 "Delhi trade fair registers highest single-day footfall of 150k on final day")
The India International Trade Fair (IITF) at the Pragati Maidan complex in New Delhi saw the highest-ever single-day footfall of 150,000 visitors on its final day on November 26, Hindustan Times (HT) reported on Tuesday, citing officials aware of the matter.
The 14-day fair generated a record business of Rs 1,500 crore, 57.9 per cent higher than Rs 950 crore last year. According to the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), the fair registered a footfall of over 100,000 on each of the last three days.
This edition of IITF began on November 14 under the theme "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - United by Trade". It was the first fair held after the revamp of the Pragati Maidan complex. The fair saw participation of over 3,500 exhibitors, and its area stretched over approximately 115,000 square metres.
ITPO also, for the first time, used a navigation app to guide attendees through the complex. It introduced specialised areas like a children's zone and a virtual reality (VR) zone, which were free of cost for visitors.
Representatives from 13 countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Oman, Egypt, Nepal, Thailand, Turkiye, Vietnam, Tunisia, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Iran and UAE, took part in the event. UAE was commended with a gold medal for its pavilion, Thailand won silver, and the bronze medal was presented to Turkey.
The Odisha pavilion, which was the centre of the attraction at the IITF-2023 in New Delhi reclaimed the Award of Excellence in Display, with silver going to Assam and bronze to Rajasthan. Uttarakhand was awarded a special appreciation medal.
In the thematic presentation by states category, Madhya Pradesh won gold.