Holiday-makers from both India and abroad are expected to participate in these fairs, which aim to create awareness about the various tourist destinations in the state of Gujarat. The Department is confident that the fairs will help increase the inflow of international tourists into the state.
In 2009-10, nearly 1.70 crore tourists visited Gujarat, while the number rose to 2.23 crore in 2011-12. This indicated an increase of almost 54 lakh tourists. The Tourism Department is hopeful that these travel fairs will help bring in tourists to the tune of 2.5 crore in the year 2012-13.
These fairs are being organised as a part of the Planning Commission’s special grant of INR1,200 crore for tourism development in Gujarat.
There are plans to organise similar fairs in Kolkata and Maharashtra as well.
Source: The Times of India