Premier trade show

Published : Sep 02, 2015 12:30 IST

KARNATAKA successfully bid to host for the first time, the Asia-Pacific region’s premier and signature annual travel trade show, the PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) Travel Mart 2015 (PTM 2015).

PTM 2015, which will be held in Bengaluru between September 6 and 8, offers “an unparalleled, remarkable and dynamic platform” for travel products and services and will bring under one roof, hundreds of qualified international buyers and sellers of the global travel and tourism industry. It will attract more than a 1,000 delegates from over 60 countries. Those in the travel industry point out that although the PATA trade show (this will be its 38th edition with the first one having been held in Manila in 1970) ranks third among global fairs after the Internationale Tourismus-Börse (ITB Berlin) and the World Travel Mart, London, its significance, especially in promoting tourism in the region, cannot be underestimated. It is for this reason that many in the industry view the decision of the Karnataka government to bring such a big ticket event to the State as a strategic coup. It will serve not only to showcase destinations in Karnataka to travel planners, but also draw hype towards Bengaluru being a big destination for conducting conferences, especially tourism-related ones.

One of the highlights at PTM 2015 will be the Travel Technology Pavilion, introduced to “provide travel and tourism technology businesses with a platform to promote and build business, network with relevant suppliers and discover the latest products, services and solutions from top travel technology professionals”.

The show also features the Travel Technology Forum, which will allow participants “to network and learn from highly experienced industry leaders in the travel, tourism and hospitality fields”, enable panel discussions and help “foster smart strategic planning, tactical decision-making and organisational effectiveness”. The Tourism Department is co-organising the event.

Ravi Sharma

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