INDIA’S biggest B2B travel trade show, OTM 2013 concluded with a record number of visitors shows held at attending its two shoes held in Mumbai and Delhi. OTM Mumbai received 9,853 trade visitors while Delhi welcomed 6,306 visitors. In addition, over 2,500 general visitors attended each show. Some 1,200 exhibitors from 30 countries and all over India took part in the OTM Mumbai and Delhi together.
The strong numbers reinforced OTM’s position as the top B2B focused travel trade show in India, in terms of size, number of participants and trade visitors.
The first two days of both the events were dedicated to the travel trade fraternity and drew a hugely positive response. The largest international participation came from Sri Lanka, Turkey, China and Thailand – the partner countries, with a large presence also from feature countries including Canada, Philippines, Maldives, Egypt, Macau, Indonesia, Nepal, Bangladesh and Russia.
At its OTM Mumbai pavilion, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) brought a large number of private participants to woo Indian travellers through their Indian trade counterparts. “OTM is actually B2B, and it is doing a very good job for the tourism industry,” said Sethapan Buddhani, director, Tourism Authority of Thailand (Mumbai).
Tina Singh, assistant vice president, Canadian Tourism Commission Representative in India said, “We mainly use OTM for our promotions in India. Other than Mumbai and Delhi, we want to go to other cities like Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore for building our sales network. OTM is a great opportunity for Canada to showcase in India.”
A major attraction at OTM was the Cruise Hub, showcasing the leading brands of the global cruising industry. The cruise lines represented in the hub were Star Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), MSC Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn Cruises, Windstar Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises and Costa Cruises.
Kishan Biyani, director for Ark Travels said, “While earlier we were largely selling Asian cruises like Star Cruises, we now offer our clients high-end cruise options with MSC Cruises and Silversea Cruises. We expect these cruises to gain popularity as a venue for weddings and events too. A key role in our success can be attributed to OTM. That we have gone from a smaller stall few years back to a larger stall this year shows how we have developed our B2B and B2C markets from OTM,”
Midhat Hussain, regional manager (Northern India), Tirun Travel Marketing, promoting Azamara Club Cruises, Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity X Cruises, said, “Cruising is the upcoming holiday option nowadays. As a new entrant to OTM, we outdid our expectations and saw the number of people we wanted to see. It is time for travel promoters to consider cruise as a serious travel option and give it prominence. We are expecting good business to follow.”
The Delhi event saw an interactive presentation on the US visa procedures made by Monica Shie and Satya Prakash from the Consular Section of the US Embassy, New Delhi. Shie said, “OTM is a wonderful opportunity for these information-sharing sessions allowing us to reach a larger audience.”
Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat and Odisha – the OTM partner states led participation in the domestic segment. Karnataka, Rajasthan and Punjab also participated enthusiastically as feature states. Other regional states like Maharashtra Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Daman & Diu, Goa, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Puducherry, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal were also present.
Mushtak D, managing director for Farhat International Tours & Travels which exclusively promotes Bahrain also present said. “The most important event in Bahrain is the Formula One Grand Prix that normally happens in April. Many tourists visit Bahrain during that time. Other than that, many other sporting events, air shows etc. take place throughout the year. It is also famous for pearls and pure gold.
“We are here to promote Bahrain as a new destination for Indians, and we found OTM most suitable for that,” he added.
While visiting OTM, Iqbal Mulla, president for TAAI (Travel Agents Association of India) commented that the show has indeed grown in leaps and bounds adding value to the participating tourism boards.
“I am very happy so many tourism boards are taking part here at OTM; it will not only help tourism, but also help develop bilateral relations. As far as the business part is concerned, it is a great idea to divide B2B and B2C. I think two days of B2B are enough; we can interact with the people, travel agents, tour operators and destination promoters. Opening the third day for consumers is also a great idea – you are enhancing your database to a larger gathering,” he added.
Explaining OTM’s importance in boosting business, Subhash Goyal, president, IATO (Indian Association of Tour Operators) said, “The role played by OTM is very important in guiding outbound travellers. I congratulate the organisers for putting up such a wonderful show.”
“Participants surveys conducted at OTM Mumbai and Delhi revealed a marked preference for trade focus and so we decided to allocate three days for travel trade visitors, while only the last day the show was also opened to general visitors,” said Sanjiv Agarwal, chairman and CEO of Fairfest Media and publisher and editor-in-chief of Travel News Digest.
OTM 2014 was formally launched at the valedictory function of the OTM Mumbai. OTM 2014 is scheduled in Mumbai from February 7-9 and OTM Delhi will be held from February 14- 16, 2014.