SATTE 2012, to be held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, from February 10-12, will see many first-time exhibitors from countries who have begun to realize the immense potential of the Indian market. For the first time at SATTE, Israel, Argentina, Japan, The Dominican Republic, and Macau will showcase the beauty of their nation to lure Indian tourists.

Additionally, as of today, SATTE 2012 has confirmed participation of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India; 50 NTOs; 22 state governments; Indian and international hotel chains; and other travel and tourism products and services.

Some of the other exhibitors that are participating at SATTE 2012 are: Abu Dhabi Tourism, Accor Hotels, American Express, Axis Rooms, Best Western Hotels, Carlson Hotels, Chariot Beach Resorts, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board, Cox And Kings Ltd., Creative Travels, Dubai- Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Department Of Tourism – Goa, Ezeego1.com, Fiji Tourism, Go India Journeys (LPTI), Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corp, Hilton Worldwide, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Hyatt Hotels And Resorts, Indonesia Tourism, Jharkhand Tourism, Karnataka Tourism, Kenya, Kerala Tourism, Kuoni, London&Partners, Madhya Pradesh, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, New Zealand Tourism, Oman Tourism, Online Tourism&Freight P. Ltd., Punjab Tourism, Royal Orchid Hotels, Spain Tourism, SITA, Sterling Holiday Resorts India Ltd., Starwood Hotels and Resorts, The Lalit Suri Group, The Leela Palaces&Resorts, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Turkey and The Venetian Macao - Resorts&Hotels, and Zuri Hotels, among many others.

ARGENTINA

For the National Institute of Tourism Promotion of Argentina (INPROTUR), SATTE 2012 will be their very first exposure to the Indian market. Through SATTE they are looking forward to promoting and showcasing Argentina’s potential as a favorable travel destination. At SATTE 2012, the National Institute of Tourism Promotion of Argentina will be participating along with key wholesalers, destinations, and tourism products of Argentina.

Argentina would like to capitalize on its diversity, and the country will be promoted as a natural, active, authentic, meetings, and gourmet destination.

“As we know, SATTE is one of the most important fairs [in] India. SATTE gives us the opportunity to promote and to show Argentina to the Indian market. Tourism for Argentina is a very important activity. Last year we received 5.3 million international tourists. This number was a record for us, and we were the first option in South America during 2010. India is an important potential market for us - a new market. We need more time to have a[n] important performance there, but we are there,” said an Argentina Tourism Board representative.

The delegation will be led by Leonardo Boto, Executive Secretary of INPROTUR.

JAPAN

The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) is taking the Indian market quite seriously and is looking forward to welcoming Indian visitors to Japan. They are putting in place a sustained promotional campaign for Japan in India and are very optimistic and hope to achieve their arrival targets. The Japanese Embassy, too, is currently in the midst of finalizing to outsource service for handling visas, which will commence in 2012.

The Japan National Tourism Organization will be organizing multiple activities around SATTE 2012 this year. Motonari Adachi, Executive Director – Singapore Office, JNTO, said, “2012 is going to be a landmark year, as we will be celebrating [the] 60th anniversary of [the] Japan-India diplomatic relationship. So, during this period, we will also be organizing two Japan seminars for the travel trade in Delhi and Mumbai on February 13, 2012 and February 15, 2012, respectively.”

Adachi says Japan has high expectations in terms of generating positive publicity and meeting up with major tour operators and travel agents at SATTE 2012. “The Indian outbound travel market is rapidly expanding, and Japan only has a small percentage currently visiting the country, but we are quite sure that SATTE 2012 will help us to increase our market share from India this year and in the future. In 2010, Japan received approximately 70,000 visitors from India - of which 65 percent were traveling on business. In 2012, we are targeting approximately 100,000 visitors from India.
MACAU

This is the first time the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) will be participating at SATTE. The MGTO will use SATTE 2012 to showcase all new developments, new properties, and attractions that are under development in Macau. It also looks forward to meeting quality buyers from all over India, especially from smaller towns and cities.

João Manuel Costa Antunes, Director, MGTO, said: “We feel that India is one of the fastest-growing markets with a booming economy. We realize its importance and welcome Indians by providing them seamless travel and value for money.”

The delegation will be led by the India representative office who will use the platform to promote the new brand and slogan, “Touching Movements, Experience Macau.” MGTO will also highlight the UNESCO World Heritage Site - the Historic Centre of Macau - which integrates the A-Ma Temple, Mandarin’s House, Dom Pedro V Theatre, Guia Fortress, and the Ruins of St. Paul’s among others.

“The travel trade from Macau will be at SATTE 2012 to interact with their Indian counterparts to clear doubts, if any, and to update the local agents of the new developments in Macau. The purpose of this visit is to strengthen the ties between Indian and Macau travel trade fraternity,” added Antunes.