Category Archives: Exhibitions

ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) will be held from January 16-20 next year. “Singapore is honoured to host the next ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) in 2017 with the theme – ‘Shaping our Tourism Journey Together’. This theme speaks to the importance of continual, collective efforts by ASEAN members to address challenges and opportunities as we jointly develop and grow the tourism industry in the region,” says Lionel Yeo, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board. To commemorate its 50th anniversary, ASEAN will also launch a year-long travel campaign to promote the region’s diverse offerings. Within the ASEAN Economic Community, Tourism is one of the priority sectors for integration by 2015, and to achieve this, ASEAN had adopted the ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2011-2015. ASEAN will further build on this momentum and develop the ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan (ATSP) 2016-2025. “This will strategically transform our region into a competitive, sustainable, and more socio-economically inclusive and integrated tourism destination,” Yeo remarks. TRAVEX, a key component of ATF where sellers from ASEAN get to meet buyers from all over the world, will be held in Singapore from January 18-20, 2017.

Giving a fillip to ASEAN Tourism Forum, President of the Philippines H.E. Benigno Simeon Aquino III, in his inaugural speech, said that ASEAN integration benefits the region and all must capitalise on this. He urged the ASEAN countries to concentrate on bio-sustainability and maintain this delicate balance. He insisted that working together is the key as no single country can achieve this alone. The President called on all brothers and sisters of ASEAN to progress as one region, showcase the uniqueness of the region, and let all tourists visit each country. Welcoming delegates to his country, Secretary (Minister) of the Philippines, Department of Tourism, Hon. Ramon R. Jimenez, Jr. talked about partnership in tourism development. He mentioned that this event in the Philippines is a milestone in flowering of the ASEAN Tourism Forum. The lively and colourful short inauguration ended with a group photo of all the Ministers of Tourism from ASEAN and then with the heads of all tourism organisations.

The third edition of India International Travel & Tourism (IITT) opened today with over 400 Exhibitors, 300 Hosted Buyers, and 200 Corporate Buyers and Wedding Planners from across the country. This was revealed by Mohit Mewani, Exhibitons Director, IITT. The exhibition was inaugurated in the presence of Jyoti Kapur, President, ADTOI; Guldeep Singh Sahni, President, OTOAI; H.E. Erdal Sabri Ergen, Consul General of the Republic of Turkey; Philip Saunders, CCO, Kuwait Airways; Subhash Goyal, President, IATO; and Jay Bhatia, Hon. National Treasurer & Chairman – Tourism Council, TAAI. The three-day B2B travel and tourism trade exhibition and conference, is being held at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai from January 15-17. One of the highlights of the show is a business session by TAAI on how to promote tourism in times of terror. The show also saw Star Cruises promote its new brand Dream Cruises in a big way.

Global Panorama Showcase (GPS) was inaugurated on January 8, 2016 at Hotel Centre Point, Nagpur, where Raju Akolkar was announced as the CEO of the exhibition. GPS 2016 was also the platform for the global launch of DREAM cruises by STAR cruises under the Genting HK banner. Harmandeep Singh Anand, MD, Jagsons Travels, organiser and promoter of GPS, also announced the launch of NGO tourism under the name Voluntourism. He also pledged that 5% of the revenue generated from this edition of GPS will go to NGOs. GPS is a premier business networking event and business-to-business trade show that is held annually in Nagpur. Akolkar has been associated with GPS and Jagsons for a long time. This year the event is a five city exhibition and will also go to Coimbatore, Kolkata, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad in the coming months.