Tawang, October 31: The 14th International Tourism Mart (ITM), organised by the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the Government of Arunachal Pradesh and other North Eastern States, concluded its main sessions in Tawang on Friday, bringing together domestic and international tourism stakeholders to explore opportunities for strengthening tourism across the region.
The Mart, being held from October 29 to 31, witnessed participation from 43 international buyers representing 22 countries, 42 domestic buyers from 16 States and Union Territories, and 81 sellers, providing a platform to showcase the tourism potential of the North Eastern Region and establish business partnerships.
The main deliberations concluded with a Regional Meeting of Tourism Ministers of the North Eastern States, chaired by Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. Tourism Ministers and senior officials from the eight North Eastern States discussed tourism development priorities, regional cooperation, emerging opportunities and measures to improve tourist facilitation.
Key discussions focused on the Centre’s Dekho Apna Desh 2.0 initiative, the National Digital Tourism Stack (NDTS), the Live Concert Economy and Restricted Area Permit (RAP) and Protected Area Permit (PAP) requirements.
The presentation on Dekho Apna Desh 2.0 highlighted efforts to promote lesser-known, tourism-ready destinations as alternatives to popular tourist centres. Meanwhile, the NDTS initiative aims to develop a common digital tourism ecosystem to improve the visibility of tourism experiences, facilitate online bookings and expand market access for local service providers, including guides, homestays and tourism entrepreneurs.
The meeting also explored the potential of music concerts, cultural festivals and other live events to attract tourists, encourage longer stays and create business opportunities for local communities. Discussions on RAP and PAP requirements focused on simplifying application procedures, clarifying permit requirements and ensuring timely processing while maintaining security considerations.
A total of 1,580 business-to-business (B2B) meetings were conducted during the Mart, enabling direct engagement between domestic and international buyers and tourism sellers. The meetings aimed to facilitate new tourism itineraries, commercial partnerships and the promotion of tourism products across the North Eastern States.
During the technical sessions, Suman Billa, Additional Secretary and Director General of the Ministry of Tourism, highlighted India’s growth in domestic tourism, with Domestic Tourist Visits increasing from 1.32 billion in 2014 to 4.34 billion in 2025, registering an annual growth rate of approximately 11 per cent.
He said the tourism sector supports around 89 million jobs and contributes 5.22 per cent to India’s GDP.
Highlighting improvements in regional connectivity, Billa said the number of airports in the North Eastern Region had increased from nine in 2014 to 17, while the national highway network had expanded from 10,905 km to 16,207 km. He also underlined the region’s investment potential and opportunities for community-led tourism through homestays, adventure tourism, eco-tourism, wellness and experiential travel.
The technical sessions featured presentations by all eight North Eastern States — Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura — showcasing their tourism attractions, emerging destinations and tourism circuits.
The Mart was inaugurated on October 29 in the presence of Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of State for Tourism and Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang and other dignitaries.
Addressing the inaugural session, Shekhawat emphasised the need to translate the region’s tourism potential into sustainable business opportunities and livelihood avenues for local communities.
The event also featured the North East Bazaar, showcasing traditional handicrafts, handlooms, textiles and regional products, alongside cultural programmes highlighting the rich heritage and traditions of the region.
Delegates and media representatives also visited Tawang Monastery, Tawang War Memorial and Urgelling Gompa as part of curated visits.
Technical visits to Buddha Park, PTSO Lake and Shernup Village are scheduled for October 31, while familiarisation tours for international delegates will begin from Guwahati on November 1 to showcase tourism destinations and products across the North Eastern Region.
The 14th edition marked the return of the International Tourism Mart to Tawang after 13 years, with the second edition having been held in the town in 2013.
The Mart reaffirmed the commitment to strengthening tourism partnerships, promoting lesser-known destinations and positioning the North Eastern Region as a leading destination for sustainable and experience-based tourism.
