The Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) has kickstarted promotions for the first India Tourism Mart. The event will be held in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism from 16-18th September at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.
The tourism ministry will drive the event through FAITH with the objective of positioning the tourism destinations and products of the country in international source markets with the aim of doubling the number of foreign tourists from the current figure of 10 million to 20 million by 2020.
The event will provide a common platform for buyers as well as sellers to exchange ideas and to increase business opportunities. The objective of the mart is to create a global tourism mart for India on the lines of major international travel marts being held in other countries.
“We need to have an India mart. Most of our industry goes abroad to market important destinations but we need to bring the best buyers here to access the sellers from India. The smaller Indian players may not have the wherewithal to go abroad,” said Suman Billa, joint secretary, ministry of tourism.
Out of 620 applications received from international buyers, FAITH has selected 272 buyers from 65 different countries across the globe. Another 98 applications are under process, as per a report by ET.
