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The 9th Edition of the International Travel Mart, ITM for North East Region got underway last evening at Kohima. The three-day event was jointly launched by Union Minister of State Tourism & Defence Ajay Bhatt, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, MLA & Advisor Tourism H Khehovi Yeputhomi.
In his address, Mr. Ajay Bhatt emphasised the need to promote border tourism stating there is immense potential in border tourism with many unexplored places. He also emphasised on the potential of wildlife tourism in the Northeast states.
Stating that Northeast region has a huge potential in the tourism sector with rich culture and traditions and hospitality, Mr. Bhatt said tourism and culture complement each other.
The Minister urged upon ambassadors of different countries to motivate the tourists of their country to visit this part of the region. The MoS also mentioned that under the ‘Swadesh Darshan’ scheme, 16 projects have been approved in the North-East which have been completed or are nearing completion.
Addressing the event, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said International Tourism Mart is the right initiative of the Ministry of Tourism, for promoting tourism in the Northeastern region. He expressed hope that with the united and concerted efforts of the eight North East states and all the stakeholders who are part of this Mart, the tourism industry will get the necessary boost. Rio said the people of the Northeast region are more than willing to walk with the fast-advancing world towards progress.
On the occasion, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and MoS Ajay Bhatt launched the coffee table book on Nagaland.
Besides, exchange of MoU between Department of Tourism, Government of Nagaland & Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) for the operations of SIHM also took place on the occasion
The High Commissioners of Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia and Ambassador Extra-Ordinary, Republic of the Union of Myanmar and Ambassador of Socialist Republic of Vietnam were amongst other attending dignitaries and diplomats.
The three-day event will be attended by over 300 delegates including government officials, industry stakeholders and local participants. In addition, 50 University students from across the states are also participating in the event for the first time.
Highlights of the ITM include presentations by state governments on their tourism potential, exhibition by State Tourism Departments from the North-Eastern region, various engaging discussions on several aspects of tourism and unique tourism products in the North East Region and their potential and visit to some historical sites in Kohima.
The International Tourism Mart (ITM) is an annual event organized by the Ministry of Tourism since 2013 in the North East region with the objective to promote the tourism potential and position this region as an attractive destination in the domestic and international markets.
