as Bangladesh - #1 source market for India (as per MoT statistics). The Hyderabad TTF is positioned as the leading travel trade show in South India, with hosted buyers with pre-scheduled appointments as well as on the spot speed networking sessions. TTF Kolkata was inaugurated in the presence of A K M Shahjahan Kamal, Minister, Department of Civil Aviation and Tourism, Government of Bangladesh; Pramod Kumar, Minister, Department of Tourism, Government of Bihar; Atri Bhattacharya, IAS, Principal Secretary, Department of Tourism, Government of West Bengal; Venus Asawapoom, Deputy Consul General, Royal Thai Consulate-General, Kolkata; Eaknarayan Aryal, Consul General, Consulate General of Nepal, Kolkata; and Menino D souza, Director, Goa Tourism. TTF South was inaugurated by Panyala Bhoopathi Reddy, Chairman, Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation and B Manohar Rao, Managing Director (FAC), Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation in the presence of a host of dignitaries and senior tourism officials. Sri Lanka, the Partner Country for both the TTFs, participated with a large delegation and with the biggest pavilion at TTF Kolkata. The other Partner Countries for TTF Kolkata were Bangladesh and Nepal. Macao and Thailand were present as the Feature Countries. Bhutan, China, Myanmar and Singapore were few other countries represented at TTF Kolkata. TTF South had Bahrain as the Feature Country. Among other countries, China, Dubai, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Russia, Switzerland and Thailand were also represented in TTF South. India Tourism also participated at both the locations. Among Indian states, Uttarakhand had the largest pavilion and was also the Partner State and West Bengal was the Host State at TTF Kolkata. Other Partner States were Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha, Goa, Gujarat and Kerala who had set up state pavilions with their private operators. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar, Manipur, Meghalaya were the Feature States for TTF Kolkata. Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim also set up state pavilions to lure tourists to their states. TTF South had participation from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh as Host States and Goa, Gujarat and Karnataka as the Partner States. Other States featured were Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. TTF Hyderabad also had participation from Andaman and Nicobar, Chandigarh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Sikkim and West Bengal. Air India participated as the Partner Airlines for TTF Kolkata. Cox and Kings participated as the Knowledge Partner with a large pavilion. They held exclusive seminars to launch new destinations like Vietnam, Finland and the Baltic States and special packages to Dubai, Bahrain and Indonesia in association with the respective tourism boards and Garuda Indonesia Airlines. About 100 travel agents used the opportunity to network and solve their queries with the officials of tourism boards, airline and Cox & Kings during the seminars. The seminar also acted as a great contributor to the fastest growing outbound market. Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau organised a talk on the Ramayana Yatra in Sri Lanka. The talk was led by Bala Sankuratri who is the author of the book My Name is Ravana. Sankuratri talked about the infamous Ramayana POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018 15 circuit in Sri Lanka and urged travel trade to showcase the trail as a long sacred vacation. He also talked about Ramayana spots in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka and explained the connection of these spots with Valmiki s Ramayana. TTF Kolkata was a three-day event where the first half of the show was reserved for the travel trade, after which it was open to the public, while TTF Hyderabad was a two-day show where the first day was reserved only for the travel trade and the second day was open for both travel trade and general visitors. Both the shows had brought together state tourism boards, national tourist offices, hoteliers, airlines, tour operators, travel agents, online travel companies, railways and other travel marketers under one roof. With consistent support from the Ministry of Tourism of Government of India, State Tourism Boards, National Tourist Offices of several countries, thousands of private exhibitors and trade associations, TTF continues to be the widest platform providing opportunities for buyers and sellers from across the country to showcase their latest offerings and build long-term business ties. TTF is supported by Incredible India, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI), Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI), Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI), Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), IATA Agents Association of India (IAAI), Enterprising Travel Agents Association (ETAA) and Skål International.
Voices at TTF West Bengal and Bangladesh have a lot of similarities and shows like TTF help in bringing these cultural similarities together. I was very delighted to be a part of TTF Kolkata as it is an excellent platform to showcase tourism products. I have been to many shows earlier but TTF Kolkata is one of its kinds. A K M Shahjahan Kamal Minister, Department of Civil Aviation and Tourism Government of Bangladesh I really appreciate the point that TTF Kolkata had brought together the tourism player not only from Eastern and North Eastern region but also from Bangladesh and across the country. Destinations in this part of the world can collaborate and offer joint packages to the tourists. Atri Bhattacharya, IAS Principal Secretary Department of Tourism, Government of West Bengal We have been participating at TTF Kolkata for a long time and we are happy to have an even bigger stall this time here in Kolkata. Over the years, TTF Kolkata has become an excellent show and I would like to invite everyone to the event. Thailand is one of the favourite destinations for the people of West Bengal and TTF has helped the local people to know more about Thailand. We will definitely participate in the upcoming TTFs! Venus Asawapoom Deputy Consul General Royal Thai Consulate-General in Kolkata TTF Kolkata is outstanding and has exceeded my expectations. We are so happy to receive the great number of travel trade and travel enthusiasts in our stall. I am extremely happy with the response we have received in all the three days. Over the years, TTF has grown a lot and Nepal Tourism Board is very happy to be a part of this journey. Nepal Tourism Board is always encouraged to take part in all the TTFs and we look forward to participating in the upcoming shows as well. Mani Raj Lamichhane Director, Nepal Tourism Board It has been a very nice experience and the response has been overwhelming with positive reactions from various people. TTF Kolkata has been a very good platform for us and this will open the doors for many of the people who are looking forward to come to Nagaland. I want to thank the organisers for allowing us to be a part of TTF, to allow the people to see what the Nagas really are. Tiarenla P Rusta Tourist Officer Nagaland Tourism TTF Kolkata is the best platform for us to market Meghalaya and we always had a good experience. We had mixed buyers here in TTF Kolkata and we had varied tour operators coming to us looking for different packages. We already had bookings for the month of October and we are very positive about it. Kolkata has been traditionally a good market for us and through Kolkata we reach to the other eastern states as well. The organising team has done great arrangements and we look forward to participate more in the upcoming TTFs as well. Philip Tariang Information Publicity Officer The Directorate of Tourism, Meghalaya The overall experience has been really great. I did a lot of business and I loved the crowd here. It is a very good platform for us to showcase the new destinations and people are coming in with a lot of queries as well. It is very interesting to see the buyers mix present here in TTF Kolkata. We will definitely be a part of the upcoming TTFs. Dimitry Liashram Manager - Admin & Skill Development Manipur Tourism We are participating in the TTFs from 2006 onwards and TTF Kolkata is a very good platform for us to showcase our tourism products. We received very good response from the buyers here as well. I hope to participate in the upcoming shows as well. Madan Kumar Pradhan, SGS Joint Director Tourism and Civil Aviation Department Government of Sikkim 16 POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018
Voices at TTF I have attended TTF for the first time and the quality of TTF is outstanding, at par with international standards. Over the three days at TTF Kolkata, I was overwhelmed to see the response from the travel trade and we have received so many queries from the visitors which is just excellent. TTF is definitely an outstanding platform to meet and network with buyers, sellers and visitors under the same roof. I wish the organisers, Fairfest Media all the best for their future endeavours! Menino D Souza Director Goa Tourism TTF doesn t require any kind of introduction, it s an outstanding event which gives a major opportunity to showcase our varied tourism products in such a resourceful market such as Kolkata. TTF is also present across various media like digital media, social media and print media which makes it a global standard show. The level of interaction with buyers and visitors at TTF Kolkata was outstanding. Bappaditya Roy Sr. Associate Executive Manager Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited We have been participating in TTF for the last 27 years and the show has grown enormously since then. The number of pavilions has gone up, the number of visitors has risen swiftly. TTF has taken an all new shape in recent years. Organisers have done an excellent job in organising such a great event not only for travel trade fraternity but for general visitors too. We would definitely be a part of the upcoming events. Anil Rathore Deputy Director Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan This was our second time at TTF Kolkata and we have seen some great changes. The number of visitors has increased in recent years which has helped us in capturing the Kolkata market. The quality of buyers too has impressed me, we have met so many potential clients here at TTF Kolkata. We will definitely be a part of upcoming TTF events. Viranga Bandara Assistant Director - Marketing Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau We were looking for a good market to explore and we found Hyderabad and a good partner like TTF to be a part of it. We would like to thank the organisers of TTF for giving us a wonderful space at the event. For all the two days we had visitors coming in and enquiring about our destination. TTF Hyderabad looked promising to us and we will definitely be part of the upcoming TTF in Hyderabad to promote our destination. Sunil