BLTM – India’s trade show on business, leisure travel and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events) – saw the participation of over 100 exhibitors from four countries and 13 plus Indian States and Union Territories.
St Petersburg was the feature destination of the two-day show, which commenced on Saturday, while Singapore was the feature country. Goa, Odisha and Gujarat displayed their best as partner states, while Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh participated as feature states. Private sector players from across the country also took part in the show.
Highlighting the growth of the MICE industry, Jyoti Mayal, President, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), said: “It is predicted that the tourism sector will see a 5.8 per cent growth year on year. We also will be witnessing 126 million more employment in the next decade. The MICE sector in India has been pegged at Rs 25,000 crore, with a growth of 8 per cent.”
Subhash Goyal, former Secretary, Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) and former President of IATO, stressed on the need for strengthening India-Russia relations.
“BLTM has received exceptional support from the travel industry at large and our association partners who have been instrumental in the revival of travel and tourism,” said Sanjiv Agarwal, Chairman and CEO, Fairfest Media Ltd, the organizer of BLTM.
The inauguration of the show was graced by a number of luminaries including Kuzenskaya Julia, Deputy Chairman, Committee for Tourism Development of St Petersburg, Raymond Lim, Area Director India (New Delhi office) – International Group, Singapore, Arun Srivastava, Deputy Director General, Union Ministry of Tourism, consuls and ambassadors of participating and non-participating countries including Sri Lanka, Cuba, Greece, Vietnam, and others.
BLTM will be followed next week by OTM – the leading travel trade show in Asia-Pacific – being organised on September 13, 14 and 15 at the Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai.