ITB Berlin, a product of Messe Berlin, plans to enter India in 2010 as it announced a co-branded show with SATTE, India’s top business-to-business travel show.
SATTE (South Asian Travel and Tourism Exchange) and ITB (International Tourism Bourse) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in New Delhi recently. At the event, Dr Martin Buck, director of the Competence Centre Travel and Logistics at Messe Berlin, confirmed the endorsement reflected commitment to the India market and the entire south Asian region.
It recognised the power of the Indian traveller and India as a major generator on the travel and tourism circuit of Asia. ITB has been looking to increase its international presence and last year embarked upon its first show in Singapore, launching the first edition of ITB Asia.
SATTE and ITB have been working together over the last four years. This new agreement will secure a world-class experience at the 17th annual edition of SATTE from January 28 to 30, 2010.
Asked to clarify how the Singapore model would be different from its endorsement of SATTE in New Delhi, Buck said: “SATTE and ITB Asia are product offers that cater to different market needs. Some buyers/sellers will attend one of the two and some will attend both.”
Navin Berry, chief coordinator of SATTE, said that the show “opens the doors for SATTE to acquire more international exposure, both for buyers as well as sellers. ITB will be extending its marketing muscle to SATTE and we expect this to translate into a more comprehensive international show. We expect more quality content enhancement from ITB and for us this is indeed both a recognition as well as a challenge to achieve new goals.”
ITB Berlin 2010 takes place March 10 to 14. Parallel with the event is the ITB Berlin Convention, the world’s largest specialist convention for the industry, held from March 10 to13, 2010. This year saw 11,098 companies from 187 countries exhibiting their products and services to 178,971 visitors, including 110,857 trade visitors.