Mathapati Country Manager Bahrain Tourism & Exhibitions Authority South India is one of the important markets for us and TTF Hyderabad provided us an outstanding platform to interact with both B2B and B2C clients. Both the days of the event we received an overwhelming response from the visitors and we have also received excellent leads from the show. The onsite buyer-seller meeting was a great one as we got the chance to network with all the buyers in one go. The quality of buyers was robust and had good potential. Overall, it was an excellent event to be a part of. Amritha Sridhar Swiss Tours We participated in TTF Hyderabad for the first time and we received a positive response from the travel trade as well as the corporate buyers. We had a good networking session at the onsite buyerseller meet. As South Indian market is growing tremendously TTF Hyderabad helped us in capturing this excellent market. We will also participate in the upcoming TTF Ahmedabad. I humbly thank Fairfest Media Ltd for organising TTF and giving us a platform for conducting good business. Rajat Gupta Director National Sales Best Western Hotels & Resorts I attended TTF Hyderabad for the first time this year and received an overwhelming response from the diverse buyers base of the show. The show floor was studded with varied exhibitors including tourism boards, DMCs, hoteliers which makes it one of the finest travel trade shows in South India. The buyers were very focused and they meant only quality business from us. The online meeting diary helped in knowing more about the buyers who were present here from across the country. Deepak Verma Director of Sales Pullman Hotels & Resorts POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018 17
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TTF West Series boosts travel planning for the lucrative festive season ahead Tapping potential tourists from the booming western India market, participants at the Travel and Tourism Fair (TTF) West Series concluded back-to-back shows on a high note, right ahead of the vacations of Dussehra and Diwali. TTF Ahmedabad concluded on a promising note, breaking all its previous records. It saw a growth of 20% over last year, with more than 665 exhibitors participating from 27 Indian states/uts and from 23 countries. The three-day show attracted unprecedented footfalls from 6,116 travel trade visitors from all over Gujarat and the Western India region and over 4,525 general visitors. TTF Ahmedabad 2018 was inaugurated in the presence of Mahendra Vakharia, President, OTOAI and MD, Pathfinders and Viranga Bandara, Assistant Director of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau. At the inauguration, Vakharia said, Gujaratis love to travel and explore new places, and TTF is one fair that not only organisers but also tourists in Gujarat eagerly await every year. We are proud to state that out of the 8-city TTF series in India, TTF Ahmedabad receives the maximum participation. It has developed into a vital platform for travel organisers to connect and network with new and old partners. Speaking about Indians travelling to Sri Lanka, Bandara commented, We have lots of Indian tourists visiting Sri Lanka, the number growing year on year. In fact, we are expecting 4.50 lakh tourists from India in 2018. TTF provides a great travel trade opportunity for us apart from directly connecting us with tourists. This year, we have 18 participants from Sri Lanka showcasing their best deals in Ahmedabad. I urge Ahmedabad s travellers to come down to Sri Lanka to enjoy our hospitality and explore the beaches, forests, wildlife, and Ramayana trail attractions. Excited about his visit to TTF, Jong Sool (Michael) Kwon, Director, Korea Tourism Organization - New Delhi said, Ahmedabad is very welcoming and I am really happy to be here at TTF Ahmedabad. I urge the people of Ahmedabad to visit Korea to explore the country s beautiful nature, festivals, and vibrant underground shopping malls that have a lot to offer. Kerala Tourism and Jammu & Kashmir Tourism conducted seminars at TTF Ahmedabad to promote tourism of their respective states. TTF Surat hosted over 115 exhibitors from 17 States/UTs and international representatives from 5 countries that presented tourism opportunities in India and abroad during the three day carnival. The event which opened its doors to networking opportunities for stakeholders of tourism industry, received a remarkable response from 750 trade visitors and 5,100 general visitors searching for the best holiday options for the upcoming Diwali season. 20 POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018 The event was inaugurated by Ganpatsinh Vasava, Tourism Minister of Gujarat and Dr Jagdish Patel, Mayor of Surat Municipal Corporation. Speaking on the occasion, Vasava said, The tourism industry is growing at an increasing rate and TTF has a major contribution to this growth. It organises the largest tourism fairs across India thereby bringing together national and international travellers under one roof. Surtis and Gujaratis travel the most and this exhibition is a wonderful attempt to bring in major tour operators to Surat so that the people of Surat can plan their national and international travels, commented Patel. Tourists were further delighted with a platter of vacation planning offers for the high festive season when TTF entered Maharashtra, one of the oldest and most important travel markets of the country. Pune s Messe Global Exhibition Centre, Laxmi Lawns played host to the three-day travel trade show that had over 115 participants from 17 Indian States/ UTs and from 8 countries, and over 760 trade visitors and 1,100 general visitors. It offers a great face-to-face networking opportunity for travel trade and tourists, to grab the best deals. The event was inaugurated by Santosh Khawale, Founder & Director, Surabhi Travels and Chairman - Western India, Enterprising Travel Agent s Association; Nilesh Bhansali, Director, Travel Agents Association Pune and Shaishav Parekh, Secretary, Travel Agents Association of India Pune Chapter.
