SATTE 2015 echoes the positive wave in Indian travel and tourism industry

NEW DELHI - SATTE 2015, South Asia's largest travel show and now in its 22nd edition, commenced yesterday at Pragati Maidan. Chief Guest Mr. Girish Shankar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India graced the occasion amongst eminent ministers from across the globe, ambassadors and high commissioners of participating countries and key people from leading travel associations from both India and abroad. Supported by Ministry of Tourism and in association with World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), SATTE 2015 is represented by the Ministry of Tourism, top travel associations from the domestic and global fronts.

Speakers at the forum (Day 1):
- Mr John Bell, International broadcasting expert and tourism consultant, Expert, UNWTO Silk Road Task Force
- Mr Jonathan Karkut, UNWTO Silk Road Programme
- Mr Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism
- Mr Subhash Goyal, President, IATO
- Mr Aashish Gupta, Consulting CEO, FAITH and Founder, StrategyPluto
- Mr Rajeev Kohli, Joint Managing Director, Creative Travel
- Mr A. R. Bardhan, Principal Secretary, West Bengal Tourism
- Mr S K Mishra, MD, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board
- Mr S K Sangar, MD, Tourism Finance Corporation of India
- Mr Talat Parvez, Director, Kashmir Tourism

The 3-day event will have eminent business leaders share their views on the tourism and hospitality industry and the impact that India can make in this sector. International participants like the Philippines, Swedavia-Sweden Airports, Mexico Tourism and Central Asia have harnessed this platform and ventured into India for the first time. In addition, Bihar Tourism has participated in the event for the first time with Rajasthan Tourism and Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces making a comeback.

Speakers at the forum (Day 2):
- Mr Sheldon Santwan, Advisor, IIPTI
- Dr. Lalit Panwar, Secretary (Tourism), Govt of India
- Ms Valsa R Nair-Singh, Secretary (Tourism), Govt. of Maharashtra
- Mr Dipak Haksar, COO, ITC Hotels
- Ms Rika Jean-Francois, CSR Commissioner, ITB, Berlin
- Mr Ajay Prakash, Founder President, IIPTI
- Rajan Sehgal, President, India Golf Tourism Association
- Mr Girish Shankar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India
- Mr Padamjit Sandhu, Director, PGTI
- Mr Sanjay Singh, Principal Resident Representative, Tata Sons
- Mr Aakash Ohri, Executive Director, DLF Golf Resort
- Mr Uday Marwah, Director, Uday Tours & Travels

Mr. Joji George, MD, UBM India said, "SATTE showcases the true potential of tourism for India and other countries, all under one roof. With Government's provisions in place to promote tourism in India, we are happy to see SATTE 2015's stance being further reinforced. The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India as well as UNWTO's support further validates SATTE as an industry platform for the industry."

Key sessions at SATTE cover subjects that encompass:

Day One
1. Presentation on highlights of tourism trends in 2014 by Jonathan Karkut, Expert, UNWTO Silk Road Task Force
2. Indian tourism growth and opportunities
3. Integrated approach and unified strategy must to give a major push to tourism
4. Destination Briefing by West Bengal Tourism

Day Two
1. Promotional and marketing strategy - Approaches to Adapt to Changes in the Marketplace
2. Technology, Digital and Social Media and One Common Marketplace - The changing face of travel in India
3. Presentation by RezNext that will cover:
- Why hotel distribution needs to be a data dependent business
- What can hoteliers do to distribute inventory intelligently
- How can real time actionable analytics help
4. Presentation by 'Wingspan Holidays'

Taking cognizance of the growing travel business online, SATTE 2015 will provide a platform to GDSs, online travel agencies and online travel marketing companies to showcase their products and services. Companies such as Abacus and Travelport Galileo, Fore Representations, Holiday Merchants, Influence Technolabs, Internet Moguls, M Globe International, One World Teleservices, QuadLabs, RezLive, roomsXML, Travel Boutique Online, Travel I and Zap Booking amongst others, will showcase their new products and applications to the Indian travel trade.

Notable launches at SATTE 2015:

This year, SATTE witnessed new launches from participants such as:

1. Lavasa (India's first planned hill city):
a. Jetovator: Recently introduced, Jetovator is the world's latest exciting water sports craze, the 'Jetovator' at Lakeshore Watersports in the hill city. The new 'Jetovator' that combines the acrobatic aptitudes of an aircraft with the simplicity of riding a motorbike - has been launched for the first time in India.
b. Segway: A unique mode of green transportation. Self-balancing mini-bicycle powered by a battery to tourists for personalised, unhindered and thrilling exploration. At Lavasa, tourists can now cover large distances with great ease and discover the lush green trails and scenic pathways.
- A unique gyroscope technology and the lean steer riding way makes Segway, one of the safest and efficient mode of transport to cover large walking distances.

2. Google Hotel Finder (Developed by Jindal RHM Interactive P. Ltd):
a. Regarded as leaders in Google's Hotels Business View and solutions, Jindal RHM Interactive is focused solely on delivering.
b. Google Hotel Finder is a new age presentation technology that allow the hotelier to showcase the hotel property and the end users to virtually experience the hotel in the same way he would if he would be there. View it on computers, smart phones or tablets.

3. The world's first real-time intelligent distribution platform powered by integrated data strategy: (Developed by RezNext Global Solutions, the world's only true Real-Time Distribution Technology Company. It empowers hotels to adopt a distribution strategy that simplifies the complex global distribution environment and makes it understandable and manageable. It is integrated with revenue management, operating intelligence and powered with reputation management insights).
a. This will streamline the process of managing online distribution channels through a unified data approach.
b. It is built on a unified data strategy that brings all information needed to manage reservations, on one screen - including rates, room type, inventory, availability and blocked out dates. There is no need to work out of multiple screens any more.
c. It features an easy-to-use calendar view to manage day-to-day operations efficiently.
d. It is flexible to help you accommodate both real-time distribution and allocation model for better control over yield management.
e. This application is device agnostic and offers the same user experience whether you access it from a laptop, tablet or smartphone.

sourced:traveldailynews.asia