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The fourth edition of Great Indian Travel Bazaar 2012 got going on Sunday. Held in Rajasthan, GITB promises to play much significant role in taking up the cause of Indian tourism and enticing foreign travellers to book flights to India.
Great Indian Travel Bazaar 2012 (GITB) kicked off on Sunday with much fanfare. The inaugural day of the 4th edition of this international tourism mart saw a great turnout with many centre and state government representatives along with foreign participants displaying the growing relevance of the event.
Subodh Kant Sahai, Minister of Tourism, Government of India, was present along with other dignitaries.
The minister said the time was ripe for India to start giving priority to tour and travel sector. “We should look at doubling our inbound tourism and aim at bringing to the country 5 million tourists by 2017,” he was quoted.
He also spoke of country’s need for more hotel rooms to better serve foreign vacationers taking flights to India.
“Inbound tourism has great potential and can grow at a rate of 12%. For this the ministry is relying on two strategies. The first relates to revenue generation activities and second is developing the infrastructure,” remarked the Indian minister. India needs 20 lakh hotel rooms to provide accommodation options to the foreign tourists and this will also open new opportunities of investment and employment creation, he said.
In last few years, India has witnessed a massive spurt in the number of domestic and international hospitality firms investing in the country. With India’s rising status among holiday travellers, the figure of investors is only slated to go up.
Great Indian Travel Bazaar 2012 is being held in Jaipur, Rajasthan. An extremely popular vacation destination in itself, Rajasthan plays a major role in pushing up the inquiries for tickets on cheap flights to India all over the globe. Rajasthan is also seen as a highly active element when it comes to promoting tourism in the country.
R V Kanoria, President, FICCI, said: “Rajasthan is one of the finest tourist destinations in India and state government has initiated several policies to support the cause of promoting tourism.”
“A large contingent of participants, both national and international, is showcasing the potential for growth of tourism industry. We hope that all stakeholders have fruitful and successful business partnerships over the next two days,” he was further quoted in a major Indian daily.
GITB is organised by the Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry).