Tradeshow season in India ends on a vibrant note
OTM Mumbai is a resounding success, registers 25% growth
The Voice of Canada/Chandigarh News
The Bombay Exhibition Centre witnessed the grandest ever edition of OTM in the show’s history. Known for its focus on the Indian outbound travel market, the show registered nearly 50% growth in its international segment further establishing its lead in the India and APAC travel tradeshow landscape.
Azerbaijan was the latest addition to OTM’s diverse portfolio of exhibitors alongside returning favourites Turkey and Greece. In fact, the show was inaugurated in the august presence of H.E. Harris Theocharis, Minister of Tourism, Greece who commented, “OTM is very vibrant. It has a lot of pavilions, tourism boards, countries as well as private enterprises. This is indeed the place to be.” He was joined by Mr Satpal Maharaj, Minister of Tourism, Uttarakhand and Dr Trust Lin, Director, Taiwan Tourism Promotion Bureau.
Southeast and East Asia had a large presence, with gorgeous pavilions from Taiwan, Thailand, Fiji, Korea and Japan. Commenting on the show, Yusuke Yamamoto, Executive Director of Tourism, Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) said, “OTM is a very good show. Being a B2B only event, the show is a very good platform for us to interact with the Indian travel market which is of critical importance to Japan.”
Indonesia was again OTM’s premium partner with the biggest pavilion, with massive multimedia screens, live angklung concerts and Balinese dancers. Malaysia’s pavilion was a treat to the eyes with a beautiful eco-themed decoration. “I’ve been here for two days and the feedback I got is that the response has been very positive. I myself have met with local players here and I’m confident that India will continue to perform well for Malaysia,” said Zulkifly Bin Md Said, Deputy Director-General, Tourism Malaysia.
Africa’s presence was also noteworthy – from Egypt to Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania. Neighbouring countries of Sri Lanka and Nepal both had elaborate displays on the show floor. Sri Lanka made a come back with the second biggest pavilion while Nepal is a favourite of OTM, participating year after year.
A range of hand-selected travel trade and corporate travel buyers from within India were hosted as VIP guests in OTM’s Hosted Buyer Program. 500+ top travel trade buyers comprising India’s biggest travel agents and tour operators alongside 50+ corporate decision-makers from ICICI, Ericsson, Reliance, Adani, Sharekhan, Mahindra, Raymond, Network 18 and others interacted with 1,100+ exhibitors on the very busy show floor.
200+ travel trade buyers and 100+ corporate buyers who are based in Mumbai attended OTM as pre-registered partially hosted buyers. 50+ MICE Planners and Wedding Planners from Cineyug, ANR Weddings, Bariza Events, Tamarind Global attended OTM while 50+ top Wedding Planners based in Mumbai were also a part of WeddingSutra Engage, a special segment dedicated to the booming destination weddings market in India.
Breaking all previous records, 30,000+ travel trade visitors also interacted with the exhibitors at the show.
Interestingly, BLTM (Business + Leisure Travel & MICE) held on January 31 and February 1 at the Leela Ambience Convention Hotel is the only full-format trade show in India exclusively focused on Business, BLeisure, BLuxury and MICE travel. Positioned as a satellite event just before the big and mighty OTM Mumbai, BLTM provides an additional chance to its international participants, to interact exclusively with Business, Luxury/Leisure and MICE segments. The event has grown from strength to strength since its launch in 2016, with over 50% growth in revenue in 2020 compared to 2019.
First-time participant Maldives had great things to share about the show. Haleela Naseer, Senior Marketing Coordinator, Maldives Marketing & PR Corporation said, “This is the first time Maldives is participating in BLTM and so far, we’ve met really good buyers. We had good meetings, especially dealing with MICE. The show looks promising. So far it has all been great!”
BLTM and OTM have both grown immensely, as evident from the quality of buyers and visitors at these shows. In a special panel discussion on “How to effectively engage buyers with your destination” esteemed panellists from Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Singapore Tourism Board, Tourism Malaysia, One Above and Veena World concurred on the importance of quality over quantity. The session was a part of the OTM Forum, India’s premium travel conference with speakers including the Chief Business Officer of MakeMyTrip, Managing Director of BCD Travel, CEO of Thrillophilia and many others.
OTM came to a grand conclusion with the Valedictory and Awards function, another star-studded affair graced by Shri Yogendra Tripathi, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism.
Several other interesting segments at the show included Cine Locales, WeddingSutra Engage and Swipe Right at OTM. To sum it up, Abraham Alapatt, President and Group Head – Marketing, Thomas Cook rightly said, “I can definitely say that OTM has grown in scale. I can feel the buzz. It’s a lot more crowded. It’s a sign of a lot of enthusiasm, excitement and participation. A lot more exhibitors this time. Overall, great vibe and energy.”
OTM Mumbai is organised by Fairfest Media, India’s leading travel trade show organisers backed by 30 years of experience.
