PANAJI: Goa tourism is gearing up to host the three day B2B event — 3rd edition of Goa international travel mart (GITM) 2014 which starts on April 2, to bring together travel companies, hoteliers, state tourism boards and other leisure enterprises under one roof to showcase the tourism investment potential in the state, but some industry stakeholders are apprehensive about its success.
Some industry stakeholders want Goa tourism to perform better in its latest effort but their concern is that it should not be a repeat of GITM 2011 which was a total fiasco.
Savio Messias, vice-president of the tour and travel association of Goa (TTAG), said planning for such events has to be done well in advance so that the whole programme is ready and made available on the website for buyers to see and facilitate their travel plan. “Programmes or schedules of international trade fairs is normally drawn a year before,” he pointed out.
A tour operator wishing anonymity said GITM 2011 was a total failure because it was a hotchpotch job. He said in other states, such events are executed through a tourism board which consists of tour operators, professionals and other stake holders of the industry, while role of the government is limited to financing the event. Goa government is yet to constitute a tourism board though announcement was made two years ago.
Despite doubts raised by some tour operators, Goa tourism department this time, is better prepared to host the 3rd edition of the GITM, said a senior officer of the tourism department. “Planning for GITM 2014 was started six months back,” he said, indicating that they have learnt from their past mistakes.
This event would be a success, he said as they have confirmation from 100 hosted international buyers from 28 countries and 140 confirmed hosted national buyers.
Buyers from countries such as 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 and Thailand have confirmed their participation for GITM 2014.
Also participating in the event will be 25 international travel trade mediapersons from over 20 countries, and 40 domestic travel trade mediapersons from all over India. Besides, 400 non-hosted national buyers have also registered for GITM, said the official. Dismissing fears expressed by some, the officer said deposits have been taken from hosted buyers to ensure they conduct business expected of them and the host (Goa tourism) is not taken on a royal ride.
A Gomes Pereira, chief operating officer, (charters and Goa) of Trail Blazer Tours India Pvt Ltd, on an optimistic note, said Goa tourism should not give up and keep trying and learn through mistakes even as he conceded that planning for GITM has to be done well before time.
Goa tourism gears up to host Goa international travel mart
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