OUR EVENTS AND INITIATIVES
BITB is the travel and tourism industry industry platform, aimed at senior professionals, serious networking, and knowledge sharing across verticals. BITB has brought about an extension of the industry at large, bringing new-age drivers within our fold, and extending the outreach for the country’s tourism industry.
Since October 2016 we have held 19 conclaves on innovative subjects, inducting new faces, ideas and scope. We continue to cover a wide gamut of verticals examining challenges and opportunities for the growth of business. These Conclaves have created a new synergy among industry stakeholders for a meaningful interaction and exchange of ideas.
We continue to innovate, as we have done over the last 45+ years. With a magazine on tourism in 1975, we were the first in India with a B2B event, in 1994, for over 18 years with a track record of hosting the largest number of foreign buyers in India.
After a year-long pause, as the country, and indeed the world, slowly but steadily emerges out of the pandemic crisis, we begin in some measured tones, to come back to physical events. As BITB redefines its space, our emphasis will be more on business, with a strong companion event with stands and buyer-seller component. Our feedback is that these BITB events have become a part of the stimulus in the business of travel and tourism in our country, and our region.
OUR LAST EDITION
Distribution Redefined; Role of The Travel Intermediary in Times of Disruption
Agents Will Survive, and Also Thrive but Only with Value Additions
The 19th edition of BITB Conclaves was a Ground Zero understanding of industry distribution, post pandemic, and how the role of the travel facilitators, both agents and operators, was being redefined. Through the day, some 40 speakers shared their concerns and perspectives, including a few keynote addresses that projected the bigger picture. Attending the sessions, some 200 delegates sat through the deliberations, representing the different verticals of inbound, Domestic and outbound. Suppliers represented hotels, both chains individual, Indian and international, and destinations and airlines.
Vignettes from the recently concluded 19th edition of BITB Conclaves
OUR RECENT EDITION
The 18th edition of BITB Conclaves – BOUNCE – concluded safely and securely, as a modest but significant confidence building measure for the industry. Many of the delegates had stirred out of home for their first meeting of any kind, since the pandemic had struck down life and industry.
200 delegates walked through the day, sat through the deliberations, debated upon what is trending in the marketplace. 42 eminent speakers from across industry addressed the gathering held amidst stringent covid related protocols.
It was an honest and straight talk, with intensive interaction on subjects that were appropriately clubbed as Ground Zero and Reality Check. Thoughts with the senior leadership in the concluding session Masterclass brought interesting facets to light.
The Road Ahead had its challenges but the industry was filled with cautious optimism on all sectors including domestic, outbound and inbound. Concerns were expressed on the disruption in distribution with travel agents and tour operators expressing fears of getting marginalised as business starts picking up.But there were positive greenshoots in the business, and everybody felt that better times were only a few months away.
A most positive re-affirmation of confidence in tourism and travel, a keen awareness of the need to put learnings from covid stress in place as we go forward to achieving newer heights in our businesses.
OUR RECENT EVENTS ON VIDEO
BITB Travel Agents Congress 2020
BITB Hotelscapes 2019 on CNN-News 18
BITB India Tourism Summit 2019 on ET Now
BITB Cinemascapes 2018 on India Today TV
BITB India Travel Congress 2018 Part 1
BITB India Travel Congress 2018 Part 2