Khawale said, TTF Pune is a great opportunity for the travel trade and sellers to meet their requirements. Here the travel trade get introduced to new destinations and state tourism boards. Lot of business takes place in TTF. Pune is a huge market and there are many in Pune who love to travel and explore the world. I thank the organisers of TTF who are doing a great job for the tourism industry. We want TTF Pune to be organised in a large scale as the travel trade will be benefited. Bhansali said, Firstly I would like to thank the organisers of TTF for organising such an event in Pune city. We used to go to Mumbai or other places for these kinds of exhibitions. TTF has given an opportunity for the travel trade of Pune to meet tourism boards for a one-to-one interaction. Also the way, in which the event is organised with the seminars and destination training programmes, it will be a great help for all the travel agents. At TTF, visitors are assured of getting best deals in holiday packages, hotel accommodation and other travel options, with facility of booking on-thespot. For the city s travel trade, TTF is an opportunity to network and transact business with national and international exhibitors. The final chapter of the West Series culminated in Mumbai. TTF Mumbai, Fairfest Media s second show in Mumbai (in addition to OTM), tap the lucrative Mumbai market just before the Diwali and winter season. TTF Mumbai, which took place at Nehru Centre, provided an excellent opportunity for buyers and sellers before the vital Dussehra and Diwali season. With over 155 participants from 17 Indian States/ UTs and 4 countries, TTF Mumbai was visited by over 2,500 trade visitors and over 2,000 general visitors. Cox and Kings was the Knowledge Partner at TTF Ahmedabad, TTF Pune and TTF Mumbai. At TTF Ahmedabad and TTF Pune, they organised a workshop wherein they presented destinations - Finland, the Baltic States and Indonesia. Garuda Indonesia also presented the airline s connectivity and rates at the workshop. At TTF Mumbai, Cox and Kings presented destinations - Oman and Seychelles. Various tourist attractions and their packages were presented by Cox and Kings to the travel agents and visitors at all the three venues. Commenting on the series of presentations being conducted at TTFs, Karan Anand, Head, Relationships, Cox and Kings said, Cox & Kings believes in providing a seamless platform to educate all our travel trade partners about the latest developments. We are happy to partner with the beautiful destinations including Indonesia, Finland and the Baltic states and promote their diverse offering. The discerning travellers of India are demanding for complex travel solutions and we are here to support our fraternity and enable them through this highly engaging TTF forum. India Tourism participated in all the four locations of TTF. Country representations at TTF West Series included Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Korea, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, China, Germany, Indonesia, Oman, Seychelles, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, UAE, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Bhutan, Maldives, USA, Dubai, New Zealand, South Africa and Thailand. State representations at TTF West Series included Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Goa, Odisha, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Andaman & Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Delhi, Punjab, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018 21
Voices at TTF It is always a pleasure to be a part of this event and TTF is one of the best events in the industry showcasing not only international but also domestic operators and tourism opportunities so it is always an excitement to be a part of TTF. You get a chance to interact and network and meet old partners and make new partners as well. Mahendra Vakharia President, OTOAI MD, Pathfinders It is a great pleasure to be here at TTF Ahmedabad for the second time. Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau participated with 18 participants this year. From the first day we saw tremendous growth at TTF Ahmedabad, and we are looking forward to participate in the coming years as well. Viranga Bandara Assistant Director Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau TTF is a major event and it is a very important platform for Korea Tourism to promote the destination. We are very glad to participate in this West series of TTF and we look forward to participate in the other shows of Fairfest Media as well. Jong Sool (Michael) Kwon Director Korea Tourism Organisation - New Delhi This is the first event that Kerala Tourism has attended after the floods in August. TTF Ahmedabad is very important for us as Gujarat is the prime market for Kerala. We want to give the message that Kerala Tourism is back and we are ready to receive guests from the entire country. TTF is a great platform for Kerala Tourism, around 24 trade partners have come and we have also taken a huge space this year in Ahmedabad. All my partners have confirmed they have got good response and potential business opportunities in TTF. We will surely continue our partnership with TTF in the coming years as well. P Balakiran Director, Kerala Tourism We have been associated with TTF for a long time now and we are participating every year. It is a great platform and it has grown a lot over the years. This show is at par with other travel trade shows we have in the country. It is a great place to network and at the end of the day our business depends on networking. Our participation in TTF helps us a lot to set network in Gujarat and Maharashtra market. Satya Roy Vice President Ananta Hotels & Resorts It is always a pleasure to be a part of