Jaipur, Apr 13 (KNN)  The Great Indian Travel Bazaar 2013, an international tourism mart to be held in Jaipur from April 14-16 will bring together 274 foreign tour operators from across 54 countries under one roof.  Exclusive focus will be given to inbound tourism. 

Organised by the Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the international tourism mart is being supported by leading national and regional associations such as Hotel and Restaurant Association of Rajasthan (HRAR), Indian Heritage Hotels Association (IHHA) and Rajasthan Association of Tour Operators (RATO).

Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot will inaugurate the event.

The objective of the event according to FICCI is to reinforce India as a world-class tourism destination and provide opportunities to interact with foreign buyers, registered Indian sellers, policy makers, investors, members of the media and make a business sense out of The Great Indian Travel Bazaar '13.

The exhibition would house over 252 booths that would showcase and market the varied tourism products of India.  Over 500 key tourism product sellers from India would be represented at the structured B2B meetings between registered Indian sellers and foreign buyers, spread over two days, spiced up with social networking events, hosted dinners and vibrant cultural programmes.

In 2011, foreign tourist arrivals in India was 6.29 million and the foreign exchange earnings recorded was USD 17.74 billion.  In the same year, the total contribution of travel and tourism to employment, including jobs indirectly supported by the industry was 7.8 per cent of total employment.  (KNN)