The Goa International Travel Mart (GITM) came to a successful close earlier this month. This is the third time that Goa Tourism organised this prestigious B2B event, which was inaugurated by the Governor of Goa, Bharat Vir Wanchoo. GITM welcomed over 1,200 attendees over two days. Around 8,000 appointments were successfully conducted for the travel trade; this is above the 5,800 appointments that were scheduled before the start of the event, which makes GITM one of the busiest events in the travel industry.
Dilip Parulekar, Minister of Tourism, Government of Goa, said, “I am extremely pleased to tell you that this has been one of the most successful editions of the GITM. Goa is a state with immense potential for tourism and we are eager to showcase this to the world. Through GITM, we want people from all over to learn and experience Goa in multiple ways. We plan to make this an annual event and are confident that it will continue to be a success in the years to come.”
The main aim behind GITM was to bring together travel companies, hoteliers, State Tourism Boards and other leisure enterprises under one roof to showcase the tourism investment potential in Goa. GITM will also reaches out to State Tourism Board, District Tourism Centres, Trade Associations/ National Travel Organizations, Airlines, Travel Agents & Tour Operators, Hotels & Resorts, Adventure Tour Operators, Spice Plantations, Casinos etc. Over 100 international buyers from around 28 countries- USA, UK, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Turkey, Italy, Czech Republic, Russia, Poland, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Malaysia, Argentina, Philippines, UAE, Mexico, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand etc. – were present at the event. On the domestic front, GITM witnessed 250 hosted buyers from all over India and around 2,500 non-hosted traders. Also participating in the event were 25 International travel trade media from over 20 countries, and 35 domestic travel trade media from all over India.
Apart from the main exhibition the international buyers and media were taken on FAM trips to acquaint themselves with the beautiful landscape of Goa. These trips also gave them a chance to explore the lesser-known facets of Goa and get a glimpse of its rich heritage and culture. Other value additions like networking dinners, panel discussion on ‘Positioning Goa as India’s premier leisure destination towards 2020’ and knowledge sessions added colour to the event.
A special Goa Pavilion was put up at GITM to showcase festivals and nightlife, beaches, heritage trails, UNESCO Heritage sites, Wild life, Medical tourism, Monsoon tourism, MICE, Wedding Destination, Spice Farms and Adventure. Elements like promotion and conservation of heritage, arts, crafts, endorsement of hinterland tourism, exhibiting the state’s rich culture and heritage were also incorporated.
Goa Tourism also gave away awards for the Best Decorated Stalls at GITM. The winners included: Alcon Victor Group, Maharashtra Tourism, Karnataka Tourism, LPK Waterfront, Deltin, Caper Travels, Novotel and Bambolin Beach Resort.
GOA TOURISM CONCLUDES 3RD EDITION OF GITM
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