The Ministry of Tourism (MOT), Government of India in partnership with the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) and with the help of State/ Union Territories governments is organising India Tourism Mart (ITM) 2018 for the first time in India from September 16 till September 18, 2018 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The three-day event will witness the congregation of international buyers from potential source markets such as North and South America, Europe, East Asia, Latin America, Russia, CIS China and Indian sellers, approximately more than 300 international buyers, influencers, bloggers. Approximately 250 to 300 stalls will be set up by the Indian sellers to enable them to interact with the international buyers. B2B sessions will also be held in order to help the sellers to strike deals with the buyers. Speaking about the event K J Alphons, minister of state for tourism said, “This is for the first time that India will join the list of countries that organise Tourism Marts every year. The whole vision behind this idea is to enable states to promote their tourism products and destinations globally. This event will also help to create a global marketplace for Indian tourism stakeholders. The event will also lead to the strengthening of existing partnerships, creation of new partnerships and positioning of Indian tourism products in the global categories of leisure, adventure, MICE, heritage and special interest tourism segments.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate the Mart. “We are moving ahead with the vision of having double Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTA) in the next three years. Therefore ministry for tourism along with FAITH, has asked the tourism offices abroad to select top and genuine buyers from guest countries and a selection committee has also been set up by FAITH to facilitate the selection of potential buyers”, Alphons added.According to the statistics provided by FAITH, the exhibitor mix will comprise 50 per cent DMCs, 25 per cent states, 20 per cent hotels and five per cent other service providers. Also, there would be pre-fixed meetings with international buyers with the respective state governments and Indian sellers during the event. Pre and post event FAM trips will also be organised so as to showcase the potential destinations and products more efficiently to the buyers. The event will also provide an opportunity for the international buyers to see the world-class tourism facilities available in India.