by Suman Gupta
October, 2018: Islamic Travel Mart (ITM), India’s premier B2B marketplace and meeting point for all stakeholders in Islamic tourism, is scheduled for October 13-14, 2018 at the World Trade Centre, Mumbai.
India is home to the second largest Muslim population in South Asia, around 189 million. Around 170,000 pilgrims travel every year for Haj from India, and an equal number for Umrah, and this number is growing every year.
Mumbai is the country’s commercial and business capital. Besides also being the hub for the Indian Haj and Umrah travel industry, Mumbai is also in close proximity to Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, with the shortest flying time from any major Indian city.
ITM is the first exclusive B2B platform to network with Haj, Umrah, Ziyarat and Halal travel operators and travel agents from all over India, under one roof. Leading travel professionals and organisations from the Haj, Umrah, Ziyarat, Halal and mainstream travel sectors are coming together to promote the development of travel and tourism to the Haj and Umrah circuit, as well to other Islamic pilgrimage destinations across the globe.
The objective of Islamic Travel Mart is to create a platform for greater interaction and networking between the suppliers and buyers of Haj, Umrah, Ziyarat and Halal Travel, to create more transparency, better information dissemination and more competitive pricing and value addition for the pilgrims.
Islamic Travel Mart will offer opportunities to network with senior government officials and Haj Committee members, as well as international and domestic players in the industry. It will be an excellent platform to expand the B2B network and explore new business opportunities by meeting key decision makers from thousands of tour operators and travel agents promoting Haj, Umrah, Ziyarat & Halal Tourism from all over India and neighbouring countries, under one roof. It will provide a platform for a face-to-face interaction with business associates that will help in rejuvenating the existing relationships and increase business from existing clients.
Exhibitors will get a unique opportunity to reach out to buyers from all over India, as well as from neighbouring countries in South Asia. ITM will feature over 50 national and international exhibitors, and 1,500 visitors, including over 700 who have already registered, and 100+ hosted buyers from major markets like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Surat, Pune, etc.
Al Khalid Tours & Travels is the Premium Partner. Atlas Umrah, ACF Tourism, Compare, Al Massa Companies Group and Cosmic Travels & Tours are Associate Partners. Hospitality Partner is AccorHotels. Partner Hotels include Raffles Hotels & Resorts, Fairmont, Pullman Hotels and Resorts, Swissotel Hotels & Resorts, Mercure Hotels, Novotel Hotels, Suites and Resorts, Majlis Grand Mercure, ibis Styles Hotels, The Oberoi Madina, Ramada Hotels, Almassa Hotels and Anjum Hotel. Puratech Solutions is the Technology Partner.
Golden Tulip, Hotels Al Ansar, HajjUmrahOnline.com, Classic Tour & Travels, Adel Zitouni Est. Umrah Services, Rahat Travels, Rahhal International, Royal Inn Hotels, Mawasim Tours & Umrah Services, Dar Al-Eiman Hotels, Kunuz Al Mashaer, Maather Hospitality & Umrah Services, Manazil Al-Mukhtara Haj & Umrah, Al Amaari, Suhana Travels and Shemaroo Ibaadat are Featured Exhibitors in ITM.
Besides being the hub of the Haj, Umrah travel sector, Mumbai also has a high concentration of high-end affluent pilgrims, which is why some of the premium names mentioned above are participating.
Air India is the Partner Airline of the show.
The event is supported by the All India Haj and Umrah Tours Organisers Association, Haj Umrah Private Tour Operators Association and the Federation of Haj PTOs Of India.
ITM is organised by India’s oldest and largest travel trade show organisers, Fairfest Media Ltd, who organise globally acknowledged travel shows like OTM, BLTM, and TTF, for the last 30 years.
