The World of Opportunity

‘Around The World In 80 Days' is the popular adage but how about 'Around The World In 4 Days'. This is exactly what TravelWorld, South-Asia's largest 'Business to Business' Tourism Forum, will offer the Indian travel fraternity. To be held between February 24-27, 2005, at one of Mumbai's premier venues, the Bandra Kurla Complex, MMRDA, Travel World is the brainchild of Express Travel & Tourism, one of India's leading publications for the travel trade industry, and part of the Business Publications Division (BPD) of The Indian Express Group, one of the nation's largest media conglomerates with a wide selection of publications and a network of offices spread across the length and breadth of the country. Subsequently, Marco Marketing, Concepts (India) Pvt Ltd, as a business associate of the Indian Express Group, will undertake the sales and promotions of the event internationally. TravelWorld will be launched at various international platforms such as International Tourism Bourse (ITB), Berlin, PoW WoW, World Travel Mart (WTM), London, Arabian Travel Mart (ATM) and many more. The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, is also supporting the event.

The Concept

Indian tourism is poised for growth and there is a huge demand for an event of international acclaim. Considering this fact, TravelWorld was conceptualised as the most comprehensive and integrated business to business (B2B) event that Indian travel space has ever witnessed before. It will be an ideal event to meet people and transact business instead of being not just an information-generating platform. Explains Sandeep Khosla, head - BPD, Indian Express Group, "TravelWorld will go beyond the typical utility of a trade show by adding critical dimensions of value to the occasion. The event is not merely a chance for exhibitors and visitors to interact. It is also an opportunity to converge on ideas and issues that are extremely relevant to the industry as a whole and arrive at solutions that they can take with them into their individual business models and apply. Events like the CEO's Conclave and Aviation Panel Discussion are a hallmark of the Indian Express to contribute meaningfully to the industry it reports on and analyses. More so Brand India will be the key focus of TravelWorld."

The event will play host to the very best the industry has to offer with exciting packages, important corporate presentations, seminars, product launches and the finest deals from the biggest names in the travel trade today. The magnitude of the event can be gauged from the fact that it would feature over 200 domestic and international exhibitors, thereby bringing together the finest gathering yet of the industry's most prestigious companies, institutions and leading professionals.

Of late, India is being considered a 'potential', both for inbound and outbound tourism. Bearing this in mind, TravelWorld would have participation from the international arena ie tourism boards, car rentals, inbound tour operators, international chains and many more. Each board would also bring in their respective service providers or affiliates. The same holds for the state tourism boards, which along with their respective affiliates would address domestic Indian tour operators and international outbound tour operators.

What makes TravelWorld truly unique is its Comprehensive Integrated Theme Pavilions for MICE (Meeting, Incentives, Conventions & Exhibitions), Medical Adventure and Bollywood Tourism. This, a first for any industry event of the like, ensures the kind of specialised interaction and attention exhibitors would seek from a sea of visitors that include:

Senior Industry Professionals
Group Travel Organisers
Business Travel Agents
Retail Travel Agents
Inbound Tour Operators
Hotel/Hotel Groups
Outbound Tour Operators
MICE Organisers
Incentive Travel Organisers
Corporate Travel Managers
Car-Hire Companies
Coach Operators
Film Professionals
Public Visitors (by invitation only)

Elaborating further on the concept, Sheldon Santwan, Editor, Express Hotelier & Caterer, Express Travel & Tourism, feBusiness Traveller, Business Publications Division, Indian Express Newspapers (Bom) Ltd, says, "Indian tourism has been on the upswing so far and the forecast for the coming year is also very positive. Given the fact that this is one industry that will hold good for the long-term, TravelWorld will enhance the image of Mumbai as a commercial hub and tourist destination, putting it in a great position to cash in on an emerging market. The event will also showcase the potential of India in terms of both natural attractions as well as infrastructure to numerous international participants. Basically, TravelWorld will be positioned as the ideal platform for business interactions and forging mutually beneficial partnerships rather than just generating information."

As the One-Stop Showcase of the best in tourism, TravelWorld presents you with a vital opportunity to create strategic partnerships and build long term business relationships.

