The two B2B domestic tourism road shows in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, on December 18 and in Goa the following day augurs well for the Indian tourism, industry and stakeholders. First such physical events since the lockdown was imposed in March 2020 in the wake Coronavirus pandemic, the ‘boutique roadshows’ were organised by Ministry of Tourism, Government of India through India Tourism’s Western Region office in the buyer-meet-seller format involving local tourism department and industry bodies’ support.
The roadshows clearly show MoT’s intent in restarting and reviving tourism in India. Albeit a small event in terms of attendance that was kept limited in view of the pandemic, the Raipur road show had Union Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurating the event. The Additional Director General, MoT, GoI, Rupinder Brar had travelled to Goa for the same.
Commenting on these events Brar has said, “We are doing these ‘boutique roadshows’ around the country to create a sense of confidence and also to create buzz” to bring back the buoyancy and brightness in different destinations, especially off-beat and lesser known places, in the wake of
the pandemic.
The event-format is promising and needs to be adopted as a template by other India Tourism and State Tourism offices without delay as the tourism businesses and economy and employment are all reeling under the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Trade bodies need to come forward with ideas and innovation in the format that can make it an even bigger success. But most important of all, it will help build confidence and steadily and surely put the tourism economy and businesses and employment in the sector on the path to recovery.
Another promising development lately is Informa Markets’s decision to go ahead with the physical edition of SATTE 2021. One of the largest travel fairs in Asia and the year’s first premier international travel expo, SATTE has played a critical role in India’s growth as an inbound tourism destination as well as growing domestic tourism for almost three decades now. In its 28th edition now, SATTE 2021 can help unleash the pent-up demand for travel.
The event, scheduled on March 24-26 at Delhi NCR’s India Expo, presents a huge opportunity for Indian destination exhibitors or States Tourism Boards to reboot tourism economy in their region and for the products and other suppliers to revive their tourism businesses. The show was attended by over 35,000 travel and tourism professionals that included thousands of domestic buyers in the last edition. Besides, the event had hosted more than 500 domestic buyers along with 200 international buyers.
ADG Brar has on several occasions recently strongly argued for domestic tourism as an engine of growth to help reboot tourism activity in India and counter the effect of the pandemic on the sector. In one of her addresses recently she had fervently urged the industry, “Let’s not look at domestic tourism as something to just fall back upon because international tourism is not happening. But look at the kind of potential that domestic tourism offers for all times to come.”
Commenting on MoT’s boutique roadshows, Nilesh Shah, President of Travel & Tourism association of Goa (TTAG), while stressing the need of ‘positive messaging’ and synergy pointed that December could have been much better for Goa tourism if not for mix-up around pandemic related SOPs and compulsory checks etc.
“There has been a lot of confusion. What is very important is that the right messaging has to go that we are open which we appreciate that the Government of India is doing now with the roadshows. Through these roadshows they are sending the right message throughout India that tourism is opening. This is an opportunity to come out of the shell. The efforts are in the right direction. But what we require is that these continuous positive messaging needs to go on,”
Shah said.
He pointed that the tourism sector contributes close to 35 per cent to Goa’s GDP and therefore there is a lot riding for the state’ economy and employment. He also said that spreading positivity while exercising caution is the need of the hour and the sector is both, ready and willing to take pandemic related safety protocols. The Goa leg of MoT’s boutique roadshow was organised in partnership with Goa Tourism and TTAG.
For the first ‘boutique roadshow’ at Raipur, 15 tour operators from Gujarat were flown in to facilitate B2B networking meets with suppliers from Chhattisgarh and also showcase the lesser known facets of the state’s Baster area through familiarization trip. For the Goa road show India Tourism brought 15 tour operators from Southern Maharashtra for the B2B event that attracted 30 Goan suppliers.
An industry striving and awaiting adequate recognition and response of the effects of pandemic on tourism sector and ‘positive messaging’, MoT’s ‘boutique roadshows’ is certainly a good step in the direction. However the effort needs to be scaled and expanded. And not to forget, one of the world’s leading travel expo SATTE that is scheduled in just over three months from now. Professional travel expos like SATTE are key engines of growth and trade of tourism services.
The need of the hour is to build on the momentum. The governments, both at Centre and States, and tourism bodies and enterprises need to establish greater synergy and communication on this and work in tandem on “positive messaging” as Shah says or building “confidence and buoyancy” as the ADG puts it.
