DRNew Delhi: The second edition of the annual India Tourism Mart (ITM) was held in New Delhi at The Ashok Hotel from September 23 to 25. 240 international buyers from 51 countries including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, UK and USA, and 175 sellers from India participated. Gujarat was the Partner State at ITM 2019 and other participating State/UTs which were present included Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Daman & Diu, Goa, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. The hosted buyers were taken around the country as part of theme-specific FAM trips.
Over 240 international delegates from 51 countries attended the event organised by the Ministry of Tourism and the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality
Activities at ITM 2019 included trade exhibition, B2B meetings, conferences & workshops, and a gala networking dinner. The event was organised by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and FAITH (Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality).
Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road, Transport and Highways; Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Prahlad Singh Patel, Union Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism & Culture inaugurated ITM 2019 in the presence of Union Tourism Secretary Yogendra Tripathi IAS, Nakul Anand, Chairman, FAITH and office bearers of ADTOI, ATOAI, FHRAI, HAI, IATO, ICPB, IHHA, ITTA, TAAI and TAFI.
“The ministry had made the request for changing the GST slab for the tourism sector. The decision taken by the government is better than what we had expected. This is a Diwali gift for the tourism industry,” said MoS Patel while addressing the gathering of tourism stakeholders. He further thanked the Prime Minister and Finance Minister for the GST rebates which will benefit the hospitality sector and help in promoting tourism.
Minister Gadkari said that the government is focusing on cleanliness and infrastructure which will boost the tourism sector. “The tourism sector has huge employment opportunities and this is the most important agenda for our government,” he said.
At the press meet, Patel said that the objective of ITM 2019 is to provide a platform at the national level for the trade and hospitality service providers to interact and conduct business with their counterparts from overseas. When asked about the scope of tourism in Jammu & Kashmir where restrictions are in place since August 5, Patel said that from November 1 the region will have a “better season” than the previous year. Union Territories, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh will come into existence on 31 October as a result of the abrogation of Article 370.
GST recalibration for hospitality industry; visa fee reduction to $25 (season) and $10 (off-season); relaxation of Inner Line Permit in the North East States, opening 137 new peaks to foreigners for adventure tourism; and renewed focus on Andaman & Nicobar Islands for tourism – this government has been bullish on promoting tourism.
