Lucknow :

The four-day long UP’s first Travel Mart, which would begin on February 22 is likely to witness participation of as many as 79 tour operators from 27 countries. This also includes 25 tour operators from India. Director general of tourism Amrit Abhijat said that the Travel Mart would be inaugurated by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, and would be held at La Martiniere Boys College ground.

He further stated that earlier the event used to be held in Jaipur under the name of ‘great Indian Travel Bazaar’, but under an agreement between FICCI and UP Tourism, the event has been slated for Lucknow, and for the next five years, it would be held in Lucknow.

“The Travel Mart would prove to be useful both for domestic and international tour operators, and at the same time, it would add another dimension to the different tourist places of the state,” Abhijat said, and added that it will also help the foreign tour operators to design better tour packages keeping in mind the historical monuments of the state.

A meeting was also held recently to formalise the preparations of the Travel Mart. The meeting was attended by Amit Gupta (of FICCI), ASI director PK Mishra, head of Heritage Hotel Association PND Singh and Salim Ali and Tariq Khan (of Roomi Foundation). A meeting was also held under the chairmanship of Mahesh Kumar Gupta, divisional commissioner of Lucknow, which was also attended by Amrit Abhijat and other senior officials.

The meeting which is jointly organised by FICCI and UP Tourism is likely to see maximum participation of 8 tour operators from United Kingdom, followed by 7 each from China and Australia, 6 each from Germany and Thailand, and 5 from the USA.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Arunav Sinha, TNN / February 17th, 2015