Aizawl, Nov 17 (PTI) A three-day mega event that puts a spotlight on the tourism potential of the northeast region was inaugurated in Mizoram capital Aizawl on Thursday to facilitate interaction among government agencies, business fraternity, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders.
The 10th International Tourism Mart (ITM) for the northeast region also focuses on “priorities of G20 for tourism track”, since India will assume the yearlong presidency of the influential group for a year from December 1 to November 30 next year.
More than 200 meetings will be held in India across 55 locations in this period.
Union Culture and Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy, in his address to the gathering at the ITM, said, “We have to use this occasion (G20 meetings) to showcase our cultural and traditional heritage to the foreign guests”.
The G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s major developed and developing economies.
It comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU).
He also said earlier many youths here used to “carry guns”, but now, the people and youth of the Northeast want development, ever since the Narendra Modi-led government has assumed power at the Centre.
Prior to inauguration, Reddy told reporters here that some of the meetings of the influential group are planned to be held across the northeast region and Aizawl will host one of these.
The International Tourism Marts are organised in the northeastern states on a rotational basis. Mizoram is hosting this mart for the first time. The earlier editions of the event have been held in Guwahati, Tawang, Shillong, Gangtok, Agartala, Imphal and Kohima, the ministry said.
The ITM event has been planned to facilitate interaction among buyers, sellers, media, government agencies, and other stakeholders. The ITM will bring together tourism business fraternity and entrepreneurs from the eight northeastern states, the Tourism Ministry said on Wednesday.
Union minister Reddy, who holds the portfolio of development of the northeast region (DoNER), Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga, Union Tourism Secretary Arvind Singh, Mizoram’s Minister of State for Tourism Robert Romawia Royte, among others attended the inaugural ceremony hosted at the R Dengthuama Indoor Stadium here.
The venue has been decked up with vibrant posters promoting the eight states of the northeast region as veritable tourism attractions.
Posters include slogans such as ‘Awesome Assam’ to ‘Land of Jewel – Manipur’ and ‘Mesmerising Meghalaya’ to ‘Land of Dawn-lit Mountains – Arunachal Pradesh’. ‘Mystical Mizoram – A Paradise for Everyone’, ‘Land of Festivals – Nagaland’ ‘Sikkim Where Nature Smiles’ ‘Teipura Where Culture Meets Nature’ are slogans on other posters along with images of scenic places or cultural heritage of the region.
The Union minister and the Mizoram chief minister later also laid foundation stones of four infrastructure projects. A coffee table book on Mizoram was also released.
A vibrant cultural programme showcasing the art and culture of Mizoram was also hosted at night.
The event was inaugurated a day after India was handed over the presidency of the influential bloc at the end of the two-day G-20 summit in Bali in Indonesia.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India’s G-20 presidency will be inclusive, ambitious and action-oriented, noting that it is taking the responsibility at a time the world is grappling with geopolitical tensions, economic slowdown and rising food and energy prices.
India is expected to host over 200 G20 meetings during its yearlong presidency, which will culminate with an annual summit on September 9 and 10 next year.
From big metros to smaller cities, including those rich in history and scenic beauty such as Hampi and Khajuraho, India has planned to host the G20 meetings at 55 locations across the country during this period.
These locations will also include Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities which have picturesque landscape and are rich in cultural heritage, a top official of the Tourism Ministry had earlier said.
“So, we are doing a meeting at the Runn of Kutch, one in Siliguri, there will be meetings at Hampi and Khajuraho as well,” the official had said.
Union Tourism Secretary Singh had recently said India plans to position itself as a “major tourism destination” during its presidency of the G20.
He had said this during a national conference of state tourism ministers hosted in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh from September 18-20.
Tourism-related aspects of the G20 leaders’ summit were also discussed during the conference organised by the Union Ministry of Tourism.
The Aizawl event is billed to step up the efforts of the ministry in positioning itself as a major tourism destination during India’s presidency of the G20.
The mart will include presentations by the eight northeastern states on their tourism potential, cultural evenings, sightseeing visits to local attractions in and around Aizawl, the ministry said.
It will also include business-to-business (B2B) meetings where buyers from different regions of the country will engage in one-on-one meetings with sellers from the northeast region. Also, an exhibition including display of beautiful handicrafts and handlooms will also be organised to showcase the tourism products of respective participating states. PTI KND CK
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