TTF Chennai focussed on the Southern India travel markets saw a great number of visitors and fruitful business on the show floor. The show showcased a great travel rebound with over 150 participants from 5 countries and 15 Indian states. TTF Chennai took place on 24th, 25th & 26th February 2023 at the Chennai Trade Centre.
This edition of TTF Chennai was 50% bigger than the one held in 2022 and saw a bumper response from travel trade members and travel enthusiasts alike – a clear indicator that the industry is now on a strong upward curve.
It was inaugurated by Dr. B. Chandra Mohan, IAS, Principal Secretary to Government, Tourism, Culture & Religious Endowment Dept. & Chairman, Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, travel association heads and other high dignitaries from the travel & tourism industry.
The TTF series – India’s oldest and largest travel trade show network, is focused on providing the most effective marketing platforms to promote tourism in the major travel markets in India. Chennai being one of the four metropolitan cities in India, is the hub of domestic and outbound travel from South India. With time, TTF Chennai is emerging as the largest regional travel trade show in Southern India – more than 4,000 travel trade visitors and travel-lovers thronged the show floor over the three days; bearing testament that it was a perfectly timed show right before the summer vacation travel season.
Tamil Nadu Tourism, the Host State of TTF Chennai, extended its full support to the show. The tourism board, along with its co-participants, received a great number of enquiries and conducted fruitful business meetings. Talking about the show’s significance for the industry, the show’s Chief Guest, Dr. B. Chandra Mohan, IAS, Principal Secretary to Government, Tourism, Culture & Religious Endowment Dept. & Chairman, Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation commented, “TTF brings together B2B players from various parts of India. This edition is definitely bigger than last year. This is a great show and a key business event, not only bringing tourists to Tamil Nadu, but it is also a bridge between outbound and inbound tourist destinations. Well done TTF team!”
Other states like Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh also showcased their attractions, and participated with a large number of their private hoteliers and tour operators. Private sector participants from all over India, from many states were also present at the show. TTF Chennai had a big contingent from Partner Country Nepal as well, who were participating along with many of their stakeholders.
The show had private exhibitors from several other countries as well, like Thailand, Turkey and the United Kingdom, and from states namely Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Delhi, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and West Bengal, comprising of travel agents, tour operators, hospitality chains, DMCs, attractions etc.
Like every year, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India had a key presence at the show, highlighting their ongoing initiatives like the recently held G20 summit, or ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’, ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ and ‘Swadesh Darshan’.
TTF Chennai was strongly supported by the region’s leading travel industry bodies like the Skal International Chennai, South India MICE Association (SIMA), Tamil Nadu Tourism Federation (TNTF), whose members attended a special networking session in large numbers. TTF Chennai was also supported by the local chapters of national travel associations like TAAI, TAFI, ETAA etc.
TTF Chennai was reserved for the travel trade on the first day and the first half of the second day and was open for all thereafter. Apart from being the centre stage for networking for the travel trade industry, the show also provided the perfect platform for general visitors and travel enthusiasts to explore hundreds of destinations and travel options, and get the best deals and packages from the biggest brands, for the upcoming summer vacations, all under one roof.
“The response at the show clearly shows that the travel and tourism industry is gearing up for a busy summer! As per industry reports, domestic tourism is doing even better than pre-pandemic times, and we are confident of a two-figure growth in the coming months”, said Sanjiv Agarwal, Chairman & CEO, Fairfest Media Ltd., the organisers of TTF.
Tourism in India is extremely important for the country’s economy and is growing rapidly. The World Travel and Tourism Council calculated that tourism generated ₹13.2 lakh crore (US$170 billion) or 5.8% of India’s GDP and supported 32.1 million jobs in 2021. The sector is predicted to grow at an annual rate of 7.8% to ₹33.8 lakh crore (US$420 billion) by 2031 (7.2% of GDP).1
2023 is looking bright in terms of travel and tourism and to tap into this demand, the organisers have already lined up the next set of shows under the TTF series – TTF Kolkata (14, 15 & 16 July), TTF Hyderabad (02 & 03 August) and (TTF Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar 23, 24 & 25 August). We also have BLTM Delhi (29 & 30 September) and OTM Mumbai (08, 09 & 10 February) coming up in the later half of the year. The shows are expected to attract a huge footfall from travel trade, travel enthusiasts and media; and as always, help the industry to boom even more.
TTF is the oldest and biggest network of travel trade shows in the country, covering multiple cities annually, branded as TTF, OTM and BLTM. In addition to Chennai, it is organised in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.
