79 foreign operators to attend UP Travel Mart

A total of 79 tour operators from all over the world and over two dozen Indian tour operators would take part in the UP Travel Mart 2015 starting Feb 22, Uttar Pradesh Tourism and FICCI announced Thursday.

At a press conference here in the capital, tourism department director general Amrit Abhijaat said that after deliberations for three days, the delegates would be taken on familiarisation tours through the Heritage, Wildlife and the Buddha Circuits, which was likely to generate more footfall, both from India and abroad, to Uttar Pradesh.

While the untapped potential of Uttar Pradesh as a tourism hotspot is set to get a major impetus, the UP Travel Mart is also set to bring back a 'straight-from-the- ground' honest feedback from the tour operators to officials on the scope of improving facilities at various tourist sites as well as provide opportunities to take the good work undertaken in the last three years forward, he said.

The three-day travel mart would witness participation of 79 tour operators from 27 countries. As many as 25 tour operators from India will also take part.

The travel mart would be inaugurated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, at the Constantine, La Martiniere Boys College ground.

The exhibition and the closing ceremony would be held at the Indira Gandhi Pratisthaan Feb 23 and 24, respectively.

Officials said the state government plans to present the historical monuments and various other tourism sites on a global platform, so that both domestic and foreign tourists can enquire about them and know different facets of the unlimited tourism potential in the state.

While this is expected to generate more revenue, at the same time it would open new vistas for job creation, they said.

Amrit Abhijaat said the event was earlier held in Jaipur under the name of "Great Indian Travel Bazaar", but under an agreement between FICCI and UP Tourism, the event is being held in Lucknow this year and would carry on for five years.

He said it will help the foreign tour operators design better tour packages keeping in mind the rich heritage and historical aspects of the state.

FICCI officials said eight tour operators from Britain, seven each from China and Australia, six each from Germany and Thailand, and five from the US were likely to take part.