Shillong, Nov 21: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and Union Minister of State for Tourism Shripad Yesso Naik inaugurated the 11th edition of the International Tourism Mart (ITM) on Tuesday here. The three-day event is being held till November 23 at the Lariti International Centre for Performing Arts and Culture.
Addressing the event, Yesso Naik said that Meghalaya is a beautiful state with huge potential in adventure and eco-tourism and that ITM plans to facilitate interaction between government agencies and stakeholders. “This year ITM is different in many ways, after a long gap, international tour operators, bloggers are participating in this current edition. The Ministry is making efforts to make this event carbon neutral. The Northeast of India has emerged as a popular tourist destination for travellers seeking adventure, culture, nature, festivals and offbeat experiences,” said Naik.
The region is known for its rich biodiversity, ethnic diversity and stunning landscape comprising snow clad mountains, pristine lakes and dense forests, he said, adding, “I have been informed that the Mart has elements of B2B meeting between the buyers for international as well as domestic markets and sellers from north east region, focused panel discussions on various contemporary subjects, presentation by the northeastern states, northeastern bazar, musical performances, food demonstration, specially curated technical tools to provide the participants a complete taste of tourism that the region is offering.” The mart also has elements of students’ participation from different parts of the country, under the banner of the Yuva tourism with the objective of providing the students firsthand knowledge of this cultural rich region.