TTF Ahmedabad. We got a very good response from here and got a lot of business opportunities from this market as well. We got the chance to meet the B2B agents directly and received a lot of queries also. We look forward to be a part of the upcoming TTFs as well. Pranjal Pratim Borah Managing Partner Tribal Planets Tours & Travels TTF has helped us to be introduced in the market and help us get connected with the trade. There s a mutual winwin situation and we are going to get promoted. A lot of travel agents and tour operators are also looking for new products and with the help of this common platform, I think it s going to gain us great benefits. Krishnapal Singh Champawat Sanchal Fort TTF is one of the biggest and best platforms that we participate in. We are associated with TTF since the very beginning and we are really satisfied with the response we get every time. We have to come back here each time as we get to know a lot of new people with whom we get to network and this platform helps us to reach out to greater number of people. Kunal Aggarwal Director The Solluna Resort 22 POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018
Voices at TTF I am part of TTF for almost seven years now and every time the experience has been great. It is the perfect platform to meet the potential buyers. There were a lot of queries and we hope to turn them into positive business opportunities. Sudeep Mehta President - Sales and Marketing The Tree House Resort TTF is a great platform for us where we get a lot of tour operators and Gujarat is a major market for us as we are launching new hotels in Manali and Katra. We received a lot of queries and we hope to materialise them in to positive bookings. Rajat Gupta Director National Sales Best Western Hotels & Resorts TTF has been a great platform for us in promoting our destinations. We met a lot of travel agents here and this helped us in enhancing our business. We got a very good response from the Ahmedabad market and we look forward to participate in the upcoming TTFs as well. Harshad Verma Manager The Samsara Holidays business. Sikander Vadadriya Sales Manager Club Mahindra We are participating in TTF for the last six years and for us it is a great platform where we get a lot of queries and on the spot we generate a lot of sales revenue during the three days. This platform is very useful for me for generating new I have attended TTF shows across the country and we always get a good response from here. A lot of people came with a purpose and we did good business. This year 20 participants came with us here and they have done good business. In TTF we get the target audience and helps us in the long run. U B Udaya Kumar Regional Manager (South) Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) TTF is undoubtedly the largest network of travel trade show in India and with the help of TTF we have been able to network with industry stalwarts under the same roof. TTF is the best platform to showcase the varied tourism product to such a solid base of quality buyers. I congratulate the organisers for a good work done. Munjal Fitter Founder & CEO rezmytrip.com We have been participating in all other TTF events and TTF Ahmedabad was a wonderful experience for us. We have received excellent response from the visitors. TTF Ahmedabad was very grand this time with many national and international players who had set-up stalls under one roof. Visitors too were very keen in knowing about our tourism products. Overall TTF Ahmedabad was a great show. Biswajit Routray Assistant Director Odisha Tourism We received excellent response from travel trade here in TTF Ahmedabad, more than 65 hoteliers, tour operators had participated time from Himachal. It is a great platform for private as well as public agency to showcase their tourism products. The organisers did a great job in conducting such a successful event. Keep it up! Ved Pandey Senior Manager Himachal Tourism POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018 23
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Voices at TTF We have been associated with TTF from a long time and we have seen a drastic change in the event in recent years. The show has grown enormously and provided us great networking opportunities with the industry experts from Gujarat as well as from pan India. Avinash Pandey Regional Manager - Sales (Gujarat) Leisure Hotels Ltd Gujarat is a big market for us and TTF Ahmedabad has helped is in tapping such a potential market. In TTF networking is done very swiftly as all the quality buyers are present under the same roof. We have met and networked with many local agents which will help our business in the long run. I thank the organisers for giving us such an wonderful opportunity. Himanshu Agarwal Co-Founder Deyor Camps Our association with the organisers is very old and trusted. We have participated in OTM as welland we had a wonderful show there. This what encouraged us to take part in TTF Ahmedabad. TTF is truly the largest travel trade show network in India, an excellent platform to meet and network with the industry giants under the same roof. Nilesh Maru Director The Enjoy City TTF Ahmedabad is marquee travel and trade show in India, which has become a brand on its own and in recent years it has grown tremendously. We are quite delighted to be associated with TTF as it provides us the right platform and help us in meeting with quality buyers under the same roof. Avinash Nirala VP - Sales & Marketing Tag Resorts This is first time that we have taken up a separate space in TTF and we had an amazing time networking with varied travel trade giants from Ahmedabad and western India. TTF provides the right mileage to exhibitors who have exhibited here. Gujarat is an important market for resorts and