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The 14th edition of the International Tourism Mart (ITM), organised by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in association with the Government of Arunachal Pradesh and other North Eastern States, commenced on Thursday at Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh.
The three-day Mart, being held from October 29 to 31, aims to showcase the tourism potential of the eight North Eastern States and strengthen business engagement with domestic and international tourism markets. The inaugural session was held in the presence of Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Tourism and Culture; Suresh Gopi, Union Minister of State for Tourism and Petroleum & Natural Gas; Sukanta Majumdar, Union Minister of State for Education and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER); Pema Khandu, Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh; and Prem Singh Tamang, Chief Minister of Sikkim. Tourism Ministers from the North Eastern States, senior officials of the Central and State Governments, international and domestic tourism stakeholders and representatives of the travel industry were also present. Addressing the inaugural session, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat emphasised that the International Tourism Mart has evolved beyond a promotional platform into an important avenue for tourism partnerships and business opportunities. He stated, ITM is not merely a tourism marketplace; it is a platform for building partnerships, generating business opportunities and creating a shared vision for the growth of tourism in the North East Region. Highlighting the immense potential of the region, the Minister said that its rich biodiversity, cultural heritage, spiritual traditions and natural landscapes offer distinctive opportunities for adventure, nature-based and experiential tourism. He particularly emphasised the potential of adventure tourism, music festivals and concert tourism to attract new visitor segments, encourage longer stays and generate economic opportunities for local communities. He also called for developing tourism experiences with appropriate safety standards, community participation and environmental safeguards. The Minister highlighted the Governments continued focus on improving connectivity, tourism infrastructure and destination experiences in the North Eastern Region. He also underlined the Ministrys support for tourism promotion through domestic and international travel fairs, festivals, digital platforms and familiarisation visits, along with skill development initiatives to create employment opportunities for local youth. (ANI)
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