Tag Archives: India Tourism Mart

PP Khanna, President, ADTOI, has shared that 500 domestic buyers will be part of India Tourism Mart (ITM) Virtual, which will be held from February 18-20 this year. Domestic buyers will include tour operators, institutions and corporates. The participation fee for exhibitors is Rs10,000. About 500 foreign tour operators are also expected at the event.

India Tourism Mart (ITM), which was announced by the Tourism Minister to be held as a hybrid event, will not happen in November as was being planned earlier, revealed Subhash Goyal, Secretary General, FAITH. He said, “We had planned for the ITM to be held in November, but unfortunately, the Minister was not available owing to other commitments on those dates. We can now do it in end-December or beginning of January. We are in touch with the MOT for the same and will get a date very soon.”

With around 250 foreign buyers and 150 exhibitors, the first-ever India Tourism Mart (ITM) 2018 was inaugurated by chief guest Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways, Coal and Corporate Affairs, Government of India, along with Mohammed Sajid, Minister of Tourism, Air Transport, Handicraft and Social Economy of the Kingdom of Morocco, KJ Alphons, Minister of State for Tourism (I/C), Government of India; Navjot Singh Sidhu, Minister of Local Government, Tourism, Cultural Affairs and Museums, Government of Punjab; Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Tourism, Government of Kerala and other officials.

The maiden India Tourism Mart (ITM) is being organised from September 16-18, 2018 by the Ministry of Tourism, along with Federation of Associations in Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) at The Ashok, New Delhi. The mart will be formally inaugurated by Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Railways, Coal and Corporate Affairs, in the presence of KJ Alphons, Minister of State (I/C), Ministry of Tourism. The mart is being attended by 250 delegates from 60 countries, who also attended the Paryatan Parv at the Rajpath Lawns. The buyers were welcomed at The Ashok by Nakul Anand, Chairman, FAITH, who met with all the presidents of associations under the FAITH umbrella, as well as the exhibitors. ITM will give an opportunity to the buyers to see world-class tourism facilities available in the country such as airports, hotels, tourist destinations, MiCE facilities, potential in the field of adventure tourism and other niche products.

The Paryatan Parv by the Ministry of Tourism was inaugurated by Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister, in presence of KJ Alphons, Union Minister for Tourism; Rashmi Verma, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and other dignitaries from participating Central Ministries and State Governments at Rajpath Lawns, New Delhi. This is the second edition of Paryatan Parv — a nation-wide celebration of Tourism, from September 16-27, 2018. Inaugurating the Parv, Singh said that India is the only country where all major religions of the world, diverse culture, customs and cuisines are found, and we should see and experience this Incredible India. The Home Minister added that the Government has ensured ‘ease of travel’ through various steps like simplification of process of e-tourist visa application. The Minister also urged Indians to visit various places in the country and thereby understand its rich and varied culture and heritage, while also enjoying its natural beauty. Speaking at the event, Alphons said that Indians have made 1.8 billion domestic trips in the last year and added that the Ministry is aiming for twice these visits in next 3 years. The Tourism Minister also called upon everyone to see, experience and get transformed by travelling across India.

The upcoming India Tourism Mart (ITM), jointly organised by Ministry of Tourism and Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH), have selected a total of 274 buyers out of over 600 applications received for the same. MOT and FAITH, with representatives of its various member associations held a curtain raiser of the India Tourism Mart in New Delhi, where updates were shared on the progress of the event scheduled to be held from September 16-18, 2018. Subhash Goyal, Honorary Secretary, FAITH, shared, “We have selected 274 buyers out of over 600 applications by a screening committee to ensure that we only have genuine buyers. For sellers, we have about 16 participating states, out of which the major partner states are Punjab and Gujarat. Around 70 small booths have been taken by tour operators, worth Rs 60,000 on individual basis and Rs 30,000 each on sharing. This totals to about 100 tour operators. Besides, IATO has taken six booths with 12 operators each, for whom IATO has subsidised the rates at around Rs 15,000 each. Similarly, ATOAI has taken a number of booths. We have even given booths for operators in the Northeast.”

In its monthly luncheon meeting held at The Metropolitan Hotel and Spa, New Delhi, the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) updated its members about its upcoming convention and participation in various roadshows with the Ministry as well as in the India Tourism Mart. Chairing the meeting was Pronab Sarkar, President, IATO; EM Najeeb, Senior Vice President, IATO and Rajesh Mudgill, Honorary Secretary, IATO. They attended to the queries of the members and solved their concerns regarding GST. The IATO Managing Committee also felicitated Ajeet Bajaj and his daughter Diya Bajaj for accomplishing the feat of climbing Mount Everest recently.  

The Ministry of Tourism is set to host the first edition of India Tourism Mart from September 16-18, 2018 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, in association with Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH), along with different states and union territories. Speaking at the event, KJ Alphons, Minister of Tourism (I/C) said, “ITM is created to have a dedicated tourism event for India on the lines of WTM London, ITB Berlin, ATM Dubai, etc, which provide a platform for stakeholders in the industry to network for business opportunities with international buyers. The event is going to see over 300 international buyers and around 250 stalls for exhibitors. The buyers will be selected from potential source markets by the international offices of MOT as well as by the participating associations on merit and quality.”