JAIPUR: Great Indian Travel Bazaar concluded today at the Jaipur Exhibition JECC, closing a landmark three-day event. Organised by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in association with the Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan and FICCI brought together the full spectrum of India’s tourism ecosystem under one roof, generating significant business, policy dialogues, and global visibility for the sector.
The concluding day witnessed continued high-impact B2B engagements and exhibition activity. Across 3-days, the event facilitated over 10,000+ structured B2B meetings between Foreign Tour Operators (FTOs) and domestic sellers.
The 2026 edition drew 195+ foreign buyers from over 50 countries, alongside 9 State Tourism Boards and 225+ hotels and tour operators from across India.
The travel trade show also saw the presentation of Best Stall Awards. Odisha Tourism bagged the Best Stall Award in the Public Sector category, with Chhattisgarh Tourism and Madhya Pradesh Tourism claiming the 1st and 2nd Runner Up positions respectively. In the Private Sector category, Eight Continents Hotels & Resorts emerged as the winner, followed by The LaLit Suri Hospitality Group and Yellow Light Hospitality as 1st and 2nd Runner Up respectively.
Ms. Diya Kumari, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan, set the tone by reaffirming the state’s commitment to positioning Rajasthan as a world-class, experience-led destination. Senior policymakers Mr. Suman Billa, Additional Secretary and Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India; Mr. V. Srinivas, Chief Secretary, Government of Rajasthan; Ms. Shuchi Tyagi, Secretary – Tourism, Government of Rajasthan; Dr. Jyotsna Suri, Past President FICCI & CMD, The LaLiT Suri Hospitality Group; and Mr. Anant Swarup, Secretary General, FICCI; Ms. Rukmani Riar, Commissioner – Tourism, Government of Rajasthan and Mr. Surender Singh Shekhawat, Co-Chair FICCI Rajasthan State Council, all reiterated India’s commitment to doubling tourism’s contribution to GDP.
The second day commenced with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at JECC by Ms. Diya Kumari, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan, and Mr. Bhuvnesh Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Ms. Shuchi Tyagi, Secretary – Tourism, Government of Rajasthan; Dr. Jyotsna Suri, Past President, FICCI & CMD, The LaLiT Suri Hospitality Group and Shri Rohan Khaunte, Hon’ble Tourism Minister of Goa, formally opening the exhibition and B2B sessions. The day was further marked by the maiden Travel & Tourism Excellence Awards — spanning 23 national and 11 Rajasthan-specific categories — celebrating the industry’s finest across hospitality, technology, tour operations, sustainability, and destination management, adjudicated by an eminent jury comprising Arvind Singh IAS (Retd.), Ravi Gosain (President, IATO), Meena Bhatia (Vice President & GM, Le Meridien), Ankush Nijhawan (Co-Founder, TBO.com), and Lakshmi Sarath (Author & Travel Blogger).
Several stalwarts of the tourism and hospitality industry were felicitated at the event. Among those honoured were Shri Bhim Singh, Chief Patron of the Rajasthan Association of Tour Operators (RATO); Shri Dipak Deva, Managing Director of Travel Corporation India Ltd; Shri Surendra Singh Shekhawat, Co-Chairman of the FICCI Rajasthan State Council; Shri Kuldeep Singh Chandela, Past President of both RATO and HRAR and a key figure in the Federation of Hospitality and Tourism of Rajasthan (FHTR); Shri Mahendra Singh, President of RATO; Shri Mohan Singh, Past Secretary of RATO; Shri Khalid Khan, Patron of RATO; and Shri Hemant Mittal, Senior Vice President of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Rajasthan (HRAR). A special posthumous tribute was also paid to Late Shri Randhir Vikram Singh Mandawa, Former Chairperson of the FICCI Rajasthan Council, in heartfelt acknowledgement of his invaluable and lasting contributions to the industry.
