TravTalk India Online Magazine
At TTAUP Travel Mart, the Travel Trade Association of Uttar Pradesh (TTAUP) successfully showcased the tourism products of the state. With tourism from and to Tier-II markets on the rise, the tourism department is investing in infrastructure, while ensuring that agents are thorough with what’s on offer.
Kanchan Nath
For its third travel mart, TTM 2019, the Travel Trade Association of Uttar Pradesh (TTAUP) received more than 400 online buyer registrations. The mart had 35 exhibitors showcasing the various tourism products they had on offer. On the occasion, Jitendra Kumar (IAS), Additional Chief Secretary and Director General – Tourism, Government of Uttar Pradesh and chief guest for the event, elaborated on the necessity of such regional trade-oriented shows to be organised frequently for promoting tourism awareness as well as overall growth of the sector in Uttar Pradesh.
Sharing more details about the event, Vivek Pandey, President, TTAUP, said, “This year, among new exhibitors, we had the Russian DMC and some visa service providers. Almost 90 per cent of exhibitors who had joined us in 2017 exhibited this year as well, which means they must be getting good business from Uttar Pradesh.”
Tier-II markets have witnessed growth in outbound tourism; all we need to do is train and educate agents further, something that we aimed to do through the mart – Vivek Pandey
He added that outbound travel from a Tier-II city like Lucknow and its nearby areas has grown in 2019 vis-à-vis 2017, with some stating that business from this market has grown by as much as 70 per cent. “Tier-II markets have a lot of potential and all we need to do is to train and educate agents further, something that we aimed to do through the mart. With new airlines coming in, especially for Southeast Asia and the Middle East, this potential can be further utilised,” he said. It was also shared at the mart that Terminal 3 with over 12 aerobridges will soon be coming up at Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport in Lucknow. M!CE movement also continues to grow, while offbeat destinations are becoming popular.
On the occasion, Kumar spoke about the state’s potential as a destination for inbound tourism. He said, “The Buddhist circuit is one circuit that the whole world is looking to explore; six destinations of the circuit are in Uttar Pradesh itself. We need to educate our tour operators and make them realise that there is a huge potential to bring tourists from all over the world to the state, to experience this circuit. Sarnath, Kaushambi, Kushinagar, Kapilavastu, Sravasti, and Sankisa are all in Uttar Pradesh and in all these places, huge infrastructure has been created. Tourist numbers are also increasing, but there are some missing links that need to be connected.”
He added that in terms of domestic tourist numbers, Uttar Pradesh ranks second within India, while in international tourist numbers, the state ranks third as per 2018 data. The minister also said that UP’s tourism department now plans to start the ‘Shaam-e-Awadh’ in Lucknow. “We are working on morning heritage walks in at least 10 places in the state. We are also working on the development of a night bazaar in Agra, which will offer cuisine of the Awadh region and of Uttar Pradesh, as well as their crafts,” he added.
