TBM Staff | New Delhi
According to the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, over 200 travel and tourism stakeholders will participate in the 14th annual edition of International Travel Mart (ITM) for the North Eastern Region, which will include over 40 international buyers drawn from 22 countries of the world. The three-day annual event will get underway in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, today. As part of the event, Union Tourism Minister, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will chair a meeting of the tourism ministers of the north eastern region in Tawang.
The International Tourism Mart is an annual flagship event of the Ministry of Tourism aimed at promoting the North Eastern Region as a tourism destination in domestic and international markets. The Mart serves as a platform for tourism businesses, entrepreneurs, tour operators, government agencies, media and other stakeholders to explore opportunities for collaboration, strengthen tourism linkages and promote the region’s rich natural, cultural and adventure tourism offerings.
The inaugural programme today will be attended by Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, Suresh Gopi, Minister of State for Tourism and Petroleum & Natural Gas and Pema Khandu, Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh. The inaugural programme will include the inauguration of the North East Bazaar and cultural performances highlighting the region’s rich traditions.
The international buyer participation is from Australia, Bhutan, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States, among others.
The Mart will also bring together domestic buyers, tourism service providers and sellers from the eight North Eastern States, facilitating business interactions and opportunities for collaboration.
The Mart will showcase destination and tourism product presentations by all eight North Eastern States—Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. These presentations will highlight the distinctive tourism attractions, experiences and offerings of each State, along with combined tourism circuits and products of the North Eastern Region.
The event will also feature Business-to-Business (B2B) sessions on the second day of the mart, facilitating structured interactions between domestic and international buyers and tourism service providers from the North East. These engagements are aimed at promoting business collaborations, developing tourism products and strengthening market access for tourism entrepreneurs and service providers from the region.
Technical sessions during the Mart will focus on key aspects of tourism development in the North Eastern Region. These will include discussions on building the live events and concert economy in the North East, led by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and facilitating tourist access to Protected and Restricted Areas in the region, led by the Ministry of Home Affairs. A presentation by Royal Enfield on ‘Beyond Destinations: Creating Immersive Journeys in North East India’ will explore opportunities for experience-based tourism in the region.
The 14th edition of the International Tourism Mart marks its return to Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, after 13 years, with it having last hosted the second edition in 2013. The previous edition of the Mart was held in Gangtok, Sikkim, in November 2025.