by Suman Gupta
October 13, 2018: Islamic Travel Mart (ITM), India’s premier B2B marketplace and meeting point for all stakeholders in Islamic travel, opened today at the World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade Mumbai. ITM was inaugurated by Mr Vinod Sridhar Tawde, Minister, Minority Development and Wakf, Govt of Maharashtra and Dr Maqsood Ahmad Khan, Chief Executive Officer, Haj Committee of India in the presence of other key dignitaries including Mr Ade Sukendar, Consul General, Consulate General of Indonesia in Mumbai, Mr Vijay Kalantri, Honorary Consul of Uzbekistan in Mumbai, Mr Reza Eshghi, Second Consul, Consulate General of Iran in Mumbai, Mr Majed Fahad Al Dossari, Diplomat, Consulate General of Saudi Arabia in Mumbai, Mr Ebrahim Hasham Kolsawala, Chairman, All India Haj and Umrah Tour Organisers Association, Mr M Zakaullah Siddiqui, Managing Director, Indo Saudi Services, Mr Ravi Bodade, General Manager Commercial (West), Air India and Dr Yusuf Ahmed Kherada, Founder, Al Khalid Tours & Travels.
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 more than 600,000 for Umrah, and this number is growing every year.Mumbai is the country’s commercial and business capital. Besides 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.
The 2-day 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 buyers and sellers 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 900 who have pre- registered, plus hosted buyers from major markets like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Surat, Pune, etc.Al Khalid Tours & Travels is the Premium Partner for Islamic Travel Mart, and has helped in mobilising some of the top suppliers from Makkah and Medinah. Atlas Umrah, ACF Tourism, Al Massa Companies Group, Cosmic Travels & Tour, Classic Tour & Travels, Maqbool Umrah by Creative Travels 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, Badr Bandr Umrah Services and Centrum 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 open to only business visitors from the Haj, Umrah, Ziyarat and Halal travel industry, and entry is free.
ITM is organised by India’s oldest and largest travel trade show organisers, Fairfest Media Ltd, which has been organising globally acknowledged travel shows like OTM, BLTM, and TTF, for the last 30 years.