Salient Features

MICE Pavilion

The MICE industry though nascent in the Indian market is fast catching up, especially in the incentive league. This MICE pavilion will form the ideal platform for a number of international and domestic boards to showcase the potential of individual countries. The pavilion will also feature interactive presentation sessions, buyer/seller meets on a one-to-one basis, wherein the target audience would be Corporate Travel Managers, MICE Specialists, Business Travellers, Tour Operators and Travel Agents who specialise in MICE planning.

BOLLYWOOD Calling

When one talks of India, the first aspect that comes to mind apart from the Taj Mahal is Bollywood, India's gigantic film industry. A source of inspiration to many an Indian, Bollywood is known to not just sell dreams but now destinations too. With a number of film producers hunting for virgin locales to shoot their films, Bollywood Calling would be the ideal platform. This pavilion would witness participation from various countries to showcase their resources, locations, infrastructure, promotions and incentives for Indian film makers as 'perfect' Bollywood locales. Indian states would also showcase their new products for Bollywood shoots. As one would say, all's well that ends well…in that regard, a Bollywood Destination Guide would be launched simultaneously at Bollywood Calling that would facilitate attending Bollywood film producers, directors, serial directors, ad film makers, and potential investors.

Medical Tourism Pavilion

India is becoming a haven for medical tourism. This fact could be substantiated by the sheer number of international visitors coming for medical treatment to states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and even Kerala. The pavilion will have participants that would include hotels, hospitals, resorts and spas, rejuvenation and therapy centres, tourism boards, travel agents, tour operators and organisations that specialise in the concept. The exhibitors would showcase the various benefits they can offer to facilitate any medical issues in India. And the target audience here would be international and domestic travel service providers specialising in medical tourism packages, medical tourists, medical professionals, health organisations and the entire range of accommodation providers

CEO's Conclave

The event will bring together leading decision makers in the travel and hospitality industry. It would be an international forum of business heads, who would discuss and debate on burning issues within the industry to chart a way forward. Participants would witness high profile keynote speakers of international repute, who would elucidate insights that will form the crux of a white paper on the future of the tourism industry.

Inter-Ministerial Tourism Summit

Current travel and tourism discussions show the need for regional as well as global co-operation. This forum will address that need. It will bring together tourism ministers from various countries on a common platform, to discuss tourism opportunities and development of interlinks between these countries. Regional tourism promotion and co-operation for mutual benefit will also be in focus as well as the signing of 'Mumbai Declaration on Tourism', wherein an international media conference would be held to announce salient features of this declaration.

feBusiness Traveller Awards

After a rollicking success in 2004 that took the travel and corporate world by storm, the FeBusiness Traveller awards will once again set the stage on fire in 2005. These awards are the popular choice awards for Indian travel service providers, who are voted by the Indian business travel community and readers of the feBusiness Traveller and Financial Express.

The Awards will be given away at a grand ceremony to be attended by an elite audience from within the travel segment and the corporate world.

Conference Programme

India Shinning is the perfect way to describe the country's travel and tourism potential that is maturing by the day. To further enhance this market, TravelWorld will showcase back to back business sessions on relevant topics within the industry. These sessions will be moderated panel discussions at each forum, featuring stalwarts from the industry as well as speakers of national and international repute.

Hosted Buyers Programme

TravelWorld will source hosted buyers from the international and domestic realm. These hosted buyers would be able to transact quality business with their Indian counterparts. To enhance this even further, post-roadshows of respective international / state tourism board could be organised to recap and close transactions conducted at TravelWorld. Pre and post-Indian tours would be conducted in the most exotic states of the country. To name a few - Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Goa, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and a lot more.

In summary, TravelWorld in the words of Mark Mendes of Marco Marketing Concepts (India) P Ltd, "TravelWorld will provide a single window multiple platform for both tourism boards as well as private tour operators and agents to meet with sellers. The occasion therefore provides a perfect and very specific opportunity for the Indian and international tourism industry players to showcase their products to a niche audience and actually transact some business."