Tourism Australia’s B2B event, India Travel Mission (ITM), will showcase two new products - Luxury Lodges of Australia and Self Drive tours - at its ninth edition to be held from August 25-28, 2011 at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC). The theme of ITM this year is “Journeys.” Tourism Australia also has for the first time, four airlines as partners for this year’s ITM. Apart from Qantas - the traditional partner, AirAsia, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Australia are partnering for this year’s event. Around 40 sellers from Australia and 90 buyers from across India are participating in the event.
Talking about the highlights of the event, Nishant Kashikar, Country Manager - India, Tourism Australia, said, “Unlike previous editions, this year, the pre-scheduled round table discussion between buyers and sellers will be for a duration of 45 minutes to an hour. Hotels like Mercure Sydney, Mirvac Hotels & Resorts and The Menzies Sydney are among the new suppliers participating at ITM 2011. The event gives an opportunity to bring together our partners in India and showcase a range of products and experiences. Apart from helping participants strengthen relationships and strike deals, ITM will also act as a platform to address the issues and concerns of Indian buyers.”
ITM will have two main business sessions for the buyers – a day of scheduled appointments with each Australian seller, and a day of round table networking sessions which will facilitate interaction with the State Tourism Offices (STOs) and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). The participating STOs are: Tourism New South Wales, Tourism Queensland, Tourism Victoria and South Australia Tourism Commission. Maggie White, Regional GM, South/S East Asia & Gulf Countries, Tourism Australia, said that ITM provides an ideal opportunity for Australia’s tourism businesses to meet with influential tourism buyers who are crucial to the future success of Australia’s inbound tourism from India.