The second edition of Goa International Travel Mart (GITM), will act as a platform to promote tourism on the West coast of India. Maharashtra and Gujarat have been signed as Partner State for the Mart which will be held from October 21-23, 2011 at Grand Hyatt, Bambolim. Efforts are on to get Karnataka and Kerala also on board as partner states. Organised and promoted jointly by Dept of Tourism, Government of Goa and Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC); Tourism Association of Goa and Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Mart will also witness participation of Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) as Wellness partner. ITB Berlin has come on board as Strategic Partner and will organise two seminars on the inaugural day. TravelBiz Monitor is once again the Knowledge Partner for the event.
GITM 2011 promises to be bigger and better this year with Goa Tourism hosting 450 buyers compared to last year’s 130. Organisers are expecting around 150 sellers against last year’s 80. Positioned to promote inbound and outbound tourism, the theme for this years’ Mart is ‘Unearth the Hidden Treasures of Goa.’ Melwyn Vaz, MD, GTDC, said that although Goa holds a unique place on the global travel map, there is always scope for improvement and GITM is a major step in that direction. “GITM will bring better and greater opportunities to the travel and tourism trade in Goa. We are confident that GITM 2011 will be bigger and better,” he stated.
Speaking on Gujarat’s partnership with Goa, Vipul Mittra, Principal Secretary - Tourism, Civil Aviation and Pilgrimage, Govt of Gujarat, said, “GITM will be a great platform to showcase Gujarat as a tourist destination. We want to highlight destinations like Champaran and Dholavira (for heritage) and Saputara (hill station) in Gujarat. We are promoting Heritage, Religious, Desert and Beach Tourism in the state. Goa being an important tourist destination, we believe that by participating at GITM, we will be able to promote tourism in the western region. Also, we look forward to promote Cruise Tourism in the near future.”
According to Avinash Dhakne, Jt. MD, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation, the Mart promises to be a win-win opportunity for both Maharashtra and Goa. “As both are neighbouring states, there’s always an opportunity to attract tourists from Goa and hence, GITM is an important event for us.
GITM gives us a platform to showcase our destinations and so, we decided to participate as Partner State. We aim to promote destinations such as the Konkan region, Ratnagiri, Alibaug, the Ajanta and Ellora caves besides other wildlife destinations,” he informed.
Road shows to create awareness about the Mart were held last month in New Delhi, Ahmedabad and Mumbai. Major Indian travel trade associations like TAFI, TAAI, IATO, ADTOI, IAAI, ATOAI, ETAA have confirmed support and participation at GITM. The organisers have put together an aggressive marketing strategy in place to attract over 2,500 trade visitors to GITM 2011. Leading travel companies like Kuoni, LPTI, TBI, etc. have already signed up as partners for the event. Air India will be the official carrier of GITM. Discover the World is responsible for bringing international hosted buyers.
Source : Travel Biz Monitor
GITM 2011 promises to be bigger and better this year with Goa Tourism hosting 450 buyers compared to last year’s 130. Organisers are expecting around 150 sellers against last year’s 80. Positioned to promote inbound and outbound tourism, the theme for this years’ Mart is ‘Unearth the Hidden Treasures of Goa.’ Melwyn Vaz, MD, GTDC, said that although Goa holds a unique place on the global travel map, there is always scope for improvement and GITM is a major step in that direction. “GITM will bring better and greater opportunities to the travel and tourism trade in Goa. We are confident that GITM 2011 will be bigger and better,” he stated.
Speaking on Gujarat’s partnership with Goa, Vipul Mittra, Principal Secretary - Tourism, Civil Aviation and Pilgrimage, Govt of Gujarat, said, “GITM will be a great platform to showcase Gujarat as a tourist destination. We want to highlight destinations like Champaran and Dholavira (for heritage) and Saputara (hill station) in Gujarat. We are promoting Heritage, Religious, Desert and Beach Tourism in the state. Goa being an important tourist destination, we believe that by participating at GITM, we will be able to promote tourism in the western region. Also, we look forward to promote Cruise Tourism in the near future.”
According to Avinash Dhakne, Jt. MD, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation, the Mart promises to be a win-win opportunity for both Maharashtra and Goa. “As both are neighbouring states, there’s always an opportunity to attract tourists from Goa and hence, GITM is an important event for us.
GITM gives us a platform to showcase our destinations and so, we decided to participate as Partner State. We aim to promote destinations such as the Konkan region, Ratnagiri, Alibaug, the Ajanta and Ellora caves besides other wildlife destinations,” he informed.
Road shows to create awareness about the Mart were held last month in New Delhi, Ahmedabad and Mumbai. Major Indian travel trade associations like TAFI, TAAI, IATO, ADTOI, IAAI, ATOAI, ETAA have confirmed support and participation at GITM. The organisers have put together an aggressive marketing strategy in place to attract over 2,500 trade visitors to GITM 2011. Leading travel companies like Kuoni, LPTI, TBI, etc. have already signed up as partners for the event. Air India will be the official carrier of GITM. Discover the World is responsible for bringing international hosted buyers.
Source : Travel Biz Monitor