TTF is helping us gain business from this very potential market. Digraj Singh Shekhawat Director Shahpura Hotels Gujarat, especially the Ahmedabad market, is one of the important markets for us and TTF has helped us in knowing the market inside out. We have networked with many tour operators, travel agents from Gujarat and western India which will help our business for a longer period of time. Kunal Sabharwal Director of Sales DS Group As our predominant focus is on domestic tourism, no other platform is as suited as TTF as this platform provides us required exposure which makes us take part in all the TTFs around the country. We would be glad to be a part of upcoming TTFs as well. I would like to congratulate the organisers on such a successful show and thank them as well for giving us a chance to showcase our products. Naresh Arora Founder & CEO Trulyy India I am very delighted to be a part of TTF. TTF Ahmedabad is a one of its kind, excellent platform for B2B interactions. Meeting and networking with travel industry players makes TTF a standalone and unique event in travel industry. I wish the organisers, Fairfest Media, good luck for their future endeavours. Dheeraj Saundh Founder Chutney Hotels 26 POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018
Voices at TTF Surtis and Gujaratis travel the most and this exhibition is a wonderful attempt to bring in major tour operators to Surat so that the people of Surat can plan their national and international travels. Jagdish Patel Mayor Surat Municipal Corporation TTF Surat is the platform for the travel industry. Here we can directly get in touch with the B2B as well as B2C market. We will always support TTF. The response at TTF Surat turned out to be excellent for us with both travel agents and general public turning up in large numbers. Saurabh Upadhyay CEO AAI Fly TTF Pune is a great opportunity for the travel trade and sellers to meet their requirements. Here the travel trade get introduced to new destinations and state tourism boards. Lot of business takes place in TTF. Pune is a huge market and there are many in Pune who love to travel and explore the world. I thank the organisers of TTF who are doing a great job for the tourism industry. We want TTF Pune to be organised in a large scale as the travel trade will be benefited. Santosh Khawale Founder & Director, Surabhi Travels Chairman - Western India Enterprising Travel Agent s Association Firstly I would like to thank the organisers of TTF for organising such an event in Pune city. We used to go to Mumbai or other places for these kinds of exhibitions. TTF has given an opportunity for the travel trade of Pune to meet tourism boards for a one-to-one interaction. Also the way, in which the event is organised with the seminars and destination training programs, it will be a great help for all the travel agents. Nilesh Bhansali Director Travel Agents Association Pune In a place like Surat, if you find a show like TTF, then I feel Surat is growing and the way the organisers have managed this show, I really appreciate that. TTF has so many options from tourism boards to hotel properties and this will help the travel and tourism industry. Sunil Singh Group General Manager Times Club This is the first time I have represented The Tamara Coorg in TTF and it has been an overwhelming experience for me to visit and exhibit at such a grand event. We have received many queries from the visitors here at TTF Ahmedabad. Overall, it has been a great show. Keep it up! Santosh Uthappa Resort Manager The Tamara Coorg TTF is a great platform. I was happy to see so many travel agents here. We came across many new clients. I am thankful to the organisers of TTF Pune and wish to participate in many more TTFs. Gauri Mulay Executive Business Development Spiceland Holidays TTF Pune was good for us, we are happy and satisfied with the response received here. We will definitely participate next year as well. We met good quality buyers and we are sure all these meetings will turn into good business. I want to thank the organisers of TTF. Depen Gurung Ren Tours & Treks, Bhutan TTF is an excellent platform for travel startups and to build relationships. I am very glad to have participated here in TTF. It s an excellent opportunity for me to network with travel trade from all over India under the one umbrella. Ahmedabad is one of the potential source markets for us and I thank the organisers for giving us a platform through TTF. D Sekar Advisor - Operations & Marketing The Hamuse Hotel We are participating in TTF Pune for the first time and we are amazed with the response received here. We have received quality buyers and direct bookings from here. Now we want to part a part of every TTF being held in different cities. Dimple Satavat Operation Manager Desert Planners Tourism POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018 27
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Kerala ready to welcome tourists after the disastrous floods Sending out a message that most of tourism locations in Kerala have survived the onslaughts of the recent calamitous floods, a top official of the State s Tourism Department held a press conference on the second day of TTF Ahmedabad, saying God s Own Country is gearing up to welcome domestic and international guests during the upcoming tourism season from next month. Kerala Tourism is quickly bouncing back from the flood-related damage which has not affected most of the tourism locations in the State, and the State Government has accorded priority to speedy restoration of roads connecting major destinations, said P Bala Kiran, Director, Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala. Addressing the press conference, he said, Most of the tourist locations were intact. Most of