14th International Tourism Mart to Open at Tawang

The North East's tourism trade is about to get its yearly showcase. On 28 October 2026 the Ministry of Tourism said the 14th International Tourism Mart (ITM) would run from 29 to 31 October 2026 at Hotel Vivanta in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh. The Ministry is holding the three-day event jointly with the Government of Arunachal Pradesh and the other North Eastern States, and the Mart is its annual flagship effort to sell the region as a destination in Indian and foreign markets.

Who opens it

The inaugural programme on 29 October 2026 is to be attended by Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, Suresh Gopi, Minister of State for Tourism and for Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Pema Khandu, Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh. The opening day also carries the inauguration of the North East Bazaar, which puts the region's crafts, textiles and arts on display, along with cultural performances.

Who is coming

More than 200 participants are expected, buyers and sellers from India and abroad. Among them are 43 international buyers drawn from 22 countries; Japan, Australia, Bhutan, Russia, Singapore, Germany, Thailand, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States figure on the list. All eight North Eastern States — Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura — will present their destinations, tourism products and the circuits that string the region together.

Business and the ministers' meeting

Business-to-Business sessions are fixed for 30 October 2026, putting foreign and Indian buyers across the table from service providers of the region. Technical sessions take up the live events and concert economy of the North East, led by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and tourist entry into Protected and Restricted Areas, led by the Ministry of Home Affairs; Royal Enfield has a presentation on building immersive journeys in the region. A Regional Meeting of Tourism Ministers of the North Eastern States, chaired by the Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, is also set for 30 October 2026.

Tawang after thirteen years

Delegates are to be taken on technical visits around Tawang: the Tawang Monastery, Jaswant Garh War Memorial, Jang Waterfall, the Tawang War Memorial, Urgelling Gompa, where the 6th Dalai Lama was born, Buddha Park, Pankang Teng Tso (PTSO) Lake and Shernup Village. Familiarisation tours for the foreign delegates begin from Guwahati on 1 November 2026. For Tawang this is a return after thirteen years, the town having hosted the 2nd edition in 2013. The edition before this one was held at Gangtok in Sikkim in November 2025.