Chennai, 24th February 2023:

The travel and tourism industry is back on track with enthusiasm exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Domestic travel in India is witnessing a surge never seen before. As per reports, India’s overall domestic air passenger traffic nearly doubled in January 2023 as compared to the same period last year, with 125.42 lakh passengers being carried out in the month as compared to 64.08 lakh during the same period last year, an annual and monthly growth of 95.72% each.¹ In the outbound section, India is quickly becoming a major player in the global travel industry – the outbound MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) market in India is projected to grow at a CAGR of around 9% during the period 2023-2024.²

The strong comeback is clearly visible at TTF Chennai,taking place on 24th, 25th & 26th February 2023 at the Chennai Trade Centre. The show opened today, and is a prominent platform for the travel trade from in and around Chennai and Tamil Nadu to meet, network and conduct business with exhibitors from all over India and abroad. It is showcasing over 150 participants from 5 countries and 15 Indian states. This edition of TTF Chennai is 50% bigger than the one held in 2022 – a clear projection that the industry is now on a strong upward curve.

The TTF series – India’s oldest and largest travel trade show network, is focused on providing the most effective marketing platforms to promote tourism in the major travel markets in India. Chennai being one of the four metropolitan cities in India, is the hub of domestic and outbound travel from South India, and is the perfect place to stage a show of this stature. TTF Chennai is emerging as the largest regional travel trade show in Southern India.

TTF Chennai is a perfectly-timed show right before the peak summer vacation travel season ahead.

Tamil Nadu Tourism, the Host State of TTF Chennai, has extended its full support to the show. The state is a regular participant at TTF Chennai as the show provides the ultimate platform to showcase all its tourism offerings. According to the ‘India Tourism Statistic 2022’ Report, Tamil Nadu has a domestic tourist visit count of 140.65 million, which is the highest among all states.³

Other states like Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh are also showcasing all their attractions, and participating with a large number of their private hoteliers and tour operators. Private sector participants from all over India from many states are also present at the show. TTF Chennai has a big contingent from Partner Country Nepal as well, who are participating along with many of their stakeholders.

The show also has private exhibitors from several other countries like Thailand, Turkey and the United Kingdom, and from states namely Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Delhi, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and West Bengal, comprising of travel agents, tour operators, hospitality chains, DMCs, attractions etc.

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has a key presence at the show to highlight and showcase the ongoing initiatives of the Ministry of Tourism like the recently held G20 summit, or ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’, ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ and ‘Swadesh Darshan’.

The inauguration of TTF Chennai took place in the august presence of Thiru K. Ramachandran, Tourism Minister, Government of Tamil Nadu, Dr. B. Chandra Mohan, IAS, Principal Secretary to Government, Tourism, Culture & Religious Endowment Dept. & Chairman, Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation and Thiru. Sandeep Nanduri, IAS, Director of Tourism and Managing Director, Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, travel industry leaders, along with other dignitaries.

The travel trade fraternity was present in large numbers at the inauguration, with new as well as existing travel trade players, and big footfall from the travel industry is expected over the next three days.

“We are happy to see that travel and tourism has come back in full swing leaving the pandemic definitely behind! The overwhelming participation from domestic as well as international players at TTF Chennai is a clear testament to that”, said Sanjiv Agarwal, Chairman & CEO, Fairfest Media Ltd., the organisers of TTF.

TTF Chennai is reserved for the travel trade on the first day and the first half of the second day and will be open for all thereafter.

For general visitors and travel-lovers, TTF Chennai provides the perfect platform to check out hundreds of destinations and travel options, and get the biggest deals and packages for the upcoming summer vacations.

TTF is the oldest and biggest network of travel trade shows in the country, covering multiple cities annually, branded as TTF, OTM and BLTM. In addition to Chennai, it is organised in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.

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