the resorts and hotels are unaffected. There is also a huge support from tourism trade across India. Singling out the damage to roads connecting tourism destinations as a major challenge, Bala Kiran said the Government is giving top priority to rebuilding these roads. He also pointed out that the tourist arrivals had started picking up from August 29. All the airports as also road and rail transportation are operational in the State and the fourth airport at Kannur in north Kerala will be opened soon, he said. Munnar, Thekkady and Wayanad, the three prime locations which were affected due to rains and landslides, are now open for tourists and the public. Also, all sightseeing spots across the state are now accessible for tourists. Eravikulam National Park reopened on September 1 and eco-tourism activities in Thekkady are operational. Bala Kiran also informed that the Malabar region in North Kerala would be promoted in a big way after the opening of the Kannur airport. As planned, the Champions Boat League will be launched in 2018 with a spotlight on water and renewed life around water. Kerala Tourism will launch a string of aggressive promotional campaigns in key foreign markets to promote the upcoming 4th edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB), the biggest contemporary art event in Asia. It will be held from December 12, 2018 to March 19, 2019. The Director said that the newly opened Jatayu Adventure Centre near Thiruvananthapuram would be a major attraction during the coming tourist season. The centre houses the world s largest bird sculpture, a virtual reality museum, a state of the art ropeway and many other adventure activities. 30 POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018
Kashmir is the safest destination for women: Director, Tourism Kashmir Jammu & Kashmir Tourism organised a press conference at TTF Ahmedabad on Day 2 to promote tourism in the State and shed away misconceptions. Gujarat is one of the major markets for Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) and TTF Ahmedabad served as an ideal platform to promote J&K. Tasaduq Jeelani, Director, Jammu & Kashmir Tourism quipped, The state has more than 500 different tourist spots to discover which spans over Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh region. While the Jammu region is bestowed with destinations of religious interests like Vaishno Devi, Shiv Khori and there are destinations like Patnitop and various lakes that make a perfect leisure and family destination. Speaking about the facilities for tourists, Jeelani commented, We have high-end facilities for travellers who are looking for an onward journey from Jammu. Srinagar and other places in the valley like Gulmarg, Sonmarg, Pahalgam are very well connected from the road. We have good air connectivity to Srinagar from other cities of India if travellers are looking for an air travel. He also confirmed that the tourism department has worked on bettering the tourism facilities in Srinagar by providing reservation centres for travellers where a traveller can book houseboats, sikara rides, gondola rides, etc. from the centre itself. He also remarked that the rich flora and fauna of the State is one of the main reasons that attract the travellers to varied and diverse destinations. To utilise the natural resources of the state to the fullest, we have introduced adventure tourism lately with activities like white water rafting amongst others to attract the adventure junkies from India and around the globe, he added. Stressing on the safety aspect, Jeelani said, Kashmir is the safest destination for women. A woman traveller can roam freely on the streets of Kashmir even at midnight. Humanity is still alive in Kashmir. Hence, I request the people to visit the state and see the transformation. POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018 31
Cox & Kings conducted special seminars at multiple locations Celebrating 260 years, Cox & Kings Ltd, the oldest and leading tour operator with operations in 22 countries across continents held seminars at Kolkata, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune and Mumbai. They held an exclusive seminar to launch special packages to Vietnam, Finland and the Baltic Nations in association with Embassy of Vietnam and Finland Tourism Board at TTF Kolkata, and Dubai, Bahrain and Indonesia in association with the respective tourism boards and Garuda Indonesia Airlines at TTF South in Hyderabad. At Ahmedabad, Pune and Mumbai there were special seminar on destinations including Indonesia, Finland and the Baltic States. Cox & Kings business representatives presented the diversified offerings of the six destinations to a packed room of industry partners. The travel agents on-ground were benefitted by the interactive seminar organised to enable them to better market the destination. About 100 suppliers and other stakeholders used the opportunity to network and solve their queries with the representatives from Cox & Kings and airline partners during the seminar at India s largest travel trade show network. The seminar at TTF offered an interactive platform for the destinations to explore the Indian outbound segment. Gracing the occasion at TTF Kolkata, H.E. Ton Sinh Thanh, Ambassador of Vietnam to India and Sara Sodhi Juneja, Country Head, Finland Tourism Board were present. They interacted with the travel agents and presented the destinations, its new routes, unique sights and customised itineraries. Another engaging presentation was by Anupam Vig, Manager - Sales (North and East India), Finnair who shared the flight information and special offers for travel agents. At TTF South, Sunil Mathapati, Country Manager from Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority and delegates from Cox and Kings were present who interacted with the travel agents and presented the destinations, its unique sights and customised itineraries. An interactive session and presentation was by Chetan Mota, Sales and Marketing Officer, Garuda Indonesia who shared the flight information and special offers for travel agents. 