Goa Int'l Tourism Mart to be bigger and better, October 21-23

The second edition of the Goa International Travel Mart 2011 (GITM) is set to be a bigger and better event of international stature. A tie-up with ITB Berlin for the Mart, will bolster the high powered conference programme of this year’s mart, which is focused on New Trends and Segments in Tourism.

Organised and promoted jointly by Department of Tourism, Government of Goa and Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC); Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) and Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), the Mart will be held from October 21-23, 2011 at Grand Hyatt Goa in Bambolim. TravelBiz Monitor is the knowledge partner for the event. Other major partners signed up till date includes Le Passage to India, Kuoni India, Air India and Grand Hyatt Goa.

ITB Berlin will organise conferences on key tourism related issues and new trends on the inaugural day of the Mart. The other conference programme will have a lineup of interesting subjects with an impressive array of top CEOs, industry experts and association heads as speakers.

Tourism Authority of Thailand has also come on board as a Wellness partner for the Mart and will bring down a speaker of global repute from the health industry to speak about Thailand’s wellness offerings.

GITM 2011 with the theme, “Unearth the Hidden Treasures of Goa,” will not only focus on Goa as a product but also explore new avenues for business. Positioned to promote inbound and outbound tourism, the Mart unlike other state-driven travel exhibitions that focus only on showcasing one state, will promote the entire Western Coastal region of India, bringing together many states on a common platform.

The organisers have put an aggressive marketing strategy in place to attract over 2,500 trade visitors to GITM 2011. The target is to have 450 hosted buyers including a large number of international hosted buyers. Major Indian travel trade associations like Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI),

Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI), have confirmed support and participation at GITM 2011. Leading industry leaders including Amitabh Kant, the mastermind behind the Incredible India campaign and Rajiv Duggal, MD, Kuoni India will be speakers at the event among others.