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NEWSLINE
A Brand New Platform for Travel Trade
Manish Gandhi, Vipul Mittra IAS, Neha Dhupia and Chhagan Bhujbal inaugurating IITT
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he Indian International Travel & Tourism Exhibition (IITT) held in Mumbai recently managed to attract a host of buyers and sellers from across the globe. The event provided an opportunity for domestic and international exhibitors to showcase products and services to their peers across India and overseas. The event highlighted the challenges faced by the industry and focused on key industry issues and expert perspectives. The first edition of IITT was conceptualised and executed by trade fair leader, Asian Business Exhibition and Conferences Ltd (ABEC) in collaboration with leading exhibition organiser, ITE Group PLC from January 1618, 2014 at the MMRDA Exhibition Center at Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai. IIITT witnessed participation from a large number of destinations such as Thailand, South Africa, Germany, Reunion Islands and many more. Domestic participants included Jammu & Kashmir, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh,
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Bengal, Sikkim, Pondicherry, Assam, Goa, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab along with the host state Maharashtra. Turkey, which has a long relationship with the ITE Group, was the Partner Country for IITT 2014. “IITT is a brand new platform that will bring with it a beneficial initiative and unexpected opportunities to maximize business and travel experiences”, claims Manish Gandhi, MD & CEO of ABEC, who was the driving force behind the overwhelming success of IITT 2014. The exhibition, spread across an area of 10,000 sq m, featured sellers including National Tourist Organisations (NTOs), state
tourism boards, travel consultants, tour operators, car rental companies, convention centres, cruise liners, golf courses, resorts and hotels, among others. The event witnessed participation of over 4,000 travel trade visitors, and the HR, administration, marketing and travel desk managers of corporate clients. The event saw over 1,000 pre-scheduled meetings with 65 national and international speakers and 20 featured countries. The three-day event was inaugurated by Chhagan Bhujbal, Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra. Neha Dhupia, Bollywood actor; Ghulam Ahmad Mir, Minister for Tourism, Jammu & Kashmir;
Vipul Mittra, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Civil Aviation, Pilgrimage & Devasthan (Industries & Mines Department), Govt. of Gujarat; Sujit Banerjee, Secretary General, World Travel & Tourism Council India Initiative (WTTCII); Chandana Khan IAS, Special Chief Secretary, Tourism & Culture, Archaeology & Museums, Archives & Youth Services & Sports, NCC, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh; and Guldeep Singh Sahni – President, Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI); Kishore Mandhyan - Former Director - Political, Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Affairs United Nations, and Mark Temple Smith – Director, ITE, were present at the inaugural session. IITT opened doors to thousands of visitors at its inception. The state-of-theart-façade that took 15 days for its completion was the star attraction of the event. It included nine prominent tourist attractions from across the globe such as Eiffel tower of Paris, Taj Mahal of India, Great Wall of China, Leaning Tower of Pisa - Italy, Merlion of Singapore, Colosseum of Rome, St Basil Cathedral of Russia, Egyptian Pyramids and Sydney Opera House of Australia. IITT also turned to be an ideal venue for a large number of cultural stages, workshop areas and VIP lounge. There was a Gala Networking Night followed by a cultural program organized at a five-star hotel in the evening, which was much appreciated by the delegates and exhibitors after a packed working day.
ASIAN TRAVELLER I FEBRUARY 2014