ER
INDONESIA’s largest independent travel trade show, TTC Travel Mart International, is back. The annual event, now in its 41st year, has been received with great enthusiasm by sellers and buyers. This year, the 41st TTC Travel Mart International was held in two cities; Jakarta on February 3, 2025 at the Redtop Hotel and Surabaya on February 5, 2025 at the JW Marriott Hotel.
According to TTC Travel Mart Project Manager Kidung Pascalis, the 41st TTC Travel Mart International featured more than 130 vendors from various countries. In Jakarta, 105 sellers participated, while in Surabaya, 80 sellers were recorded as ready to establish partnerships with travel agents and potential buyers. Meanwhile, there were 600 buyers.
“One of the surprises at the 41st TTC Travel Mart International this time was the dominance of sellers from Japan. According to Kidung, the number of Japanese sellers this year has actually increased by 10-20% compared to last year, surpassing the number of sellers from Vietnam, which used to dominate,” he said.
He explained that the weakening of the yen against the rupiah was one of the main factors for the large number of Japanese vendors attending the event. They see Indonesia as a potential market to attract tourists.
“Not only has the number of sellers increased, but Kidung also revealed that the Japanese travel agents participating this time were different from last year, and presented various new tour packages to the Land of Sakura,” Kidung affirmed.
In addition to Japan, Kidung continued, TTC Travel Mart 2024 will also present new destinations that are no less interesting, such as Pakistan and the Middle East. Vendors from the Middle East who attended included those from Dubai, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt, offering various religious tour packages and exotic desert adventures.
“The Indonesian market is becoming increasingly attractive for Middle Eastern sellers. The demand for tourism to these countries is growing, especially for religious trips such as Umrah and historical tours,” he noted.
To increase the intensity of travel business between sellers and buyers, this year TTC Travel Mart is introducing the Sellers Lounge – an exclusive area for sellers to meet with buyers in an uninterrupted and more exclusive manner. “We want to provide a comfortable place for sellers to rest and negotiate seriously. In fact, there are sellers who immediately get a deal of 200 pax in one meeting in this lounge,” concluded Kidung. [traveltext.id]
