Inaugurated by Chief Guest Mr. Arvind Singh, Secretary – Tourism, Govt. of India, the show witnessed participation of over 10,000 visitors from cross-sections of travel, tourism and hospitality industries. Some key dignitaries present at the inauguration of the expo included Dr. Abdulla Mausoom, Minister of Tourism, Maldives; Mr. Maneck E. Davar, Chairman, Service Export Promotion Council; Ms. Jyoti Mayal, Vice-Chairperson, FAITH; M P Bezbaruah, Former Secretary – Tourism, Govt. of India and Secretary General, Hotel Association of India; Mr. Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, Informa Markets in India and Ms. Pallavi Mehra, Group Director, Informa Markets In India amidst an august industry gathering .
Speaking at the inauguration of SATTE, Mr. Arvind Singh, Secretary – Tourism, Govt. of India, congratulated the organizing team of SATTE for sending out the message of resurgence in the travel and tourism industry. He also mentioned that travel and tourism is the leading service industry of India and as per WTTC, contributed 6.8% of the total economy amounting to INR. 16,681 billion. It generated 39,82,18,000 jobs which translates to 8.0% of the total employment of the Indian economy. Mr. Singh also added, “India is emerging as a nation to look up to for severalcountries in terms of health infrastructure, we have already vaccinated 32 million people and would be continuing our efficient drive. Coming to strengthening the foundation of travel and tourism industry, the Ministry has launched ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ campaign which has already organized more than 80 webinars. The website of ‘Incredible India’ has alsobeen updated in multiple languages like Chinese and Arabic to facilitate a smooth flow of communication across multiple countries. Initiatives like SATHI (System of Awareness Training for Hospitality Industry), SWADESH and the Incredible India Tourist Facilitator (IITF) Certification Programme have been launched. The programmes aim at enhancing the overall experience of tourists by creating a pool of talented and skilled individuals in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. We are positioning India as a centre of Ayurveda, Yoga, Sidha, Naturopathy which will be boosting the Wellness Tourism, the guidelines have already been drafted by the Ministry. Schemes have also beenextended to wellness tourism service providers.”