Big India, China presence boosts PATA Travel Mart

Friday, 29 July 2011 03:07 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Bangkok: The upcoming PATA Travel Mart in New Delhi will see a large amount of business created by Indian and Chinese buyers. PATA statistics show that the Indian and Chinese outbound markets are growing at around 12% per year.

Thirty Indian buyer organisations will be present. China will send 40 travel buyers, including 20 from the independent China Travel Service, the biggest wholesale tour operator in China.

A total of 310 buyer delegates from 228 organisations in 51 markets have so far registered for PTM, which takes place 6-9 September.

PATA Interim CEO Bill Calderwood said: “From a hard-nosed business perspective, PATA Travel Mart is a very compelling proposition this year. The Mart has been fine tuned to deliver focused quality-controlled buyer-seller negotiations, first hand experiences of new products and services, and vital briefings to build better business decisions.”

Of the 77 seller organisations from India, 31 will be first-time exhibitors. Ten Indian states will be represented and nine Chinese entities including Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hainan, Hebei, Henan, Kunming, Nanjing, Qinghai, Shenzhen, the China National Tourism Administration, and numerous private sector hotels and tour operators.

All the buyers at PTM will meet with more than 520 sellers from 278 organisations in 31 destinations. A large delegation of sellers from Japan will be there to underline the Mart’s strong participation from China, Korea, Japan and Chinese Taipei. Japan has reaffirmed that it is open and ready for business with participation by the PATA Japan Chapter, JTB Corp and the Japan Hotel Association.

To ensure quality meetings on the show floor, all PTM buyer delegates have been carefully vetted by an independent buyer selection committee to maximise successful contracting opportunities. The ideal ratio of confirmed buyers and sellers means that PATA can guarantee 38 appointments to the vast majority of sellers.

The largest number of buyers at PATA Mart will still be from the affluent European market, which is currently booking a lot of new business in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Maldives.

Additional new initiatives have been introduced at PATA Travel Mart 2011, including:

• A half-day interactive workshop entitled “Get the Insights – Build the Business,” focusing on the latest travel trends and expectations in the India and China outbound markets.

• A dedicated boutique and luxury hotel pavilion.

• A “Taste Australian Wine” promotion by Margaret River Motif and the South West Development Commission.

• A lucky draw for a Hertz Car Rental; the company, with co-sponsor TTG Asia Media, will give away a TATA Nano yellow car to a lucky draw winner – open to all registered delegates.

• A special train journey; after PTM, fifty lucky attendees can join the Buddhist Circuit special train journey for free; the all-inclusive experience runs 10-14 September and visits many places of Buddhist significance.