India Welcomes over 1,000 Delegates to PATA Travel Mart 2023
L/R: Mr. M.R. Synrem, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India; Ms. Manisha Saxena, Director General (Tourism), Ministry of Tourism, Government of India; Mr Peter Semone, Chair, PATA; Ms. V. Vidyavathi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India; Mr Noor Ahmad Hamid, CEO, PATA; Mr. Rakesh Kumar Verma, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India; Mr. Jatinder Taneja, Vice Chair, PATA India Chapter and Mr. Ben Liao, Vice Chair, PATA at the PATA Travel Mart Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the International Exhibition Convention Centre (IECC), Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India.
BANGKOK, October 5, 2023 -- PATA Travel Mart 2023 (PTM 2023), generously hosted by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, has attracted over 1000 delegates from 46 global destinations. The delegate numbers embraced 159 sellers from 92 organisations and 15 destinations, along with 196 buyers from 191 organisations and 38 source markets.
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is also pleased to welcome over 350 local and international students and young tourism professionals. The students from 10 local and international universities are part of the PATA Youth Symposium to be held later today, Thursday, October 5. The Youth Symposium is organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India; the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, and Amity University Noida.
“The Ministry of Tourism for the Government of India has been one of our most valuable members and active partner for more than 60 years. Based on their commitment and enthusiasm in organsing PATA Travel Mart, we at PATA are excited to facilitate engagement between India and the rest of the world through this event,” said PATA Chair Peter Semone. “Even after a three-year hiatus in-person, PATA Travel Mart continues to provide unparalleled networking and contracting opportunities for our delegates from all over the world.”
PTM 2023 officially opened in New Delhi, India on Wednesday, October 4 with the PTM 2023 Inauguration Ceremony & Welcome Reception, presided by Sh. G Kishen Reddy, Minister of Tourism, Government of India, taking place at the Ashok Hotel.
Early in the day, delegates had the chance to gain insights into the dynamic landscape of global sustainability trends, shedding light on how responsible practices are shaping industries worldwide during the half-day PTM Forum, Moreover, the speakers also illuminated the vast opportunities that sustainability offers, driving economic growth, innovation and prosperity. Speakers included Aashish Gupta, Consulting CEO, FAITH; Supawan Teerarat, Senior Vice President, MICE Capability and Innovation, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB); Jyothi Varma, Consultant for Travel Related Services Online And Offline; Noredah Othman, CEO, Sabah Tourism Board; Amaresh Tiwari, Vice Chairman, Indian Convention Promotion Bureau; Peter Richards, Project Manager, Tourlink SwitchAsia Programme; Prof. Monika Prakash, Nodal Officer, Central Nodal Agency – Sustainable Tourism; Alisara Sivayathorn, CEO, Sivatel Bangkok Hotel; Kanokwan Homcha-aim, Cluster Naturalist, Anantara Layan Phuket Resort; Prof. Veena Sikri, Convenor, South Asia Women's Network; Shradha Shrestha, Manager, Tourism Branding, Marketing & Promotion- Nepal Tourism Board; Rupesh Kumar, Coordinator, Responsible Tourism Mission Kerala; Dr Manoj Kumar Singh, Nodal Officer, Responsible Tourism Madhya Pradesh; Dr. Shikha Jain, Founder Director, DRONAH; Sachin Bansal, Founders - India City Walks; R B Santosh Kumar, Vice President & Head Government Engagement, South Asia, Mastercard; Rajeev Jain, Founder and Managing Director, Rashi Entertainment; Tara Naidu, Chief of Commercial, Air India Express; Santosh Kumar, Country Head - Indian sub-continent & Indonesia, Booking.com; Wipawadee Niyomthai, Senior Manager, TCEB; Bharat Nagpal, Enterprise Sales Director, ADARA, Inc., and Sriram Gopalswamy, Vice President, Site Reliability Engineering & MD, Sabre Bengaluru.
Topics included ‘Where Responsibility Meets Opportunity’, ‘Driving Change: Sustainability in MICE Tourism’, ‘Increasing Sustainability in the Tourism Supply Chain Through Standards and Certification’, ‘Waste Management in Tourism: The Challenges and Best Practices Towards Food and Plastic Waste Reduction’, ‘Bridging the Gender Gap for Community Empowerment and Sustainability’, ‘Preservation of Cultural Heritage Sites: Leveraging the Benefits of Responsible Tourism’, ‘Travel Industry Trends’, ‘Weddings & Wanderlust: The Statistics of Indian Wedding Industry, What Next’, ‘Examining Aviation's Path in India and its Impact on Travel and Tourism’, ‘How India Travels’, and ‘AI and the Future of Tourism’.
During the Travel Mart on October 5 and 6, buyers and sellers will have the opportunity to engage in one-on-one networking and contracting opportunities to explore potential collaborations and business opportunities.
