StartupKnockDown+ to provide a spectrum of opportunities for travel innovators and startups
Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF) Hyderabad opened today at HITEX Exhibition Centre as a houseful show with over 182 exhibitors.
The inaugural function was presided over by the Telangana Tourism Minister Azmeera Chandulal, in the presence of a host of dignitaries and senior tourism officials: B. Venkatesham, Secretary Telangana Tourism; Pervaram Ramulu, Chairman, Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (TSTDCL); and Dr. Christina Z. Chongthu, Managing Director, TSTDCL.
Seeing a healthy 20% growth in the exhibition area booked and the number of exhibitors, TTF Hyderabad is the biggest-ever in the city, indicating a strong travel season ahead.
TTF is India’s oldest and largest travel trade show, which is now organised in 9 cities annually.
With over 182 exhibitors from 8 countries and 20 Indian States & Union Territories, the three day travel trade show at Hyderabad has brought together state tourism boards, national tourist offices, hoteliers, airlines, tour operators, travel agents, online travel companies, railways, cruises and other travel marketers under one roof.
Host States Telangana and Andhra Pradesh are geared up to showcase their top destinations, tourism products, projects and initiatives in a big way. Telangana Tourism has a large and colourful pavilion, with private sector operators as co-exhibitors. The Pavilion also has an area for highlighting the work of weavers from the state.
An interesting addition is the Telangana Food Festival curated by Telangana Tourism, where members of the Telangana State Hotel Association have set up food stalls selling local delicacies, including the ubiquitous biryani.
Attractive pavilions have also been put up by state tourism boards like Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.
Country representations from China, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Singapore, Thailand and UAE have set the bar high at TTF Hyderabad this year.
Gujarat, Odisha and Himachal Pradesh are participating as Partner States for the event while Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Goa, Punjab and Kerala are the Feature States.
The Partner Countries for TTF Hyderabad are Sri Lanka and Nepal along with China as the Feature Country.
TTF Kolkata is also having participation from Andaman & Nicobar, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Some of the other noteworthy participants are Galaxy Tourism, Southern Travels, Journey to Ladakh, Make Plans Holiday, Dook Travels and Club Mahindra, among others.
After a successful debut at TTF Kolkata, StartupKnockDown+ is also being organised at TTF Hyderabad by TravHQ and TTF. This new level of competition invites companies at various stages of development, be it an early stage venture or an emerging travel start-up or an innovative product by a recognised enterprise.
Nepal Tourism Board is organising a Travel Trade & Media Presentation on the sidelines of TTF Hyderabad on Day 1.
Sanjiv Agarwal, Chairman & CEO, Fairfest Media Ltd (the organiser of TTF), commented, “TTF Hyderabad provides an important opportunity to be present in a hugely strategic market in the centre of South India. Hyderabad has a remarkable prospect due to its unique position of serving as the capital city of two states, in the transition period. We have recently experienced a rapid expansion of TTF in Hyderabad.â€
Fairfest Media, organiser of the TTF & OTM shows, has strengthened its unparalleled lead as India’s No. 1 travel trade show organiser, with about half the market share. It organises TTF branded shows every year in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Surat, Mumbai, Pune (July-September) followed by Chennai, Bengaluru and New Delhi (January-February), in addition to the grand finale OTM Mumbai in February.
To enhance and showcase their respective offerings, aside from attractive and elegant stalls, participating states and countries at TTF Hyderabad are presenting daily cultural events and marketing presentations to trade visitors and the media.
The newly introduced Tea@TTF will have special networking sessions by top travel trade bodies, including the SKAL club, during the three days of the event.
TTF Hyderabad Exhibitors’ Awards will be presented on the concluding day.
First half of the show (i.e. from Friday to Saturday till 2 pm) is reserved for the travel trade, after which it is open to public (i.e. from Saturday afternoon till Sunday evening). Entry to the show is free and all visiting families get a surprise souvenir!
From here, TTF will move to West India covering Ahmedabad (September 2-4), Surat (September 9-11), Mumbai (September 16-18) and Pune (September 23-25), together comprising the biggest tourism market in India.
TTF is supported by Incredible India, Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI), Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI), Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI), IATA Agents Association of India (IAAI) and SKAL.
Fairfest Media Limited, organiser of TTF & OTM, is a member of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), Indian Exhibition Industry Association (IEIA) and International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE).
Travel News Digest is the official trade publication of TTF. The Media Partners for the show are Outlook Traveller, India Outbound, India & You, Express Travel World, Wonderlust, Travel and Tour World, Travel Span, Mice Mirror, Exhibition Showcase and Asian Traveller.
