India News | 3-day ITM Begins in Kohima

Kohima, Nov 27 (PTI) The ninth edition of the annual International Tourism Mart (ITM), organised by the Union Ministry of Tourism, was inaugurated here on Saturday.

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The event is organised in the northeastern states on a rotation basis. Nagaland is hosting the mart for the first time.

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Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Union Minister of State for Tourism and Defence Ajay Bhatt and MLA and Advisor Tourism of the state government H Khehovi Yeputhomi jointly inaugurated the three-day ITM.

The objective of the event is to highlight the tourism potential of the region in the domestic and international markets.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister expressed hope that the International Tourism Mart in Kohima will give a boost to the tourism and business sector not only in Nagaland but the entire Northeast.

Pointing out that the tourism sector has been greatly affected by the pandemic, Rio thanked the Ministry of Tourism for organising the event in Kohima.

In his address, Union Minister Ajay Bhatt said "The simple nature and hospitality of the people here is incomparable.

"Tourism and culture complement each other. If our culture is rich, then tourism is the best way to know and understand this richness.

Bhatt added that this edition of ITM will put the spotlight on domestic tourism.

About 75 sellers from the Northeast and 50 buyers from the country are participating in the event.

“Many parts of this region are still unexplored by tourists. There is a huge potential of border tourism and wildlife tourism in the Northeast,” the Union minister said.

Noting that the Centre is doing many things for the development of tourism in the region, Bhatt said this year 50 students from different parts of the country have got an opportunity through this programme to know and understand the Northeast region, as part of a study tour.

He also asked the ambassadors to motivate the tourists of their country to visit this region.

He highlighted that the Centre has sanctioned funds in the northeastern states under the 'Swadesh Darshan' and 'Prashad' schemes for building infrastructure.

Under the 'Swadesh Darshan' scheme, 16 projects have been approved in the Northeast which have been completed or are nearing completion.

The minister also appealed to the state governments to celebrate ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsava' with great enthusiasm.

Union Tourism Secretary Singh said, “International Tourism Marts is the biggest travel and tour networking event in the North Eastern Region of the country.

The rich natural beauty, serenity, and exotic flora and fauna of North Eastern India are invaluable resources for the development of tourism especially eco-tourism, he said.

Pointing out that Travel and Tourism is one of the world's largest economic sectors, creating exports and prosperity around the world, he said, the country's Tourism sector has emerged as one of the key drivers of growth for the Indian economy.

The inaugural session was attended by the High Commissioner, Brunei Darussalam, High Commissioner, Malaysia, Ambassador Extraordinary, Republic of the Union of Myanmar, and Ambassador, of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, among others.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)