<p>Delhi recently hosted its annual Travel and Tourism Fair (TTF) from February 14-16 considered one of the finest exhibitions dedicated to travel and tourism industry. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The TTF is a platform for exhibitors to demonstrate their products and services to professionals related to the travel industry. The fair is also the right place for travellers to get hands on information across destinations. <br /><br />According to TTF, Delhi is India’s second biggest travel market after Mumbai, generating one-fourth of all India-outbound travellers at 26 per cent. As a result, the fair draws travel companies from across the world, including Canada, Philippines, Bangladesh, Dubai, UAE, Indonesia, Mexico, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey and Zambia besides several more. The largest international participation came from neighbouring Sri Lanka and China.<br /> <br />According to Sanjiv Agarwal, chairman and CEO, OTM, “Domestic travellers form the backbone of the Indian tourism industry. According to one estimate endorsed by the Ministry of Tourism, 850 million Indians travel within the country. OTM has a huge Indian <br />participation, eyeing this lucrative market.”<br /><br />India is a coveted outbound market too, with close to 12 million Indians travelling overseas annually, with the industry showing a projected growth of 12-13 per cent per year until 2015. This is reflected in participation from a large number of countries at OTM. <br /><br />According to a market survey conducted by the organisers, not only are Delhi and Mumbai the two leading travel markets in the country, but their tourists are also the highest-spenders and their trips the longest. <br /><br />“On an average, a Delhiite’s individual budget and length of stay for a foreign trip is some Rs 63,000 for eight days and for a domestic holiday the figure us about Rs 16,500 for six days,” adds Sanjiv.<br /><br />The tourism sector contributes to one-tenth of the total GDP and even has huge employment opportunities. The annual growth of this sector is pegged at 10 per cent per year. The travel and tourism sector currently employs 49 million people, or one in every 10 jobs and this is projected to increase to 58 million, or one in every 9.6 jobs by 2020.<br />The importance of the sector and the positive industry sentiments are reflected in the increase in the number of participants at OTM Delhi as compared to last year. This also is an indicator of the shift in global economic centre of gravity from the West to the East. <br /> </p>
<p>Delhi recently hosted its annual Travel and Tourism Fair (TTF) from February 14-16 considered one of the finest exhibitions dedicated to travel and tourism industry. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The TTF is a platform for exhibitors to demonstrate their products and services to professionals related to the travel industry. The fair is also the right place for travellers to get hands on information across destinations. <br /><br />According to TTF, Delhi is India’s second biggest travel market after Mumbai, generating one-fourth of all India-outbound travellers at 26 per cent. As a result, the fair draws travel companies from across the world, including Canada, Philippines, Bangladesh, Dubai, UAE, Indonesia, Mexico, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey and Zambia besides several more. The largest international participation came from neighbouring Sri Lanka and China.<br /> <br />According to Sanjiv Agarwal, chairman and CEO, OTM, “Domestic travellers form the backbone of the Indian tourism industry. According to one estimate endorsed by the Ministry of Tourism, 850 million Indians travel within the country. OTM has a huge Indian <br />participation, eyeing this lucrative market.”<br /><br />India is a coveted outbound market too, with close to 12 million Indians travelling overseas annually, with the industry showing a projected growth of 12-13 per cent per year until 2015. This is reflected in participation from a large number of countries at OTM. <br /><br />According to a market survey conducted by the organisers, not only are Delhi and Mumbai the two leading travel markets in the country, but their tourists are also the highest-spenders and their trips the longest. <br /><br />“On an average, a Delhiite’s individual budget and length of stay for a foreign trip is some Rs 63,000 for eight days and for a domestic holiday the figure us about Rs 16,500 for six days,” adds Sanjiv.<br /><br />The tourism sector contributes to one-tenth of the total GDP and even has huge employment opportunities. The annual growth of this sector is pegged at 10 per cent per year. The travel and tourism sector currently employs 49 million people, or one in every 10 jobs and this is projected to increase to 58 million, or one in every 9.6 jobs by 2020.<br />The importance of the sector and the positive industry sentiments are reflected in the increase in the number of participants at OTM Delhi as compared to last year. This also is an indicator of the shift in global economic centre of gravity from the West to the East. <br /> </p>
