OTM Mumbai 2022, the first major international travel trade show to boost tourism post pandemic, opened at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai. Coming after a two-year hiatus, the three-day OTM has 600+ exhibitors from over 20+ countries, 29+ Indian states, and 7 Union Territories.
Sanjiv Agarwal, Chairman and CEO, welcomed the attendees with his opening address. He said that India presents a unique opportunity, a sweet spot because it seems to have overcome the pandemic largely due to letting natural and human forces play their roles.
“India is now ready to restore freedom to travel, not only within India but also to and from India, as all scheduled flights are restored from the next week. The show floor of OTM is a testimony of the importance of this market, while many other markets may be out of bounds due to their zero covid policies or due to unfortunately being caught in the recently created warzones in the West. It is all the more important that in such an atmosphere we all have assembled at the OTM, to present an aperture of light, hope, and freedom,” he noted.
The dignitaries at the inauguration were Dr. Abdulla Mausoom, Tourism Minister, Maldives, Dr. M. Mathiventhan, Minister for Tourism, Govt. of Tamil Nadu, and Thoyyib Mohamed, Managing Director of MMPRC as Guest of Honor. Also present on the occasion were a host of senior tourism officials from India and abroad, as well as leaders from the travel and tourism industry.
OTM brings together all destinations including international tourism boards, national, and state tourism boards, hotels and resorts, airlines, destination management companies, MICE, wedding planners and film producers under one roof.
Maldives Tourism led by the Tourism Minister and a delegation of senior officials reconfirmed their commitment to the Indian market and is the Partner Country of the show. Azerbaijan Tourism Board and Nepal Tourism Board too are participating as Partner Countries. Qatar Tourism, Korea Tourism Organization, Singapore Tourism Board, and the Department of Tourism of Philippines are the Feature Countries of the event, bringing together their travel suppliers, airlines and hospitality partners to network with the Indian travel trade.
OTM 2022 is also hosting State Tourism Boards in a big way for the revival of travel within India. Leading official delegations are from Delhi, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Ladakh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand. Other destinations like Andaman and Nicobar, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Manipur, Punjab, Sikkim, West Bengal, Delhi, Haryana, Puducherry and Telangana are represented through their private stakeholders.
The event is supported by ‘Incredible India’ and the Ministry of Tourism, who have a big pavilion, along with private stakeholders, showcasing multiple initiatives like Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, Dekho Apna Desh etc.
OTM Forum, a knowledge-sharing platform, will be streaming live for guests to attend from India and abroad and Asia’s most influential travel leaders on one stage. Panel discussions, master classes, and workshops are being conducted by top level executives from industry leaders and C-suite executives from over 100 top brands.
The broad theme of the OTM is ‘Restart, Rebuild and Rejuvenate Travel and Tourism Economy’. There will be panel discussions on interesting topics such as ‘Adapting and Innovating to Meet Post-pandemic Customer Travel Preferences’, ‘The Importance of India-Outbound in Post-pandemic Market Recovery, ‘Post covid Luxury: Top Trends That Will Define Hospitality’, ‘The Future of The MICE Industry’, ‘The Rise of Women-focused Tours: Safety, Employment and Opportunities’, ‘Travel Blogging Under the New Normal’… and many more.
