4th edition of Bengal Travel Mart to be held from February 5, govt to skip organising duties
Darjeeling: The 4th edition of the Bengal Travel Mart (BTM) will be held in Siliguri from February 5 to February 7.
"We expect participation from different states. Business-to-Business (B2B) sessions will also be held," stated Goutam Deb, state Tourism minister.
However, the 4th edition of the BTM is going to be a bit different from the previous editions. "This time the government will not be organising the mart. We are participating and will extend our full support but we are not organising the mart," informed Deb.
The mart is being organised by the travel industry with Eastern Himalaya Travel and Tour Operators Association (ETHOA) at the helm.
"We have made some important suggestions to the organisers. Preparations have to be made for such an important mart for a year and not at the last minute. Big and significant buyers have to be invited," stated the minister.
When questioned on why the government has decided to pull out of the organisation part, the Tourism minister alleged: "We want meaningful utilisation of funds. Some lapses had come to our notice in the past edition."
He stated that for the government to organise the event, certain directives need to be followed. "If the organisers seriously follow our suggestions and directives, then the government can be part of the organisation in the next edition," assured Deb.
The BTM is a prestigious mart representing Bengal. "The BTM has always been organised in Siliguri and not Kolkata, reflecting the government's focus on North Bengal. We welcome the government's move to hand over the organising part to the local stakeholders. This is the model followed successfully in Rajasthan and Kerala. This way the onus of the result (both success and failure) will lie with the Travel Trade Industry," stated Raj Basu, advisor, ETHOA.
Basu stated that the suggestion given by the minister regarding organising the mart over a long span of time and avoiding last minute rushes is a very mature advice and should be followed sincerely.
