Supported by the Union Ministry of Tourism, and hosted by UBM India, one of India's major exhibition organizers, the three-day SATTE 2017 will see participation from almost all state tourism boards from India.

As far as National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) are concerned, US, Mexico, Peru, Czech Republic, Spain, Russia, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Israel, Thailand, Indonesia, Macau, Fiji, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Abu Dhabi,  Dubai, New Zealand, Reunion Island and Egypt have confirmed their participation, the organisers said in a release on Thursday.

Peru, Vietnam and Sharjah are joining for the first time. 

Dubai, Sri Lanka and Thailand are partner countries for SATTE 2017.

According to the organisers, SATTE provides a comprehensive platform to domestic and international buyers and professionals from across the travel, tourism and hospitality industry to meet and conduct business, including promotion of inbound, outbound and domestic tourism in India.

Pronab Sarkar, President, Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) said, “SATTE has emerged as one of the premium platforms in the country. This is a place where the entire tourism fraternity comes under one umbrella and a lot of actual business happens.”

The three-day trade meet, from Feb 15-17, 2017,  is planning to to showcase special pavilion of 12 start-ups and venture capital firms that will be on board to provide seed investments for innovative ideas.

Biji Eapen, President, IATA Agents Association of India, said, “We are sure that SATTE 2017 will follow its tradition and the newer features will only help SATTE establish new growth paths for the Indian Travel and Tourism Industry."

"SATTE 2016 -- the 23rd edition of SATTE – was labeled ‘Unprecedented and Bold’, and saw participation from around 860 exhibitors across 35 countries, 30 international and 28 domestic tourism boards,” said Eapen

Some of the key brands scheduled to join SATTE 2017 are Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, ITDC, Sterling Resorts, Dubai Parks & Resorts, Movenpick Hotel & Resorts, Minor Hotels, Melia Hotels International, ONYX Hospitality Group, Ramee Group of Hotels, Shangri –La Hotels and Resorts and Venetian Cotai.

According to PP Khanna, President, Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI), “SATTE is the biggest travel trade exhibition in South Asia. Not only does it give fresh exposure to established players, it also offers a plethora of opportunities to new entrants.”

Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India said, “SATTE has now become an institution and has evolved as a truly global exhibition in this part of the world. In spite of worldwide uncertainties this year, SATTE has an expected turnout of over 21,000 qualified travel professionals.”

As a pre-cursor to the expo, UBM India will be hosting the SATTE Awards 2017 on Feb 14, 2017.

The 19 award categories will cover various segments of the travel and tourism industry including airlines, cruise, tour operators, hotels, destinations, online travel portals, to name just a few.

Image: SATTE Twitter