Raj domestic tourism mart will host over 300 buyers

Jaipur: More than 300 buyers of Rajasthan’s tourism experiences from across the country will participate in the three-day domestic mart to be organised in Jaipur by the department of tourism along with industry body Federation of Hospitality and Tourism of Rajasthan (FHTR) from July 22.
A senior representative of FHTR said that about 8,500 scheduled meetings have been curated for the Rajasthan Domestic Tourism Mart (RDTM) between exhibitors and buyers, who hail from range of service providers including modern hotels, heritage properties, resorts, restaurants and safari service providers.
Khalid Khan, convenor of the mart and vice-president of FHTR, said, “The meetings have been scheduled in advance to have a better outcome of the event that aims at attracting domestic tourists. This segment will be a potential driver of the travel industry in the absence of foreign tourists.”
The industry body has been organising roadshows across the state to attract exhibitors. It has held several events in key cities of the state. “We expect about 200 exhibitors from Rajasthan. They offer a wide range of tourism experiences,” added Khan.
Of the hotels participating in the exhibition, 45 per cent would be from heritage category, which is Rajasthan’s unique selling point. Khan said the buyers will get to see a wide range of accommodation facilities at various price points in the heritage category.
The organizers have planned familiarization trips for some of the buyers to various destinations to give them a first-hand experience of destinations like Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner and Bharatpur.
“We want the buyers to experience the unique aspects of Rajasthan. That is why we have created two kinds of familiarization trip packages – three nights and five nights. Such exposure for buyers always makes them interested in the state,” said Khan.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will inaugurate the domestic mart along with tourism minister Vishvendra Singh on July 22. The next two days – July 23 and 24 – will see business-to-business meetings.