Nepal showcased its natural and cultural flavors in SATTE 2019Friday, January 25th, 2019
Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) along with Nepal Airlines and 26 private travel trade participants showcased Nepal’s diverse range of tourism endowments to the ever burgeoning Indian outbound in one of the largest travel engagement shows “SATTE 2019” held in Greater Noida, New Delhi, India through 16 and 18 of January 2019. The organizer of the event, UBM India claims that the three-day event bagged an excellent response from the exhibitors with bigger and better stands followed by participation from the global and Indian travel and tourism players. It is said that 1,000 exhibitors and representation from over 50 countries and 90 cities from across India have come together to interact and conduct business with over 31,000 + qualified industry buyers and trade visitors.
Nepal Pavilion was aesthetically designed using the concept of traditional woodcarvings and brick works with a pagoda temple in the middle and space for business negotiation around it. In addition to facilitating the Nepalese trade participants to conduct real business, NTB delegates met a large number of trade and media visitors and discussed potential ways to increase the tourist traffic from India to Nepal, both quantitatively and qualitatively. India being a leader in Information and Communication Technology, many of the visitors have suggested destinations that trade off the conventional tools with the digital and virtual platforms enjoy enhanced visibility than those only relying on conventional tools. However, international fora such as SATTE, which provides real buyer-seller interface for meeting and exchange of general and trade information continue to grow.
Nepal is the top-of-the-mind destination for Indian nationals; therefore, India gives the biggest number of visitors to Nepal. In 2018, more than163, 000 Indian nationals traveled to Nepal by air and it is estimated that over a million travelled overland. As Nepal is targeting two million visitors (besides those Indian visitors who travel overland to Nepal) by 2020, it will not be an exaggeration to say that India is the country to consider when we talk about the number and growth. The trade and media visitors also suggested that many visitors look forward to indulge in the soft adventure activities in Nepal in addition to the traditional offers of pilgrimage, shopping and casino and therefore, Nepal should respond accordingly. By creating a market synergy out of the enlarged air-seat capacity of Nepal Airlines, enhanced partnership with the private sector and the digital tools that increasingly reduce several barriers for travellers, Nepal Tourism Board can offer a lifetime of experiences by devising competitive packages and attractive offers suitable to Indian palate.
Presently, Nepal Airlines operates two daily flights between Kathmandu and New Delhi, 3 weekly flights from Mumbai and Kathmandu. Buddha Air connect Kathmandu to Varanasi with two weekly flights and airlines from India conduct 7 daily flights from New Delhi and daily flight from Mumbai to Kathmandu. Apart from these options, several overland entry points located along Nepal-India borders offer unlimited and unhindered accessibility to the Indian visitors who prefer driving into Nepal.
The Nepali delegation at SATTE 2019 was led by NTB officials Kashi Raj Bhandari, Jayshakti Sarraf, Prem Prasad Bhattari and Srijana Nepali. Nepal Airlines was represented by Mr. Tanka Bhandari, Manager of New Delhi station in India. The private participants at SATTE 2019 are Namaste Holidays Tours and Treks, Apoorva Tours and Travel, Holidays to Nepal, All Seasons Adventure, Explore Kailash, Buddha Air, Hotel Shambala, Satori Adventures, Well Nepal Travel and Tours, Kathmandu Holiday Tours and Travels, Satyam Tours and Travels, Summit Air, Holiday Bookers, BCN Travels and Tours, Fishtail Tours and Travels, Exotic Destination Nepal Tours and Treks, Hotel Shangri-La, Crystal Adventures, Regulus Treks and Expedition, Precious Travels and Tours, Ojha Holidays Tours and Treks, Actual Adventure. Scenic Mountain Travels and Tours, Shakti Travels and Tours, Fast International Travels and Tours and NATTA Far-Western Regional Association.