Report from Rubiya Shaikh
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji (SP)
Panaji, Oct 11: India`s prominent international travel & and tourism exhibition is set to be held for the first time in the capital city of Goa, from October 11 to 13, 2008.
Uttarkhand Tourism is the partner state, while Gujarat and Rajasthan are the feature states for the event, with Malaysia and Dubai as partner contries for this mega event.
India Travel Mart (ITM) is a prominent event in India, showcasing the best from the travel, tourism, cruises, railways, aviation, hospitality and other related sectors. The three–day travel exhibition will focus on outbound, inbound and domestic tourism.
International tourism boards/organisations, state tourism departments as well as organisations from Malaysia, Dubai, Star Cruises, Uttarkhand, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Indian Railways, leading hotels, resorts, palaces, travel agencies, tour operators/organizers and many more participants are expected to take part in the event.
The participants will display their products and provide information of their destinations, attractive holiday packages, travel and tour packages as also other related services.
Chairman of Goa Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (GTDC), Shyam Satardekar will be inaugurating the India Travel Mart (ITM), on Saturday 11th October 2008.
"The mart is coming up with a variety of holidays and destination packages and highlight would be pilgrimage tourism, adventure tourism, eco tourism, health tourism and wildlife tourism," said Ajay Gupta, ITM director. The main attraction of the mart will be the promotion of favourite and unexplored destinations and holiday packages, he stated.
"The basic purpose of holding this event is to boost tourism awareness worldwide. We believe that the inflow of domestic and outbound tourists will increase in the coming months and Goa will play a vital role in promoting tourism. Our main aim is to promote tourism potential and spread awareness among the people," he explained.
"The timing of the event is perfect for Diwali, Christmas and winter holidays and round the year travel, vacations and business plans. Citizens from not only Goa but also from nearby states and cities will be benefited with the exhibition, as they get to choose from a variety of attractive packages," he felt.
It is the best time for those who are planning for their holidays or business trips. Corporate houses and travel enthusiasts will also get detailed information to choose perfect, special and affordable packages to favourite destinations across the globe, at the ITM.
Foreign and domestic tourists coming to Goa are the main targets of the exhibition, as the travel season has already begun.