South African tourism makes debut at South Asia Tourism Expo

GREATER NOIDA: Union minister of state for tourism and culture Prahlad Singh Patel Wednesday said India is rapidly moving ahead in the tourism sector.

Inaugurating the 27th edition of the three-day long South Asia Tour and Travel Exhibition (SATTE) at India Expo Mart, the minister said India is the only country that has a different cultural identity across dimensions and geography.

“Events like these showcase our rich culture. I hope that foreign guests and visitors attending the event get a glimpse of our country. It is really a matter of pride that tourism sector from the land of Nelson Mandela (South Africa) has made its debut in the land of Mahatma Gandhi. Both of them were crusaders of peace and non-violence,” he said.

Congratulating the organisers, Patel said it is really a matter of pride to bring 1,050 exhibitors and 1,200 foreign buyers from over 50 countries, besides more than 500 domestic buyers, under one roof. “It will certainly give a push to tourism sector in India as more than 30,000 travel and tourism professionals are all set to attend the show,” he said.

Echoing his views, Union minister of state for shipping Mansukh Lal Mandaviya said from the shipping perspective, cruise tourism among Indians has always been very popular.

“India’s coastal line is spread over 7,500 kilometres, which increases the immense potential for cruise tourism. Keeping that in mind, we have built international cruise terminals such as the one in Mumbai. A few in Goa, Mangalore, Kochi, Paradip and Kolkata are in the pipeline as the ministry and its stakeholders are continuously working to build the tourism sector,” he said.

Deputy minister of tourism, arts and culture, Malaysia, YB Tuan Muhammad Bakhtiar bin Wan Chik, and deputy minister of tourism, Indonesia, Nia Niscaya were also present at the inaugural event.