NE BUSINESS BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, MAR 4
The domestic travel sector is looking up, opening new vistas for hospitality-related business, with the advent of COVID-19 vaccination, a senior central government official said here on Thursday.
The official was speaking at the inauguration of the first major tourism festival here since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.
“Domestic tourism is here to stay, leading to rediscovering the new facets of our country and the intangible heritage we have. The government has been extending all possible help to boost tourism. Air travel has reached 90 percent of pre-COVID level and railways has started running over 65 of trains,” Jitendra S Yadav, Assistant Director, India Tourism, Ministry of Tourism, Mumbai said.
The rich heritage of the country can be the focus and help the travel industry grow manifold, the official said.
“Though the foreign tourist arrival may have to wait for some time, the domestic travel sector has filled the void and has helped the revival of business,” Sanjeev Agarwal, chairman, and CEO of Fairfest Media, the organisers of the TTF, said.
Agarwal said that despite an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in some states, the domestic tourism sector is likely to remain upbeat. The Centre ought to prevail over some state governments imposing many restrictions on visitors from other states to give the much-needed thrust to domestic tourism.
When asked about the budgetary support for the tourism and hospitality sector, Agarwal said there was nothing from the Centre except easing of travel norms.
Now, the time is ripe for domestic tourists to visit summer or weekend getaways as the industry is offering high discount rates making the travel and stay affordable for all.
The three-day fair commenced day at the Gujarat University Exhibition Hall in Ahmedabad..
“We are extremely happy to report that the confidence in domestic travel is growing by leaps and bounds,” Agarwal said.
Rajasthan Tourism hosted a destination presentation at the venue today, for the travel trade and media, which was followed by high tea.
Over 130 exhibitors from 5 countries and 13 states are being represented at the show. Gujarat Tourism is participating in a big way as the Host State and its famous attraction, The Statue of Unity has joined as the Partner Destination. Uttarakhand, Kerala, Himachal and Rajasthan have come on board as the Partner States. This year’s Feature State is Telangana. As always, India Tourism too has a significant presence in the show.
The show is actively supported by many national and regional travel trade associations including OTOAI, ATOAI, TAAI, ADTOI, IATO, IAAI, ETAA, SATA, RAAG, SGTCA, TAAS, ATAA, GTAA, TAG, UTEN, VTAA, TAFI, TLC, TOSG, ABTO and TOA whose members will be attending in large numbers.
Key private players from DMCs, hotels, airlines, and other sectors have also joined with enthusiasm. TTF Ahmedabad has Indonesia, Maldives, Mauritius and the USA represented through private agencies as well.
Featured Exhibitors at the show include The Zuri White Sands Goa Resort & Casino, Evolve Back Resorts, Kara Water, Lords Hotels & Resorts, Trulyy India Hotels & Resorts, Chutney Hotels, Swapna Srushti International Club, Hotelbox, Asianext Travelworld, Travelplug.in, Sanobar Hotels, Samode Hotels, Bodhi Boutique Hotel Kumbhalgarh, Bhairavgarh Resorts & Spa, Special Holidays, Vythiri Village, Neonz Resort & Club, Maruti Nandan Resort & Spa, Travelurze, Ramee Royal Resort & Spa, Mountain Trails, Easy to Travel, The Bayan Hotels & Resorts, Classic Travel Shoppe, Spiceland Holidays, Valley View Resorts & Spa by Traavista, Bamboo SAA Resort & Spa, Oriental Palace Resorts, Suvin Residency, Ayaan Resort & Spa, Akshay Niwas, Hotel Wonder Cliff, and others.
All three days of TTF Ahmedabad will be reserved for B2B interactions between the exhibitors and the travel trade from Ahmedabad and the whole of Gujarat, especially Surat, Rajkot, and Vadodara.
The show comes at a strategic time when India’s travel and tourism industry is showing green shoots of recovery and will provide the much-needed boost to kickstart travel in Western India. TTF Ahmedabad will be followed by the grand finale, OTM Mumbai on 19, 20, 21 March at the Bombay Exhibition Centre.
The organisers are ensuring that all Covid-related safety protocols and measures will be followed at TTF Ahmedabad by exhibitors, visitors, venue owners, and service providers, to ensure a safe and beneficial experience for all.
