6th International Tourism Mart 2017 inaugurated in Assam

The 6th International Tourism Mart (ITM) 2017 was inaugurated by Assam’s governor Jagdish Mukhi in Guwahati, Assam on December 5. in the presence of Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Minister Assam, Pema Khandu, Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, K.J. Alphons, Union Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism, Dr. Hemanta Biswa Sarma, Minister for Tourism of Assam, Union Tourism Secretary, Rashmi Verma, V.K. Pipersenia, Chief Secretary of Assam and other dignitaries from Central Ministries and North Eastern States in Guwahati, Assam. The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in association with the North Eastern States has organised this Mart from 5-7 December, 2017.

Delivering inaugural address, Jagdish Mukhi extended his greetings to all participants and said that this International Tourism Mart will go a long way in harnessing tourism potential in the North Eastern States. He said that this Mart is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the unique tourism treasures of North Eastern States. Keeping in view the Act East Policy of the Government, this platform will serve its purpose. He opined that the Assam is very rich in ethnic and cultural diversity and people of Assam are always renowned with their hospitality. He said that we need to exhibit the highest level of courtesy. He conveyed his best wishes for the success of the 6th International Tourism Mart-2017.

Day Two of the International Tourism Mart 2017 started with a presentation on exploring North East by Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism. This presentation highlighted the varied tourism products of North East region and the initiatives taken by Ministry of Tourism for development of tourism infrastructure, promotion and marketing, human resource development in tourism sector for the North East region.

The presentation was followed by a panel discussion on the subject “Exploring India’s North East and Developing Inter- Regional Tourism between BIMSTEC, ASEAN Countries and North-East region of India”  The topics of discussions in this session was centered around steps taken by Ministry of Tourism to develop tourism in the North East, striking a synergy between Central Government Ministries and other government agencies  for optimizing their resources for promotion and development of Tourism in the North East Region.

As the majority of North East States share International borders with ASEAN and BIMSTEC Countries, the session also identified geopolitical drivers of tourist flows in the future in view of India’s increased focus on ‘Act East’ policy.  The key speakers of the session included Rashmi Verma, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Naveen Verma, Secretary, DONER, Ram Muivah, Secretary, NEC, R.C. Jain, Commissioner & Secretary (Tourism), Assam, Rajiv Kohli, Vice President, IATO and Arjit Purkayasth, Tour operator of Assam.

The second session emphasized on the opportunities in Promotion of North- East region of India.  In this session the Secretaries of Tourism of all the eight North Eastern States presented the unique selling products of each States that makes them fascinating.  All the Speakers agreed to the common fact that, the potential of this region lies in its having spectacular biodiversity, wildlife, culture, snow-capped Himalayas, tropical forests, shrines of diverse religions, ancient villages and historically important archaeological sites and variety of ethnic tribes having fascinating culinary heritage. The Northeast provides a wonderful opportunity for ‘Experiential Tourism’ at its very best.