Guwahati: The Union Ministry of Tourism is going to organise the 11th edition of the International Tourism Mart at Meghalaya’s Shillong from November 21 to November 23, 2023. The International Tourism Mart is an annual event organised by the ministry in one of the northeastern states on a rotation basis. The objective of the event is to provide a bigger platform for the northeastern stakeholders to interact with their counterparts from both within the country and overseas markets as well as to create awareness about the tourism potential of the northeast region.
It also aims to highlight its unique tourism products, rich biodiversity, and unique intangible heritage including local traditions, dance forms, arts, handicrafts, and handlooms to a domestic and international audience, as per an official press release.
The International Mart is also going to be a unique one as it has been planned as a “Green Event” by adopting low carbon options on the lines of the action points formulated by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for implementation of Mission LiFE and sensitising the tourism stakeholders and generating greater awareness about its objectives. There will be no use of single-use plastic and a digital and paperless route will be followed as well as a tree plantation drive will be undertaken, the release said.
The event is scheduled to be inaugurated by Union Minister of Tourism, Culture, and DoNER G. Kishan Reddy. The earlier editions of the event were held in Assam’s Guwahati, Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang, Meghalaya’s Shillong, Sikkim’s Gangtok, Tripura’s Agartala, Manipur’s Imphal, Nagaland’s Kohima, and Mizoram’s Aizawl. Shillong will be hosting the event for the second time since its inception, it said.
The event will include an exclusive session dedicated to business meetings between local northeastern stakeholders and domestic and international buyers. All eight northeastern states would present updates on their new destinations as well as new opportunities in their respective states. Knowledge sessions and panel discussions with panelists from both the government and private sectors would deliberate on the advances and development of connectivity in the region, the release added.
Air connectivity in the northeast has increased tremendously in the last few years, with more than 16 airports currently providing accessibility to tourist destinations in the region. The Ministry of Tourism has collaborated with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and as part of it, 53 tourism routes have become operational of which 10 routes are exclusively for the northeast region. The three Vistadome trains operating in the northeast have greatly contributed to not only connectivity but also to enhance its tourism appeal, the release said.
The writer is a senior independent journalist covering the Northeast.
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