A three-day consumer trade show, the inaugural edition attracted 50 exhibitors and 15,000 visitors
The inaugural edition of three-day World Travel & Tourism Festival (WTTF), concluded in New Delhi. Visited by some 15,000 people, the maiden edition attracted 50 plus exhibitors, encompassing destinations, airlines, hotels, DMCs, among others.
The event was jointly organised by TV9 and Redhat Communications, at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium located in the vicinity of India Gate from February 14-16, 2025.
A first-of-its-kind initiative, what distinguished the event from established fairs like SATTE, OTM and others are its consumer centric approach and choice of venue. A consumer trade show, WTTF was for travel-intended general public. The festival brought together destinations, hotels, airlines, DMC, and other exhibitors to showcase and sell directly to consumers while also offering opportunity to build brand equity with the consumer market. Conceived as a B2C2B show, the vent was also attended by corporate and trade buyers.
“Being the first edition, I am very happy with the response to the festival. We wanted to bring in the synergy of Airlines, Hotels and DMCs because they are the ones who are selling and they are the ones who are representing countries to sell, and we have succeeded in that endeavour. I am very happy with the turnout and the fact that we have been able to put all this up in little over a months’ time. Now as we grow we will bring all kind of suppliers. And with TV9 being a partner to the festival, I am sure we will be able to drive it to great heights because our outreach and visibility for exhibitors are much more,” said Jyoti Mayal, CEO of Redhat Communications, one of the organisers of the festival.
Furthermore, she said that the consumer needs to recognise and relate with the travel brands, be it hotels, DMCs, destinations or airlines. “And with youngsters and Gen Z travelling more and more, and increasingly looking into travel products, that connect is so much required. So apart from offering this one-of-its-kind and unique direct to consumer platform, the festival also fills this much needed gap in brand awareness and creating that much needed consumer-brand connect,” Mayal added. Mayal is also the Chairperson of Tourism & Hospitality Skill Council and Immediate Past President of Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI).
Some of the leading names like, Air India, IndiGo, Egypt Air, Cambodia Airlines APG Network from aviation Taj, Lalit, Le Meridien, among others, from hotel sector, Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Nepal and suppliers from Malaysia, among other destinations, were in attendance. The likes of Oberoi Hotels & Resorts and Radisson Hotel Group also participated in the festival as branding partner.
The maiden edition was also marked by musical shows, cultural performances and performance by playback singer Papon, Awards and some engaging sessions. The event was inaugurated by former Minister of Culture and Tourism (I/c) and Civil Aviation and Member of Parliament, Mahesh Sharma.
