SATTE 2013: A Grand Success

New Delhi (ots/PRNewswire) -

The 20th edition of South Asia's leading B2B travel and tourism
trade exhibition SATTE (http://www.satte.in), held from 16-18
January, 2013 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, achieved immense success
and saw the presence of the who's who of both Indian and global
travel and tourism industries, including the Presidents of all the
Indian tourism associations, representatives from the UNWTO and
various National Tourist Offices, Ambassadors and High Commissioners
of various countries as well as travel agents and tour operators from
the industry. Industry leaders were unanimous that SATTE has been a
great platform for the sector. The exhibition was inaugurated by
Union Tourism Secretary, Parvez Dewan. "Today, the situation is that
the ratio between inbound tourism into India and outbound tourism out
of India is 1:2.5, and the gap is not narrowing, it is widening.
SATTE has become an institution; a well founded one within India and
its neighboring countries," he said in his inaugural speech. He
further added that, over the last 20 years, SATTE has been promoting
India's tourism and it has evolved as a truly global exhibition in
this part of the world.

During the inauguration ceremony Alla Peressolova, Head of the
Silk Road Programme and Fairs Programme, UNWTO read out a special
message by Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General, UNWTO, "In the last two
decades, SATTE has grown from strength to strength becoming one of
the leading networking forums for the tourism sector in South Asia.
With the contribution of more participants than ever before, I am
confident that SATTE will maintain its reputation. I look forward to
UNWTO's continued collaboration with SATTE." Peressolova further
added, "SATTE has been always been working as a catalyst for the
Indian travel and tourism sector. We have collaborated with SATTE to
promote tourism in this region." UNWTO also released their report on
domestic tourism in Asia and the Pacific at SATTE, a first on an
Indian platform.

Addressing the entire delegation at the inauguration Sajid Desai,
Group Director, UBM India revealed, "With 590 exhibitors from 35
overseas countries and 23 Indian states; buyers from over 43
countries and 74 cities of India SATTE 2013 has seen the
participation of many new countries as their launch platform to
showcase their diverse tourism profile to Indian travel trade. In
addition to long-time supporters, countries like USA, Bulgaria,
Ethiopia and Seychelles are participating for the first time at
SATTE." SATTE 2013 witnessed hectic B2B meetings, business
transactions and networking between buyers and sellers, as well as
thought provoking and insightful conference sessions.

Nancy Powell, US Ambassador to India, graced the inaugural dinner
of SATTE at The Ashok. Addressing the audience, Powell said that more
and more Indians are travelling to the United States. This is not
just because of America's welcoming atmosphere and outstanding
sights. It is also because Indians and Americans are finding more in
common. "Our personal and cultural ties are increasing dramatically
and trade between our two countries is following the same trajectory.
Travel and tourism to the U.S. is an important way for us to expand
our cultural and commercial ties and increase trade growth between
our countries. But the most important aspect of travel and tourism is
not the dollar figures, but the person-to-person relationships that
are cultivated."

Praising SATTE's efforts for tourism promotion she opined that
SATTE is one of the important platforms to do tourism business in
India. She stated that Brand USA is participating in SATTE 2013 to
promote US tourism products in India. In 2011, the United States
welcomed over 660,000 visitors from India - a new record. India is
now poised to leap into our top 10 sources of visitors and to cross
the 1 million visitor mark by 2015.

Extending his support to the exhibition, Subhash Goyal, President,
Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) stated, "Over the last 20
years, SATTE has continued to promote the tourism industry massively
in India. It has become an iconic show that cannot be missed by the
travel and tourism fraternity. We have and will continue to look
forward to a great and a successful show every year."

About UBM India

UBM India is a subsidiary of UBM plc, which is the second largest
independent exhibition organiser in the world. It is the largest
trade exhibition organiser in India, responsible for 26 exhibitions
in different locations across the country. The company is also
involved in the organisation of conference programmes throughout
India and in the publications of trade journals and magazines.

Media Contact:
Jayesh Kanaskar
Email: jayesh.kanaskar@ubm.com

UBM India Pvt Ltd.

Unit No. 1&2, B-Wing, 5th Floor, Times Square, Andheri-Kurla Road,
Andheri (E), Mumbai-400059

Tel: +91-22-61727272
Fax: +91-22-61727273
Mobile: +91-9819586780
Event URL http://www.satte.in
Website: http://www.ubmindia.in

ots Originaltext: UBM India Pvt. Ltd.
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de