Foreign tourist inflow likely to see 8-10% growth next season
Jaipur: Looking at the buyer-seller meetings between tourism service providers , including hotels and tour operators from 53 countries, foreign tourist inflows to the country are likely to witness a growth of eight to 10 percent in the coming season, said Surendra Singh Shekhawat, co-chairman of FICCI Rajasthan .FICCI Rajasthan jointly organised the inbound tourism mart, Great Indian Travel Bazaar (GITB), along with the tourism department. During the three-day event that concluded Tuesday, more than 11,000 structured meetings took place between the tourism experience providers and the tour operators.Shekhawat said, "The B2B meetings have been so successful that we are expecting an eight to 10 percent jump in the business in the next season."Besides the tour operators, 11 states and a large number of tourism units from the private sector participated in the event, showcasing their destinations and products. At the concluding ceremony, Odisha tourism was declared the winner for its creative design of the stall, with Goa tourism and Madhya Pradesh tourism coming as first and second runners-up, respectively.Over 270 major inbound Foreign Tour Operators (FTOs) from 53 countries participated in the event as buyers in this mega event.Additional director of the tourism department, Anand Tripathi, said, "The business-to-business meetings between the foreign tour operators and tourism product owners were thoughtfully curated to achieve maximum deals. Also, I am glad that the Rajasthan Association of Tour Operators is organising a familiarisation tour (FAM) for the visiting tour operators. They will be visiting different parts of Rajasthan."Heritage hotels from the country also made their presence felt. They always participate in good numbers at the GITB. As many as 30 heritage hotels from Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Gujarat, and even Kerala took part in the event, offering diverse product offerings to the visiting tour operators.
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