India International Travel Mart concludes in Kochi
The 112th edition of India International Travel Mart (IITM), held from 3 – 5 January 2019, at Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Kochi, has concluded today. The India International Travel Mart, organised by Sphere Travelmedia & Exhibitions, showcased a variety of destinations from different spheres such as pilgrimages, adventures, culture & heritage, beaches, hills and much more.
The event had over 250 participants from over 8 countries and over 20 Indian states. The participants include Travel Agents & Tour Operators, DMC, Hotels & Resorts, National Tourist Organizations, Cruises, Airlines, Online Travel Portals etc. The three-day event has showcased glimpses from the travel, tourism and hospitality industries.
“With this year’s edition of IITM Kochi, Sphere Travelmedia & Exhibitions has completed twenty years of providing the travel industry and discerning buyers from the travel-trade and corporate sector an opportunity to do business,” it said in a release.
“India, in spite of the present business environment, is fast emerging as one of the most interesting and productive countries for the travel trade industry both for leisure and business travel. A combination of factors is responsible for the growth and demand of travel trends from India. The visitor profile is on a B2B & B2C format like and will have over 15,000 buyers over three days,” said Sanjay Hakhu, Director, Sphere TravelMedia.
Tourism Studies and Trends indicate that the year 2019 – 2020 will see more than 20 million Indian tourists embanking on overseas travel and with the advent of low-cost international airfares and holiday packages that are available on monthly instalments payable over a period of time, International travel is no longer a luxury.
Gujarat was the Partner State while Karnataka, West Bengal & Arunachal Pradesh were the Feature Destinations at the event. Other states being represented include Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Goa, Jharkhand, Andaman Islands, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh. Some of the International participants who had participated this year include participants from Dubai, Iceland, Maldives, Singapore etc.
“Domestic travel is the backbone of India’s tourism portfolio and with an estimated 561 million domestic tourist visits, this segment is probably only second to China in terms of sheer size. With the rapid economic development taking place in the country and availability of greater disposable income combined with affordable holiday packages, tourism in India is increasing steadily and acts as a catalyst for the furthering the economic growth in view of its wide-ranging linkage effects and multiple impacts. The participants from the states of Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, and many more destinations will be seen aggressively marketing their products will be there with their travel and tourism stakeholders,” said Rohit Hangal, Director, Sphere Travelmedia.
