Mitt grabbing India’s attention

Russia’s largest travel exhibition will see its 21st edition in 2014. The event will comprise four specialised sectors, including Luxury Tourism, Medical Tourism, Travel Technology and the new Business Meetings sector.

As one of the top five travel exhibitions in the world, MITT, Moscow’s International Travel and Tourism Exhibition, is a significant event. Held annually, MITT is due to return on 1922 March 2014 at the Expocentre in Moscow, Russia. Many Indian companies have already confirmed their participation at the next year’s event. In particular, Karnataka Tourism, Kerala Tourism and the Bangladesh Tourism Board will all exhibit for the first time. Furthermore, Somatheeram Ayurveda Group, Travelite, Caper Travel, Goa Tourism, India Tourism Frankfurt, Isola Di Cocco Ayurvedic Beach Resort, Minar Travels and Joy's Hotels & Resorts, have all confirmed their repeat participation.

Highlighting their participation, Bharat Bhushan Atree, Managing Director, Caper Travel, commented that Russia remains an important market for them. “This market has been growing with us at a very fast pace and we have been happy with previous responses at MIIT. It is a great platform to make your presence felt and establish your brand. We plan to organise at our stand a product orientation programme about India as a destination as well.”

Likewise, Joy’s Hotels and Resorts will also participate again. Explaining why they are exhibiting this year, Pradeep Narayanan, General Manager-Sales and Marketing stated, “India and especially Kerala is a popular destination for Russian travellers. The market has been growing steadily over the past few years. MITT is a good platform for those seeking to improve their reach in the Russian and CIS markets. This year, we hope to associate with new operators whom we haven’t met before.”

Organiser ITE Group indicates repeat bookings are at a record high. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Russia is a growing source market. As the 9th most populous country in the world with 143 million people, in 2012 over 47 million Russians travelled aboard – this represents a nine per cent increase from the previous year. Moreover, Russians are the 5th in the world for international tourism expenditure, making them an attractive target market to promote international destinations and travel services.

MITT 2014 marks the event’s 21st edition, a testament to the events longevity and importance. The inaugural Business Meeting sector will be a meeting platform for corporate customers and experts.