32 POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018 Karan Anand, Head, Relationships, Cox & Kings said, Cox & Kings has one of the largest supplier networks in the world. Our strategic partnerships with tourism boards enable our trade partners to explore the destinations further and give the best value to the tourists. We are happy to have been associated with Vietnam Tourism, Finland Tourism, Finnair, Indonesia Tourism, Dubai Tourism, Bahrain Tourism, Garuda Indonesia Airlines at TTF Kolkata and TTF South to bring diverse products to our Indian trade partners and clientele. Increasing number of Indian tourists has been visiting both Finland and Vietnam who have recorded a substantial growth in the arrivals. Finland had witnessed a robust growth of 42% in tourist arrivals and overnights from the Indian market in 2017. Vietnam also witnessed an increase of 30% in 2017 as compared to its preceding year. Indonesia witnessed a growth of about 30% in Indian tourist arrivals to Bali in 2017 as compared to 2016; whereas the middle-eastern destinations, Dubai and Bahrain, continue to rise up in the list of favourites for Indians. About nine million Indians are expected to travel to the GCC nations by 2021 that Dubai and Bahrain are both parts of. Commenting on the series of presentations being conducted at TTF, Karan Anand, Head Relationships said, Cox & Kings believes in providing a seamless platform to educate all our travel trade partners about the latest developments. We are happy to partner with the beautiful destinations including Indonesia, Finland, the Baltic states, Oman and Seychelles and promote their diverse offering. The discerning travellers of India are demanding for complex travel solutions and we are here to support our fraternity and enable them through this highly engaging TTF forum. The special seminar is a part of the series of workshops and presentations that Cox & Kings has been organising to share unfiltered destination-specific knowledge with travel agents. These targeted seminars at trade shows including the one at TTF have been offering an interactive platform for the destinations to explore the Indian outbound segment.
Gracing the special occasion, delegates from the Qatar Airways and Garuda Airline were also present. Providing the latest on flights from Ahmedabad and other Indian cities, the representatives held an interactive session with the audience. Anand also added, Through our outreach sessions at TTF, we have successfully managed to cover various cities. We are glad to be in Pune this time. The current knowledge session on Finland and Indonesia will prove extremely beneficial for the travel fraternity here. The traveller base in Pune is quite discerning and always looks for new destinations. The Cox & Kings seminar with its strategic partners will enable our Pune partners to offer the best of travel solutions. Oman has impressed Indian travellers with its distinct offerings. A stunning coastline, historic monuments, authentic Arabian experience and state-of-the-art infrastructure make Oman a dream destination. Since 2014, Oman has witnessed a growth of about 31% in Indian arrivals while it continues to ride on the growth of Indian MICE traffic as well. The number of tourists going to Seychelles is constantly rising. It is no more only a honeymoon destination but for families and celebrations alike. With an impressive growth of about 13.3% for the period of January to July 2018 vis-à-vis the same period in 2017, Seychelles has indeed become the talk of the town. This was my first time in TTF Kolkata and it is an excellent platform to tap into the lucrative travel market of the eastern part of India. The Cox & Kings session was very eventful as the travel agents got to know more about Vietnam as a destination. The audience too was very keen on knowing more about Vietnam. TTF undoubtedly is the best platform to promote and market tourism products. We wish the organisers good luck for their future endeavours! H.E. Ton Sinh Thanh Ambassador of Vietnam to India I was overwhelmed to see the enthusiasm of people here at TTF Kolkata. Everyone here meant business, be it exhibitors, visitors or buyers. Also at the session, I encountered many knowledgeable people with good understanding of the market and they were very interactive as well. This by far was one of the best TTFs I have ever attended and I thank the organisers for their support. Good luck! Anupam Vig Manager - Sales (North and East India), Finnair As East and North East market is gaining position and shaping up into huge potential tourism market, platforms such as TTF helps the travel trade to capture such important markets. At the session, I got to meet and network with so many potential buyers and it was a great opportunity for us to have people from travel trade under the same roof. We educated them about Finland and now we are looking at a good business from the Kolkata market. TTF is definitely a marquee show in travel trade industry and we thank the organisers for such an excellent opportunity. Sara Sodhi Juneja Country Head, Finland Tourism Board Thank you for inviting us and making us a part of TTF. It is a good platform and since it is a multi-city show we are always eager to participate with TTF. As TTF is one of the oldest travel trade shows we get a lot of response as far as the visitors are concerned. Chetan Mota Sales and Marketing Officer Garuda Indonesia POST SHOW REPORT - TTF 2018 33