Mohit Rathod – Mumbai
SATTE, one of South Asia’s acclaimed travel trade shows, was held in Mumbai recently. Organised by UBM India, this was the fifth edition of SATTE Mumbai. The event was inaugurated by Michael Duck, executive vice president, UBM Asia; Mukesh Bhatia, regional director – Western region, Air India; Sudhir Patil, president, Maharashtra Tour Organisers’ Association (MTOA); Erdel S Ergen, consul general, Turkish Consulate General, Mumbai; and Yogesh Mudras, managing director, UBM India.
Commenting on the show, Patil expressed, “This is a very good platform for networking. Currently it is also a good season for the fraternity, so this trade show complements the travel trade even more. There have been various developments in the travel industry recently, such as the GST and MTDC’s Mumbai Darshan tours. I am optimistic about the growth of the industry. India is a good market for tourism; I am happy to see the proactiveness shown by travel trade and SATTE is a crucial part of this.” Adding to this, Bhatia commented, “This is an excellent platform for the travel and tourism industry, which facilitates better communication and understanding of various tourism products.”
The two-day show featured travel trade partners such as national and international tourism boards, travel agents and tour operators, DMCs, airlines, online travel companies, hotels and resorts and technology companies.
The first day of the show witnessed two panel discussions where experts shedded light on industry-related topics. ‘Promoting Destinations through Cinema Tourism’ was moderated by Abhijeet Patil, a cinema tourism expert and CEO, Raja Rani Travels. On the panel were Mohd Hafiz Hashim, director, Tourism Malaysia, Mumbai; Satish Soni, joint managing director, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation and Karan Anand, head – relationships, Cox & Kings. Another panel discussion, themed ‘Bridging the gap between Tour Operators & Hoteliers’ highlighted co-ordinated strategies essential for better understanding among OTAs, hoteliers and travel agents and tour operators. The penalists included Mohit Sardana, co-founder, GoFro; Rajesh Mohan, GM, Hotel Sahara Star & Aamby Valley City; and Jay Bhatia, treasurer and tourism council chairman, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI). The discussion was moderated by Sudhir Patil.
SATTE Mumbai was supported by tourism boards and industry associations such as Italian National Tourist Board, Nepal Tourism Board, Gujarat Tourism, Incredible India, MTDC, TAAI, MTOA and SKAL International among others.
