Bengaluru to host Asia-Pacific travel mart in Sept

State’s agencies to have separate pavilion at exhibition

 Over 1,000 delegates from 70 countries are expected to participate in the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Travel Mart, to be held in Bengaluru from September 6 to 8.

“The travel mart, a premier travel trade show in the Asia Pacific region, will give special focus on investors’ meet,” according to State Tourism Minister R V Deshpande.

The event - which will be held at the Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) - will facilitate over 10,000 pre-matched appointments and bring together qualified international buyers and sellers for one-to-one meetings, educational forums and networking functions, he said.

The State government is hosting the event and the Union Ministry of Tourism is co-sponsoring it. India is hosting this mega global travel event for the third time in the last eight years. The earlier two editions were held in Hyderabad and Delhi in 2008 and 2011, respectively.

This year’s event will also feature a technology pavilion, providing a business platform for travel technology professionals to feature their products and services to both PATA members and travel industry stakeholders.

The previous meet held in 2014 at Phnom Penh, Cambodia, had attracted 450 delegates from 31 countries.

Aiming to provide a platform for the State’s travel agencies or small and medium enterprises engaging in travel-related business, the event organisers have set up a separate pavilion, he said.

Union Minister of State for Tourism Mahesh Sharma said the event would help India showcase its growth in the tourism sector and attract more foreign tourists in the coming days.

Assuring the tourism industry of addressing all its issues in a positive manner, Sharma said the target of one per cent share of the total global tourism market could be achieved only when all stakeholders were taken on board.

PATA is a not-for-profit organisation that acts as a catalyst for development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia-Pacific region.