Archana Sharma – New Delhi
The inaugural edition of Global Exhibition on Tourism – India (GET-India) held on the sidelines of the first Global Exhibition on Services (GES) at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from April 23-25, 2015, received a positive response but left many opportunities unexplored which could have been hugely beneficial for the Indian tourism industry. The exhibition was organised by the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH). Elaborating on the same, Sarab Jit Singh, chairman, GET-India and vice-chairman, FAITH, felt that a lot of opportunities were missed out and the event lacked focus and status that is present at any national event, losing the opportunity to become an international event. “However, our team was able to deliver an almost perfect exhibition plan and the entire event was kept on schedule, though a few problems arose at the last minute concerning security,” he added. The event witnessed participation from around 90 organisations and about 175 buyers were present during the three day event from around 50 countries. Being a part of GES, prime minister Narendra Modi visited the GET – India hall on the day of the inauguration. During his inaugural address at GES, Modi spoke about the need for growing tourism for the socio-economic development of the country by offering experiential travel experiences.
According to P F Tariang, tourist officer, Department of Tourism, Government of Meghalaya, one of the exhibitors at GET – India, “The response could have been better as we were expecting a bigger crowd. We have taken a different approach and are promoting eco-tourism, based on holistic health since Meghalaya has the traditional knowledge of healing procedures and many people already visit Meghalaya for herbal therapies and ayurvedic remedies apart from tourism.”
While for Lisapila Anar, public relations officer (PRO), department of tourism, Government of Nagaland, the exhibition has brought forth many inquiries about Nagaland especially since they converged four departments under the same stall, promoting not just Nagaland tourism but also the culture, traditions and natural offerings.
Talking about the next edition of GET-India, Singh hopes for GET-India to become a separate event from GES, even though the dates have been announced for the second edition which will be held from February 24-26, 2016 at Pragati Maidan.
Foreign buyers present at the event included countries like Columbia, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, USA and Canada, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Dubai, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa among others.