Even as Government indicated easing of restrictions on travel by foreign, the government is all geared up for the first International Tourism Mart, focussed on promoting tourism activities and travel in North-East region, will be held in Guwahati from January 18 to 20.
According to Union Tourism Minister, K. Chiranjeevi the International Tourism Mart will not only be the first ever international tourism event to be organised in the North-Eastern Region, but also the first International Tourism Mart to focus on a specific region of India. “It will bring together the trade, travel and tourism business fraternity and entrepreneurs from the eight North Eastern States of India and West Bengal on a single platform. The event has been planned and envisaged to facilitate interaction between buyers, sellers, media, government agencies and others,’’ he added. Representatives of three SAARC and 10 ASEAN countries have confirmed their participation.
According to officials in the Tourism Ministry, around 100 delegates, including Tourism Ministers, Tourism Secretaries, tour operators, hotelier and international media from Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia and Myanmar will take part. Besides, delegates from Philippines, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, UK, US and Vietnam would also be attending the mart.
Tourism Secretary, Pervez Dewan said that restrictions on tourists for travel in North-East states have been eased considerably. This has been possible with the cooperation of the NE States who have expressed their keenness to facilitate flow of tourists into the region. Keeping this in mind, the restrictions on tourists have been relaxed, he added.
