Karna govt to hold "largest" B2B travel event in the country

The Karnataka government today announced that 'Karnataka International Travel Expo' (KITE) will be held here from February 28, billing it as the "largest" B2B travel event in the country.
The three-day event will see close to 400 delegates from 25 countries take part.
"For the first time in the country we will be having the biggest event, international expo for the tourism and travel sector," Karnataka Tourism Minister Priyank Kharge told reporters here.
The aim is to project Karnataka globally and attract tourist footfall, with emphasis on promoting the state's wild life, luxury and adventure destinations, historical monuments and UNESCO world heritage sites, he said.

"This will be an annual event here on, and will make a mark on the international travel expo map or circuit."
Overall, a budget of Rs seven crore is expected to be spent on the event, he added.

Officials said KITE would see participation from a minimum of 100 international buyers and 250 domestic or national buyers like travel agents, tour operators, destination management professionals and wedding planners, among others.
The event will for the first time see a blogathon, which will be attended by international travel bloggers, Kharge said adding that at least 100 bloggers are expected to participate in this blogathon.

Also, the event would have a separate startup pavilion for promoting new technologies and innovations in the tourism sector, he added.
Kharge also pointed out that Karnataka enjoys ninth and fourth position in the country in attracting foreign and domestic tourists, respectively.